16 days Kenya Epic birding safari

Early Morning bird watching at Taita Hills. Return to the Lodge for breakfast and there after we depart and drive to the bird-rich Lake Jipe, where we'll search for waterbirds. After a picnic lunch on the lakeshore we'll drive to Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp where we will arrive late afternoon. By the way in some dry scrub close to Ziwani Camp we'll look for White-headed Mousebird, Scaly Chatterer and White-throated Robin. Dinner and overnight at Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp.

An early breakfast at Voyager Ziwani Camp, then drive to Kitovu Forest close to the border with Tanzania for bird viewing then return to Voyager Ziwani Camp for lunch lunch. Then drive through Tsavo West National Park to Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge arriving late afternoon. After check in do a late afternoon game drive with a visit Mzima Springs. Dinner and overnight at Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge

Early morning game around Chaimu Crater and Roaring Rocks to view falcons, eagles and buzzards whirling over the plains. Breakfast then depart thereafter and drive to Amboseli National Park arriving in time for Lunch at a Lodge. Afternoon spend looking for species typical of this area especially on the marshlands. Dinner and overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge/ Amboseli Serena lodge .

Full day game and bird watching in this park. Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge/ Amboseli serena lodge.

Depart after an early breakfast, we'll drive north toward Mt. Kenya stopping en route at the Blue Posts Hotel where we'll look for Brown-hooded Kingfisher and Trumpeter Hornbill in the well-wooded gardens. We'll continue to Mountain Lodge arriving in time for a late lunch.

Bird watching from the open roof is excellent as the forest presses in on three sides and we'll see many species. The waterhole in front of the lodge attracts a variety of mammals. Afternoon spend around the lodge bird watching Dinner and overnight at Serena Mountain Lodge.

After breakfast we'll leave the lodge, driving slowly down through a forest rich in birds. We'll arrive at Naro Moru River Lodge in time for lunch. Afternoon we'll walk a shaded riverside trail in search of Black Duck, Crowned Hornbill, Mountain Wagtail and up to eight species of sunbirds including the stunning Tacazze. Night at Naro Moru River Lodge

After a early breakfast we’ll drive north to the spectacular Thomson's Falls, taking a short walk to look for Slender-billed Starling, then we’ll climb high into the mountains where flowering roadside Leonotis bushes attract brilliant Golden-winged and the occasional Malachite Sun birds.

We’ll drop down through the eastern Escarpment of The Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru. We may arrive in time for lunch at lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge. Afternoon game and bird viewing at Lake Nakuru national Park. We will be looking to see bird species such as Narina Trogon. Red-throated Wryneck, Greater and scaly throated Honey guides, Arrow Marked Babbler and African Fire finch. Dinner and overnight at lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge or similar.

After breakfast we'll travel up the west side of the Rift to Kabarnet and descend into the spectacular Kerio valley. On rocky hillsides amongst large scattered trees, we'll search for Green-backed Eremomela and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, before stopping for a picnic in the wooded valley bottom where Brown Parrot, White-crested Turaco, Pearl-spotted Owlet and Black-headed Gonolek may well liven up our picnic. At a spectacular viewpoint halfway up the western escarpment of the valley may offer as well the very local Boran Cisticola. Afternoon we'll reach Kakamega Forest. Birding around Rondo Retreat Center. Dinner and overnight in Rondo Retreat Center.

This is the crown of any Kenya birding Safari. Kakamega forest is a mid-altitude tropical rainforest, the easternmost of the Congo basin forests. Its West African affinities are unique in Kenya, and the forest contains many species found nowhere else in the country.

The avifauna is well known, rich, and unusual in its composition. Two globally threatened species occur, Chapin’s flycatcher and Turners Eremomela. The 194 forest-dependent bird species (the highest total for any Kenyan forests) includes 40 of Kenya’s 43 Guinea-Congo forests biome species, as well as 33 of Kenya’s 67 Afro tropical Highlands biome species. At least 16 bird species occur only in Kakamega but nowhere else in Kenya. The forest also holds large populations of Black and white colobus, Red tailed monkey and small numbers of de Brazza monkey.

Morning we'll drive west toward the Ugandan border. Just after dawn we'll reach a major river where a pair of delightful Rock Pratincoles normally reside on some isolated boulders A nearby area of streamside bushes and cultivated fields which holds a number of western species birds with small or localized Kenyan populations. Dinner and overnight at Rondo Retreat Center.

After breakfast drive to Kisumu City just-by the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. We’ll try out the Rock Pratincole along the river nearby while birding the whole day on the villages, farmland and the Busia grasslands to the west arriving Kisumu in the late afternoon or evening. We hope to see the Bar-breasted Firefinch, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Senegal Coucal, White-crested Turaco, among others. Overnight at a Kisumu Hotel

Today we take an early morning boat ride along the Papyrus vegetation at the Dunga Beach (an old fishing village/jet) with expectation to see some of the specialties like the Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-winged Warbler, other birds includes Hamerkop, Little Egret, Yellow-billed Stork, Pied Kingfisher, White-winged, Whiskered Tern, African Skimmer, Red-chested, Copper Sunbird, Shikra, African Thrush, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed Weaver, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Southern Red Bishop.

After this we leave for the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve, a plain of rolling grassland dotted with a mixture of acacia trees and the plain game which includes large herds of elephants, zebras, topis, hartebeests, gazelles, Impala’s not forgetting the well known Mara/ Serengeti Wildebeest’s migration, lions, cheetah. We'll stay on the western part of the reserve along the Olololoo Escarpments blended by river, swampy, grassy and forested habitats.

Specialties could include the Specialties could include the Long-tailed, Rock Cisticola, Wattled Plover, Rufous-bellied Heron, Penduline Tit, Pale Wren Warbler. Other birds could include Rosy-breasted Longclaw, African Wattled Plover, Ashy Flycatcher, Grey-rumped, Red-rumped, Rufous-chested Swallow, White-headed, Lappet-faced, White-headed Vulture, White-naped Raven, Ross Turaco, Black-backed Puffback, Croaking Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Black & White Casqued Hornbill, Narina Trogon, Lilac-breasted Roller, Common Wattle-eye, Silverbird, Plain and Long-billed Pipit, Saddle-billed, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-fronted Canary, Yellow-bellied Hyliota. Overnight at Mara Siria Camp.

We take an early morning birdwalk along the escarpment in search specialties such as Red-tailed Chat, Long-tailed, Rock Cisticola while if lucky we get a bonus of the Mwanza Flat-headed Agama. Overnight at Mara Siria Camp or similar