Not sure which Kenya tour to choose? Click to see a complete listing and comparison of all our Kenya trips.
This wonderful itinerary, returning to our 2027 schedule, visits the main birding and wildlife sites of incredibly rich and diverse Kenya in just 19 days--from the lakes and surrounding woodlands of the Great Rift Valley to the arid north at Samburu, rainforest at Kakamega, and the world-renowned grasslands of Masai Mara.
In Nairobi and the central highlands we should see well over 150 species including a variety of raptors, lapwings, mousebirds, cuckooshrikes, greenbuls, warblers, and many gorgeous starlings and sunbirds. At a Mt. Kenya waterhole we'll watch our first big mammals, perhaps including African Elephant, African Buffalo, and Bushbuck, while in the surrounding forest Hartlaub's Turaco, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, and Rueppell's Robin-Chat occur. Our targets in the arid acacia country of Samburuland will vary from guineafowl, bustards, and sandgrouse to colorful barbets, bee-eaters, bushshrikes, weavers, and waxbills--plus several special "northern" mammals including Grevy's Zebra, Beisa Oryx, and Gerenuk. A Rift Valley stop at Lake Baringo should bring Goliath Heron, Three-banded Courser, Bristle-crowned Starling, Beautiful Sunbird, and Green-winged Pytilia (just a few of the choices!), and then three nights in famed Kakamega Forest will feature another feast of new birds (White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow-billed Barbet, Great Blue Turaco, African Broadbill...). What a contrast coming from dry open country to walk quietly through lush forest in search of so many of these fabulous birds!
At Lake Nakuru more than one million Lesser Flamingos may occur (plus many thousands of Greaters, too) and a wealth of other waterbirds. Finally, we'll fly to Masai Mara, a land of immense vistas--vast rolling plains, rounded hills, scattered acacia woodlands, and luxuriant riparian woodland along the Mara River. In every direction are herds of ungulates, and with luck we could encounter a Leopard, family of Cheetahs, or a pride of hunting Lions. Birds vary from Ostrich, Secretary-bird, Temminck's Courser, and Southern Ground-Hornbill on the plains, to Saddle-billed and Woolly-necked storks in the marshes. Ross's and Schalow's turacos inhabit the riparian woodlands, and on the western escarpment we'll look for the endemic "Usambiro" (D'Arnaud's) Barbet, noisy Rufous-necked Wrynecks, the rare Yellow-bellied Hyliota or, by night, African Wood-Owl. This is Kenya at its best!
Note: The limit for this tour is just six participants. Transportation will be primarily in pop-top, nine-passenger minibuses ("safari cruisers") especially adapted for wildlife viewing. Each participant will have a window seat, and there is room for everyone to stand up through the open roof. We will be staying in hotels and lodges that offer an amazing degree of comfort and convenience in some of the finest birding habitats. In Masai Mara we'll travel in an open-sided 4X4 vehicle--for the ultimate wildlife viewing.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.