21-Day Birding & Wildlife Photo Tour -

Birds & Big Game Photography Tour

Luxury Lodges and Tented Camps

Same Route Budget Option Available

Kenya Birding & Wildlife Photo Tour - 21 Days

Birdwatching East Africa Tours is excited to offer a 21-day birding with a camera tour in East Africa, ideal for semi to professional wildlife photographers and their families. The tour includes a balanced itinerary with 4 nights in Samburu National Reserve, 5 nights in Masai Mara National Reserve, and a visit to Amboseli National Park.

At Amboseli National Park, you will encounter water birds, big mammals, and picturesque landscapes at the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. Our expert driver guide, Chege wa Kariuki, who is also the photographer of all the photos on our website, will be happy to share his photographic tips, making it an ideal tour for even beginners in wildlife photography.

Our spacious transport car has six window seats, perfect for three professional photographers with large lenses. This ensures each photographer can use both left and right windows without obstruction, and one has a free seat on their side. In case of a fourth photographer, they can sit next to the guide. The front seat also has an open roof, providing excellent photo opportunities.

Day 1: Nairobi –Amboseli National Park

After tour briefing transfer to Amboseli National Park. (depending on your country of origin, it may be recommended to arrive previous night for ample rest time before embarking on our epic birds and big mammals photo tour. Hotel room previous night could be arranged)

Grey Crowned Crane, ©chege wa kariuki

Amboseli National Park, located on the leeward side of Africa’s highest mountain the Kilimanjaro on the Kenya/Tanzania border. Lunch at the lodge and later an afternoon gamedrive.

Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge

Overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge

Day 2: Amboseli National Park

Hippo/Ellephant, ©chege wa kariuki

Morning and afternoon game drive in the park. Though a relatively dry, dust and mainly open area, it collects lots of underground water from Mt. Kilimanjaro hence several springs of swampy habitats of papyrus that attracts huge concentration of wildlife especially African Elephants, Eastern White-bearded Wildebeests, Common Zebra, Common Warthogs, Masai Giraffe, Gerenuk, Impala, Lesser Kudu with a variety of waterfowls. There’s also the open acacia woodland and Commiphora bushland around the park.

Overnight at Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge

Day 3: Amboseli National Park – Nairobi

Eastern White-bearded Wildebeest, ©chege wa kariuki

After an early morning breakfast enroute game drive and photography and later transfer to Nairobi.

Overnight at Ole Sereni Hotel

Day 4: Nairobi – Samburu National Reserve

Leave for Samburu National Reserve through the central highlands comprising of the small scale farms and large tracks of pineapple and coffee plantations. Lunch along the way.

Vulturine Guineafowl, ©chege wa kariuki

Overnight at Ashnil Samburu Camp.

Day 5, 6 & 7: Samburu National Reserve

Big Game here includes species well restricted to the arid conditions and nearly north of equator such as Gravy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk among large herds of Elephants, Impalas, Bright’s and Thompson’s Gazelles, Desert Warthogs.

Reticulated Giraffe, ©chege wa kariuki

Vulturine Guineafowl is a species we hope not to miss. The Samburu tribesmen (closely resembling and sharing the Maa language with Masai) inhabits the area and a visit to their homestead is a treat to remember.

Ashnil Samburu Tented Camp

Overnight at Ashnil Samburu Tented Camp

Day 8 : Samburu National Reserve – Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Lioness, ©chege wa kariuki

After an early morning, breakfast and game drive leave for Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy on the base of Mt Kenya. Late afternoon game drive..

Overnight at Serena Sweetwater’s Tented Camp

Day 9: Ol Pejeta Conservancy – Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast take a short bird walk on the lodge compound. This may as well be a morning with sunbirds, which may include Collared, Northern Double-collared, Variable, Bronze, Tacazze, Green-headed, Amerthyst & Scarlet-chested. Lunch along the way before entering the park.

The park host a great variety of mammals including the Lion, Leopard, Black & White Rhinos, large herds of Cape Buffalo, Common Waterbuck among other herbivores. The lodge where we stay is located in the hills.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge

Black Rhino, ©chege wa kariuki

Day 10: Lake Nakuru National Park

Spend the day birding and photographing in the park.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge

Day 11: Lake Nakuru National Park – Lake Baringo Conservation Area

Heuglin’s Courser, ©chege wa kariuki

After an early breakfast or picnic breakfast spend the early morning hours in the park photographing, lunch at the lodge and leaving later for Lake Baringo Conservation Area.

