7 days Kenya birding tour

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

DAY 2: HELL'S GATE NATIONAL PARK – Lake Naivasha Country Club
After breakfast we leave Nairobi via the Nakuru road to the Rift valley. The Nairobi - Nakuru road is on a contour along the rim of the Rift valley and on viewpoints we will be able to see our whole route for the next days. Our destination is Lake Naivasha: a fresh water lake in the Rift Valley.

On the way we stop at the Limuru Swamp where we do our first bird count: Little Grebe, Yellow-billed and Maccoa Duck, Pelicans, Coots, Egrets and Herons. Soaring are Black Kite, Augur Buzzard and Pied Crow.

After lunch we drive to Hell's Gate National Park. The first part is open grasslands bordered with steep rock cliffs in which the Rüppell's Griffon Vulture nests. Easy sightings here are the Verreaux's or Black Eagle, Common Ostrich, Black-shouldered Kite, White-fronted Bee-eater, Grassland and Long-billed Pipit, Northern and Schalow's Wheatear, Lilac-breasted Roller...

The narrow gorge has a completely different habitat and hence very different birds: Yellow, Grey and African Pied Wagtail, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Purple Grenadier, Common Drongo, Superb Starling, Brimstone Canary, Common Waxbill, White-browed Robin-Chat...

Accommodation is in the Lake Naivasha Country Club. This lodge opened in 1937 as a staging post for Imperial Airways' flying boat service from Durban to London. The 55-acre property boasts green lawns shaded by mature acacias and spreading fever trees, that stretch down to the lake's shore.

DAY 3: CRESCENT ISLAND – Lake Naivasha Country Club
We start our day with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha on the look out for a range of fish eaters: both the Long-tailed and Great Cormorant together with the Fish Eagle and the Pied, Malachite and Giant Kingfisher.

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 Red-capped Lark, Spectacled and Baglafecht Weaver, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Brimstone Canary and Red-billed Firefinch.

DAY 4, 5 + 6: MASAI MARA
We head to the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, which borders Serengeti in Tanzania. Mara is the gem of birding and game viewing 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 Kenyan 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, Nubian, 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, 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, Green-backed 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.

DAY 7:  NAIROBI
Transfer back to Nairobi in time for lunch. Day rooms are at your disposal until 6 p.m. Evening transfer to the airport where we say goodbye.

10 Days - Meru National Park, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Lake Naivasha Bird watching safaris

Day 1. Meru National Park

Depart Nairobi past Central highlands i.e Embu/Meru towns to Meru National Park. Afternoon bird watching. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 2. Meru National Park

Full day bird watching, all meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 3. Samburu National Reserve

Depart Meru National park for Samburu arriving in time for lunch. Afternoon Bird watching Safari. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 4. Samburu National Reserve

Full day bird watching Safaris. All meals and over night at a lodge or campsite.

Day 5. Lake Nakuru

Depart Samburu after breakfast for lake Nakuru National park. Lunch and afternoon bird watching.

Day 6. Lake Baringo

Early morning bird watching before departing for lake Baringo in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 7. Lake Baringo

Full day bird watching. All meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 8. Naivasha

Breakfast at lake Baringo and depart for lake Naivasha to arrive in time for lunch. Afternoon bird watching . Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 9. Lake Naivasha

Full day bird watching. All meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite

Day 10. Nairobi

After breakfast return to Nairobi and connect to a flight back home.