Tour Code : CASBD 01 Start : Nairobi End : Nairobi
Tour Duration: 11 Days bird
watching tour in kenya Accommodations: Luxury lodge
/camping option
Group Size: 2 Pax and above; guaranteed departure
When to Bird in kenya ?
The best time is
between October and April when more than 120 migrant
species have arrived from the Northern hemisphere,
mostly from the Palearctic but with some African
migrants such as Forbes-Watson's Swift; there is also
the chance of finding one of the passage migrants such
as the Sooty Falcon in March-April and October-December.
Kenya has a more than 1,000 species
of birds
in a vast variety of habitats. The big variety of birds
is made possible by lack of climatic extremes. Kenya
straddles the equator and has only two seasons, wet and
dry. In the northern latitudes huge numbers of birds
migrate southwards to avoid the harsh winter. From as
far east as the Bering Straits and as far west as
the
northern tip of Norway, they come in their millions to
East Africa. It has been estimated that 6 billion birds
make the journey each year. Add the visiting birds to
the incredible variety of local birds, and you have an
ornithological
The Masai Mara is Kenya's finest wildlife sanctuary. Everything about this reserve is
outstanding. The wildlife is abundant and the gentle
rolling grassland ensures that animals are never out of
sight. Birds too are prolific, including migrant birds
and 57 species of birds of prey.
Lake Nakuru
Besides the flamingos that the lake
is famous for, there are approx 400 other species of
birds visiting the lake
DAY 1
Arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport in the evening. Transfer to
Nairobi safari club hotel for dinner and overnight .
DAY 2+3: MENENGAI CRATER And LAKE
NAKURU –
After breakfast we leave Nairobi
via the Nakuru road to the Rift valley. The Nairobi -
Nakuru road is on a contour along the rim of the Rift
valley and on viewpoints we will be able to see our
whole route for the next days. Our destination is the
Maili Saba Tented Camp.
On the way we take a brief birding
stop at the Limuru Swamp to see resident birds species
such as Little Grebe, Yellow-billed and Maccoa Duck,
Pelicans, Coots, Egrets and Herons. Soaring are Black
Kite, Augur Buzzard and Pied Crow.
We will be fortunate to escape from
the crowded lodges in the Lake Nakuru National Park to
the very exclusive Maili Saba camp on the dormant
Menengai Crater. The Menengai area is very beautiful
with cliff walls and steam jets filling the crater with
mist. It is only 10 km from the Nakuru National Park and
has not been touched by tourism. This is an easy to
explain situation as safari evolves around wildlife with
other geographical features being relegated to
viewpoints that is if they happen to be visible from a
highway. Fortunately Menengai Crater is off the highway,
so it is spared the viewpoint ritual of convoys of tour
buses stopping for the mandatory 10 minutes break of
photo taking.
In the afternoon of day 2 we will
do a birding walk in the crater where we will enjoy the
beautiful contrasts of nature. Rocks that have stood the
test of time, natural springs with mirror clear water,
lava that reminds us that this is the Rift Valley and
baboons trooping around with their babies. Possible
sightings here are the Common Stonechat, Yellow-rumped
Seedeater, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Yellow
Bishop, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Northern Anteater
chat, White-fronted Bee-eater and Shallow's Wheatear.
Pied-Kingfisher
Day 3 Lake Nakuru,
we go bird watching in
Lake Nakuru, which is famous for its thousands of Lesser
Flamingos - the Greater Flamingoes will be easily
distinguishable by their height. The Great White and
Pink-backed Pelican and Black-winged Stilt are also
there.
The lake has a low concentration of
salt, so it supports fish that of course attract other
water birds.
It is a good place to look for
Avocets, Storks, Ibises, Ducks, Cormorants, Herons, and
Terns. In the wooded acacias there is a chance to see
the White-browed Coucal, Broad-billed Roller,
Arrow-marked Babbler and the Narina Trogon.
We go with a picnic lunch, so that
we can take a full day for birding and game viewing in
the park.
DAY 4, 5+6: LAKE BARINGO – Lake
Baringo
After breakfast we head further
north to Lake Baringo which without doubt is a one of
the most interesting places for bird watching in Kenya
because of the different habitats that are found with-in
a small radius. There is the fresh water lake with a
slight degree of alkalinity, cliffs, open grasslands as
well as scattered bushes.
Over 400 species of birds have been
recorded. The woodlands by the lake are alive with
White-browed Sparrow-Weavers, Jackson's and Red-billed
Hornbills, Bristle-crowned Starlings, and the rare
Northern Masked Weavers, there are several Hamerkops
along the lakeshore and with luck we should be able to
see their nest, which a pair of Grey Kestrels have
adopted as a home. There will be time to relax, enjoy
the pool, and bird the grounds of the lodge for the
resident Spotted Eagle-owls, and Sunbirds such as the
Beautiful, Hunter's and the Violet-breasted. Nightjars
are common on the lakeshores at night and the Hippos
graze freely on the lodge's lawn. Overnight is at Lake
Baringo Country Club.
Brown-Babbler
On day 5 we go birding to the
nearby alkaline lake of Bogoria, famous for its
thousands of flamingos and beautiful hot springs. As
this area is very hot, we go early and return to the
Baringo Country Club in time for a late lunch. Afternoon
is spent birding leasurely in the garden of the lodge.
