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Kenya - Mega Birding Tour

© Cheetah by Adam Riley
Kenya - Mega Birding Tour 2027

17 Oct 2027 - 08 Nov 2027 (23 days)

USD11,695 NO SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Glen Valentine

Wait List

Tour Price (Per person): USD11,695 (GBP9,009 * EUR10,296 * AUD16,705)

Single Supplement: USD1,950 (GBP1,502 * EUR1,717 * AUD2,785)

Flight costs: USD140 (GBP108 * EUR123 * AUD200)

This tour is the ultimate African birding and wildlife adventure. Over three weeks of non-stop birding, we hope to see more than 700 bird species, plus an incredible diversity of wildlife, superb scenery, wonderful lodges and tented camps, and super-friendly Kenyans.

Our tour begins with an exploration of the lush Shimba Hills and Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Here we will endeavor to find some of the rarest birds in Africa, including the diminutive Sokoke Scops Owl, Sokoke Pipit, Green-headed Oriole, Amani Sunbird and Clarke’s Weaver. We then travel through both Tsavo West and East Parks, offering excellent game viewing and a huge bird list. The isolated Taita Hills, with its critically endangered species, will no doubt be memorable, and we’ll search all elevations of the Aberdare’s and Mount Kenya’s slopes for avian gems such as Jackson’s Francolin, Bar-tailed Trogon, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, localized Hinde’s Babbler and Abyssinian Ground Thrush. We then enter the true arid zone at Samburu-Shaba, where highlights should include Golden-breasted Starling, Vulturine Guineafowl, Williams’s Lark, Somali Bee-eater and Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse. The dry woodlands of Lake Baringo are home to Jackson’s Hornbill, Northern Masked Weaver, and Somali Sparrow, while the famous Kakamega forest adds a plethora of forest specials with Blue-headed Bee-eater. Turner’s Eremomela, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat and Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye being notable targets. Our tour concludes after exploring the papyrus swamps and moist woodlands along Lake Victoria!

Top Birds

Sharpe's Longclaw; Sokoke Scops & Cape Eagle Owls; Sokoke & Malindi Pipits; Clarke's, Compact & Taveta Weavers; Hinde's & Scaly Babblers; East Coast Akalat; Green Barbet; Green Tinkerbird; Fischer's, White-crested and Ross's Turacos; Amani, Plain-backed, Tsavo, Violet-breasted & Golden-winged Sunbirds; Green-headed Oriole; Taita & Abyssinian Ground Thrushes; Taita Apalis; Taita & Kikuyu White-eyes; Jackson's & Elgon Francolins; Aberdare Cisticola; Abbott's, Golden-breasted, Magpie & Fischer's Starlings; Abyssinian Crimsonwing; Somali & Three-banded Coursers; Rock Pratincole; William's & Friedmann's Lark; Jackson's Hornbill; Red-naped Bushshrike; Somali Sparrow; Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver; Somali & Blue-headed Bee-eaters; White-headed Mousebird; Turner's & Yellow-vented Eremomelas; Yellow-bellied & Jameson's Wattle-eyes; Vulturine Guineafowl; White-spotted Flufftail; Bar-tailed Trogon; Hartlaub's Bustard; Sooty Gull; Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse; Eastern Black-headed & Forest Batis; Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar; Forbe's-Watson's Swift; White-headed Wood Hoopoe; Pallid Honeyguide; Mombasa & Speckle-breasted Woodpeckers; African Broadbill; Grey-crested Helmetshrike; Papyrus Gonolek; Red-throated Tit; Uganda Woodland, Black-faced Rufous & Basra Reed Warblers; Somali Crombec; Southern & Yellow-bellied Hyliotas; Brown-chested Alethe; Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat; Easy Coast Akalat; White-throated Robin; Chapin's & Gambaga Flycatchers; Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher; Fire-fronted & Zanzibar Red Bishops; Jackson's Widowbird; Red-throated & Brown Twinspots; Grey-headed Silverbill; Steel-blue Whydah; Papyrus Canary; Southern Grosbeak-Canary; Oriole Finch.

Top Mammals

Lion; Leopard; Black & White Rhinoceros; Cheetah; Striped & Spotted Hyenas; Reticulated & Maasai Giraffes; Grevy’s Zebra; Gerenuk; Serval; Golden-rumped Elephant-Shrew; Crested Porcupine; Small-spotted & Blotched Genets; African Civet; African Buffalo; African Elephant; Southern Tree Hyrax; Giant Forest Hog; Lesser & Greater Kudu; Harvey's Duiker; Suni; Sable Antelope.

Habitats Covered

lowland & montane forests, Acacia savanna, papyrus swamps, rivers and wetlands, rocky gorges, grassland, semi-desert, coastal estuaries

Expected Climate

warm to hot, dry conditions, but cool at higher elevations and occasional rain can be expected. One morning at high altitude (3 650m) in very cold conditions (freezing).

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumer leader

Tour Pace & Walking

DIFFICULT: This is a high-intensity “mega” tour designed for passionate listers and serious birders who enjoy a fast-paced schedule. Due to its demanding nature, it’s not recommended for avid photographers, inexperienced birders, or anyone with mobility or health limitations.

