SVABW 003: 14 Nights/15 Days Kenya Bird Watching Safari: Samburu Mt Kenya Lake Baringo Lake Bogoria Saiwa Swamp Kakamega Forest Lake Nakuru Lake Naivasha Masai Mara

This Kenya safari or Kenya bird watching safari combines bird watching and game drives in search of the Big Five wildlife – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo in Samburu, Mt Kenya, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Saiwa Swamp, Kakamega Forest, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara.

Day 1: Nairobi – Samburu

After breakfast, depart Nairobi and drive to Samburu Game Reserve; cross Equator, travelling through changing landscapes to the rugged-semi region. The highlight of this Reserve is the spectacular scenic beauty, rivers and forest. The local people have very rich and colorful cultural heritage. African wildlife include leopards, hippos, elephants, lions, reticulated giraffes, oryx, gerenuk, grevy’s zebras, bongos and crocodiles in the Uaso Nyiro River. Most of these species are rarely found elsewhere. The bird life is especially notable. Arrive at Samburu Sopa Lodge in time for lunch. Afternoon game drives till sunset in search of birds and wildlife.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Samburu Sopa Lodge

Day 2: Samburu

After breakfast, depart for bird watching pickings among 395 bird species, includes 47 birds of prey, Somali Ostriches, vulture guinea fowl sand grouse and hornbills. Healthy numbers of predators with lions, Leopard and cheetah frequently seen.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Samburu Sopa Lodge

Day 3: Samburu – Mt Kenya

After breakfast, depart for Alliance Naru Moru River Lodge in Mt Kenya. Look out for bird-life along the route. After lunch we will spend the rest of the afternoon bird watching at the Naru Moru River Lodge grounds. Narumoru is an excellent birding spot especially at the lodge’s grounds and the small forest along the river. Here we will be looking for such species as Olive, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Cinnamon-Chested Bee-eater, Crowned and Silvery-Cheeked Hornbills, Cape Wagtail, Black Saw-wing, Yellow-Whiskered, Slender-Billed and Mountain Greenbuls, White-Starred Robin, Cape and Ruppell’s Robin Chats, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Hunter’s Cisticola, Chestnut-Throated, Grey and Black-Throated Apalis, Grey-Capped Warbler, White-Browed Crombec, Montane White-Eye, White-Bellied Tit, Tropical Boubou, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Montane Oriole, White-Headed Wood Hoopoe, Eastern and Northern Double-Collared Sunbird (among other six species), Brown-Capped Weavers, Thick-Billed Seed-Eater and Yellow-Crowned Canary.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Alliance Naru Moru River Lodge

Day 4: Mt Kenya – Lake Baringo

After breakfast, depart for Lake Baringo driving across the Solio Plains adjacent to the famous Solio Ranch. If lucky we might be able to spot the White Rhinos or Black Rhinos through the fence as we drive across. A brief stop at the famous Thompson Falls and later drive to the Rift Valley at Lake Baringo Club in time for lunch.

Lake Baringo region has got its specialties as well and you will be looking for species like, Jackson’s and Hemprich’s Hornbill, Bristle-Crowned Starlings, Brown-Tailed Rock Chat, Dark-Chanting Goshawk, a variety of weavers as well as an incredible number of water birds.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Lake Baringo Club

Day 5: Lake Baringo – Lake Bogoria

After breakfast, take a 1-hour bird watching trip by boat to the island to view more birds and hippos. On the Island you can organize short excursions at an extra cost to see the Njemp village (local tribe) and dancing, or a local snake farm.

