10 Days Birding Tour in Kenya

10 Days Birding Tour in Kenya

This 10 days Birding Tour in Kenya comprises of a diverse range of habitats supports a great diversity of bird species – and makes a bird watching holiday in Kenya very rewarding! From the world’s biggest bird, the Ostrich, to spectacular flamingos that congregate in their millions at the various Lakes of the Great Rift Valley and camouflage them in pink, Kenya holds some remarkable birding sights that you have to see them to believe. With eleven percent of the world’s species – some 1089 different varieties, Kenya’s birding is one of the best in the world. It is not unusual for birding trips to record 300-600 different varieties on a short trip or to record more than 120 at a particular site on a single day.

The best time for this Birding Tour in Kenya trip: The rainy seasons of April and November coincide with migration of birds from and to Europe and Asia, and some of the top day’s totals have been recorded at that time. Migrants make up only about ten percent of Kenya’s birdlife. Spectacular birds of the bush –guinea fowl, go-away birds, rollers and barbets, to mention but a few – are active all year.

• This tour starts and ends in Nairobi,
• You’ll be visiting Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Kakamega Forest and Lake Victoria
• All inclusive birding safari including accommodation, meals, transfers and entry fees
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi-Lake Naivasha

Upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, you will be welcomed by your private Birding Tour in Kenya safari guide and thereafter proceed for 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. Dinner and Overnight at Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp B-L-D

Day  2: Lake Nakuru Nature walk and Game drive

After breakfast, take a Birding Tour in Kenya nature 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. Dinner and Overnight at  Lake Nakuru Lodge B-L-D 

Day 3: Lake Nakuru – Bird watching

Breakfast and spend the day within Lake Nakuru Ramsar site that boosts up to 450 species.  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.

Birding Tour in Kenya dinner and Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge B-L-D

Day 4: Lake Nakuru – Lake Baringo

After breakfast, head for a short Birding Tour in Kenya 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 birding nature walk around our camp.

Dinner and Overnight at  Roberts Camp B-L-D 

Day 5: Lake Baringo – Birding Full Day

Spend the whole Birding Tour in Kenya day birding around Lake Baringo. After a morning birding nature 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. Look out for the Verreaux’s Eagle, Fan-tailed Raven, Cliff chat and the rare Bristlecrowned Starling.

Dinner and Overnight at Roberts Camp B-L-D

Day  6: Lake Baringo – Kakamega Forest

Depart Lake Baringo and thereafter head to western Kenya, taking us 6 hours to arrive at the natural Kakamega rain forest.

Dinner and Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre B-L-D.

Day 7: Kakamega Forest

Breakfast and then spend the day at the forest bird watching. 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.  Dinner and Overnight at  Rondo Retreat Centre B-L-D

Day 8: Lake Victoria

After breakfast, head for a Birding Tour in Kenya nature walk and thereafter to the lakeside city of Kisumu for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge or take a walk around the Impala Sanctuary.

Dinner and Overnight at Impala Eco-lodge B-L-D

Day 9: Lake Victoria

After breakfast, head to 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. Dinner and Overnight at Impala Eco-lodge B-L-D

Day 10: Nairobi

After breakfast, transfer back to Nairobi onward to the airport for your departure flight.

End of the 10 days Birding Tour in Kenya.