3-week Tanzania Arc Mountains and Endemics Bird watching trip

Itinerary Details

Day 1: Arrivals at Kilimanjaro International Airport

You will be picked up from the airport by your guide upon arrival at the airport. You’ll transfer to Arusha City for refreshments, get over jetlag, dinner, and an overnight stay. This is an arrival day and no specific activity is planned. Your lodge will be outside the city center.

Overnight Korona Villa Lodge B&B (4nights)

Day 2: Birding to the Lark Plains

You will enjoy birding 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.

Overnight: Korona Villa Lodge HB

Day 3: Birding to Maasai 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, silverbill, Tsavo and hunter’s sunbirds, Fischer’s starling, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, etc.

Overnight: Korona Villa Lodge HB

Day 4: Birding Arusha National Park

This is a 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, and Ruppel’s Robinchat are amongst the many expected here. The water habitat includes the Momella Lakes which are very famous for flamingos, Hottentot Teals, etc. Other animals in the park include the cape buffalos, blue monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys, bushbucks, zebras, and giraffes.

Overnight: Korona Villa Lodge HB

Day 5: Morning Drive to Same and Visit South Pare Mountains

You will 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, Somali bunting to mention but a few.

After arrival and check-in at our lodge, you’ll 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 HB

Day 6: Birding along the road to Mkomazi National Park gate

You will bird along the road to Mkomazi National Park in the early morning before Lushoto. Lunch will be along the way. Toward Your lodge, along the escarpment, there are nice spots to look for the grey-olive greenbul Mocking Cliff chat. If you get to the lodge on time, you may go to the forest for the last hours of the day’s birding.

Overnight: Mullers Mountain Lodge FB

Day 7: Bird Magamba Forest

Bird Magamba Forest starts at the old sawmill for the whole day. Lovely forest birding on the main road may produce Fulleborn’s Boubou, the Black-fronted Boubou, African Tailorbird, Usambara Drongo, Usambara Akalat, the white-chested Alethe, Usambara double-collared sunbird, Usambara Thrush, and yellow-throated woodland warbler.

Overnight: Mullers Mountain Lodge FB

Day 8: Drive to East Usambara arc mountains

You will check out here and drive to the East Usambara Mountains. Your next stop will be in Amani Forest. The afternoon/evening birding near the lodge is very productive. You will look out for the Amani sunbird, Uluguru violet-backed sunbird, green-headed Oriole, green barbet, etc.

Overnight: Amani Rest House HB

Day 9: Full day birding in Amani Nature Reserve

Here, you will look out for the Pale Batis, green-headed Oriole, fascinated 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.

Overnight: Amani Rest House HB

Day 10: Drive to Morogoro

You will drive to Morogoro. This will be a long day drive with limited birding. You will particularly stop at the Wami Bridge to look for the Böhm’s bee-eater, and the endemic Ruvu weaver. Red-fronted barbet, lack-collared barbet, African golden weaver, Zanzibar red Bishop, etc, can also be seen here.

Overnight: Simbamwenni Lodge B&B

Day 11: Drive to Udzungwa Mountains National Park

You will enjoy afternoon birding at the forest edge in the lodge gardens. Trumpeter and silvery-cheeked hornbills are most common here. The Livingstone Turaco, Uluguru violet-backed sunbird, yellow-bellied greenbul plus many others. You will try the Pel’s fishing owl in Magombera forest in the evening. Today, you will also look out for Peters’s twinspot.

Overnight: Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp FB

Day 12: Birding to Kilombero Valley, Ifakara – Magufuli Bridge for the Kilombero Endemics

The famous Magufuli Bridge is known for the coppery-tailed Coucal, Kilombero weaver, Kilombero Cisticola, and white-tailed Cisticola. You will spend the whole morning here. In the afternoon/evening, you will bird to Magombera forest for the Pel’s fishing owl.

Overnight: Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp FB

Day 13: Morning Birding in Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Today, you will start early and hike to the forest following the fall trail. The hikes here are challenging. Sounds of the Livingstone Turaco, Trumpeter hornbills, and African crowned eagles fill the forest canopies. The Zanzibar Boubou, Kretchmer’s Longbill, bar-throated Apalis, Uluguru violet-backed sunbird, etc are also known here. In the afternoon, you will drive to Mikumi.

Overnight: Tan-Swiss Lodge B&B

Day 14: Full day birding in Mikumi National Park

You will spend the 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 includes among others; red-backed and lesser grey shrikes, long-tailed Fiscal, desert Cisticola, collared palm-thrush, Zanzibar red-bishop, and Piping Cisticola.

Overnight: Tan-Swiss Lodge B&B

Day 15: Birding Miombo Woodlands Mikumi Reserve and later drive to Gairo town

Our targets today include 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 seedeater, Arnot’s Chat plus many others.

Overnight: Kossey Lodge B&B

Day 16: Birding to Ukaguru Mountains

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 your main targets here. You will watch out for the stripped pipit, the Peregrine Falcon along the rocks as you drive up to the mountains.

Overnight: Kossey Lodge B&B

Day 17: Drive to Babati town for Nou Forest Birding in Mbulu Hills

You will drive to Babati for the Mbulu Mountains —another long drive. The name Mbulu comes from the tribe that occupies mostly this part of Tanzania. Meals will be at Uzunguni Restaurant. This is a rather long journey that will take most of your day with minimal chances of birding. These mountains form some of the western arc mountains of Tanzania.

Overnight: Asmorein Hotel B&B

Day 18: Birding to Mbulu hills – Nou Forest Reserve

Here, you will set out to look for the 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. The road to Nou Forest winds its way through the remote hills of Mbulu. Driving to this rarely visited forest takes up to 2 hours.

Overnight: Asmorein Hotel B&B

Day 19: Birding to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park covers an area of 2850 sq km. It is very famous for its swamps and the iconic baobab trees. Birding is very productive with some of the critically endangered species like the Egyptian vulture. Some famous Tanzania endemics like the Ashy starling and Rufous-tailed weaver can also be found here.

Overnight: Tarangire Safari Lodge FB

Day 20: Morning bird drive and wildlife viewing in Tarangire National Park

Black-faced Sandgrouse, double-banded Courser, yellow-collared Lovebird, 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. You will bird the whole morning and enjoy an afternoon lunch at the lodge. Later, you will drive to Karatu.

Overnight: Hotel Bougainvillea Karatu HB

Day 21: Morning Drive to Serengeti National Park via Ngongoro Conservation area

You will do a day trip in the Ndutu plains and return to Karatu later in the evening (no entry into the main Serengeti National Park). This is a very rich habitat with several species of animals and birdlife. The Coqui Francolin, 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.

Overnight: Hotel Bougainvillea Karatu HB

Day 22: Drive to Arusha for departure

Today marks the end of our birding trip. We shall transfer to the airport for departure.

Price:       per person for 6 people sharing accommodation