9 DAYS BIRD WATCHING ADVENTURE TO: MARA – NAIVASHA – NAKURU – BOGORIA – TREETOPS – SAMBURU – NAIROBI
Day 1 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Nairobi- Masai Mara
Leave Nairobi for Masaai Mara game reserve, Lunch at Keekorok lodge or similar. After Lunch spend the afternoon searching for bird life which is as profuse as it’s mammal fauna this includes red winged scholars Turaco, Orange – buff pel’s fishing owl and flocks of wary crested guinea fowl Dinner and overnight at Keekorok Lodge or similar.
Day 2 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Masai Mara
Full day bird watching where on the open plains there is a verity of bustards including the large jacksons bustard. The latter during nuptial display soars high in the air then with rigid wings descends slowly to earth like a prickled balloon ground hornbills are ones of the most spectacled birds of the open plains & more easily seen in the Mara than elsewhere in Kenya birds of prey are abundant and no less than 53 different species have so far been discovered, secretary birds are a common sight as they stalk sedately over the grasslands, and in the sky there are always vultures and that effortless flier the batelour. Dinner and overnight at Keekorok Lodge or Similar.
Day 3 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Masai Mara – Lake Naivasha
After breakfast, leave for lake Naivasha which is a bird watcher’s paradise, water birds exist in great variety and abundance fish eagles & ospreys are residents herons & egrets, lily – trorlters purple gallinishes, red knobbed coots & black cracks are common African marsh harrlers and the three migrant harriers are often seen sailing just above the reed bed’s hunting the little hyperolis tree frogs which form the bulk of the diet. Some 13 km south of lake Naivasha are the towering cliffs of the hell’s gate gorge ,with their resident pair of Larmmergeys,several verreaux’s eagles,colonies of ruppel’s vultures and other notable birds .Dinner and overnight at NAIVASHA SOPA OR SIMILAR.
DAY 4 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Lake Naivasha- Lake Nakuru
After breakfast, explore the rich bird filled gardens or an optional boat ride to the crescent island, then proceed to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in time for lunch. It is the world’s famous haunt of flamingos. The landscape is picturesque areas of the sedge, marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs, and outcrops, stretches of yellow backed acacia woodland and on the eastern perimeter rocky hillsides covered with forest of grotesque looking euphobia trees all set against a background of hilly broken country. Both lesser and greater flamingos occur abundantly as non-breeding visitors on Lake Nakuru, the former vastly the more the numerous.
There is a great variety of other water birds including two interesting ducks, the cape pigeon a lover of blackish waters, and the stiff tailed maccoa duck, blacksmith plover, spurwing plover, crowned plover, kittliz’s plover, birds of prey includes, lanner, long crested eagle, augur buzzard, red-chested cuckoo, lillac breasted roller, grey headed kisher and bronzy and variable sunbirds. Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge or Similar
DAY 5 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Lake Nakuru –Lake Baringo
After breakfast drive to lake Baringo one of the two fresh water lakes along the Great Rift Valley. Lake Baringo possesses two major ornithological attractions this are goliath herons and verreaux’s eagle the rare brisle starling and hemrich’s hornbill.
Birds generally are abundant in the acacia woodland, which include curly crested helmet shrikes, silverbird, grey silver-headed silverbll, gery-headed bush shrike, northern masked weaver and west Nile red bishop. In the afternoon have an hour- bird watching trip by boat to he Crescent Island and to view hippos too. At the island you can take excursions at an extra cost like a visit to the Njemps village and dancing or to the local snake farm. Dinner and overnight at the LAKE BARINGO LODGE OR SIMILAR
DAY 6 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Lake Baringo – Lake Bogoria –Treetops
After breakfast visit lake Bogoria which is a regin of great scenic beauty to the east steep hills descend abruptly to lake shore, whilst along the western shores, which are filter a series of spectacular hot spring. It has an abundance of large concentration of lesser and greater flamingos which often frequent the lake, black necked grebe, fish eagle- spur winged plover, black winged stut to mention a few.
Leave for treetops via Thompson falls to arrive at Outspan hotel( the base for treetops) in time for lunch. The famous Treetops hotel is situated in a salient of the Aberdare national park. Dinner and overnight at the tree top hotel.
Game viewing from your room’s balcony where a swampy glade, waterhole and saltlick is the most likely place in Kenya from which to see bongo these large and handsome forest antelopes being frequent visitors.
DAY 7 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Treetops –Samburu
After breakfast leave for Samburu to arrive in time for lunch. Bird life is sparklingly numerous and colourful. There is no difficulty in seeing well over a hundred species of birds in a single day.
Perhaps the most impressive sight is the immense flocks of helmeted and vulturine guinea-fowls which make their way each afternoon to the riverbank to drink, the latter resplent with white-streaked neck and brilliant blue under parts. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Lodge or Similar
DAY 8 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari: Samburu
Pre breakfast, birdwatching and game drive is done full day with view of the Masai ostrich, buffalo springs, in the reserve of that name is the drinking place in the dry season for literally thousands of sand grouse and doves in addition to a galaxy of smaller birds the tiny pygmy falcon is common, the males blue grey and white the females with mahogany brown mantle.
At a distance when perched, high in some acacia tree they distictinctly resemble shrikes. the giant amomnst eagles the martial eagles is often seen usually perched high on some vantage point alert for dik –dik or guinea fowl. Dinner and overnight at Samburu lodge or similar
DAY 9 of Bird Watching Kenya Safari:–Samburu –Nairobi
After breakfast, have a game drive enroute to Nairobi to arrive in the early afternoon for lunch at Kenya Comfort Hotel or similar
