14 Day Kenya Birding Safari

Arrive Nairobi National Park

Arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to be met and transferred to Nairobi National Park for a day of birding. Picnic lunch served in the park. Only 10km from the cosmopolitan city is one for the greatest avifauna with a record of over 515 species in an area of only 117km².

Birds in the park include the newly-almost-described Nairobi Pipit, Saddle-billed Stork, Secretary Bird, Black-shouldered Kite, Lappet-faced Vulture, Jackson's Widowbird, and 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.

Overnight at Ole Sereni Nairobi Hotel, BB

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Nairobi to Olorgesailie Birding Excursion

Embark on a scenic drive down the Great Rift Valley to the renowned Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site, a hotspot for birdwatching in Kenya. This region, characterized by its unique geological features and arid climate, offers exceptional opportunities to spot a variety of bird species.

Bird species you may encounter include the Cut-throat Finch, Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, Northern Crombec, Banded Parisoma, Southern Grosbeak Canary, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey Wren Warbler, and Taita Fiscal, among many others. The area is also rich in archaeological significance, providing a fascinating backdrop to your birding adventure.

Overnight accommodation at Ole Sereni Nairobi Hotel, Bed & Breakfast (BB).

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Nairobi-Manguo Ponds- Gatamaiyu Forest- Lake Naivasha

Today we head for Gatamaiyu Forest, a central highlands montane forest. It boasts many montane species including the Montane Oriole, Bar-tailed Trogons, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, Mustached Green Tinkerbird, White-browed Crombec while Manguo Ponds a good birding spot en-route to the forest and has a wide variety of waterfowls.

In the afternoon we'll head to Naivasha en-route via Kinangop in search of Sharpe's Longclaw a Kenya's endemic later leaving for Lake Naivasha. A boat ride along the papyrus shore of the Lake Naivasha may produce Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Great, Long-tailed Cormorant, Great Egret, Purple, Goliath Heron, Hamerkop.

Overnight at Elsamere Centre [George and Joy Adamson's House, FB

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Lake Naivasha- Nakuru

After an early morning breakfast we leave for the Highland Grassland birding in search of two Kenyan endemics Aberdare Cisticola and Sharpe's Longclaw we 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.

Overnight at Nakuru Lion Hill Lodge, FB

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Lake Nakuru National Park - Lake Baringo Conservation Area

Today we will spend the most part of the day in Lake Nakuru National Park birding in most of the habitats such as the alkaline shores, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers and inlets with marshes which hold resident as well as migratory species. They include White-fronted Bee-eater, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush, Wailing & Rattling Cisticolas, Rüppell's Long-tailed Starling, among many others.

In addition, the park is rich in big game that includes the giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, eland, hippo, both Black and White Rhino, lion, leopard, Spotted Hyena. And in the early afternoon we will transfer to Lake Baringo Conservation Area.

Overnight at Soi Safari Lodge, FB

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Lake Baringo

Birding around Lake Baringo Conservation Area is interesting in the fact that we spend most of the day outside the car. And if lucky with the help of the local guides we hope to see some the specialties such as the Hemprich's, Jackson's Hornbills, Northern White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling while birding along the camp site and the hotel grounds could yield the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy Kingfisher, Black-headed Plover.

Overnight at Soi Safari Lodge, FB

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Lake Baringo Conservation Area -- Kakamega Forest Reserve

After breakfast we leave for Kakamega Forest Reserve. Enjoy birding en-route to the 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, among others. We shall arrive at our lodge late in the afternoon.

Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre, FB

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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.

Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre, FB

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Kakamega Forest-- Kisumu (Lake Victoria)

After an early morning breakfast we head on the west in search of the localized Rock Pratincole along the river while birding the whole morning in the villages, farmland and the Busia Grasslands. We hope to find a few more localized birds such as the Bar-breasted Firefinch, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Senegal Coucal, White-crested Turaco, Copper's Sunbird, among others. Arriving in Kisumu later in the late afternoon.

Overnight at Victoria Comfort Hotel

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Kisumu (Lake Victoria) - Masai Mara National Reserve

A morning birding on the shores of the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. Along the Papyrus vegetation at an old fishing village we expect 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.

After this we leave 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, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-fronted Canary among many others.

Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge, FB

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Masai Mara National Reserve

We'll take a bird walk along the escarpment in search of the Red-tailed Chat, Long-tailed & Rock Cisticolas, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Schalow's Turaco, Pale Wren Warbler while a bonus of the Mwanza Flat-headed Agama is almost guaranteed.

Lunch at the camp later in the afternoon heading for with a game drive in the park and back late in the afternoon.

Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge, FB

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Nairobi - Olorgesailie - Nairobi

Masai Mara National Reserve -- Nairobi

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airstrip for your flight back to Wilson Airport in Nairobi. Upon arrival in Nairobi you will be met and driven to the Hemingway's Nairobi Hotel where a day room has been reserved for you.

Later you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight back home.

Day Room at Ole Sereni Nairobi Hotel, Lunch or dinner

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