11 Days Kenya Birding Safari Experience.
11 Days Kenya birding safari offers a combined 11 day Kenya Bird-watching & Wildlife experience, specially for avid birders. Our 11 days birding watching safari is focused on key safari destinations of Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lake Naivasha, Lake Baringo, Tsavo East National Park, Tsavo West National Park and Amboseli.
Among these special key bird species to spot include: Familiar Chat, Sooty Chat, Rufous-bellied Heron, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar, Dusky Nightjar, Schalow’s Turaco, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-winged Francolin, White-headed Vulture, Ruppell’s Vulture, Secretarybird, Temminck’s Courser, Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Rufous-chested Swallow, Southern Ground Hornbill, Green-capped Eremomela, Black Coucal, Kori Bustard, Bush Pipit, White-tailed Lark, Flappet Lark, Athi Short-toed Lark, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Trilling Cisticola, Long-tailed Cisticola, Wattled Plover, Saddle-billed Stork.
11 days Kenya Birding Safari full Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi to Maasai mara
You will be met by an expert birding driver guide on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or from your hotel close to the airport or city center. He will brief you about your 11 days Kenya birding safari to Masai Mara game Reserve, Lake Naivasha, Lake Baringo, Tsavo East National Park, Tsavo West National Park and Amboseli. Thereafter, you will then commence your drive to Masai Mara via the great Rift Valley floor, as you enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
You will arrive at your hotel in perfect time for lunch, after then you will proceed for your afternoon game drive which allows for great encounters of Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, wildebeests, Zebras, Gazelles among others.
Not forgetting the birdlife, as Masai Mara has over 500 birds. Common birds you might encounter include Red winged Scholars Turaco, Orange buff pel’s fishing owl, flocks of wary crested Guinea fowl among others.
Return for dinner and overnight rest at your lodge.
Day 2: Full Day Bird watching & Game Drive in Maasai Mara
Rise up early in the morning for breakfast, and set off for a full day game drive along side bird watching experience, where you might encounter common birds like; Rosy-breasted Long claw, Secretary bird, Kori Bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill.
Since Masai Mara forms part of the best birding habitats in Kenya, you are most likely to encounter other birds such as Familiar Chat, Sooty Chat, Rufous-bellied Heron, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar, Dusky Nightjar, Schalow’s Turaco, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-winged Francolin, White-headed Vulture, Ruppell’s Vulture, Secretarybird, Temminck’s Courser, Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Rufous-chested Swallow, Southern Ground Hornbill, Green-capped Eremomela, Black Coucal, Kori Bustard, Bush Pipit, White-tailed Lark, Flappet Lark, Athi Short-toed Lark, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Trilling Cisticola, Long-tailed Cisticola, Wattled Plover, Saddle-billed Stork and Magpie Shrike among others.
Still you also wont miss out on a variety of Wildlife like Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, hippos and crocodiles at the Mara River.
For more experience, if you still have time, you can reach out to the Masai locals(only at $20 per person) for an exclusive cultural experience to witness how they live in their present day lives as you also interact with them in one of the villages.
You will have picnic lunch, while dinner will be at the lodge and an overnight rest
Day 3: Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha.
After breakfast, you can either opt for Morning hot Air balloon safari in Masai Mara National Reserve (usually organized at $380 per day). Magnificent experience to view the whole park, while on Air.
Otherwise, you can proceed to Lake Naivasha, after your morning breakfast, reaching in time for lunch at the Lodge. Lake Naivasha being a fresh water lake on the Rift floor is home to an incredible variety of species (about 450 recorded).
In the evening, when the temperatures are quite cool, you can go for a walk along the Lake shores and a 1 hour boat ride on the Lake. Enjoy the cool breeze while spot some of the common birds such as herons, pelicans, Lesser and greater Flamingoes, fish eagles and more.
Return to the Lodge for dinner and a peaceful overnight rest.
Day 5: Full days Lake Naivasha National park
Wake up early in the morning for breakfast, after then depart for a full day birding and wildlife experience at the only Fresh Water Lake (Lake Naivasha) in the Rift valley. You will be amazed by the spectacular views of the sparkling water of the Lake.
Lake Naivasha hosts a large colony of hippos, and a bird paradise with about 450 birds recorded among others Long toed plover, Great white egret, Grey headed gull, Southern pochard, Red billed teal, mention the Lilly trotter and African jacana.
The position of the Lake and the number of animals that flock around its shores makes it’s a perfect place that’s worth spending an afternoon at leisure on a boat ride.
Besides, you can also visit the Crescent Island, which is one of the few places on earth where you can walk among herds of zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, giraffe, dik diks and many more because there are no predators and no fences so it will be quite a liberating and exciting feeling to walk among the wildlife.
Dinner and overnight will be at your preferred lodge or Camp.
Day 6: Full Day at Hell’s Gate
Following your morning breakfast, carry along a packed lunch box and depart for a full day Hell’s Gate National Park adventure. It is the only park where you can come up close with wildlife by either walking or cycling within the park,
Enroute, you will encounter wild game among others; antelopes, impala, zebras, buffaloes, and giraffe.
The park being so Open, most buffaloes tend to take refuge under the shades while others game can only be seen in a long close distance.
Settle for the picnic lunch, and later on proceed to the beautiful gorges of the hells gates believed to have a devils bed, devils shower (water inlet) and devils kitchen.
Return to the Lodge for dinner and an overnight
Day 7: Lake Naivasha to Kakamega Forest
In the morning, you will wake up to a delicious breakfast, then you will proceed with your birding adventure to Kakamega Forest which covers a total area of 240sq kilometers. Arrive in time for lunch at your hotel.
In the afternoon, you will set off for the forest to spot very special and rare bird species including Grey Parrot, Great blue and Black billed turacos, blue headed bee eaters, Turner’s eremomela, Little grey greenbul. Incase you checked in Kakamega golf hotel, then you will also have the opportunity to play squash, table tennis, pool and other indoor games. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge
Day 8: Bird watching at Lake victoria
You wake up for a quick bird spotting rap up in the small forest of Kakamega which comprises of330 bird species, 380 species of plants out which 50 are medicinal, and the rest endemic to the forest. 400 butterflies also call it home.
Enroute you will have picnic lunch as you proceed on a short drive to Lake Victoria for a late afternoon birding around the lake for fresh water birds species, such as the African open bill stork, Swamp flycatcher, Red chested sunbird, Hammerkop, Eastern grey plantain-eater etc.
Dinner and overnight at your booked hotel.
Day 9: Kakamega Forest to Lake Bogoria
This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Bogoria, famously known as the “The jewel of the Great Rift Valley” with the most scenic view, renowned for its Hot springs and geysers, which are spread out along its southern shores.
You will arrive in time for lunch at the hotel, after which you will proceed for an extensive bird walk around the lake and the lodge surrounding, where you might spot a variety of species as such as Woodland kingfisher, Northern puff back, White headed buffalo weaver, Rufous crowned roller, African golden oriole, African hope among others.
Dinner and overnight will be served at the Hotel.
Day 10: Drive to Lake Nakuru
After breakfast, drive to Lake Nakuru National Park, where apart from the millions of Flamingos that make it pink, there are also about 450 different species to be found here. Dinner & overnight tonight will be at the Lodge (BLD).
Day 11: Morning birding & Transfer to Nairobi
In the morning, have breakfast and depart for Nairobi with an enroute bird spotting and lunch. You will Reach Nairobi in the afternoon, where you will either be dropped at your hotel or at the airport to catch up with your night flight back home.
