Day 1: Olorgesaille
We'll drive down the escarpment towards this dry, arid,
scrub country about 75 km south of Nairobi (towards Lake
Magadi) that makes an excellent whole day birding. All
the way down the rift valley, stops along the way shows
a distinctive change of habitat and species.
Recorded species includes the Cut-Throat, Blue-capped
Cordonbleu, Northen Crombec, Banded Parisoma,
White-bellied Canary, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey Wren
Warbler, Taita Fiscal, Von der Decken's Hornbill,
Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Grey-headed Silverbill,
Grey-capped Social-Weaver, Red-fronted Tinkerbird,
Straw-tailed Wydah, Tiny Cisticola etc. We'll also spend
some hours at the Olorgesaille prehistoric Site, a
museum displaying many hand tools by man. Picnic lunch
at the Museum
Overnight
in Nairobi
Day 2: Gatamaiyu Forest / Manguo Ponds
Leave early for the Gatamaiyu forest, located about
50-km n.w. of Nairobi stretches through the Kieni forest
(part of the central highlands) and boost many montane
species includes the Chestnut-throated, Grey,
Black-collared, Black-throated Apalis, Montane Oriole,
Narina & Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-fronted Bush-shrike,
Yellow-rumped, Mustached Green Tinkerbird, Scarce Swift,
White-browed Crombec, while Abbott's Starling and the
Sharpe's Starling have been recorded, among others.
While Manguo Ponds makes an excellent birding spot
en-route to the forest. It boost a wide variety of
waterfowls such as the Yellow-billed Ducks, Little
Grebe, Red-billed Teal, Red-knobbed Coots, while Maccoa
Ducks are regularly recorded, Grey, Black-headed Heron,
African Spoonbill, White-faced Whistling Duck, Hottentot
Teal, while sometimes waders may occur in large numbers
such as the Greenshank, Sandpipers, Plovers etc.
Leave late afternoon for Lake Naivasha. On the way pass
by the Kinangop plateau in search of Sharpe's Longclaw,
one of the Kenya's endemic.
Overnight at Lake Naivasha
Day 3: Lake Naivasha
The lake is one of the two fresh water lakes along the
rift valley and offers a superb birding site with lake
fringed by the Papyrus on the shores and the Acacia
woodland habitats supplemented by the dormant volcanoes
of Mt. Longonot, Mt. Eburru and the Ol Karia. We'll take
an early morning boat ride and later birding in the KWS
Hippo sanctuary.
We'll be looking for such species as Goliath, Black
Heron, Long-toed, Three-banded Plover, Cape Wagtail,
Grey-headed Kingfisher, White-headed Barbet, Blacksmith
Plover, Grey-headed Gull, Red-winged Starling, Northern
Anteater-Chat, Grey-capped Warbler, Saddle-billed Stork,
Arrow-marked, and Black-lored Babbler, White-winged
Widowbird, White-fronted Bee-eaters, among many
others.Big game such as the Giraffes, Hippos, Elands,
Waterbucks, Buffalos are present.
Leave for Lake Nakuru National Park in the late
afternoon.
Overnight in the park
Day 4: Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park is referred to as the "the
greatest ornithological spectacle in the world" with
both Lesser and the Greater Flamingoes sometimes
exceeding 1.5 million individuals. The alkaline habitat
supports thousands of resident and migratory waterfowl.
The alkaline lake, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers
and inlets with marshes hold over the 450 species of
birds recorded. Some of the common birds includes, the
Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Black-winged Stilt,
Gull-billed, Whiskered Tern, Grey- headed Gull, Cape and
Red-billed Teal, Southern Pochard, Long-crested, and
African Crowned Eagle, White-fronted Bee-eater, Arrow
Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush, Wailling Cisticola,
Ruppell's Long-tailed Starling, Lilac Breasted Roller,
Cliff Chat and many species of waders. In addition, the
park is rich in big games that includes the Reticulated
Giraffes, buffalos, Common Waterbucks, Elands, Hippos,
both Black and White Rhinos, lions, Leopard, Spotted
Hyenas, among many small mammals.
Overnight in the Park
Day 5: Lake Nakuru National Park / Lake Baringo
We
take a morning bird/gamedrive in the park before we
leave for the Lake Baringo Conservation Area, another
one of Kenya's birding hotspots. Afternoon, visit the
cliffs not far from the lake, a good site for Hemprich’s
& Jackson’s Hornbills, White-faced Scops Owl,
Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat,
Green-winged Pytilia, Red & Yellow Barbet, Bat Hawk,
Three-banded Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar (among
many others). Birding along the camp site and the hotel
could yield the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy
kingfisher, Black-headed Plover, among others.
Overnight at Lake Baringo Club
Day 6: Lake Baringo
Today we'll spend the day birding along the main road to
Kapedo about 75km, lying on a semi-desert. The
specialties around this area includes the Magpie
Starling, Chestnut Headed Sparrow-Lark, Pigmy Batis,
Somali Sparrow, Somali Fiscal, Pale Prinia,
Mouse-Coloured Penduline-Tit among others. Picnic in the
bush.
overnight at Lake Baringo Club
Day 7: Lake Baringo / Nairobi
Today we take an early morning boat ride before going
back to the cliff and the bush around the lake. After
lunch leave for Nairobi where our tour end with a dinner
before the transfer to the airport.