Upon arrival in Entebbe, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel fronting Africa’s largest lake.
TAfter breakfast a tour guide will drive you to Queen Elizabeth national Park. Such a beautiful park it has it all the wild game and primates, birds whatever you may not have seen elsewhere.
Enjoy breakfast and go for a whole day game and bird watching, drive to the Ishasha and Kyambura Gorge where you have high chances of seeing the Harlequin and Blue Quails, Small (Common) Buttonquail, African Crake, White winged Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Papyrus Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovampo Sparrow hawk, Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Black Bee-eater, Caruthers’s Cisticola, Terek Sandpiper, Secretary Bird, and Temminck’s Courser. Besides birds you can also see mammals like African Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Ugandan Kob, Side-striped Jackal, Baboons, Chimpanzees, Bush and Water Bucks, Warthogs, Giant Forest Hogs to mention but a few.
Enjoy breakfast and go for a morning game drive to the Kasenyi trail and Shoebill wetland with packed lunch. After lunch drive to Maramagambo Forest and check out the Yellow-bellied and Jameson’s Wattle-eyes, Black Bee-eater, Brown and Grey-chested Illadopsis, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, Brown-eared Woodpeckers, Narina Trogon, Least Honey guide, Grey Greenbul, Brown-chested Alethe, and the African Fin foot. The trail through the forest leads past a bat cave; you may see pythons too.
After breakfast, take a boat trip and do bird watching along the Kazinga Channel till late morning. Kazinga Channel links Lakes George and Edward; during the launch cruise we expect to meet groups of African Skimmers, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, African Crake, Water Thick-knee, and Three-banded Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Grey-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Collard Planticoles, Yellow-billed Ox-pecker and many others. have lunch at the Lodge; and by afternoon transfer back to Entebbe for the night.
After breakfast transfer to Entebbe Airport for a f scheduled flight to Tanzania. On arrival you will be transferred to Speke Bay Lodge for a one-night stay. The quiet backwater of Speke’s Bay on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria will provide us with an introduction to several more West African bird species, and once there we’ll spend the rest of the day on foot, birding in the lush grassland along the lake shore and in the fringing papyrus beds. Right within the grounds we’ll find Heuglin’s Courser and Square-tailed Nightjar roosting quietly in the shade, while brightly colored Slender-billed and Yellow-backed Weavers feed among the flowers as Angola Swallows and African Paradise and Swamp Flycatchers dart after insects. The lake shore attracts large numbers of African Open-bill Storks and huge flocks of Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, while wintering Ruff, Little Stint, and Lesser Sandplover scurry along the beach.
After breakfast drive to Mbalageti , in the western arm of Serengeti national park. Here we’ll enter the Africa of everyone’s imagination—a wide-open landscape of long grass punctuated by koppies (tall rocky outcrops), scattered acacia trees, and mammals and birds everywhere. We’ll explore the diverse surroundings of the perfectly situated Mbalageti Lodge, where endemic birds nest within the grounds. We’ll take game drives out into the wide valley of the river that gives this location its Maasai name. Here crakes and rails haunt secluded wetlands while kingfishers, orioles, and gonoleks call loudly from pristine riparian woodland alongside the River Mbalageti itself. We’ll be looking for a variety of birds, including Kori Bustard, Coqui Francolin, the endemic Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Brown Parrot, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Freckled Nightjar, Plain-backed Pipit, the endemic Tanzanian (Ruaha) Hornbill, Grey-crested Helmet-shrike, Rosy-patched Shrike, Karamoja Apalis, Buff-bellied Penduline-Tit, and Steel-blue Whydah. Among the many mammal species we hope to see are Cheetah, Leopard, and Topi, while Rock Hyrax and Klipspringer could be found in the koppies, and herds of Hippopotamus will be wallowing in muddy pools. At night the calls of various crickets will mingle with the strange sounds produced by Galagos with perhaps an owl or two creating a superb audio backdrop. Our time at Mbalageti will demonstrate why the Serengeti ecosystem arguably remains the greatest wildlife destination left on earth.
After breakfast we’ll drive to the southern part of the vast Serengeti National Park and the area around Lakes Ndutu and Masek. In this part of Africa mammals are constantly on the move, and with luck we’ll intercept the large herds of Wildebeest and Common Zebra. There will be all kinds of other wildlife to look for as well, ranging from Bat-eared Foxes in the shorter grassland to Common Genets around the lodge at night. At Lake Ndutu we’ll watch both Greater and Lesser Flamingos feeding in the shallows while Cape Teal appear to drift between their legs. Along the lake edge we should find Chestnut-fronted Sandplover and Black-winged Lapwing, while away from the water Gull-billed Terns scour the plains from the air for grasshoppers and dung beetles, and Hooded and Egyptian Vultures patrol the skies.
We’ll spend all day in the short-grass plains and acacia woodland where the eastern Serengeti blends into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Taking a picnic lunch, we’ll wander this remote area, stopping to look at whatever grabs our attention. As well as more chances to study mammals and perhaps even to find some hunting Cheetahs, there is the distinct possibility of encounters with Lions and Leopards. We should also find lots of new birds: Spotted Eagle Owl, Usambiro Barbet, African, Didric, Klaas’s, Great Spotted, and Jacobin Cuckoos, Red-fronted and Black-throated Barbets, Silverbird, Schalow’s Wheatear, and Cliff Chat, among many others.
