Ultimate 15 Day Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Safari For First Timers
Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Safari combines bird watching & Big Five adventures in Tanzania. This 15 day Tanzania Bird Watching safari takes you to Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyra National Park, Serengeti National Parks, Ngorongoro crater and Lake Victoria.
Safari Highlights For Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Itinerary
Day #1: Getting To Kilimanjaro International Airport
Day #2-3: Arusha national Park
Day #4: Tarangire National Park
Day #5: Tarangire National Park
Day #6: Lake Manyara National Park
Step #7: Crater Highlands
Day #8: We will visit Ngorongoro Crater.
Day #9-10: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Days #11-12: Serengeti National Park
Day #13-14: Victoria Lake
Day #15: Fly Kilimanjaro
15 Days Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Detailed Itinerary
Day #1: Getting To Kilimanjaro International Airport
Upon touching down at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, begin your Tanzania birding & wildlife safari with dinner and a chance to talk with your safari guide about itinerary ahead. The lodge will be a great haven for birdwatchers and birds. It offers a glimpse of the massive mountain kilimanjaro and is located right next to the rather calm Kilimanjaro International Airport.
KIA Lodge For Dinner & night
Day #2: Arusha national Park
Your wildlife safari will begin with about 1 hour morning transfer from KIA Lodge to Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, situated in the verdant foothills of Mount Meru.
The lovely and historic lodge, which dates back to 1901, is surrounded by old-growth evergreen forest and sits in expansive gardens next to a clear, swift-moving mountain river. Numerous mammals and birds can be found here. Amidst the crisp morning silence, magnificently shrouded Pied Colobus monkeys yell angrily from tree-top troupe to tree-top troupe, while Silvery-cheeked Hornbills banter and chuckle among themselves high in the riparian canopy. During our first full day, we will visit Arusha National Park, where we can see a plethora of wildlife, including Hartlaub’s Turacos and various skulking birds.
Mount Meru, the second-highest peak in Tanzania, and the greatest concentration of giraffes on Earth are both found in Arusha National Park. Since a large portion of the safari will take us into more open savanna environments, we will pay special attention to the forest.
Here you can spot two unique mammals, both of which are antelopes. Both of these little creatures call these damp and frequently deep forest home. Together with the three kinds of monkeys found here—Colobus, Mitis, and Vervet—the Suni is the smallest and the magnificent African Crowned Eagle’s favorite diet. By some stroke of luck, we may be able to catch sight of this massive raptor as it soars noisily through the air in a spectacular display over the montane forest canopy.
We will visit many of the montane park’s protected biotopes on our first full day, which should give us a taste of the extraordinary variety of life in Equatorial East Africa. Within the park, there are a lot of tiny lakes and a sporadic ponds. The birds that inhabit some of these areas are similarly brackish. There is a wide variety of waterbirds, from the quiet and secretive White-backed Duck and African Water Rail to the grand and flamboyant Greater and Lesser Flamingos, the boisterous Black-winged Stilt, the beautiful Pied Avocets, and the absolutely magnificent Grey Crowned Crane.
Today is the day we will witness the first major African game sporting event. African buffalo, common warthogs, plains zebras, bushbucks, common waterbucks, and, of course, the remarkable giraffe, for which Arusha National Park is famous. We can see the birds that live in harmony with the animals by looking for them perched on, around, or even on top of them. Tanzania is rightfully known for its East African mega fauna, which includes birds that rely on the daily activities of the large browsers and grazers for their livelihood in a variety of ways. Many larger birds, including storks, herons, egrets, ibises, lapwings, and others, can be found in the long grass, along with oxpeckers, brightly colored starlings, dazzling “sunshine-filled” weavers, dun-colored pipits, and yellow wagtails.
Every day, we make it a point to disembark from the modified, long-wheelbase Toyota land cruisers—equipped with retractable roofs—as frequently as we can. Since walking is strictly prohibited in Tanzania’s national parks, we will take advantage of the areas around the entrance gates, picnic areas, restrooms, museums, interpretive centers, hotel grounds, camps, lodges, and some of the remote ranger posts to conduct a variety of short bird walks. Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge for the night.
