Here is the itinerary of our birding safari. Contact us for more details via the booking form.
Kenya is one of the world’s great bird-watching destinations. The Great Rift Valley lakes of Naivasha, Nakuru and Baringo are home to a diverse range of birds. Each lake is alive with rich and varied bird life, making them Important Bird Areas (IBAs).
Kenya Birding Safari – 10 days
Lake Nakuru is better known for the flamingos, Lake Naivasha hosts several species like the Black Heron, Lesser Moorhen and Greater Painted Snipe. Lake Baringo is a richer bird watcher’s paradise where it’s possible to see over 100 species in a day! These include the two endemic species- the Northern Masked Weaver and the Orange Bishop.
Leave the lakes and follow your binoculars into the unexplored environments of western Kenya, ending with a walk through the Kakamega Rainforest and the wetland shores of Lake Victoria. The sheer abundance of bird life in these regions continues to attract bird watchers from far and wide. The Kakamega forest is a haven for diverse species of plants, primates and birds. With several walking trails that crisscross the natural rain forest, this is a perfect place to immerse yourself in nature and relax as you take in the sounds of the African jungle. The shores and swamps of Lake Victoria support a rich bird life including the globally threatened Papyrus Gonolek and Papyrus Yellow Warbler.
This 10 Day/ 9 Night tour includes lodging in upscale nature lodges, luxury retreat centers, and boutique hotels. It includes activities like game walks, guided bird watching, rain forest hiking, and wetlands exploration. Ideal for birdwatchers who can appreciate the rich and diverse avifauna that puts Kenya on the ornithology map.
Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi-Lake Naivasha
From Nairobi, we take an hour’s drive to Lake Naivasha. Check in the hotel then take a boat ride on Lake Naivasha to Crescent island for a game walk on the island. Crescent Island, a peninsula on the eastern shore of Lake Naivasha, is a privately owned game sanctuary that hosts giraffes, waterbucks, elands, zebras and impalas. Lake Naivasha is a bird watcher’s paradise and birdlife here includes Black Crakes and African Jacanas, kingfishers, African Fish Eagle, Grebes, Pink-backed Pelican, Long-tailed Cormorant, herons, egrets, ibis, and lapwings. There are also rare ones such as Black Heron, Lesser Moorhen and Greater Painted Snipe.
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 2: Lake Nakuru
Morning bird walk around Lake Naivasha. The acacia trees support several land species such Cuckoo, beet eaters, Wood Hoopoes, hornbills, barbets, honeyguides, woodpeckers, shrikes, chats, warblers, whydahs, babblers, and weavers. In the dense papyrus swamps we may see secretive species such as Lesser Swamp Warbler, Purple Heron and Little Bittern. From Naivasha we take a short drive to another Rift Valley lake and ornithologist’s paradise, the Lake Nakuru. Lunch then afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Lake Nakuru
Full day at Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is known for its flamingoes and other water birds such as White Pelicans, Egyptian Goose, Cape Teal, African Spoonbill, Sacred Ibis, Yellow-billed Stork, Pied Avocet, Kittlitz’s Sand-Plover and Greyheaded Gull among others. Apart from the water birds, the extensive acacia woodlands support a rich and varied avifauna that includes eagles, francolins, cuckoos, woodpeckers, flycatchers, shrikes, babblers etc. Game includes Rhinos, Impalas, Buffalos and Gazelles among others.
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Lake Baringo
Morning game drive at Lake Nakuru. Then a short drive up the Great Rift Valley to Lake Baringo. The vegetation in this drier part of the Rift Valley is mainly thorny bush. Set in the midst of high cliffs and acacia vegetation, Lake Baringo area has a rich avifauna that continues to woo ornithologists from far and wide and it’s possible to see over 100 species in a day. These include the two endemic species- the Northern Masked Weaver and the Orange Bishop. After lunch we take a bird walk around our camp.
Accommodation: Roberts Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Lake Baringo
We spend the whole day birding around Lake Baringo. After a morning bird walk we take a boat trip to watch water birds which are very common including Goliath Heron, Purple and Squacco herons, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Intermediate Egret, Hammerkop, Marabou Stork, Allen’s Gallinule, and Collared Pratincole. The acacia woodlands and scrub harbor several bush birds such as Gabar Goshawk, White-browed Coucal, Mousebirds, kingfishers, Rollers, hornbills, barbets, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Lesser Honeyguide, sunbirds etc. In the nearby cliffs we may see the Verreaux’s Eagle, Fan-tailed Raven, Cliff chat and the rare Bristlecrowned Starling.
Accommodation: Roberts Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Kakamega Forest
We leave the Rift Valley and head to western Kenya, taking us 6 hours to arrive at the natural Kakamega rain forest.
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Centre, a former sawmiller’s house renovated and converted to a delightful tourist accommodation facility deep in the heart of the Kakamega forest.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Kakamega Forest
Full day of birding in Kakamega Forest. This rain forest is a remnant of the original Congo forest that stretched all the way from Central to East Africa and as such has a large number of colorful and varied birds typical of Central Africa such as Banded Snake-Eagle, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove; Tambourine Dove; Great Blue Turaco, African Emerald Cuckoo, Yellowbill, Bar-tailed Trogon, Blue-headed Bee-eater, White-headed Wood-Hoopoe; Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, honeyguides, barbets, cisticolas, greenbuls, sunbirds etc. Animals include primates such as black and while Colobus monkeys, Syke’s monkeys, blue monkeys, snakes and squirrels.
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Centre
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 8: Lake Victoria
Morning bird walk. Transfer to the lakeside city of Kisumu for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge or take a walk around the Impala Sanctuary.
Accommodation: Impala Eco-lodge, a luxurious lodge on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 9: Lake Victoria
Bird watching in the Dunga wetland. This papyrus wetland is located on the shores of Lake Victoria and hosts several species including the globally threatened Papyrus Gonolek and Papyrus Yellow Warbler. Return to the lodge for lunch.
Accommodation: Impala Eco-lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 10: Nairobi
After breakfast, transfer back to Nairobi.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch