Kenya Coastal Birding Tour

Day 1: ARRIVAL AT MOMBASA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Pick Up and Drive and stay close to Malindi Marine National Reserve and Sabaki River Mouth, relax here, set your gadgets ready, walk around a bit! 

DAY 2: BOAT RIDE AND BIRDING AT MALINDI MARINE AND SABAKI RIVER MOUTH. 

The Athi-Galana-Sabaki River is the second longest and one of the two perennial rivers draining into the Indian Ocean in Kenya. The Sabaki River Mouth (SRM) – where the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River pours into the Indian Ocean north of Malindi town in Kilifi County – is an estuary with sandbanks, mudflats, dunes, freshwater pools, marshes and mangroves, presenting a unique ecosystem and habitat for diverse flora and fauna. Look for Common Cuckoo, Yellow Flycatcher, Forbes-Waston’s Swift, Bat-like Spinetail, Reichenow’s Seedeater, Upcher’s Warbler, Barred Warbler, Eleonora’s Falcon, Fischer’s Turaco and more 

Day 3: DRIVE LEISURELY WHILE BIRDING TO ARABUKO SOKOKE FOREST AND BIRD HERE IN THE EVENING. 

More than 230 bird species have been recorded in Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve. The area is well known for several globally threatened species, including the Sokoke scops owl and Clarke’s weaver. Other sought-after species that can be seen here include the Sokoke pipit, Amani sunbird and chestnut-fronted helmet-shrike. At Arabuko-Sokoke, Mida Creek and Sabaki Estuary birding spots we search for Crested Guineafowl, Narina Trogon, Green Barbet, Mombasa Woodpecker, Fischer’s Greenbul, Yellow-bellied and Tiny Greenbuls, Violet-backed Starling, Forest Batis, Black-headed Apalis, East-coast Akalat, Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Black-headed Apalis, Northern Brownbul, Terrestrial Brownbul, Pale Batis, Eastern Nicator, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Chestnut-fronted Helmet-shrike, Plain-backed Sunbird, Amani Sunbird, Bohm’s Spinetail, Moustached Green Tinkerbird, Sokoke Pipit, Trumpeter Hornbill, Mouse-coloured Sunbird, Scaly Babbler, Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, African Crowned Eagle, Little Yellow Flycatcher, Blue-mantled Crested-Flycatcher, Four-coloured Bush-shrike, Black-bellied Starling,Lizard Buzzard, Malindi Pipit, Gull-billed, Saunders’s Terns, Sooty Gull, Grey Plover, Crab Plover, Bat-Hawk Osprey, Western Reef Heron, Lesser Sandplover, Greater Sandplover, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Lesser Crested Tern, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul, Little Yellow Flycatcher African Open-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Pied Avocet alongside more other species. 

DAY 4: WHOLE DAY ARABUKO SOKOKE AND MIDA CREEK.

The forest boasts of a more than 230 bird species checklist including nine globally threatened species, namely; Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Fisher’s Turaco, Sokoke Scops Owl, Spotted Ground Thrush, Sokoke Pipit, East Coast Akalat, Amani Sunbird, Plain-backed Sunbird, and Clarke’s Weaver. Five of the seven species of the East African coastal forests Endemic Bird Area and twenty-three of the twenty-nine species of the East African coastal biome species that occur in Kenya have been recorded here. At Mida Creek, potential birds are; Collared Palm-Thrush Crab-Plover, Purple-banded Sunbird, Pied Kingfisher, Whimbrel, Terek Sandpiper among others 

DAY 5: TRANSFER TSAVO NATIONAL PARK (TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK). 

The biggest national park in kenya and among the top 10 biggest in east Africa. Strategically located between the two capital cities of Kenya- Nairobi and Mombasa, and one of the oldest parks in Kenya with enormous wilderness area that was divided into two sections. i.e. Tsavo east and Tsavo west national parks.