Day #3: Arusha national Park – Tanzania Birding & Wildlife safari
Our second day in Arusha National Park will be spent exploring habitats that were not explored on the previous day, as well as returning to a couple of favorite sites. Using an all-weather jeep track, we might be able to climb a mountain shoulder and enter a magnificent forest of enormous trees covered in ferns, beard lichens, hanging mosses, and epiphytic orchids. We will be vigilant in our search for any of the forest’s more elusive bird species. Among these birds are the yet-to-be-described ‘Nairobi’ Pipit, the endemic Broad-ringed White-eye of Tanzania, and the very localized Abbott’s Starling. African elephants live in the forests here, and we might glimpse a leopard occasionally, but we shouldn’t hold our breath expecting to see one during the day.
Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge for the night.
Day #4: Tarangire National Park-Tanzania Birding & Wildlife
You can choose to take a pre-breakfast bird walk today around the exquisitely manicured grounds of Ngare Sero Lodge. Tropical Boubous and Hadeda Ibis will have greeted the day with dazzling bell-like duets or a succession of wails, respectively. We will hit the road to Tarangire National Park’s drier baobab savannas after breakfast.
The vista from our safari resort in Tarangire is among the most breathtaking in the world. It is rightfully marketed as fantastic. The park’s name comes from the sandy riverbed, which is visible from the lodge, which is situated on a cliff. At this lodge, it is not unusual for guests to record one hundred kinds of birds—and that’s before breakfast! Tarangire Safari Lodge for the night.
Aerial view of an elephant herd making their way over a parched riverbed in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park.
Day #5: Tarangire National Park
Almost every bird species that calls this region of East Africa home is decked up for the wedding season by now. There will undoubtedly be a lot of evidence of the massive “upended” baobab trees that define Tarangire’s nesting activity, which should by now be well underway, as we go along the winding roads that wind between them. We will also make an effort to explore the park’s many freshwater pools, which are relatively shallow. Some of the rarer migrating breeding birds may be found here: little bitterns, lesser moorhens, and yellow-crowned bishops are just a few examples. Dragonflies and pond turtles, as well as the enormous, ancient-looking Nile Monitors, one of the biggest lizards in the world, are known to frequent the ponds
Our route for the day will most likely take us south to the park’s picturesque Silale wetland. As far as birds go, anything might appear here. Typically, a wide range of raptors can be seen here in April, such as the amazing Bateleur, two kinds of African Marsh Harriers and Snake-eagles, and acrobatic flocks of three little migrant falcons that hunt insects over the papyrus beds. Many migrant cuckoo species are usually found in the flat-topped acacia trees, where they forage for caterpillars that are grazing the newly green foliage. Abovehead, there are also sky-tumbling rollers, including the migrating Eurasian Roller and the native Lilac-breasted and Broad-billed rollers. The Red-and-Yellow Barbet, with its highly clown-like patterns, and the d’Arnaud’s Barbet are the two anticipated species. Although barbets are commonly thought of as birds that nest in tree cavities, in this open savanna setting, they are most commonly seen nesting in the spires of red termite mounds.
More lions will probably be found close to the Tarangire River as we make our way back to the lodge in the late afternoon. Along the way, we will stop to observe ibises, herons, lapwings, thick-knees, and kingfishers. We will also watch as a variety of swifts and swallows circle beneath and around the short bridge. The Southern Ground Hornbill is a great bird to see here. This safari will serve as a reminder that Africa is an ancient continent where animals that appear archaic have somehow managed to live in large numbers.
Tarangire Safari Lodge for overnight stay.
Roller Lilac-breasted
Day #6: Lake Manyara National Park followed by the Highlands
After packing a picnic, we head over the Great Rift Valley and spend the entire day in Lake Manyara National Park, passing through the vibrant market town of Mto wa Mbu, also known as the “mosquito river.” The manyara is derived from the brackish lake that borders it on the east. The oldest and possibly most varied park in Tanzania is a small one. Particularly around the northwestern shoreline where freshwater streams enter the lake, there are a lot of birds. There will be plenty of chance for us to explore this abundance of water birds from the hippo pools’ paths and observation platform. Over 150 bird species can easily be found in this National Park in a single day.
In addition, Manyara is well-known for its enormous populations of Olive Baboons, gigantic elephants, and lions that can climb trees. Nevertheless, there are plenty of smaller animals here to catch the attention. Examples include the Black Kaiser dragonfly, the dancing jewel damselfly, and numerous colorful birds that consume seeds, including whydahs, widow birds, bishops, and queleas. There are other odd-looking African insects, like wattle-eyes, helmet-shrikes, and scimitarbills. African Paradise Flycatchers and a good number of very dull, more common old world flycatchers are also available. At the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, among the tall trees of the groundwater forest, are typically flocks of frugivorous birds, including hornbills, turacos, green pigeons, and a variety of other, more obscure, bulbul species.
