Explore the bird species of Kenya with our 10 Days Bird Watching Trip in Kenya via Olorgesaille south of Nairobi, Manguo ponds, Lake Nakuru National Park known for flamingoes gathered on the shores of Lake Nakuru with added advantage of viewing wild animals in your trip like Black and white rhinos thrive in the surrounding national park, which also has its fair share of Cape buffalo, African wild dog, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lions. Continue with a visit to Lake Baringo, Kitale, Kakamega and finally Dunga beach in Kisumu for water species like Papyrus Canary, Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Jackson’s Yellow-backed Weavers, and Greater Swamp Warbler among others. Contact us to book this tour.
Day 1: Nairobi
Arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to be met by your guide. Birding starts right away from the stairs off the plane as the Little, African Palm Swifts and the Superb Starling appears common while the Red-winged Starling whistles to remind you to have your binoculars ready. Transfer to the hotel for a rest, followed by a visit to the Nairobi National Museum’s birds, ethnography, geology, prehistory galleries (among others) as well as the Snake Park. This is the right place to learn and see many of the Kenya’s multifacets of culture, pre-history and its natural resources. Birding continues around the museum’s botanical garden or elsewhere depending on the time. Overnight stay at Pride Inn Azure Hotel, Nairobi. Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Olorgesaille
We’ll drive down the escarpment towards this dry, arid, scrub country about 75 km south of Nairobi (towards Lake Magadi) that makes an excellent whole day birding. All the way down the rift valley, stops along the way show a distinctive change of habitat and species. Recorded species includes the Cut Throat, Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, Northern Crombec, Banded Parisoma, White-bellied Canary, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey Wren Warbler, Taita Fiscal, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Fischer’s Sparrow-Lark, Grey-headed Silverbill, Grey-capped Social-Weaver, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Straw-tailed Whydah, Tiny Cisticola etc. We’ll also spend some hours at the Olorgesaille prehistoric Site, a museum displaying many hand tools by man. Picnic lunch at the Museum. Overnight stay at Pride Inn Azure Hotel, Nairobi. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Gatamaiyu, Manguo Ponds
Leave early for the Gatamaiyuforest, located about 50km n.w. of Nairobi stretches through the Kieni forest (part of the central highlands) and boost many montane species includes the Chestnut-throated, Grey, Black-collared, Black-throated Apalis, Montane Oriole, Narina’s& Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, Yellow-rumped, Mustached Green Tinkerbird, Scarce Swift, White-browed Crombec, while Abbott’s Starling and the Sharpe’s Starling have been recorded, among others. While Manguo Ponds makes an excellent birding spot en-route to the forest. It boost a wide variety of waterfowls such as the Yellow-billed Ducks, Little Grebe, Red-billed Teal, Red-knobbed Coot, while Maccoa Ducks are regularly recorded, Grey, Black-headed Heron, African Spoonbill, White-faced Whistling Duck, Hottentot Teal, while sometimes waders occur in large numbers such as the Greenshanks, Sandpipers, Plovers etc.
Leave late afternoon for Lake Nakuru. On the way pass by the Kinangop plateau in search of Sharpe’s Longclaw, one of the Kenya’s endemic. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Nakuru Lodge / Similar Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park is referred to as the “the greatest ornithological spectacle in the world” with both lesser and the greater flamingoes sometimes exceeding 1.5 million individuals. The alkaline habitat supports thousands of resident and migratory waterfowl. The alkaline lake, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers and inlets with marshes hold over the 450 species. Some of the common birds are the Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed, Whiskered Tern, Grey-headed Gull, Cape and Red-billed Teal, Southern Pochard, Long-crested, and African Crowned Eagle, White-fronted Bee-eater, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush, Wailing Cisticola, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Starling, Lilac-breasted Roller, Cliff Chat and many species of waders.
In addition, the park is rich in big games that include the Giraffe, Buffalo, Waterbuck, Eland, Hippo, both Black and White Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena among many small mammals. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Nakuru Lodge / Similar Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Lake Baringo
We take a morning game and bird-drive in the park before we leave for the Lake Baringo Conservation Area, another of Kenya’s birding hotspots. Afternoon, visit the cliffs not far from the lake, a good site for Hemprich’s& Jackson’s Hornbills, White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Green-winged Pytilia, and Red & Yellow Barbet, Bat Hawk, Three Banded Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar (among many others). Birding along the camp site and the hotel could yield the Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy kingfisher, Black-headed Plover. Overnight at Island Camp Baringo Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Kitale
Today we take an early morning boat ride before going back to the cliff and the bush around hoping to see the Goliath, Grey Heron, and Great White Pelicans among many waterbirds. After lunch we leave for Kitale where we spend the night looking forward for tomorrow birding down the Kongelai Escarpment. Overnight at Crane Hotel Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Kongelai Escarpment
We drive down the Kongelai escarpment on the west of Makutano (Kitale – Turkana Road). This is yet another excellent birding area where we expect localized birds such as the Yellow-billed Shrike, Lesser Blue-eared Starling, White Crested Turaco, Chestnut Crowned Sparrow-weaver, and Dark Chanting Goshawk among many other interesting species. Late afternoon we leave heading for the Kakamega Forest. Overnight at Crane Hotel Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Kakamega Forest
Day long around the forest trails in the northern circuit. The Kakamega Forest, the only rain forest remaining in Kenya, was once a continuation of the Guinea Congolian rainforest, rich in species nowhere else to be seen in Kenya. Spending a few days here we hope to see a good number of these forest species that could include the Blue-headed Bee-Eater, Red-headed Malimbe, Green Sunbird, Grey-winged Robin, Yellow Spotted, Yellow-bellied Barbets, African Blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-headed Robin, Common, Jameson’s, Chestnut and with much luck the Yellow-bellied Wattle Eyes and may be the Blue-shouldered Robin Chat among many others. Overnight at Savona isle resort Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Kakamega forest
Birding in the forest trail and later in the afternoon leave for Kisumu City justby the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. Visit Impala Sanctuary and the Sewerage Works that could yield a Southern Black Bishop, Black-billed Barbet. Overnight at Savona isle resort Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: Kisumu
Today we take an early morning boat ride along the Papyrus vegetation at the Dunga Beach (an old fishing village/jet) with expectation to see some the specialties like the Papyrus Canary, Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Jackson’s Yellow-backed Weavers, Greater Swamp Warbler etc. Return to Nairobi where our tour ends with a dinner before the transfer to the airport.
- Transportation by a 4 x 4 Station wagon.
- Driver guide
- Specialised birding guide
- Birding watching fees
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals as per the Itinerary
- Wildlife viewing
- Enroute lunches
- Ranger guide fees
- Airport transfers
- 1 bottle of water per day while on the safari
The package to exclude:
Expenses of personal nature like: drinks, domestic flight, International flight from and back home, laundry, tips, telephone, cigars, etc.