February 28-March 20, 2026 with Terry Stevenson
Our 2026 East Africa Highlights: Kenya & Tanzania tour took place during early March, when wildebeest herds are giving birth, and Palearctic migrants are feeding-up before their long journey north. By visiting a variety of the best-known mountains, forests, lakes, grasslands and bush country, we give ourselves the best possible chance to see many of Africa’s iconic big game mammals and birds. As we discovered, the variety is unrivaled, from super large elephants and rhinos, to lions and leopards, and smaller species like warthogs, mongoose and monkeys. For first-time visitors to Africa, everyday brings new delights, from waterfowl to bustards and sandgrouse; numerous raptors, bee-eaters, barbets, flycatchers, warblers, iridescent sunbirds, and those master builders – the weavers! But, it wasn’t just the fascinating new species we saw, there were several new families too, with great looks at ostrich, turacos, mousebirds, woodhoopoes, wattle-eyes and batises, bushshrikes, and those unique species-specific brood parasites – the whydahs!
Following our well tried and tested route, we began in Nairobi National Park and the grounds of our lovely hotel at the famous Karen Country Club. We then flew to Arusha in northern Tanzania, picked-up our specially adapted 4X4 Safari Landcruiser and made our way west. Our first stop was the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, we then crossed the seemingly endless plains of the Serengeti, and then to our final Tanzanian stop, Tarangire – a much drier habitat, with palms, giant Baobab trees, and a totally different mix of birds and mammals. After a flight back to Kenya we headed to lakes Naivasha and Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley, the rainforest at Kakamega, arid bush country at Baringo, and finally the forests of the Aberdare Mountains before we drove back to the Kenyan capital.
Birding Nairobi National Park was a great way to begin the tour, with species in the grasslands including our first Helmeted Guineafowl, Gray Crowned-Cranes, Spotted Thick-knee, White-backed Vulture, Long-tailed and Northern fiscals, Superb Starling, and a displaying male Pin-tailed Whydah. A small pool held large numbers of Egyptian Goose, Marabou and Yellow-billed storks, African Darter, African Sacred Ibis, Malachite Kingfisher, and several very large Nile Crocodiles.
Of course, we also saw our first mammals, which varied from Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat and Olive Baboon at the park gate, to Plains Zebra, Common Warthog, Cape Buffalo and Hartebeest in the open areas; the more wooded habitat provided us with great looks at Northern Giraffe, Southern Bushbuck, and Impala.
For a different pace, we returned to our Nairobi hotel and walked the forested grounds, finding the spectacular Hartlaub’s Turaco, small flocks of Speckled Mousebird, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Abyssinian Thrush, Baglafecht and Speke’s weavers, and on flowering shrubs, Collared, Scarlet-chested and Variable sunbirds were a most memorable way to round off this first great day.
We then took the morning flight from Nairobi to Arusha, ‘Gate way to the Serengeti’, and where our visit to Tanzania began. Driving south-west, we took our picnic lunch in the grounds of the new roadside Lion’s Café, where not only were comfortable chairs and tables available, but it gave a us chance eat and bird as we picked up Blue-naped Mousebird, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, and White-bellied Canary. However, we soon continued, climbing the escarpment near Lake Manyara and on to our accommodation at the delightful Plantation Lodge. Here, we wasted no time taking an afternoon walk, and were soon enjoying an inquisitive African Harrier-Hawk, African Paradise-Flycatcher, White-browed Robin-Chat, a colony of Village Weavers, and colorful Purple Grenadiers.
After a good night sleep, we drove a short distance to the forest on the outer slope of Ngorongoro Crater and took a walk with local guide, Emmanuel. It was a great start to the day as we added Schalow’s Turaco, duetting Tropical Boubous, Gray-capped Warbler (in full song), Arrow-marked Babbler, Amethyst Sunbird, and Grosbeak Weavers building their impossibly tightly woven domed-nests. We then had lunch in the grounds of the well known Gibb’s Farm Lodge, before continuing to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and one of the world’s most spectacular views.
The following day was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the tour as we took a picnic lunch and made the descent, watching and photographing the simply spectacular wildlife of Ngorongoro Crater!
