Great Adventure Trips

Kenya

Walking Tours / Mt. Kenya Trek / Birdwatching / Lodging Info / Park Info
3-6 Day Safaris / 7-9 Day Safaris / 10 + Day Safaris / Kenya-Tanzania Combos

Birding Tour - Mt. Kenya - Rift Valley Lakes - Kakamega Forest - Masai Mara

To many people Kenya is known for its abundant wildlife but to bird watchers it is the paradise of African avifauna. Holding 60% (1054 species) of African species it certainly is the country of choice for anyone interested in birds and nature. A diverse physical geography extending from sea level to high mountains, a wide distribution of salty and fresh water lakes and a vegetation ranging from grasslands to rain forests makes it an outstanding meeting place of native and immigrant birds.

This itinerary is highly recommended if you have at least two weeks of holiday time and want to see the very best of the Kenyan bird life. You start with the Mount Kenya forest, then do the Rift Valley Lakes. We give a mix of fresh water lakes (Naivasha and Baringo) and salt water lakes (Nakuru). You then go to Kakamega Forest, which is a remaining patch of the tropical rain forest. The last 3 days of the tour are reserved for Masai Mara, the Africa of everyone's dream: rolling plains, great wildlife and absolutely good birding. Welcome.

Our tours are accompanied by a highly experienced birding guide and group sizes are of maximum 12 pax. We put quality time in our itineraries, starting with an early morning birding and ending with an evening checklist discussion. Although these are specialized bird watching trips, it is extremely difficult to ignore the other interesting aspects of Kenya. So we will look at the tours as ones of natural history extending our theme to cover wildlife, reptiles, cultures and the ever-changing landscapes because these are what make Kenya special.

DAY 1: NAIROBI
Arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the evening. Transfer to the Holiday Inn or equivalent hotel.

DAY 2 + 3: MOUNT KENYA REGION – Naro Moru River Lodge
An early walk in the gardens of the hotel provides our first counts of Kenyan birds: Northern Pied Babbler, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Speckled Mousebird, Black Kite, Pied Crow, Olive Thrush. After breakfast we will drive north towards Mt. Kenya stopping at the Karatina Dam, which is a seasonal swamp that is partly covered by reeds and water hyacinth. Some common finds here are African Jacana gracefully trotting on the wide hyacinth leaves, Little Grebe, White-faced Whistling Duck, Black-headed Heron, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, Black Cuckoo-shrike and African Paradise Flycatcher.

We will continue to the Naro Moru River Lodge arriving in time for lunch. Generally the Naro Moru area is very dry but there is a remaining patch of the Mt. Kenya Forest and the lodge is set just on the forest border. The gentle flowing Naro Moru River separates the lodge from the forest and all the cottages are facing the river. Add to this the extensive garden with a lot of flowering plants and you have a birding paradise.

The afternoon walk will be on the river trail looking for such residents as the African Green Pigeon, a range of Sunbirds (we think of the Tacazze, Bronze and the Variable), Rufous Chatterer, Chin-spot Batis, Giant Kingfisher...

On the morning of day 3, after birding in the garden we will drive to the Mount Kenya National park to look for the highland species. Interruptions during this drive could come from Long-tailed and Red-collared Widowbirds and Pin-tailed Whydas that are common on the long grass.

Leaving the vehicles at the park gate, we will walk in the forest and we will see many species including Hartlaub's Turaco, Olive and Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Silvery-cheeked and Crowned Hornbill, Rüppell's Robin-Chat and the Yellow-crowned Canary.

DAY 4+5: LAKE NAKURU – Lodge in the park
We head west to 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.
Overnight in a lodge in the park.

DAY 6 + 7: LAKE BARINGO – Lake Baringo Country Club
After breakfast we head further north to Lake Baringo. This is a fresh water lake with a slight degree of alkalinity. The climate is dry and the cliffs around house a variety of bird life. 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-backed. 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.

Before breakfast on day 7 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 8 + 9: KAKAMEGA FOREST – Rondo Retreat
We aim to reach Kakamega Forest for a late lunch. This forest, in the heart of an intensively cultivated agricultural area, is a superb remainder of virgin tropical rainforest and is of course the home to a wide range of specialty birds, many which are not found anywhere else in Kenya. The forest is not only home to the rare De Brazza's monkey (only found in Kakamega Forest), but also to the Hammer-headed Fruit Bat, Flying Squirrel, 400 species of butterflies and no less than 330 species of birds.

Yes, birding in a forest has its fair share of difficulties but this is easily forgotten when our count increases with hopeful sightings of the impressive Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Ross' and the Great Blue Turaco. Other notables are the Grey-headed Negro-finch, Red-headed Bluebill, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Mackinnon’s Shrike and many more.
Overnight in the Rondo Retreat in the forest.

DAY 10: TO LAKE NAIVASHA – Crater Lake Tented Camp
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.We reach Crater Lake 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 Crater Lake game sanctuary.Accommodation is in the luxury tented camp of Crater Lake. Here each tent is furnished with a giant four-poster bed, dressing room and an ensuite bathroom with hot shower.

DAY 11: CRESCENT ISLAND – Crater Lake Tented Camp
To have the best sightings of the bird life in Lake Naivasha, Crescent Island is the place of choice. It is a lagoon from where we should be able to see Grey-capped Warbler, Spectacled Weaver, Brimstone Canary and Red-billed Firefinch. There are also a lot of fish eaters. Both the Long-tailed and Great Cormorant together with the Fish Eagle and the Pied Kingfisher are common here.

DAY 12, 13 + 14: MASAI MARA - Fig Tree Tented Camp
We head to the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, which borders Serengeti in Tanzania. Mara is the gem of game viewing and bird watching 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.

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.
Overnight is 3 times at the Fig Tree Tented Camp, which is built with a great natural set up, so we will be able to bird watch easily from the tents.

DAY 15: BACK TO NAIROBI
Transfer back to Nairobi in time for lunch. Evening transfer to the airport where we say goodbye.

PRICE PER PERSON SHARING

Departures are at the traveler's convenience.
Christmas and single supplement are applicable.

THE PACKAGE INCLUDES: all accommodation as per itinerary, all meals from breakfast of day 2 through lunch of day 15, all transport Nairobi-Nairobi, services of guides, a comprehensive bird checklist, the park entrance fees and a Flying Doctors evacuation cover.

It does not include the airfare to and from Kenya, airport taxes, visa, drinks, tips and expenditure of personal nature.