This Tanzania Mega Birding Tour is one of the ultimate African birding adventures, and has been specifically designed to take in the entire range of sought-after forest endemics that Tanzania has to offer! Our tour kicks off with an exploration of the nearby Pemba Island, home to four species of endemics that include Pemba Scops Owl, Pemba White-eye, Pemba Sunbird and Pemba Green Pigeon. The lush forests of the impressive Eastern Arc Mountains are home to an amazing array of highly localised specials. Gems such as Winifred’s (Mrs Moreau’s) Warbler, Loveridge’s Sunbird, Usambara Akalat, Usambara Weaver, Spot-throat and Fischer’s Turaco are just a few of the wonderful species that we will be searching for. We will also take time to track down the elusive and recently discovered Udzungwa Forest Partridge – a species that shares close affinities with partridges from Asia – and another rare bird, the splendid Rufous-winged Sunbird. Other fabulous endemics and regional specialities include Amani Sunbird, Kretschmer’s Longbill, Uluguru Bushshrike, Iringa Akalat, and Olive-flanked Ground Robin, together with a bunch of recently described species that include Kilombero and White-tailed Cisticolas and Kilombero Weaver.
Pemba Green Pigeon, Brown-necked Parrot, 10 species of Turaco, Pemba Scops Owl, Böhm’s Spinetail, White-headed Mousebird, both Trogons, Pale-billed & Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, Green Tinkerbird & Brown-breasted Barbet, Pallid Honeyguide, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Uluguru Bushshrike, Marsh Tchagra, Uhehe Fiscal, Green-headed Oriole, Red-throated & Cinnamon-breasted Tit, Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Kilombero, Lynes’s & White-tailed Cisticola, White-winged & Chapin’s Apalis, Long-billed & Red-capped Forest Warbler, Spot-throat, Dapple-throat, Usambara Hyliota, Golden-breasted Starling, White-chested Alethe, Usambara & Iringa Akalat, Uluguru Violet-backed, Banded Green, Golden-winged, Moreau’s & Loveridge’s Sunbird, Bertram’s, Taveta, Kilombero & Usambara Weaver, Red-throated Twinspot, Steel-blue & Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Yellow-browed & Kipengere Seedeater
Angola Pied & Iringa Red Colobus, Gambian Giant Pouched Rat, Honey Badger, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Black Rhinoceros, Kirk’s Dik-dik, African Buffalo, Eland
montane forests, savanna, grasslands, broad-leaved woodland, lakes, dams and rivers
cool in the highlands, warm in the lowlands
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
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.
mostly comfortable lodges and hotels, though a few nights are spent camping in comfy domb-style tents
easy in the north, challenging in the south
550-600
ngorongoro crater, the fabulous Serengeti, spectacular sunsets and landscapes
excellent in the north, challenging in the south
Paul Varney was a superb guide. He worked hard throughout the tour, ensured everyone got what they wanted from the trip and had incredible patience always answering (even often repeated) questions and had excellent knowledge of the birds and game. What really impressed was he was always open and willing to say he didn’t know or wasn’t sure, knew when to let an ID go and would make effort to work out a tricky ID from images overnight and confirm later. We thoroughly enjoyed his company and he made it a great experience. Moses our driver was fantastic. He has great knowledge of the areas visited, is an excellent, careful and confident driver and has incredible eyes. He is also a genuinely caring and lovely man who helped make the time in the vehicle a lot of fun. Your ground agents are brilliant. I guess you know that, but they made everything work very smoothly and helped with organising transfers.
I had traveled with Rockjumper to India in 2019 with Stuart Elsom, so was looking forward to experiencing another trip with this most excellent guide. He is so knowledgeable and professional while remaining always approachable and good humored. The accommodations were superb- I especially enjoyed the tent camps! This tour really has it all- fantastic birds, wonderful opportunities to see the African mammals up close, lovely accommodations and always good food. There were a few “ glitches” for me personally but Stuart kept everything running smoothly. Our driver, Geitan, was fantastic. It was obvious he drove with great care and concern for our safety. What an experience- not only the birds but the people and other things we experienced. Thank you, especially to Stuart, for a wonderful adventure!
Our Tanzania: Highlights of the North tour was a wonderful experience. Nigel Redman was a superb leader with an in-depth knowledge of the birds of East Africa which he generously shared throughout the trip. His many years of experience in leading birding tours showed: he was an expert in spotting and identifying birds and, most importantly, getting participants on the bird quickly. Nigel's own enthusiasm and delight in birds was contagious and his good humour set the tone for a very enjoyable tour. He and local guide Roger were true professionals and we would love to travel with either again.
David Hoddinott and indeed the drivers and Alison were all amazing - making this a life-changing experience. Everything went far better than expected throughout the tour in my opinion. I do not see how it could have been improved. Well done to all!
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.
08 Sep 2024 - 29 Sep 2024 (22 days)
USD11,195 - 4 Spaces Available
Tour Leader: David Hoddinott
Tour price (Per person): USD11,195 * GBP8,958 * EUR10,418 * AUD17,018
Single Supplement: USD910 * GBP728 * EUR847 * AUD1,383
Flight costs: USD440 * GBP352 * EUR409 * AUD669
22 Sep 2025 - 13 Oct 2025 (22 days)
USD11,795 - 4 Spaces Available
Tour Leader: André Bernon
Tour price (Per person): USD11,795 * GBP9,439 * EUR10,977 * AUD17,931
Single Supplement: USD1,050 * GBP840 * EUR977 * AUD1,596
Flight costs: USD440 * GBP352 * EUR409 * AUD669
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2023 - September 2023
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game I 2022 - September 2022
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game II 2022 - September 2022
Tanzania - Matson 2021 - November 2021
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game 2019 - November 2019
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2017 - September 2017
Tanzania - Kennedy 2017 - March 2017
Tanzania - Knox 2010 - December 2010
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2009 - June 2009
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