DAY 6: WE SPEND A DAY BIRD WATCHING THIS IMPORTANT AREA; 

We feature all the best spots in Tsavo east. We hope to pocket big and small game, Cut-throat Finch, Golden-breasted Starling, African Bare-eyed Thrush, Irania, Quail-plover, Pangani Longclaw, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Southern Ground Hornbill, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Long-crested Eagle, Square-tailed Nightjar, Somali Long-billed Crombec, the Eastern Paradise, Steel-blue, and Straw-tailed Whydahs, Scaly Chatterer, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Spotted Flycatcher, Vulturine Guinea-Fowl, Crested Francolin, Red-chested Cuckoo, Black-cuckoo Shrike, Eurasian and Black-headed Orioles, Gabar Goshawk, Three-streaked Tchagra, Eastern Violet-backed, and Variable Sunbirds, Red-fronted Warbler, Green-winged Pytilia, white-headed and Blue-napped Mousebirds, Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, Black-fronted Bush Shrike, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, Yellow-bellied and Striped-cheeked Greenbuls, White-starred Robin, the national Taita Thrush, Taita white-Eye, Taita Apalis, Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Tawny, Steppe, Imperial, Martial and Wahlberg’s Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Bateleur, Black-shouldered Kite, Barbary Falcon, the Grey and Common Kestrels, Red-winged Lark, Somali and Temminck’s Coursers, Crested Francolin, white-bellied and Buff-crested Bustard, Somali Ostrich, Olive-Tree Warbler, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Northern Pintail, Red-billed Teal, Fulvous Whistling and White-faced whistling Ducks, Common Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole, and many others 

Day 7: BIRDING TRANSFER TO AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK. 

With the breath taking backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, comprising of plains, woodlands and rocky thorn bush, great birding experience, elephant and other animals viewing, annual wildebeest migration can also be encountered here.

Day 8: WE SPEND THE WHOLE DAY IN THE FIELD BIRDING FOR AMBOSELI SPECIALITIES.

Taveta Golden Weaver, Long-toed Plover, Red-throated Tit, Collared Pratincole, Fischer’s Sparrowlark, Black-necked Weaver, Fischer’s Starling, Greater Spotted Eagle, Caspian Plover, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Capped Wheatear, Lead-coloured Flycatcher, the skulking Aberdare Cisticola, Golden-winged Sunbird as well as Eastern Double-collared, Tacazze and Malachite Sunbirds, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Alpine Chat, Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Dusky Turtle Dove, Scarce Swift, Cape Wagtail, Cape Robin-Chat, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Chiffchaff, Hunter’s Cisticola, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Slender-billed Starling and Kandt’s Waxbill, and many more of the 450 species known to occur here

Day 9: BIRDING TO NAIROBI CITY.  

An amazing wildlife and game at the center of Kenya’s Capital-Nairobi! The park is fenced to protect wildlife from direct contact to human. Whereas the southern boundary is open to allow migrating wildlife move between the park and the neighboring Kitengela plains. From big ungulates to the smallest like rodents and chameleons, checklists of over 500species of birds live in the park.

Day10: WHOLE DAY BIRDING IN THE CITY PARK

Look for Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Common Ostrich, Black-headed Heron, Marabou Stork, Egyptian Goose, Black-shouldered Kite, African White-backed Vulture, Augur Buzzard, Tawny Eagle, Helmeted Guineafowl, the beautiful Grey Crowned Crane, White-bellied Bustard, Ring-necked Dove, White-browed Coucal, Rufous-naped Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Rock Martin and the multicolored Red-and-yellow Barbet, or our first flamingos among many wintering Palearctic shorebirds on Lake Magadi

Day 11: BIRD WATCHING TRANSFER TO CASTLE FOREST (STOP AT SAGANA FOR HINDES BABBLER)  

Reach here and birding in the evening. In Mount Kenya we look for Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Rueppell’s Robin-Chat, Mountain Yellow Warbler, and Yellow-crowned Canary. The lodge’s waterhole attracts many mammals including African Buffalo. We’ll spend the early mornings searching for White-starred Robin, Abyssinian Crimson-wing, African Crowned Eagle, African Emerald Cuckoo, and Moustached Green Tinkerbird. A shaded riverside trail may reveal Crowned Hornbill, Mountain Wagtail, and up to eight species of sunbirds, including the stunning Tacazze Sunbird. 

Day12: Birding Mount Kenya today and later drive to Samburu County for Shaba and Buffalo Springs Reserves.  

Day 13: BIRDING BUFFALO SPRINGS AND SHABA NATIONAL RESERVES

White-headed and Blue-napped Mousebirds, Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, Black-fronted Bush Shrike, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, Yellow-bellied and Striped-cheeked Greenbuls, White-starred Robin, the national Taita Thrush, Taita white-Eye, Taita Apalis, Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Tawny, Steppe, Imperial, Martial and Wahlberg’s Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Bateleur, Black-shouldered Kite, Barbary Falcon, the Grey and Common Kestrels, Red-winged Lark, Somali and Temminck’s Coursers, Crested Francolin, white-bellied and Buff-crested Bustard, Somali Ostrich, Olive-Tree Warbler, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Northern Pintail, Red-billed Teal, Fulvous Whistling and White-faced whistling Ducks, Common Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole and other non-bird biodiversity – remember the Northern Special Four  

Day 14: DRIVE WHILE BIRDING CLOSE TO ABERDARE RANGES AND SLEEP AT NYERI TOWN

DAY15: ABERDARE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK WHOLE DAY. 

