Rift Valley lakes
Exploring your destinations
Bird Watching Safaris
Over a thousand species
Kenya has recorded more than a thousand bird species in an area smaller than France. For anyone keeping a list, the region is one of the strongest places in the world to add to it.
Birding trips run at a different pace from general safaris: more time in fewer places, earlier starts and a guide who knows calls as well as species.
Plan My SafariWhere to Go
The Rift Valley lakes are the obvious start. Nakuru, Naivasha, Baringo and Bogoria each hold different species, while soda lakes can draw flamingos in numbers that vary with water levels.
Kakamega Forest in western Kenya is the country's last substantial tract of equatorial rainforest and holds species found nowhere else in Kenya.
Arabuko-Sokoke on the coast is a coastal forest with several endemics and is a serious birding destination in its own right.
The Mara, Tsavo and Samburu all produce good lists alongside general wildlife viewing.
Uganda adds the shoebill at Mabamba Swamp, which is the single species many visiting birders ask about, alongside Kibale and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Nyungwe in Rwanda holds Albertine Rift endemics.
When to Go
November to April is generally the strongest period, when migrants from Europe and Asia are present alongside resident species. The months either side of the rains can also be productive, when breeding plumage is at its best.
How We Plan It
We use specialist birding guides rather than general driver-guides, because the skills are different.
Days start earlier and move more slowly. Accommodation is chosen for location rather than comfort, though the two are not always in conflict.
Tell us whether you are after a long list, specific target species or photography, because these lead to very different itineraries.
Safaris
Bird Watching Safaris we plan
Plan a Birding Trip
Tell us your targets
Send us your dates and target list, if you have one, and we will build a route around them.