The Marera Valley resort, a large and tastefully decorated resort with its own coffee farm, orchard, and vegetable garden, is where we will stay for two nights.
Step #7: Crater Highlands – Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Safari
We’re going to do a birdwatching excursion this morning in the Endoro hill forest, which is situated right above our lodge on the slopes of the Crater highlands. We will travel through multiple clearings in an otherwise deep forest on the wide and simple track leading up to the elephant salt lick. The Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, which dig their burrows in the earthen banks next to the route, are among the unique birds of these woodlands that our guides will be on the lookout for. While some are more stealthy, we can try to bring them out of hiding by playing recordings of their voices. Within this category include the African Broadbill, Red-faced Cisticola, Grey-capped Nigrita, African Hill Babbler, and Tropical Boubou.
Many species can be seen in the canopy, and sometimes we may need to bend our necks a little to see birds like the endemic Mbulu White-eye, Schalow’s Turaco, Purple-throated and Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Collared Sunbird, Brown-headed Apalis, and Thick-billed Seed-eater.
Have a delectable fresh lunch at Gibbs Farm, which is located above Karatu. Birds are everywhere once again. In these gardens, Brown Parisomas, vibrant and beautiful Green-headed Sunbirds, and the rare and beautiful White-tailed Blue Flycatcher often come to forage in the trees above the dining tables.
Sleeping in the Marera Valley Lodge.
Day #8: We will visit Ngorongoro Crater.
Today is frequently the highlight of a safari in northern Tanzania for any guest. Our day in Ngorongoro Crater will offer a series of amazing opportunities to see wildlife and birds up close in an absolutely breathtaking environment. Lions, spotted hyenas, and African wolves (previously known as Golden Jackals) are among the predators that either patrol or sleep amid the large herds of gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest. The floor of the crater serves as the retirement home for several hundred male “Tusker” elephants that feed in the damp areas. There are no adequate words to describe Ngorongoro’s wonder. Being here may be both awe-inspiring and humbling because it is such a remarkable and completely unique environment.
By early April, thousands of flamingos should be showing in Magadi, a seasonal salt lake, encircled by migratory shorebird groups heading north. Hippos, Saddle-billed Storks, African Spoonbills, Jacanas, crakes, and rails can be found in swamps and tiny freshwater lakes. In the grassland, there are enormous Kori Bustards, Grey Crowned Cranes, and of course, even larger Ostriches. In the forests, there are African passerines. There are numerous, frequently little birds with names like Apalis or Eremomela, Crombec, Camaroptera, or Batis that are unclear and in some ways unrevealing.
At six o’clock in the afternoon, visitors are required to leave the crater. After that, we will travel the short distance along the rim of the crater to our lodge, which is situated directly on the edge of the enormous caldera. The large trees beneath the lodge are covered in a variety of saprophytic plants, orchids, beard lichens, and mosses. The most magnificent sunbirds, like the Golden-winged, Malachite, and Taccaze, flock to these blooms.
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge for the night.
Day #9: Conservation Area of Ngorongoro
Our journey takes us down to the Eastern Serengeti’s shortgrass plains from the crater rim. Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated in vast, open acacia woodlands and vast plains, which are very different from the verdant, misty mountain forests of Meru. We may feel like we’ve stepped into another planet by the time we get there. Many tourists will have arrived in the Africa they have always dreamed of: a region of magnificent scenery, thorn bush groves, green meadows amid majestic open forests, and, most importantly, an abundance of game, including herds upon herds of untamed ungulates. A beautiful variety of birds coexist with these creatures.
There are a variety of birds found throughout the stubbly savanna, including Marabou Storks, several eagles, six kinds of Old World vultures, and the small, almost tailless Pectoral-patch Cisticola scurrying mouse. Soaring in an improbable blue sky are the raptors.
Along the trip, we might stop by the Olduvai Gorge Anthropological Museum of Humanity, which Mary and Louis Leakey made famous.
In the evening, we may enjoy the atmosphere of a world that has virtually vanished elsewhere while sitting on canvas chairs around a little bonfire beneath the stars and listening to the noises of the savanna in the dark. Spend the night at Ndutu Safari Lodge.
