Overview

Our Kenya & Tanzania Birds & Big Game safaris are designed to maximize both the big game experience and birding by selecting the very best and most accessible destinations in these two vast lands. In Tanzania, we visit the legendary Ngorongoro Crater and endless plains of the Serengeti. Our excursion to these, the most famous game reserves in the world, is timed for the annual wildebeest migration. We can expect to find tens of thousands of these and other animals in the parks. The Crater itself teems with big game and supports the highest density of large predators on the planet. We will also visit Tarangire, home to a huge diversity and volume of animals attracted to its perennial rivers. In Kenya, we explore key reserves offering a variety of habitats from the game-filled Amboseli lying in the shadows of Kilimanjaro, the montane forests of Mt Kenya, fantastic Shaba in the dry Samburu region and Lake Nakuru that glows pink with millions of flamingos.

With a maximum size of six expertly-guided participants, our small groups score up to 500 bird species, enjoy unparalleled African mammal and cultural experiences and spend time at some truly incredible lodges. It’s no wonder that this is one of our most popular tours, and for private groups of family or friends, we cannot give it a higher recommendation.

Some of the special birds we expect to see include the beautiful Golden-winged Sunbird, the gaudy Vulturine Guineafowl, fabulous Golden-breasted Starling, Bar-tailed Trogon and Fischer’s Lovebird. If this is your first visit to Africa, you will be delighted by a plethora of typical African birds; Ostrich, Hamerkop, Secretarybird, Bateleur, hornbills, woodhoopoes, weavers and waxbills.

Tour Facts Top Birds
chances for millions of flamingos, Secretarybird, Vulturine Guineafowl, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Fischer's & Yellow-collared Lovebird, Golden-breasted & Ashy Starling, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Kori Bustard, Bar-tailed Trogon, Golden-winged Sunbird
Top Mammals
the “Big Five” and typical African megafauna, Cheetah, Striped Hyena, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, Lesser Kudu, Serval
Habitats Covered
lowland & montane forests, Acacia savanna, rivers and wetlands, rocky gorges, grassland, semi-desert
Expected Climate
warm to hot, dry conditions, but cool at higher elevations and rain can be expected
Max Group Size
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
Tour Pace & Walking
undemanding to moderate pace, moderate walking and some long drives
Accommodation
comfortable to very comfortable lodges
Ease of Birding
mostly easy birding
Number of Species Expected
450+
Other Attractions
Oldupai Prehistoric site, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Kilimanjaro & Mt Kenya, Maasai and other tribes, African curios
Photographic Opportunities
excellent
Tour Route Map Route Map Client Testimonials

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.

Greg de Klerk was very friendly and competent. He worked diligently to ensure we all saw the birds. We were always given sufficient time to look closely and for some to take photos. A most enjoyable tour.

Great trip – close encounters with a lot of target birds and mammals, exciting habitats, comfortable accommodations and an outstanding guide. Glen must be one of the foremost authorities on African birds and I learned a great deal from him regarding ecology, behaviour, systematics and conservation.

We very much enjoyed our East Africa experience, finding it to be the adventure we dreamed it would be. With Greg de Klerk as our excellent and informative guide and the incredible wildlife, the tour exceeded our expectations. Greg took care of us all throughout the tour and was extremely patient and considerate to make certain that all were able to find the birds we were seeking. We had a group with different levels of birding experience and Greg worked so well with all. Thanks to all who made this wonderful experience happen for us.

The booking was complicated by the COVID crisis and the many participants who cancelled the tour, but I am very grateful to RJ who managed to maintain the tour. The tour itself was absolutely outstanding, because of Kenya, because of the protected areas system, because of the birds and the mammals, because of the scarcity of other tourist, because of the small number and high quality of tour participants, but above all, because of the enthusiasm and professionalism of our Kenyan birdguide and our driver-birder guide. From the first minutes to the last hour of the 26 days tour, they have been fantastic guides, with amazing spotting capacity, top skill to attract skulking and shy species, and difficult to beat knowledge of songs and calls, of identification criteria, of local repartition and habitat preference of each species. And added to this, a thorough knowledge of all the places we visited and a great network of local guides who provided additional assistance to both locate rare and difficult birds, but also to avoid problems with local peoples. I cannot praise highly enough their work and the great atmosphere they created during this long tour, and I am sure I will return to Kenya with them.

Dates, Leaders and Pricing
2024 DEPARTURES
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