9 Days in Naivasha, Nakuru & Masai Mara
Contact Ontdek Kenya Safaris for a private departure or see our tours calendar for small group scheduled departures of similar birding tours.
Arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the evening. Transfer to the La Mada or equivalent hotel.
After breakfast we leave Nairobi via the Nakuru road to the Rift valley. The Nairobi - Nakuru road is on a contour along the rim of the Rift valley and on viewpoints we will be able to see our whole route for the next days. Our destination is Lake Naivasha: a fresh water lake in the Rift Valley. On the way we stop at the Limuru Swamp where we do our first bird count: Little Grebe, Yellow-billed and Maccoa Duck, Pelicans, Coots, Egrets and Herons. Soaring are Black Kite, Augur Buzzard and Pied Crow. After lunch we drive to Hell's Gate National Park. The first part is open grasslands bordered with steep rock cliffs in which the Rüppell's Griffon Vulture nests. Easy sightings here are the Verreaux's or Black Eagle, Common Ostrich, Black-shouldered Kite, White-fronted Bee-eater, Grassland and Long-billed Pipit, Northern and Schalow's Wheatear, Lilac-breasted Roller... The narrow gorge has a completely different habitat and hence very different birds: Yellow, Grey and African Pied Wagtail, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Purple Grenadier, Common Drongo, Superb Starling, Brimstone Canary, Common Waxbill, White-browed Robin-Chat... Accommodation is in the Lake Naivasha Sawela Lodge for 3 nights. The 55-acre property boasts green lawns shaded by mature acacias and spreading fever trees, that stretch down to the lake's shore.
We start our day with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha on the look out for a range of fish eaters: both the Long-tailed and Great Cormorant together with the Fish Eagle and the Pied, Malachite and Giant Kingfisher. To have the best sightings of the Kenya birds species found in Lake Naivasha, Crescent Island is the place of choice. It is a lagoon from where we should be able to see Red-capped Lark, Spectacled and Baglafecht Weaver, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Brimstone Canary and Red-billed Firefinch.
We transfer to the Menengai area which very beautiful with cliff walls and steam jets filling the crater with mist. It is only 10 km from the Nakuru National Park and has not been touched by tourism. In the afternoon we will do a birding walk in the crater where we will enjoy the beautiful contrasts of nature. Rocks that have stood the test of time, natural springs with mirror clear water, lava that reminds us that this is the Rift Valley and baboons trooping around with their babies. Possible sightings here are the Common Stonechat, Yellow-rumped Seedeater, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Yellow Bishop, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Northern Anteater chat, White-fronted Bee-eater and Shallow's Wheatear. (Alternative accommodation on this birding tour is Sunbird Lodge on the shores of lake Elementaita) On day 5 your birding tour goes to Lake Nakuru, which is famous for its thousands of Lesser Flamingos - the Greater Flamingoes will be easily distinguishable by their height. The Great White and Pink-backed Pelican and Black-winged Stilt are also there. The lake has a low concentration of salt, so it supports fish that of course attract other water birds. It is a good place to look for Avocets, Storks, Ibises, Ducks, Cormorants, Herons, and Terns. In the wooded acacias there is a chance to see the White-browed Coucal, Broad-billed Roller, Arrow-marked Babbler and the Narina Trogon. We go with a picnic lunch, so that we can take a full day for birding and game viewing in the park.
We head to the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, which borders Serengeti in Tanzania. Mara is the gem of birding and game viewing in Kenya with 450 species recorded. We will drive through Masai land, home to one of the most fascinating cultures in Africa. In the vast grasslands we expect to see Elephants; the large Cats - Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah; the herd animals - Zebra, Wildebeest, Thompson's and Grant's Gazelles; and specialties like the Hartebeest and the Topi. Expected Kenyan bird species are the highly conspicuous Common Ostrich, the small but still conspicuous Cardinal Quelea, Sooty Chat, Ground Hornbill, Open-billed Stork, Temminck's Courser, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and Denham's Bustard. Lilac-breasted Rollers are common. If we find a kill, we may see six species of vultures all dining together: Egyptian, Hooded, Griffon, Nubian, White-backed and White-headed. It will be a double reward should a Hyena or a Jackal join in the scramble for the kill. In addition we will encounter numerous raptors such as Bateleur, Martial and Tawny Eagles, as well as Pale Chanting Goshawk, Augur Buzzards and Black-chested Snake Eagles. Along the Mara River we'll watch for African Finfoot, Schalow's and Ross' Turaco, Woodland Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Barbet, Black-billed Weaver, Violet-backed Starling, and perhaps with luck, Pel's Fishing Owl. Any tapping noise on the trees may be indicative of the relatively uncommon Woodpeckers (Golden-tailed, Green-backed and Fine-banded). Hopefully we will be lucky enough to see some of the more difficult to see mammals such as Bat-eared Fox, Hunting Dog, Serval and the delightful Banded Mongoose.
Transfer back to Nairobi in time for lunch. Day rooms are at your disposal until 6 p.m. Evening transfer to the airport where we say goodbye. Itinerary changes on this birding tour may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.
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