Day #10: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
We will spend the entire day exploring the saltwater lakes Ndutu and Masek as well as the brackish marshes and grasslands that surround them. Tens of thousands of adult and juvenile zebra and wildebeest should be visible, along with somewhat fewer Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles. It is reasonable to expect eagles, particularly Steppe and Lesser Spotted varieties, to be migrating northward to Central Asia and Russia. The smaller Abdim’s Stork, which breeds in the Sahel region of West Africa, is frequently observed in flocks alongside other large birds from the Palearctic, such as the White Stork.
Since this area of the eastern Serengeti is home to multiple prides of lions, we should have seen our first one by now, and part of today might be spent looking for cheetahs. We can stop our casual game drive for a hearty meal at our roomy, charmingly rustic lodge if you’d like.
Ndutu Safari Lodge for the night.
Days #11-12: Serengeti National Park
We will depart Ndutu after breakfast and proceed west via the short grass plains. From the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we’ll enter Serengeti National Park via Naabi Hill. At Naabi, we will have the opportunity to ascend to the summit of this kopje, also known as an inselberg, which is an old, worn protrusion of crystalline rock. This will provide us with an exceptional view of this global wonder. We will be particularly watching for the migratory birds; flocks of Lesser Kestrels plus Montagu’s while Pallid Harriers should be moving north, perhaps joined by Amur Falcons beginning their incredible return trip to the Far East of Siberia.
In the center of the Serengeti, we will spend the following two nights at a tiny permanent camp. The lion, leopard, and cheetah are the three large cat species that are still found in this area in naturally occurring abundance, and we will be in a good position to go short distances in pursuit of them.
A variety of antelope will be among the species we search for. The chestnut Topi is closely related to the odd-faced, sandy-colored Coke’s Hartebeest. The incredibly elegant Impala can be seen in herds of up to two hundred in well-forested grasslands. Additionally, we will search for Klipspringer on the granite kopjes and observe herds of the enormous Eland, the largest antelope of all; in fact, it is so large that the Masai refer to it as an honorary cow. In the central Serengeti, Spotted Hyenas are common due to the abundance of food. Aardwolves, Ratels, African wildcats, and small family packs of Black-backed jackals are some of the lesser predators that we might see here.
Day #13: Victoria Lake
After leaving camp this morning, we will head west through the ever greener plains that will eventually bring us to the majestic Lake Victoria. According to the indigenous Sukuma people, this enormous Lake is called Nyanza. The impact of the enormous Congo basin, a storehouse of clean, humid air, becomes more noticeable as one moves westward across the Serengeti. The light is rather different from what we are accustomed to in more northern climates, despite the air being warm and so pure.
We will make several stops, particularly along the tree-lined Grumeti River, where, if we are lucky, herds of wildebeest will be crossing the treacherous river on their way north to the Mara region along the Kenya-Tanzania border. These rivers are home to nile crocodiles, and it seems sense that the zebra and antelope who are migrating feel anxious. Toward the end of the afternoon, we will depart from the Serengeti close to Lake Victoria’s shoreline and head west to Speke Bay Lodge.
Speke Bay Lodge for the night.
Day #14 :Lake Victoria
After arriving to Speke Bay Lodge, guests are welcome to explore the expansive grounds at their leisure, which should help them better appreciate the diverse views and sounds of the previous few days. This location is ideal for unwinding amidst the birds. The lodge’s ecologically friendly management has encouraged birds and other species. With up to 100 bird species appearing every day, we may enjoy a great deal of diversity. By this point, we will have begun to familiarize ourselves with some of East Africa’s fascinating noises, which are once more very different from the world we are used to. Wonderful bird names like Boubou, Gonolek, Brubru, and Babbler perfectly convey these sounds, as do the names of the African grass warblers, or cisticolas, which are represented here by rattling, trilling, winding, croaking, and zitting, among others!
We have to be a little careful at Speke Bay Lodge because we are directly on the reed-lined shoreline and there are hippos in the water. There’s really no need to worry; these stoic creatures are usually peaceful and only mow the lawn at night, especially in areas where they know people visit. At night, you can hear additional amazing sounds, such as the snarling laughs of the enormous Verreaux’s Eagle-owl and the gentle “Poot” of the screech-owl-sized African Scops, as well as owls around the lodge buildings.
Speke Bay Lodge for the night.
Day #15: Kilimanjaro flight
In order for our Tanzanian birding and wildlife safari to end where it started, we will take a midday flight from Mwanza International Airport to Kilimanjaro International Airport following a last morning of birding.
For our last night, we head back to the KIA lodge.