Kenya Ornithologist’s Delight (11 Days / 10 Nights)

Arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the morning. Transfer to a city hotel. A morning to relax and wear off jet lag but not without an introduction of the Kenyan birds. A walk in the garden of our hotel will give our first count of African birds: Northern Pied Babbler, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Speckled Mousebird, Dusky Turtle Doves and numerous Sun birds. After lunch we visit the Nairobi National Park, which despite being only a few kilometers from the city, is a home to big game. In its open grasslands scattered with acacia trees we will see the first game like Gazelles, Zebras, Giraffes and maybe some of the Cats. We also see Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Crowned Crane, Vulture, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Tawny Eagle and a herd of Buffaloes should provide Red-billed Oxpecker perched on their backs. Black Kite, Marabou Stork, Pied Crow and African Palm Swift are also available in the park. Overnight at the city hotel in Nairobi.

NB: People arriving in the morning can join this tour directly on arrival on this day. This morning we will pick you at your city hotel and drive towards Mount Kenya. We will have a lunch birding stopover at Wajee Camp at Mukurweini Valley, where the endemic Hinde’s Babbler can be seen. Later after lunch and after a few hours of bird watching, we will proceed on to Mountain Lodge at the base of Mount Kenya, where we will dinner and spend the night.

Today we will have an early morning scan at the water hole and later take a walk around the Lodge grounds to look for more species. After breakfast, we will drive to Narumoru River Lodge (birding en route off course) on the highland grasslands and arrive in time for lunch. After lunch we will spend the rest of the afternoon bird watching at the Narumoru River Lodge grounds. Later we will drive the short distance to Mountain Rock Hotel for dinner and overnight.

NOTES: Narumoru is an excellent birding spot especially at the lodge’s grounds and the small forest along the river. Here we will be looking for such species as Olive, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Cinnamon-Chested Bee-eater, Crowned and Silvery-Cheeked Hornbills, Cape Wagtail, Black Saw-wing, Yellow-Whiskered, Slender-Billed and Mountain Greenbuls, White-Starred Robin, Cape and Ruppell’s Robin Chats, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Hunter’s Cisticola, Chestnut-Throated, Grey and Black-Throated Apalis, Grey-Capped Warbler, White-Browed Crombec, Montane White-Eye, White-Bellied Tit, Tropical Boubou, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Montane Oriole, White-Headed Wood Hoopoe, Eastern and Northern Double-Collared Sunbird (among other six species), Brown-Capped Weavers, Thick-Billed Seed-Eater and Yellow-Crowned Canary.

This morning after an early morning bird walk and breakfast, we will depart for Lake Baringo driving across the Solio Plains right adjacent to the famous Solio Ranch. If lucky we might be able to see the White Rhinos or Black Rhinos through the fence as we drive across. We will then have a brief lunch stop over at the famous Thompson’s Falls Lodge and later drive on and drop down to the Rift Valley arriving in time for a brief walk at Lake Baringo Club grounds. It is here that we will be based for our two nights. Lake Baringo region has got its specialties as well. Just to mention a few, you will be looking for species like, Jackson’s and Hemp rich’s Horn bill, Bristle-Crowned Starlings, Brown-Tailed Rock Chat, Dark-Chanting Goshawk, a variety of weavers as well as an incredible number of water birds.

Today, we will have a full day at Lake Baringo, with an early morning bird walk at the Baringo basalt cliffs and later after breakfast, an optional boat ride around the lake. After lunch at, we will depart for an afternoon game/bird drive at the nearby Lake Bogoria National Reserve. Notable species at Bogoria includes huge flocks of Cape Teals, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Black-Necked Grebes and other wader birds not mentioning the Lesser and Greater Flamingos. We will later drive back to Lake Baringo Club, late evening for dinner and overnight.

This morning after breakfast, we will depart for Kakamega Forest through the spectacular Kerio Valley in search of species like Gambaga Flycatcher. We will have a couple of birding stopovers and finally arrive in time for Lunch at Rondo Retreat Center. The rest of the day will be spent birding at the Retreat’s lovely grounds with dinner and overnight at Rondo Retreat Center.

Full day birding around the Kakamega Forest with our second night here. At Kakamega and the surroundings, you will be looking for the 36 birds’ species that are endemic to this place. Just to mention a few, we will be looking for Blue-Headed Bee-Eater, Western Black-Headed Oriole, Jamison’s Wattle-Eye, Turner’s Eremomela, African Crowned Eagles, Yellow bill, Great Blue and Black-Bellied Turaco and a host number of Greenbuls among others.

This morning after breakfast, we will drive to Kisumu via some major birding hot spots on the way with lunch en route. Later in the evening, we will visit the famous Dunga Swamp (one of the strong hold of rare Lake Victoria swamp species). Dinner and overnight today, will be at Kisumu Sunset Hotel.

This Morning after breakfast, we will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park (birding off course) with a lunch stopover en route. We will arrive at Nakuru late afternoon and immediately embark on the evening game drive en route to Lake Nakuru Lodge, where we will have dinner and overnight.

Today, we will leave for Naivasha after an early morning game drive and our final breakfast here and arrive at Lake Naivasha Country Club in time for lunch. After lunch, we will spend the rest of the evening bird watching at the grounds of the Club as well as the lake shoreline. Dinner and overnight at Lake Naivasha Country Club.

Full morning birding at Naivasha, with probably a visit to the Crescent Island, which is across Lake Naivasha Country Club. After lunch drive towards Nairobi via Kinangop grasslands in search for Sharpe’s Long claw and proceed on with another stop over at some lovely ponds for African and migratory Ducks. Assuming that your flight would be late evening, arrive at Nairobi late evening and later transfer to the airport. Overnight arrangements can be made for those departing the following day).

NB: Itinerary changes may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.