Whether driving across the open areas, within the Yellow-barked Acacia woodlands, or out along the lakeshore, we were never out of sight of birds and mammals. Just a few of the highlights included our first Spotted Hyena (9 of them along the shore), Lions (15, including 3 large males, and others literally pushing against our vehicle), 14 African Savanna Elephant (they’re all males in the crater), a rare Black Rhino, Hippo, and mixed herds of zebra, wildebeest, eland, and other antelopes and gazelles. The birds were also highly varied, with Common Ostrich, Blue-billed and Cape teals, Hildebrandt’s Spurfowl, Kori and Black-bellied bustards, both Greater and Lesser flamingos, about 600 migrating Abdim’s Storks, a variety of herons, egrets and ibis, Great White and Pink-backed pelicans, Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Rufous-naped and Red-capped larks, Northern Anteater-Chat, the endemic Rufous-tailed Weaver, and Rosy-throated Longclaw.
From Ngorongoro, we then headed further west and made a stop at ‘The Cradle of Mankind’, more correctly known as Olduvai Gorge, and first made famous by the work of the Leakey family in the 1960’s. After a short explanatory talk by one of the local excavation team, we were on our way again – this time for a three night stay in the vast Serengeti. As always, we added many new birds, with open country species including endemic Gray-breasted Spurfowl, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Double-banded Courser, small groups of migrating White Storks, Secretarybird, Lappet-faced Vulture, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, and the gorgeous Lilac-breasted Roller. The more wooded areas were home to Pearl-spotted Owlet, Green Woodhoopoe, Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, d’Arnaud’s and Red-fronted barbets, Pygmy Falcon, Meyer’s Parrot, Magpie Shrike, Red-throated Tit, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Silverbird, Gorgeous Sunbird, White-headed Buffalo-Weaver, and Pin-tailed, Steel-blue, Straw-tailed, and Eastern Paradise- whydah’s – all in breeding plumage!
The Serengeti mammals were exceptional, and varied from a solitary Common Genet in the dining room at Ndutu, to roaming herds of elephants (we saw about 270). Banded and Common Dwarf mongoose were particularly fond of foraging around termite hills, while on the more open plains we watched herds of zebra, buffalo, Tsessebe, and Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles. Lion and Spotted Hyena were both seen well, most spectacular though, was a mother Leopard and her large cub feeding in a tree on a freshly killed Impala. In its enthusiasm the young one accidentally knocked the Impala to the ground, causing the mother to come down right next to our vehicle, grab its prey and return back up the tree – just fabulous to see – and so close to our vehicle too!
Leaving the Serengeti we then returned towards Arusha, but first stopped at Tarangire, a fabulous area of bush country, palms, giant Baobab trees, and the meandering Tarangire River. A new habitat means new species, and we were met on arrival by two; Ochre Bush Squirrel and Bush Hyrax. We also enjoyed further looks at animals which were now becoming familiar, including many more elephants and another, although more distant, Leopard!
Our birdlist continued to grow; Fischer’s Lovebird and Ashy Starling were both endemics, while more widespread species included Crested and Coqui francolins, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Buff-crested Bustard, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Little and Blue-cheeked bee-eaters, Gray-headed and Woodland kingfishers, Red-bellied Parrot, Northern Pied-Babbler, Red-billed Quelea (seasonally the world’s most numerous bird), Green-winged Pytilia, and Pangani Longclaw.
We then returned to Arusha and caught the evening flight to Nairobi, where we spent the night before driving north and dropping into the Great Rift Valley for a short boat trip on freshwater Lake Naivasha. What a trip it was, with great photographic opportunities of African Jacana, a variety of ibis, storks, herons and egrets, Hamerkop, some very tame Great White Pelicans, African Fish-Eagle, and Giant and Pied kingfishers.
Continuing on, we were soon at Lake Nakuru, where sadly, rain interrupted our birding. However, all was not lost, and before we left the following morning we had 57 species, with new birds including a beautiful male Garganey, Pink-backed Pelican, Common Hoopoe, Striped Kingfisher, and Little Rock-Thrush.
