12-Day Fun Kenya Coastal Birding Tour

Nairobi - Amboseli National Park

Our Kenya Coastal Birding Tour begins with a transfer to Amboseli National Park with an en-route birding where habitat is relatively denser thicket of savanna dominated by acacia-Commiphora bush land with Baobab, grassy plains, riverine woodland. The park is also famous for the autumn bird ringing at the Kibo Safari Lodge with thousands of European and Asian Palearctic migrants on their way south.

Overnight at Kibo Safari Camp.

Amboseli National Park

Depending on the time of your visit Amboseli National Park may be the site for the enigmatic Friedmann’s Lark, Red-naped Bush Shrike, Scaly Chatter which would be some of the star birds of this Kenya Birding Tour. Other birds may include Singing Bush Lark, Bare-eyed Thrush, Rufous Chatterer, Black-headed Plover, Quail-Plover, Somali Courser, African Scops Owl, Pringle’s Puffback, Olive-tree, Basra Reed Warbler, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Southern Black, Spot-flanked, Red & Yellow, D’Arnaud’s, Black-throated, White-headed Barbet, Greater, Scaly-throated, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Vulturine Guineafowl, Northern Brownbul, Desert, Zitting, Ashy, Rattling, Tiny Cisticola, Tsavo Sunbird, Hunter’s Sunbird, Jameson’s Firefinch, Green-winged Pytilia & Fire-fronted Bishop.

Overnight at Kibo Safari Lodge.

Amboseli - Tsavo West National Park

Kenya Coastal Birding Tour takes us to Tsavo West National Park

Overnight at Kilaguni Serena Lodge

Tsavo West National Park

Our Kenya Coastal Birding Tour takes us deep into Tsavo West National Park.

Overnight at Kilaguni Serena Lodge

Tsavo West National Park - Lake Jipe - Taita Hills

Kenya costal birding tour

Overnight at Taita Rock Hotel

Taita Hills - Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary

Today we drive to Taita Hills Forests and spend most of the day birding up the hills. If lucky enough these hills and patches of bits of forest, rising abruptly to 2200m are home to 3 Kenyan endemic “The Taita Three” namely the Taita Apalis, Taita Thrush and Taita White-eye. It’s the only site on our Kenya Birding Tour that gives us a chance to see 3 kenya endemic birds. Also look for are Striped-cheeked Greenbul, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler and Striped Pipit. Hopefully after locating them we will drive back making several stops for other birds.

In the late afternoon birding in Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary bordering Tsavo East National Park. Here we have (though very limited) walking space in search of birds unlike in the park and we will take a nocturnal birding drive. Birds may include Friedmann’s Lark in case it were still wet. Bare-eyed Thrush, Scaly & Rufous Chatterers, Black-headed Plover, Quail-Plover, Somali Courser, Hartlaub’s, Bustard, African Scops Owl, Pringle’s Puffback, Southern Black Flycather, Red-winged Lark, Tiny Cisticola, Tsavo & Hunter’s Sunbird, Orange-bellied Parrot, Jameson’s Firefinch, Dolnaldson Smith Nightjar and Spotted Eagle-Owl and Red-naped Bush-Shrike

Overnight at Ndovu House.

Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary - Tsavo East National Park

Today Kenya Coastal Birding Tour takes us to Tsavo East National Park afternoon birding en-route to our lodge.

Overnight at Ashnil Aruba Lodge

Tsavo East National Park - Watamu

Morning birding in Tsavo East National Park before transfer to Watamu. On arrival, our Kenya costal birding tour takes us straight to the beach for a relaxing evening.

Overnight at Ocean Sport Resort

Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve &Mida Creek, Watamu

Our Kenya costal birding tour takes us straight into the Arabuko Sokoke Forest and with the help of the local guides we will track down Africa’s smallest owl the Sokoke Scops Owl.

Overnight at Ocean Sport Resort

Arabuko Sokoke forest

Birding in Arabuko Sokoke Forest in search of a near endemic the Manda Boubou. Also Mouse-coloured Sunbird, Purple-banded Sunbird etc

Overnight at Ocean Sport Resort

Arabuko Sokoke Forest/ Sabaki River Estuary

Birding tour in Arabuko and later or in between squeeze some time to visit Sabaki River Estuary an area characterized by sandbanks, mudflats, mud banks, sanddunes, fresh pools and marshes. The site is important for both intra-African and Palearctic migrants for roosting, resting and feeding ground for gulls and terns.

A good site for Madagascar Pratincole, African Skimmer. Also Dimorphic & Little Egrets, Great & Lesser Flamingos, Water Thick-knee, Ruddy Turnstone, Heuglin’s, Sooty and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Gull-billed, Caspian, Greater-crested, Lesser-crested & Common Terns, also the Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Ethiopian Swallow, Zanzibar Red Bishop also nearby Malindi Pipit.

Overnight at Ocean Sport Resort

Tsavo East National Park - Fly Nairobi

More birding in Tsavo East National Park and later transfer flight to Nairobi.