Overnight at Tumbili Cliff Lodge

Day 12: Lake Baringo Conservation Area

Shining Sunbird

Birding around Lake Baringo Conservation Area is interesting by the fact that we spend most of the day outside the car. We hope to see some of the specialties such as the Hemprich’s, Jackson’s Hornbills, White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat. And while on the boat ride close proximity with Hippos and Crocodiles.

Overnight at Tumbili Cliff Lodge

Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater

Day 13: Lake Baringo – Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha, one of the two fresh water lakes along the rift valley. A boat ride on the lake gives us opportunities for close shots of some waterfowls such as Great White Pelican, Goliath Heron among the gulls.

Overnight at Elsamere Centre

(The former house of George and Joy Adamson of the Born Free, Living Free, To Walk with the Lions films etc)

African Fish Eagle, ©chege wa kariuki

Day 14: Lake Naivasha

Yellow-billed Duck, ©chege wa kariuki

We’ll visit Crater Lake Sanctuary or Lake Oloiden where flocks of Lesser Flamingoes gather on the alkaline lakes to feed on the Blue Green Algae making it a “Little Pink Lake”. At the sanctuary, we will walk with the game that includes herds of different species of gazelles, impalas, giraffes, zebras etc camp.

Overnight at Elsamere Centre

Day 15: Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara National Reserve

Immature Lion, ©chege wa kariuki

After an early morning breakfast we’ll head to our final destination, Masai Mara National Reserve where we’ll spend our next 5 nights in the central part of the reserve and not far from the banks of the Mara River in a luxurious tented camp.

Overnight at a Matira Bush Camp

Day 16, 17, 18 & 19 : Masai Mara National Reserve

In the camp’s forest a flock of both the Shallow’s and Ross’ Turacos may appear and herds of large mammals may be well visible from the dining area. During the famous Serengeti White-bearded Wilderbeest migration the big herds fills the area and you may frequently encounter large cats such as Lions, Hyenas and Cheetah.

Here we may also opt to take a bird’s eye view balloon flight over the plains and wildlife of Masai Mara.

Overnight at Matira Bush Camp

Day 20: Masai Mara National Reserve – Nairobi

We take a morning game drive and later transfer to Nairobi. a short visit to Giraffe Centre and Kazuri Beads Factory before an early dinner at the famous Carnivore restaurant.

Overnight at Ole Sereni Hotel

Day 21: Nairobi National Park – Depart

And the last day we spend the whole day birding and photographing in Nairobi National Park, only 10km off the cosmopolitan city and has one of the greatest avifauna with a record of over 520 species in an area of only 117km².

The park has big game such as the Cape Buffalo, Burchell’s Zebra, Hippo, Masai Giraffe, Coke’s Hartebeest, Vervet and the Syke’s Monkey, both Black and White Rhino, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Eastern White-bearded Gnu, Black-backed Jackal, Hyena, Grant’s & Eastern Thomson’s Gazelles, Bohor Reedbuck and Southern Bushbuck, Common Warthog among others. Later in the early evening, we go out for dinner before transfer to the airport for your outbound international flight.

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Highlight

Big Five

Common Zebra

Gravy’s zebra

Bright’s Gazelle

Grant’s Gazelle

Eastern Thompson’s Gazelle

Desert Warthog

Common Warthog

Kenya Birding & Wildlife Photo Tour – 21 Days

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Kenya Birding & Wildlife Photo Tour – 21 Days

The Cost is Inclusive of:

Transport with exclusive use of the safari van
Pick up and drop off on arrival and departure at the airport.
Accommodation on all lodges all the three meals a day
Services of a tour driver-guide.
All parks, reserve, and conservation areas entry fees
Emergency evacuation cover (this excludes medical cover)
Boat Ride in Lake Naivasha and Baringo
Checklist of the mammals of Kenya & other info
Masai cultural home visit
Hotels restaurant, luggage porters, and safari driver guide tipping
Unlimited supply of bottled mineral water on game drives
Unlimited game drives per day whilst on safari

The Cost is Exclusive of:

Medical and travel insurance including luggage.
Beverages and items of personal nature such as telephone, laundry, gifts among others
Visa US$50
Balloon flight in Masai Mara National Reserve

Keep In Touch

Birdwatching East Africa
Karibaribi Farm House, Mang’u Rd
P.O. Box 7968-01000, Thika, KENYA
+254 722 329 570.