From Nakuru, we headed west for a three-night stay in the Kakamega Forest, but stopped along the way at Lake Victoria and quickly added Eastern Plantain-eater, African Openbill, Double-toothed Barbet, Greater Swamp Warbler, Swamp Flycatcher, Red-chested Sunbird, and Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated and Black-headed weavers – sometimes short stops can be just so productive!
On arrival at Kakamega, we checked-in to the delightful Rondo Retreat, with not only easy access to the forest, but also a wealth of birds within the beautiful grounds. It was a wonderful change of pace to be out of the vehicle, listening for calls, and slowly walking the forest trails. Just some of the highlights were Great Blue and Black-billed turacos, a very close adult and juvenile Crowned Eagle, White-headed Woodhoopoe, massive Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Eastern Yellow-billed, Gray-throated, and Yellow-spotted barbets, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, a displaying African Broadbill, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Lühder’s Bushshrike, Sharpe’s Drongo, African Blue Flycatcher (in the new family Stenostiridae) Black-collared Apalis, Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, Joyful and Ansorge’s greenbuls, Gray-winged Robin-Chat, Equatorial Akalat, Red-headed Malimbe, and Vieillot’s Black, Dark-backed and Brown-capped weavers. New mammals included Blue and Red-tailed monkeys, and Guereza (formerly known as Black-and-white Colubus).
From Kakamega, we then drove east, and descended back in to the Rift Valley below Iten. This is one of the most spectacular parts of the valley, so we stopped for a picnic lunch and in doing so picked up White-crested Turaco, Jackson’s Hornbill, White-fronted Bee-eater, and Black-headed Gonolek.
Our destination for the following two nights was Baringo-Bogoria, an area of semi-desert, which together with its sparkling lakes always produces some good birds. And so, with the help of local guides Francis and William, we were soon enjoying a roosting Slender-tailed Nightjar, Senegal Thick-knee, Three-banded Courser, African Scops-Owl, Northern White-faced Owl, Grayish Eagle-Owl, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Gray-headed Bushshrike, Somali Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline-Tit, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Chat, Eastern Violet-backed, Beautiful, Hunter’s, and Abyssinian sunbirds, and the very localized Northern Masked-Weaver.
The final leg of our tour was to head back to Nairobi, with a night along the way at The Ark in the Aberdare Mountains. Situated next to a floodlit waterhole and mineral-lick, The Ark is well known for nocturnal viewing, but several good birds are seen in daylight too, including Scaly Spurfowl, Black-headed and Gray apalises, and two endemics; Hunter’s Cisticola and Kikuyu White-eye.
But, on this tour, it was the mammals that ‘stole the show’, with not only the usual elephants and buffalo, but at least five Giant Forest Hogs, a tiny Suni (antelope), and, right at the waterhole beside us, the amazing (though gruesome) killing of a Cape Buffalo by a pack of sixteen Spotted Hyena!
We spent our final morning driving back to Nairobi, before lunch at the famous Carnivore Restaurant, and then check-in at the nearby Tamarind Tree Hotel. With a full afternoon here, everyone had plenty time to relax, repack, and shower and change. We wound up the day with our final checklist, dinner, a celebratory drink, and chats about all the wonderful things we’d seen – great group, great memories, great tour!
Our next East Africa Highlights: Kenya & Tanzania tour runs February 27 to March 19, 2027.
Mammals List
African Grass Rat (Arvicanthus niloticus) About 30 around the picnic site at Naabi Hill.
Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) About 15 at the gate to Nairobi National Park.
Yellow-winged False-Vampire (Lavia frons) Five in the Baringo-Bogoria area.
Blue Monkey (Cerocopithecus mitis) About 40 at Kakamega.
Red-tailed Monkey (Cerocopithecus ascanius) We saw 4 of these attractive monkeys at Kakamega.
Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) Very common and widespread in many areas throughout the tour; in all we saw about 280.
Olive Baboon (Papio anubis) Another common and widespread primate, with a total of about 375.
Guereza (Colocus guereza) More commonly known as Black-and-white Colobus; we saw about 25 of these gorgeous monkeys at Kakamega.
Ochre Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus ochraceus) Ten at Tarangire, and 1 in the Kerio Valley.
Common Genet (Genetta genetta) One in the dining room at Ndutu Safari Lodge.
