This special tour offers an opportunity to view some of Africa’s rarest and most localised species in the  Dakatcha Woodlands and coastal forests of Arabuko-Sokoke, as well as the Taita Hills, which have been strongly supported by the African Bird Club’s conservation efforts in recent years. Participants will each be expected to contribute £300 to the Club in advance of the tour. We hope to have a chance to meet some of the local people who have been involved in the efforts to conserve Dakatcha and the Taita Hills.

We start out exploring a handful of coastal sites including the famed Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, which holds several localized and range-restricted species. Here we will endeavour to find Sokoke Scops Owl, Sokoke and Malindi Pipits, stunning Fischer’s Turaco, Mombasa Woodpecker, Green-headed Oriole, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Green Tinkerbird, East Coast Akalat, Little Yellow Flycatcher, Scaly Babbler, Amani Sunbird and the enigmatic Clarke’s Weaver. Other sites in this area include the Dakatcha Woodlands, Mida Creek for Crab-plover and the Sabaki River Mouth. The second half of our tour is spent exploring the exceptional Tsavo reserves which hold a wonderful assortment of dry country birds and mammals such as African Elephant, Big Cats such as Lion, Leopard and Cheetah and a variety of different antelope. On the birding front the list of quality species is numerous and includes Scaly Chatterer, Red-naped Bushshrike, Pringle’s Puffback, Tsavo Sunbird, Taveta Weaver, Golden-breasted and Fischer’s Starlings, White-throated Robin, the rare and little known Friedmann’s Lark, Hartlaub’s Bustard and Grey-headed Silverbill to name a few.  We also take time to visit the Taita Hills where three extremely localized Kenyan endemics can be found: Taita Thrush, Taita White-eye and Taita Apalis.