Before breakfast on day 6 we will
bird the escarpment and surrounding countryside for
Hemprich's and Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill,
White-crested Turaco, Madagascar Bee-eater, Rufous-crowned
Roller, Gabar Goshawk, Cliff Chat and Verreaux's Eagle
which feeds on the Rock Hyrax.
Later on the day we make a boat
ride over Lake Baringo, always on the lookout for new
bird species. We will come close to the Goliath Heron,
African Fish Eagle, Malachite Kingfisher, plus swimming
hippo and crocodiles.
DAY 7: TO LAKE NAIVASHA – Lake
Naivasha Country Club
A scenic transfer through the Nandi
Hills and the tea rich area of Kericho takes us back to
Nakuru and further south to the Lake Naivasha area.
Lake Naivasha is a fresh water lake
without a known outlet. This is very strange considering
that the rivers that feed it are salty. The lake has
dense vegetation, which in turn supports a variety of
birds. The area has a bird count of 350 species.
We reach the Lake Naivasha Country
Club in time for a late lunch where we'll stay for the
next two nights. In the afternoon we do a bird walk in
the garden of the hotel, which borders the lake. A late
afternoon boat ride gives us not only the chance to see
numerous Hippos but also a wide variety of fresh water
birds. A nocturnal visitor in this lodge is the hippo,
whose deep munching we will easily identify from the
comfort of our rooms.
DAY 8: HELL'S GATE NATIONAL PARK –
Lake Naivasha
Hell's Gate is only a 20 min drive
away from our lodge. The first part the park has
historically been an important home for the rare
lammergeyer vultures. There are over 103 species of
birds in the park, including vultures, Verreaux's
Eagles, Augur Buzzard, and swifts. Hyraxes, African
buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson's
gazelle, and baboons are also common. The park is
also home to serval and small numbers of
klipspringer antelope and Chanler's mountain
reedbuck.
DAY 9, 10 & 11: MASAI MARA - Mara
Simba Lodge / Sarova Mara / Keekorok
We head to the famous Masai Mara
National Reserve, which borders Serengeti in Tanzania.
Mara is the gem of birding and game viewing in Kenya
with 450 species recorded. We will drive through Masai
land, home to one of the most fascinating cultures in
Africa.
In the vast grasslands we expect to
see Elephants; the large Cats - Lion, Leopard, and
Cheetah; the herd animals - Zebra, Wildebeest,
Thompson's and Grant's Gazelles; and specialties like
the Hartebeest and the Topi.
Ground-Hornbill
Expected bird species are the
highly conspicuous Common Ostrich, the small but still
conspicuous Cardinal Quelea, Sooty Chat, Ground
Hornbill, Open-billed Stork, Temminck's Courser,
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and Denham's Bustard.
Lilac-breasted Rollers are common. If we find a kill, we
may see six species of vultures all dining together:
Egyptian, Hooded, Griffon, Lappet-faced, White-backed
and White-headed. It will be a double reward should a
Hyena or a Jackal join in the scramble for the kill.
In addition we will encounter
numerous raptors such as Bateleur, Martial and Tawny
Eagles, as well as Pale Chanting Goshawk, Augur Buzzards
and Black-chested Snake Eagles. Along the Mara River
we'll watch for African Finfoot, Schalow's and Ross'
Turaco, Crested Guineafowl, Woodland Kingfisher,
Yellow-billed Barbet, Black-billed Weaver, Violet-backed
Starling, and perhaps with luck, Pel's Fishing Owl. Any
tapping noise on the trees may be indicative of the
relatively uncommon Woodpeckers (Golden-tailed and
Fine-banded). Hopefully we will be lucky enough to see
some of the more difficult to see mammals such as
Bat-eared Fox, Hunting Dog, Serval and the delightful
Banded Mongoose.
DAY 12:
Mara - Nairobi
Morning game drives then proceed to Nairobi to arrive by
1600 hrs where the safari ends.
The Tana River White Water
Rafting Kenya
Alt 1,200 - 1,100m Just 95km from Nairobi,
this "pool drop" river offers an exciting
day of White-Water thrills (and often
spills). The adventure starts with 3km. of
easy class II and III white-water, where
there is plenty of opportunity to gain and
practice the paddle skills required to run
the lower part of the river. A 6 km section
follows, and now we have an hour or more to
relax, view the abundance of birdlife
around, cool off with a swim - it's very
warm compared with rivers in the States or
Europe, (around 20C),
Available daily at 07.30 hrs - return by
1730hrs. ......
WHITE WATER RAFTING IN UGANDA
White water rafting at he source of the Nile
river is one of the most fun adventure
activities that you can experiences. Just under
an hour's drive from Kampala this is one of
those tour activities that can be done in one
day. For those with a spirit of adventure this
activity can be coupled with bungee jumping at
the Nile High camp which is the only bungee
jumping platform in East Africa. Come experience
the adrenaline as you plunge from 44m in to the
legendary River
Nile....>>>>Read more
the
northern tip of Norway, they come in their millions to
East Africa. It has been estimated that 6 billion birds
make the journey each year. Add the visiting birds to
the incredible variety of local birds, and you have an
ornithological