Common Slender Mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus) One at The Ark.
Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) Four ‘mobs’ (yes, that’s what they’re called) were seen; about 15 and 12 in the Serengeti, and then 20 and 15 at Tarangire.
Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) About 18 in the Serengeti, and 3 at Tarangire.
Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) Nine in Ngorongoro Crater, 7 in the Serengeti, and then 16 at The Ark which attacked a Cape Buffalo and took 1¼ hours to kill it – spectacular sighting, although most guests couldn’t watch and went to their rooms!
Lion (Panthera leo) We saw a total of 15 in Ngorongoro Crater (including 3 large-maned males), and 2 and 5 in the Serengeti (which included 2 cubs).
Leopard (Panthera pardus) Amazing sighting in Serengeti when a female and young one were up a tree with a freshly killed Impala. The youngster accidentally knocked the Impala out of the tree and the mother came down right next to our vehicle, grabbed the prey and took it back up – just fabulous to see – and so close to our vehicle too! We also saw a more distant one at Tarangire.
African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Many great close views, with large bulls, females, adolescents, and small babies; in all we saw about 520, mostly in Ngorongoro, the Serengeti, Tarangire, and at The Ark.
Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) Four along the cliffs at Lake Baringo.
Southern Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus) Heard around our rooms at The Residences.
Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) Formerly known as Burchell’s Zebra; we saw about 15 in Nairobi NP, 1000 in Ngorongoro Crater, 9000 in the Serengeti plains, 40 at Tarangire, and 35 at Lake Nakuru.
Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) One in Ngorongoro Crater.
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) We saw of 4 this introduced species at Nairobi NP.
Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) Common and widespread away from Kakamega and the Baringo-Bogoria area; in all we saw about 90.
Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) Great looks at 5 (including a huge male) at The Ark.
Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) Sixteen at Nairobi NP, 15 in Ngorongoro Crater, 7 in the Serengeti, and 2 at Lake Naivasha.
Northern Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) One at Nairobi NP, about 80 in the Serengeti, and 45 at Tarangire.
Southern Bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus) One at Nairobi NP, and 3 on the outer slopes of Ngorongoro Crater.
Common Eland (Tragelaphus oryx) Fifteen in Ngorongoro Crater, and 1 in the Serengeti.
Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) One at Nairobi NP, at least 350 in Ngorongoro Crater, 100+ in Serengeti, 6 at Tarangire, 20 at Nakuru, and about 30 at The Ark.
Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) Quite common and widespread in wooded grasslands with water; in all we saw about 130.
Bohor Reedbuck (Redunca redunca) We saw a single male in the Serengeti, and 4 (both sexes) at Tarangire.
Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus) In East Africa more commonly known as Topi; we saw about 35 in the Serengeti.
Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus cokii) Often considered a distinct species, Coke’s Hartebeest; we saw 1 at Nairobi NP, and 6 in the Serengeti.
Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) About 1000 in Ngorongoro Crater, and many many thousands in the Serengeti – spectacular!
Suni (Neotragus moschatus) One of these tiny antelopes was seen at The Ark.
Kirk's Dik-dik (Modoqua kirki) Preferring the areas of bushland, we saw about 80 in the Serengeti, and at Tarangire.
Impala (Aepyceros malampus) Very common away from Kakamega and Baringo; in all we saw about 1350.
Thomson’s Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsoni) About 350 in Ngorongoro Crater, 2000 in the Serengeti, and 40 at Nakuru.
Grant’s Gazelle (Nanger granti) Two hundred in Ngorongoro Crater, and 350+ in the Serengeti.
Reptiles:
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) We saw 7 (including 2 huge ones) at Nairobi NP.
Mwanza Flat-headed Agama (Agama mwanzae) We saw a striking purple and pink male near Naabi Hill.
Red-headed Rock Agama (Agama agama) About 7 at Tarangire, and 3 at Bogoria.
Water Monitor (Varanus niloticus) Singles at Baringo and Bogoria.
Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) Small numbers in a variety of lodges throughout the tour.
Marsh Terrapin (Pelomedusa subrufa) Also known as Helmeted Terrapin, we saw a few at a variety of pools in the Serengeti.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/577869
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/afs26TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Terry Stevenson (aka Honeyguide)