30-day East Coastal Kenya and Tanzania Birding Trip
Summarized Itinerary – Kenya and Tanzania Birding
Day 1 – Arrivals at Kilimanjaro Airport. Transfer to Arusha City and for refreshments, dinner and overnight stay.
Outpost Lodge/Korona House B&B
Day 2 – Bird to the Lark Plains and Oldonyosambu. This is a dry open savannah area – managed by the Masai herdsmen. It is the only location for the Tanzania Endemic Beesley’s Lark, plus other interesting species like the Rosy-patched Bush-shrike, Foxy Lark, Red-capped Lark, Short-tailed Lark, Fischer’s Sparrow Lark, and many others.
Day 3 – Bird to Masai Steppe in Mererani area. Birding will be driving along the main road. Highlights in this location include: the Black-capped Social Weaver; Steel Blue, Straw-tailed and Eastern Paradise Whydahs, Tsavo and Hunter’s Sunbirds, Fischer’s Starling, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, etc
Day 4 – Birding to Arusha National Park. Very rich Woodland Park mixed with tropical forest habitat where the Endemic Kilimanjaro white-eye is normally seen. Hartlaub’s Turaco, Bar-tailed Trogon, Kenrick’s Starling, Ruppel’s Robinchat are amongst the many expected here. The water habitat includes the Momella Lakes that are very famous for the Flamingos, Hottentot Teals, etc. other animals in the park include the cape buffalo, blue monkey, black and white colobus monkey, bushbuck, Zebra and Giraffe.
Day 5 – Morning drive to Same. We do roadside birding along the road to Nyumba ya Mungu Dam which is very rich with Red-bellied Parrots, Wahlberg’s Honeyguide, Pringle’s Puffback, Somali Tit, Grey Wren Warbler, Scaly Chatterer, and Somali Bunting to mention but a few.
After arrival and check in at our lodge, we shall drive to South Pare Mountains for south Pare White-eye, Bar-throated Apalis, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Moustached Tinkerbird, and the Delegorgue’s Pigeon. Overnight Elephant Motel B&B
Day 6 – Bird along the road to Mkomazi National park in the early morning before Lushoto. Lunch will be along the way. Toward our lodge, along the escarpment, there are nice spots to look for the Grey Olive Greenbul Mocking Cliff chat. If we get to the lodge on time, we may go to the forest for the last hours of the day’s birding.
Overnight: Mullars Mountain Lodge for 2nights B&B
Day 7 – Bird Magamba Forest starting at the old Sawmill for the whole day. Lovely forest birding on the main road may produce Fulleborn’s Boubou, and the Black-fronted Boubou, African Tailorbird, Usambara Drongo, Usambara Akalat, White-chested Alethe, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, Usambara Thrush, and Yellow-throated woodland warbler
Day 8 – Check-out here and drive to East Usambara Mountains. Our next stop will be in Amani Forest. Afternoon/evening birding near the lodge is very productive. We look out for the Amani Sunbird, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird.
Overnight Amani Forest Headquarter B&B for 2nights
Day 9 – Birding in Amani forest for a whole day. Here we look out for the Pale Batis, Green-headed Oriole, Fasciated Snake-Eagle, Green Barbet and White-eared Barbet, Half-collared Kingfisher, Fischer’s and Livingstone Turacos, Long-billed Tailorbird (Kretschmer’s Longbill), Forest Weaver plus many others. The birding here is more productive at the forest edge along the tea plantation.
Day 10 – Drive to Morogoro. Long day drive – with limited birding. We shall particularly stop at the Wami bridge to look for the Böhm’s Bee-eater, Ruvu Weaver etc.
Stay at Simbamwenni Tented Lodge for 1night
Day 11 – Drive to Udzungwa forest. Afternoon birding at the forest edge in the lodge gardens. Trumpeter and Silvery-cheeked Hornbill are most common here. The Livingstone Turaco, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, yellow-bellied greebul plus many others. In the evening try the Pel’s fishing owl in Magombera forest. Today we also look out for Peters’s Twinspot
Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Lodge/Udzungwa Falls Lodge for 2nights
Day 12 – Birding to Kilombero Valley, Ifakara – Magufuli Bridge for the Kilombero endemics. Afternoon/Evening Magombera forest for the Pel’s Fishing Owl. The famous Magufuli Bridge is well known for coppery-tailed Coucal, Kilombero Weaver, Kilombero Cisticola, and White-tailed Cisticola.
Day 13 – Morning birding Udzungwa NP, late afternoon drive to Mikumi. Overnight Tan-Swiss Lodge for 3nights (B&B)
Day 14– Whole day birding in Mikumi National Park. The vegetation of this area consists of savannah dotted with acacia, baobab, and tamarinds. Wildlife is abundant with Greater Kudu, Eland, Sable Antelope, Lion, Leopard, Giraffe, and Elephant etc. The birdlife include among others; Red-backed and Lesser grey shrikes, Long-tailed Fiscal, Desert Cisticola, Collared Palm-thrush, Zanzibar Red-bishop, Piping Cisticola.