Today we explore the alpine moorland above the tree-line, perhaps encountering Jackson’s Francolins, Aberdare Cisticola, as we climb up into the highest accessible Lobelia-covered plains in Kenya. Our targets here include Alpine Chat and, with luck, we’ll find the specialized and beautiful Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird.

Day 16: TO LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK AND BIRD HERE THE REST OF THE DAY.

Located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and Kenya’s most popular park, supporting great birdlife including flocks of flamingoes, Pericans, Herons and Storks.

Day 17: BIRDING LAKE NAKURU AND GO TO BARINGO IN THE AFTERNOON. 

We will awaken to vast flocks of flamingos, pelicans, and other water birds. The surrounding woodland holds Narina Trogon, Red-throated Wryneck, Arrow-marked Babbler, and African Firefinch. Later after lunch we drive to Lake Baringo.

Day 18: BIRDING LAKE BARINGO AND GO TO KAKAMEGA AFTERWARDS. 

Lake baringo areas are rich in arid-zone birds, where we search for Hunter’s Sunbird, Heuglin’s Courser, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, and Northern White-faced Scops-Owl. At dusk, we should see Slender-tailed Nightjars gliding along the hippo-covered shore. Today exemplifies birding in Kenya. We begin in the sub-desert and end up in the most eastern tract of lowland equatorial rainforest in Africa. First we visit the cliffs near Baringo, scanning for Fan-tailed Raven, Hemprich’s Hornbill, Mocking Cliff-Chat, and Bristle-crowned Starling. Later we explore the Kerio Valley, where we search rocky, scrubby hillsides for Green- backed Eremomela, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Brown Parrot, White-crested Turaco, Pearl-spotted Owlet, and Black-headed Gonolek. Proceed to kakamega forest

Day 19: WHOLE DAY BIRDING IN KAKAMEGA FOREST 

Many of Kenya’s fantastic forest birds are available here. These are some of Congo Biome Species and they include; White-chinned and Banded Prinias, Jameson’s and Yellow-bellied Wattle-eyes, Bocage’s and Luehder’s Bushshrikes, Black-billed and Vieillot’s Weavers, Gray-headed Negrofinch, Red-headed Malimbe, and Red-headed Bluebill among others 

DAY 20:  TRANSFER TO MASAI-MARA NATIONAL PARK, BIRDING ON THE WAY 

Birding en route. 

DAY 21: BIRDING AND WILDLIFE AT MASAI MARA. 

The northern portion of the magnificent Serengeti system, offers spectacular vistas over flat-topped acacia and grassy plains riddled with ungulates and other animals. We’ll spend the days in the western part of the reserve looking for East Africa’s famous Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, African Elephants, gazelles, and other wildlife. However, birding does not take a back seat, and we should be rewarded with views of many large raptors and vultures that gather at the kills, as well as storks, Kori Bustard, Southern Ground-Hornbill, and other species that suffer from disturbance outside these large protected areas. Other highlights may include Rufous-bellied Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Temminck’s Courser, Sooty Chat, and Schalow’s Turaco.

DAY 22: BIRDING MARA SHORT TIME AND DRIVE TO NAIVASHA TOWN. 

We will spend the early morning at Mara and afternoon at Lake Naivasha Crater Lake Sanctuary, sifting through vast flocks of water birds, and birding productive lakeside woodland. Some of the species expected to see includes the African Fish-eagle, Giant, Pied Kingfishers, Goliath, Purple Herons, Great, Intermediate Egrets, Wood-hoopoes, Bitterns, Lesser swamp, Little-rush Warblers, Squacco Herons, Coots, Grebes, Sandpipers among others 

Day 23. BIRD WALK AT KINANGOP PLATEAU AND EVENING TRANSFER BACK TO NAIROBI TO PREPARE FOR YOUR RETURN FLIGHT BACK HOME. 

At Kinangop grassland, we look for Jackson’s Widowbird, Long-tailed widowbird, Leveillant’s Cisticola, Malachite and Golden Winged Sunbird, Black-backed Duck, Sharp’s Longclaw and a few more