Afterwards, depart for Lake Baringo. After lunch at Lake Bogoria County Club, we will depart for an afternoon game/bird drive at the nearby Lake Bogoria National Reserve. Notable species at Bogoria includes huge flocks of Cape Teals, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Black-Necked Grebes and other wader birds not mentioning the Lesser and Greater Flamingoes.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Lake Bogoria Country Club

Day 6: Lake Bogoria – Saiwa Swamp

After breakfast, depart for Saiwa Swamp National Park in Cherengani hills via the Kerio valley escarpment. The landscape is panoramic with undulating hills. The atmosphere is cool. Picnic lunches will be provided. Arrive in Saiwa swamp the evening for bird watching.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: KWS Self-Catering Accommodation

Day 7: Saiwa Swamp

Covering only 3 sq km, Saiwa is the smallest national park in Kenya. Walking trails shirt the swamp, which is home to selection of marsh birds through riverine and savannah woodlands inhabited by monkeys. Look out for the Sitatungas, shy Antelope that remains submerged in the water better part of the day. Observation towers along the banks make ideal platforms from which to scan the reed beds of sitatungas and birds. Throughout the swamp, ibises, ducks, and herons feed in open patches of water

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: KWS Self-Catering Accommodation

Day 8: Saiwa Swamp – Kakamega Forest

After breakfast, we will depart for Kakamega Forest through the spectacular Kerio Valley in search of rare flycatchers. We will have a couple of birding stopovers and finally arrive in time for Lunch at the Rondo Retreat Center. In this Western part of Kenya, the remnant Congolese rainforest has species which are found nowhere else in Kenya. The rest of the day will be spent birding at the Retreat’s lovely grounds with dinner and overnight at Rondo Retreat Center.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Center

Day 9: Kakamega Forest

Full day birding around the Kakamega Forest with our second night here. At Kakamega and the surroundings, you will be looking for the 36 birds’ species that are endemic to this place among which are the Blue-Headed Bee-Eater, Western Black-Headed Oriole, Jameson’s Wattle-Eye, Turner’s Eremomela, African Crowned Eagles, Yellowbill, Great Blue and Black-Bellied Turaco and a host of Greenbuls among others.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Rondo Retreat Center

Day 10: Kakamega Forest – Kisumu

After breakfast, we will drive to Kisumu via some major birding hot spots on the way with lunch en route. Later in the evening, we will visit the famous Dunga Swamp (one of the strong hold of rare Lake Victoria swamp species).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Kisumu Sunset Hotel

Day 11: Kisumu – Lake Nakuru

After breakfast, we will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park (a birding paradise). Arrive at Lake Nakuru Lodge in time for lunch. Afternoon game drives in the park. Besides the flamingos that the lake is famous for, there are approx 400 other species of birds visiting the lake. Also, many species of game can be found in the park including the introduced Rothschild’s giraffe, black and white rhino, waterbuck, reedbuck, lion, buffalo, leopard, baboon and many species of plains game.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge

Day 12: Lake Nakuru – Lake Naivasha

After breakfast, depart for the nearby Naivasha. Lunch at Lake Naivasha Country Club. After lunch, we will spend the rest of the evening bird watching at the grounds of the Club as well as the lake shoreline. Optional visit to the Crescent Island, which is across the lake from Lake Naivasha Country Club.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Country Club

Day 13: Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara

After breakfast, depart for Masai Mara Game Reserve via the magnificent scenery of the Great Rift Valley. Lunch at Mara Sopa Lodge and then depart for afternoon game drives.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge

Day 14: Masai Mara

Full spent exploring the stunning Masai Mara scenery and in search of the ‘The Big Five’ – Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos and Rhinos. Besides these ‘Big 5’ there are many other wild animals and every single one is incredible to watch. They include the Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos, Baboons, Wildebeests, Warthog, Antelopes and Gazelles. The Mara boast of 540 species including 57 raptors. Birds of prey range from the snappy little grey Kestrels and other species hovering above the grasslands to large eagles and six species of Vultures scrambling at kills.

Optional evening visit to a Masai Village to learn the dance and culture of the Masai tribe (it will cost you $35 per person and this is paid directly to the village).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge

Day 15: Masai Mara – Nairobi – Depart Home

After breakfast, depart for Nairobi. Stop at Panari Hotel in Nairobi for lunch. Later, you’ll be transferred to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch your international flight home.