Day 15 – Birding Miombo woodlands. Check out for Crested Barbet, White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike, Green cap Eremomela, Rufous-bellied Tit, Sterling’s Wren Warbler, Kurrichane Thrush, Miombo Starling, Brown-necked Parrots, Eastern Miombo Sunbird, Black-eared Seed-eater, Arnot’s Chat etc
Day 16 – Drive to Gairo for Ukaguru Mountains. We shall spend a few hours birding along the Miombo woodland again, north of Mikumi. Overnight at J5 Guest house in Gairo town B&B – Meals at Anna’s Restaurant
Day 17 – Birding in Ukaguru Mountains for the whole day. This is another area of endemism – the Rubeho Akalat, Rubeho Warbler, Dark Batis, Olive-flanked Robin, Livingstone’s Flycatcher and the Chapin’s Apalis will be our main targets here. Watch out for the stripped pipit, the Peregrine Falcon along the rocks as you drive up to the mountain
Day 18 – Drive to Babati for Mbulu Mountains – another long drive. Overnight at a Asmorein Guest House.
Day 19 – Birding Mbulu Mountains – Nou Forest. Here, we set out to look for Mbulu White-eye, Mbulu Robin-chat, Bar-throated Apalis, Schalow’s Turaco, Orange ground thrush, the beautiful Oriole Finch, Eastern Double-collared Sunbird and many more.
Day 20 – Drive to Tarangire National Park. Afternoon birding and game. Tarangire Safari Lodge HB
Day 21 – Morning Birding and game viewing in Tarangire and drive to Karatu later in the afternoon. Overnight at Bougainvilla Lodge
Black-faced Sandgrouse, Double-banded Courser, White-bellied Bustard, secretary Bird, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Eastern Red-billed Hornbill, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Magpie Shrike, etc are amongst the many specials here.
Day 22 – Morning drive to Serengeti via Ngorongoro area. We shall do a day trip in the Ndutu plains and return to Karatu later in the evening (no entry into the main Serengeti NP). This is a very rich habitat with several species of animals and birdlife. The Coqui Francolin, the Tanzania Red-billed Hornbill, Karamoja Apalis, Speke’s Weaver, Common Ostrich, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Usambiro Barbet, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Fischer’s Lovebird, Rosy-throated Long-claw, Banded Parisoma, Pink-breasted Lark, etc are amongst the many specials here.
Day 23 – Bird along the forest escarpement in Karatu and later drive to Arusha. Outpost Lodge or Korona Guesthouse
Day 24 – Transfer to Kenya through Taveta border up to Taita Hills.
Stay at Taita Hills resort and Spa for 2nights B&B
Day 25 – Drive uphill to Ngangao Forest. There are three Endemics here; the Taita Apalis, and the Taita Thrush and Taita White-eye. We stay here for the whole day.
Day 26 – Transfer to Shimba Hills reserve. Targets here include among others; Green-headed Oriole, White-eared Barbet, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, Green Malkoha. Little Yellow flycatcher, the bearded scrub robin, the eastern nicator, Fasciated Snake Eagle, Chestnut fronted helmet shrike
Overnight at Shimba Hills Lodge for 2nights FB
Day 27 – Whole day in the park. Known as the home for Sable Antelope, this park is very well known for coastal endemic birds and may other small mammals like the Elephant Shrew, Bush-tailed Mongoose etc. The Eastern Nicator, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Zanzibar Red Bishop, Coastal Cisticola, etc. There are also big mammals like Elephant, Giraffe, and Leopard etc.
Day 28 – Drive to Malindi via Mombasa Ferry. This afternoon, visit the Sabaki River Estuary. The mudflats and the sea shore is very rich with Sooty gulls, Mongolian sand plover, Sanderling, Broadbilled Sandpiper, little-ringed plover, Lesser and great crested terns, Curlew Sandpiper, Caspian Tern, Whimbrel, Crab Plover, White-fronted Plover etc
Overnight at Lion’s Luxury Eco resort & Spa for 2nights B&B
Day 29 – Bird the Dakatcha Woodland forest. The signature bird for this forest is the Endangered Clarke’s Weaver. There are other birds we expect; African Barred Owlet, The Violet-breasted sunbird, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Miombo Starlings etc
Day 30 – Early morning birding in Lake Jilore area and later in the afternoon bird to the Mida creek before the tide – place for waders; lots of sand plovers, sand pipers.
Stay at Seven Islands Resort/Turtle Bay Resort Watamu for 2nights HB
Day 31– Visit Arabuko-sokoke forest the whole day birding. Start at the visitors centre. Very interesting coastal forest, easy birding. Species include among others: Sokoke Scops Owl, Amani Sunbird, East coast Akalat, Sokoke Pipit, Malindi Pipit, Tiny Greenbul, Gorgeous Bushshrike, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Forest Batis, Eatsern Green Tinkerbird, Peters’ Twinspot, Narina Trogon, Little-yellow Flycatcher, and Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
Day 32– Morning birding in Arabuko Sokoke Forest again and later in the afternoon end the trip to prepare for your flight via the Malindi Airport.
~ End ~ Kenya and Tanzania Birding