Our Mega tours are very fast-paced birding adventures designed for the dedicated lister and serious birder. The focus of the tour is to see as many of the endemics and area specials as possible in our given time. In order to cover the necessary route to maximise the species list we tend to spend a single night at most sites and travel large distances. There is very little down time aside from that spent driving from one site to the next. These tours are not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced or new birders; as well as anyone with serious mobility or health challenges.

Accommodation

Moderate to comfortable, some safari tented camps, a few basic lodges

Ease of Birding

Demanding. Some species density is low, forest birding present typical challenges. Several difficult target species.

Number of Species Expected

700+

Other Attractions

Mt Kenya, Aberdare Mountains, Shimba Hills, Lakes Elementeita & Baringo, Masaai people, African curios

Photographic Opportunities

Worthwhile to good but limited by time constraints.

What our clients say about us

Stuart Elsom
IS, Kenya 2022

Stuart took my "hit list" and ensured that I saw as many as possible. Driver/guide Jack and local guides also helpful. Accommodation and food generally good. One negative was that Landcruiser was cramped and difficult to enter and exit, but apparently a 4X4 is necessary for this tour. Overall very happy with the tour and total list. Other participants also enjoyed it.

Ryan Tyrer
SI, Kenya & Tanzania - Birds & Big Game (Small Group) II 2026

The tour was great. The administration pre-tour was not. We received an itinerary that was backwards - starting in Arusha, whereas we started in Nairobi. We didn’t find out about where we were staying until very late, which made our own arrangements difficult. There were a lot of confusion about where we were staying in Nairobi, and we booked the BOMA Inn for two nights prior, thinking that was where we were staying but it wasn’t. But it was too late to change it to the BOMA. The itinerary featured a lot of driving which was wearing. The first jeep we had for Kenya was sub-standard. There were literally bits falling off the vehicle. The first thing we had to do is get new windscreen wipers put on which took about 30 min. The back seats were very tight and the cushion on one was ripped and uncomfortable. When we got to Tanzania we had a brand new vehicle which was much better. I don’t agree with treating the drivers differently to the guide. I think this is a very colonial approach and segregating them to different accommodation and meals is discriminatory, given the work they do and the long days they work. On the positive side both drivers were excellent, particularly Kevin, the first driver who was an excellent birder. Ryan was an excellent guide. He was highly organised, helped us all to see the birds and was always pleasant and friendly. We would travel with him again. The accommodation was excellent, as was the food. Rockjumper is an expensive tour company relative to some others. It was our first time with Rockjumper and we would consider travelling with you again. Thanks to Ryan and the drivers for a very memorable experience. Suse

Ryan Tyrer
AS, Kenya & Tanzania - Birds & Big Game (Small Group) I 2026

Our guide Ryan was very familiar with the birds and their songs, he is very meticulous and does an excellent job on Ebird.

Stephan Lorenz
JCM, Kenya - Mega Birding Tour 2025

Tour Review – Kenya Mega Birding Tour Our experience on this tour was truly exceptional, and the main reason for that was our tour leader, Stephan Lorenz. Stephan is, without question, the best birding guide we have ever had. His guiding style is remarkable: relentless in the field, always pushing to find the birds no matter the conditions, while maintaining a calm, patient, and positive attitude throughout long days. He has an almost supernatural ability to detect birds and an extraordinary depth of knowledge. Beyond identification, he actively teaches participants to become better birders, sharing techniques, fieldcraft, and intuition in a way that is both inspiring and accessible. Stephan is also incredibly organized and consistently makes sure that every day runs smoothly. He always ensures that everyone sees the birds—not just those who spot them first. He manages group dynamics beautifully, avoids conflicts before they even arise, and creates a warm, cohesive, and supportive atmosphere. His patience and dedication are unmatched. In short: he is an exceptional guide, the best we’ve ever travelled with, and the main reason this tour was such a success for us. We will absolutely choose future Rockjumper tours where Stephan is the leader. Regarding the tour itself: The lodges were generally excellent—some truly outstanding, others more standard but still very good. The only exception was the Blue Post Hotel, where it seems we were given quite outdated rooms compared to what is advertised. Our only real regret is that the itinerary did not include the Masai Mara. While we did see carnivores—including fantastic sightings of leopards—the Mara offers much higher concentrations of wildlife overall: large prides of lions, bigger herds of elephants, massive numbers of antelopes, and that classic East African savanna experience. Including it, or at least offering a 3–4 day extension, would add immense value to the tour. Missing the Mara felt a bit like visiting France but skipping the Eiffel Tower. Apart from that, the experience was superb. The group was wonderful, the birding outstanding, and the journey an absolute pleasure from start to finish. We had an unforgettable time, and we look forward to travelling with Rockjumper again—especially on tours led by Stephan.

xHeinz Ortmann
RL, Kenya

Heinz Ortmann was charming and funny, outstanding on the birds and other animals, and excellent in dealing with the logistics. I would be very happy to travel with Heinz again.

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Route Map

Tour Route Map