Description

Duration: 17 Days and 16 Nights
Price: Please Contact us about the price of this Itinerary

Day 1: MOUNT KENYA SAFARI CLUB/ABERDARES COUNTRY CLUB/THE ARK
The Aberdares National Park and Mount Kenya National Park
Highland forest and Afro-alpine moorland
A visit to either The Aberdares National Park or Mount Kenya National Park provides opportunities for bird watching in three distinctive vegetational zones. These are thick highland forest, bamboo forest and Afro-alpine moorland. Highland species found here include several extremely uncommon birds. Green ibis, rufous sparrow hawk, mountain buzzard, crowned eagle, Jackson’s francolin, bronze-raped pigeon, red-fronted parrot, Hartlaub’s turaco, scarce swift, white-headed wood hoopoe, silvery-checked hornbill, moustached green tinkerbird, fine banded woodpecker, montane oriole, alpine chat, Abyssinian ground thrush, Sharpe’s longclaw, slender-billed chestnut-winged starling and no less than 13 species of sunbirds; including the northern double-collared, golden-winged, tacazze, green-headed, variable and scarlet-tufted malachite.
Day 2: See Day 1
Day 3: Samburu National Reserve,Meru National Park, and TsavoNational Park
Samburu, Meru, and Tsavo
Savannah bush
Samburu National Reserve,Meru National Park, and TsavoNational Park are predominately areas of acacia bush, interspersed with more open pockets of seasonal bushed grasslands. All three parks have large rivers running through them and the stands of tall acacias along the banks attract many species. Notable birds to look for in these areas include: ostrich, vultures, African hawk eagle, pale-chanting goshawk, martial eagle, vulturine guinea fowl, buff-crested bustard, chestnut-bellied and black-faced sand grouse, white-bellied go-away bird, green wood hoopoe, yellow-bellied eremomela, pygmy basis, rosy-patched shrike, Taita fiscal, golden-breasted starling, eastern violet-backed pytilia, as well as a wide variety of starlings, weavers and waxbills.
Day 4: Masai Mara
GOVERNOR’S CAMP
Savannah grasslands
3 NIGHTS AT GOVERNOR’S CAMP
This is a vast area of rolling grasslands with scattered pockets of acacia woodland. Interesting species include: secretary bird, numerous vultures, eagles and hawks, wattled plover, yellow-throated sand-grouse, bare-faced go-away bird, Gabon nightjar, lilac-breasted roller, ground hornbill, red-throated tit, sooty chat, and a wide variety of larks, pipits and widowbird. In the thick riverine forest bordering the Mara and Talek rivers, several notable birds are found: African finfoot, Livingstone’s turaco, Ross’s turaco, giant and woodland kingfishers, blue flycatcher, double-toothed barbet and occasionally the rare Pel’s fishing owl.
Day 5: Lakes Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru and Naivasha
Freshwater and alkaline lakes
2 NIGHTS IS RECCOMMENDED AT ONE OF THESE PARKS:
Four of the lakes in the southern part of Kenya’s Rift Valley are strongly alkaline, of these, Lakes Bogoria and Nakuru are frequently the gathering and feeding grounds for huge numbers of lesser flamingo. Over one million are often present and exceptionally two million may occur. Greater flamingo are also found, although in far smaller numbers. The freshwater rivers entering Lake Nakuru attract many other water birds, however generally speaking there is not the diversity of species on the soda lakes as are found on the freshwater lakes – Baringo and Naivasha. Over 400 species have been recorded at each of these lakes and hardly anyone would fail to be impressed by the number of species which can be seen in just a couple of days at either lake. White pelican, pink-backed pelican, cormorant, long tailed cormorant, little bittern, goliath heron, purple heron, squacco heron, little, yellow-billed and great white egrets, hammerkop, yellow-billed stork, sacred ibis, African spoonbill, fish eagle, black crake, Aller’s and purple gallinules, jacana and pied and malachite kingfishers are all resident. In addition, large numbers of migrant waders and duck may be seen during the northern winter.
The following areas are not normally included in wildlife safaris, but are important habitats for a large number of interesting bird species. These places could he included in a specially constructed bird-watching safari.
Day 6: Sokoke Forest, Gede Forest
Lowland forest
2 NIGHTS IS RECCOMMENDED
The only areas of true lowland forest in Kenya, the Sokoke-Gede forests are the habitat of some very localised birds, including: cuckoo hawk, Kenya crested guineafowl, Fischer’s turaco, Sokoke scops owl, green barbet, red-tailed ant thrush, east coast akalat, forest basis, Sokoke pipit, Retz’s and chestnut-fronted helmet shrike and the amani sunbird. Additionally, from June to October four species which are very rare in East Africa can be seen, these being the: African Pitta, the Scaly Babbler, the Spotted Ground Thrush and Clarke’s weaver.
Day 7: Northern Kenya
Desert and semi-desert
2 NIGHTS IS RECCOMMENDED
The desert around Lake Turkana and the vast area to the east, including the Dida Galgalla, is the habitat of some extremely locally distributed birds. Sand desert, rock desert and lava fields are found, with some grass cover occurring after rains. Acacia grow in scattered clumps or strips, particularly along the numerous dry-river beds. Larger areas of semi-desert scrubland border the true deserts wherever slightly higher rainfall occurs. Birds found include: swallow-tailed kite, fox kestrel., Heuglin’s bustard cream-coloured courser, Lichtenstein’s sandgrouse, Abyssinian roller, masked and crested lark, William’s bush lark, brown necked raven, Somali fiscal, white-crowned starling, shining sunbird and Somali sparrow.
Day 8: Kakamega Forest
Central African rain forest
2 NIGHTS IS RECCOMMENDED
This is the easternmost extension of the vast rain forest which covers much of Zaire and Uganda. Today Kakamega is a”forest island “, which is excellent for bird-watching and in which many species not found elsewhere in Kenya are resident. Grey parrot, great blue turaco, blue-headed bee-eater, black and white casqued hornbill, yellow-spotted barbet, hairy-breasted barbet, brown-eared and yellow-crested woodpeckers, African broadbill, many species of illadopsis and greenbuls, southern hyliota, Jameson’s chestnut and yellow-bellied wattle-eyes, pink-footed puffback, red-headed bluebill and oriole finch.
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