16-Day Kenya Photo Tour: Birding & Wildlife

Nairobi - Amboseli National Park

The 21-day Photo Tour begins with a transfer to Amboseli National Park. (Depending on your country of origin, it may be recommended to arrive previous night before for ample rest time before embarking on our epic birds and big mammals photo tour. Hotel room the previous night could be arranged).
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.
Overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge

Amboseli National Park

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

Amboseli National Park – Nairobi

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

Overnight at Ole Sereni Hotel

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.
Overnight at Ashnil Samburu Camp.

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.
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.
Overnight at Ashnil Samburu Tented Camp

Samburu National Reserve – Ol Pejeta Conservancy

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

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

Lake Nakuru National Park

Spend the day birding and photographing in the park.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge

Lake Nakuru National Park – Lake Baringo Conservation Area

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

Lake Baringo Conservation Area

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

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)

Lake Naivasha

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

Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara National Reserve

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

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

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

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.