12 Days Kenya Birdwatching Safari

Just don’t forget to bring your binoculars and camera. This will be a rewarding experience!

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive at JKI Airport to be met and transferred to Nairobi National Park for bird watching the whole day with picnic lunch in the park. Birds in the park includes Saddle-billed Stork, Secretary Bird, Black-shouldered Kite, Lappet-faced Vulture, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Martial Eagle, Shelly's & Yellow-necked Spurfowls, African Finfoot, Black-bellied & Hartlaub's Bustards, Pangani, Rosy-breasted Longclaws, 9 species of Cistocolas, Red-throated Tit, Jackson's Widowbird, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, among others. The park has big game such as the Cape buffalo, Burchell's Zebra, Hippo, Masai Giraffe, Coke's Hartebeest, Vervet and Syke's Monkey, both Black and White Rhinos. In the evening you will be transferred to a city hotel to relax and overnight.

OVERNIGHT: FAIRVIEW HOTEL (BB)

Day 2: Nairobi - Lake Naivasha

Depart after breakfast for Lake Naivasha with a stopover at the viewpoints. Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge. Afternoon depart for a boat ride along the papyrus shore of the Lake Naivasha to see the Great White Pelican, Great, Long-tailed Cormorant, Great Egret, Purple, Goliath Heron, Hamerkop, Sacred, Hadada Ibis, Greater, Lesser Flamingo, Cape, Red-billed Teal, African Jacana, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Three-banded, Long-toed Plovers, Marsh and Green Sandpipers.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: LAKE NAIVASHA SOPA LODGE (FB)

Day 3

After an early morning breakfast, you will leave for Lake Nakuru National Park in search of two Kenyan endemics Aberdare Cisticola and Sharpe’s Longclaw will also look for more specialties like Wing-snapping, Hunter’s, Levaillant’s Cisticolas, Great Crested Grebe, Maccoa & African White-backed Ducks, Lesser Jacana among many others. 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. All meals at the lodge. MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: SAROVA LION HILL GAME LODGE (FB)

Day 4

Depart for an early morning game drive visiting some of the habitats such us the alkaline shores, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers and inlets with marshes holds residents as well as migratory species. Later return for breakfast at the lodge and then depart for Lake Boringo to arrive in time for lunch followed by afternoon game drive. MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: (

Day 5

Full day spend in Lake Baringo with morning and afternoon game drives with all meal at the hotel. if lucky you will see some the specialties such as the Hemprich's, Jackson's Hornbills, Northern White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Green-winged Pytilia, Red-&-Yellow Barbet, Heuglin’s Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar while birding along the hotel grounds could yield the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy Kingfisher, Black-headed Plover.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: LAKE BARINGO SOI LODGE

Day 6

After breakfast depart for Kakamega Forest Reserve. Birding enroute to kakamega Forest. The few stops along the way may produce Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Gambaga Flycatcher, Long-billed Pipit, Boran Cisticola, White-crested Turaco, Double-toothed Barbet, Western banded Snake Eagle, African Water Rail, Zebra Waxbill among others arriving at our lodge late in the afternoon.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: RONDO RETREAT (FB)

Day 7

Full day in Kakamega Forest. This is the only true rain forest remaining in Kenya and 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, Grey-winged Robin, Yellow Spotted, Yellow-billed Barbet, Shelly's, Joyful, Toro olive, Cabanis' Greenbul, African Blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-headed Robin Chat, Common, Jameson's, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Olive Green Camaroptera, Green, Cooper Sunbird, Mackinnon Shrike, Luhder's Bush-Shrike, Bocage's Bush- shrike, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Black-necked, Dark-backed, Vieillot's Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, Red-headed Bluebill.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: RONDO RETREAT (FB)

Day 8

After breakfast, you will head to Kisumu on the shores of the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. Along the Papyrus vegetation at an old fishing village with expectation to see some of the specialties like the Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-winged Warbler, Red-chested, Copper Sunbirds, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed Weavers, Southern Red Bishop, Black-billed Barbet.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: IMPERIAL HOTEL (FB)

Day 9

After an early morning breakfast, you will depart for the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve, a plain of rolling grassland dotted with a mixture of acacia trees and the plain game which includes large herds of elephants, zebras, topis, hartebeests, gazelles, Impala’s not forgetting the well-known Mara/ Serengeti Wildebeest’s migration, lions, cheetah. We'll stay on the western part of the reserve along the Olololoo Escarpments blended by river, swampy, grassy and forested habitats. Specialties include the Long-tailed, Rock Cisticolas, Wattled Plover, Rufous-bellied Heron, Pale Wren Warbler. Also Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Ashy Flycatcher, Grey-rumped, Red-rumped Swallow, White-headed, Lappet-faced, White-headed Vulture, White-naped Raven, Ross Turaco, Black-backed Puffback, Croaking Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Black & White Casqued Hornbill, Narina Trogon, Lilac-breasted Roller, Common Wattle-eye, Silverbird, Plain and Long-billed Pipit, Saddle-billed, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-fronted Canary among many others. On this day you will have lunch on way because you will arrive late in the afternoon.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: MARA SOPA LODGE (FB)

Day 10 & 11

Full two days in Mara with morning and afternoon game drives or full day game drives with picnic lunch in search of the Red-tailed Chat, Long-tailed & Rock Cisticolas, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Schalow’s Turaco among others.

MEALS AND OVERNIGHT: MARA SOPA LODGE (FB)

Day 12

After breakfast, you will depart for Nairobi arriving in time for lunch (own arrangement). Thereafter you will be transferred to the airport in good time to catch your flight back home.

Package Includes:

Transport in a 4×4 Toyota Mini Van with a pop-up roof -each person is guaranteed a window seat

Services of a professional English speaking guide

Accommodation in a double/triple room

Game drives as per the itinerary

Game parks or national parks entry fees;

Three meals per day whilst on safari

1-litre Mineral water per person per day

Complimentary return airport transfers in Nairobi

Safari Price excludes:

Drinks

Tipping

Cultural visits to Maasai Villages costs US$ 25 per person

Masai Mara Balloon safari @ 450 Dollars per person can be arranged on request

Personal effects

Kenya Visas

pre and post safari hotel accommodation in Nairobi