We’ll travel to what is possibly Africa’s greatest wildlife location—the mighty Ngorongoro Crater. The sides of this vast caldera are covered in a mosaic of highland grass and woodland, and as we begin to climb we’ll stop to look for some of the birds that have made this area their home. These may include the secretive African Snipe, showy Red-collared Widowbirds, the males resplendent in full breeding plumage, and perhaps Jackson’s Widowbirds. Striking male Yellow Bishops will be buzzing over the grass trying to impress the females, and smart African Stonechats will share the bush tops with stunning Malachite Sunbirds.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of those places that has to be seen—words alone cannot do it justice. Leaving our lodge, we’ll drive down into what was once, many eons ago, the fiery heart of a huge volcano. Today this natural amphitheater has a much more peaceful atmosphere as Wildebeest, Coke’s Hartebeest, Grant’s and Thomson’s Gazelles, and Common Zebra feed contentedly, or at least as contentedly as the ever-present Lions and Cheetahs will allow, although the Black Rhinoceros here will be less concerned about these predators. The bird life in the crater varies according to the season, but during our visit we should see Grey Crowned Crane, Shelley’s Francolin, Abdim’s and Black Storks, Lappet-faced Vulture, Black-bellied and Kori Bustards, Fischer’s Lovebird, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, and Northern Anteater Chat, among many others.
We’ll begin our journey southward, through the small town of Karatu and continue to Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch. As we enter the park, we’ll be greeted by a landscape dominated by majestic baobabs rising out of the acacia parkland, forming a perfect backdrop for the large herds of African Elephants wandering among them. Other mammals sharing this habitat range from Lion and Black-backed Jackal to Kirk’s Dik-Dik, Dwarf and Banded Mongoose, Impala, Beisa Oryx, Steinbok, and African Hare. The lodge grounds are bound to attract a good variety of birds, which could include roosting African Scops Owls and the endemic Ashy Starling. Night inside Tarangire National Park.
We’ll have all day to explore this extremely bird-rich habitat. Birds we may see include Maasai Ostrich, White-headed, Rüppell’s, and African White-backed Vultures, Red-necked Spurfowl, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Lilac-breasted Roller, Nubian Woodpecker, White-browed Coucal, African Hoopoe, Magpie Shrike, Northern White-crowned Shrike, and the endemic Yellow-collared Lovebird. This is good habitat for the handsome Bateleur Eagle, which will share the skies with numerous Tawny Eagles. Large Mosque Swallows will swoop around the baobabs, while in the dense scrub below we may find White-browed Scrub-Robin, Green-winged Pytilia, and, with luck, Bronze-winged Courser. The endemic Rufous-tailed Weaver is common here, and migrants from farther north could range from Sooty Falcon to Rock Thrush. Night inside Tarangire National Park.
We'll drive to Arusha town and check-in at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge and and we’ll spend an hour birding around our lodge grounds, getting to know some of the commoner birds of the region.
We'll go to the Lark Plains (30 km from our lodge) and look for the very endemic Beesley´s Lark. Other good larks to be found include Short-tailed Lark and Athi Short-toed Lark. After we finish at the plains, we will bird a nearby woodland for species like Southern Grosbeak Canary, Red-throated Tit, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Kenya Rufous Sparrow, White-bellied Canary, Banded Parisoma, Red-fronted Warbler, White-headed Mousebird, Foxy Lark and many more and later drive to Moshi town.
Leaving Moshi, we start the journey to Mkomazi National Park driving parallel to the Pare Mountains, through sisal and pineapples plantations. We will stop along the way to buy some local fruit.
Mkomazi National Park spans 3,500 square kilometres and is home to two highly endangered species, the black rhino and African wild dog. The birds of Mkomazi are more numerous, with over 400 recorded species including large numbers of doves, hornbills, weavers and guinea-fowl as well as striking species such as the martial eagle and violet wood-hoopoe.
After breakfast we will drive through changing landscapes, including large sisal farms to Lushoto in the Usambara Mountains.
The Usambara Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountain and stretch for over 90km, largely covered in tropical rainforests. The Usambaras are considered a Biodiversity Hotspot, with several endemic species of birds, flowers and trees, including the Usambara Eagle-owl.
After spending some time in Lushoto town we will travel further up the mountains to Irente
After a delicious farm breakfast, a local guide will lead us on a hike through the forests and villages of this lush green part of the Usambara mountains. We will have the chance to find these species and more - Mottled Swift, Red-capped Forest Warbler, Zanzibar Boubou, Eastern Nicator, Sombre and Yellow-bellied Greenbuls, Red-rumped Swallow, Coastal Cisticola, Kurrichane Thrush, Collared Palm Thrush, Mocking Cliff Chat, Amethyst Sunbird, Eastern Golden Weaver and Red-backed Mannikin.
We will travel up to the South Pare Mountains in the morning and look for the endemic South Pare White-eye. We will see plenty of other birds as well. On the way down we will bird a little at the base of the mountain. Afternoon will be spent a little east of Same, where we can find birds like Tsavo, Hunter and Black-bellied Sunbirds, Fisher´s Starling, Spotted Morning Thrush, Eastern Black-headed Batis, Straw-tailed Whydah etc.
We will pack the car in the morning and bird the area around Same in the morning. Where we bird will depend on what we have missed from the area. After morning birding, we will drive back to Arusha (200 km) where we will arrive in the late afternoon
This last day we will dedicate to Arusha National Park. There are a number of interesting species to be found here including Bar-tailed Trogon, Taveta Weaver, Hartlaub´s Turaco, Scaly Spurfowl, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Spot-flanked Barbet, Montane White-eye, Rüppel´s Robin-Chat to name a few. Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight back home.
