Bird Watching plus Beach stay

country:	Kenya
trip type:	Birding safari & Beach vacation
departures:	Departures daily

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Tour Summary

This birding tour takes you to Kenya's Amboseli National park, Tsavo west National park areas rich in
birds not to mention wildlife.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	You are met on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transferred to your hotel. Overnight stay on Bed and Breakfast basis at Fairview Hotel or similar.
Day 2:	Depart after breakfast and drive south to Amboseli National Park arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. Amboseli is home to 400 species of birds many of which live in and around the swamps. Bird life in Amboseli is variable. To get the most from it you need to be there when parts of the park are still flooded or Lake Amboseli actually exists. Several parts of the park (including Lake Amboseli) become flooded and large numbers of wildfowl and other wetland birds move in. During and just after the October-December rains the local birds are joined by migrants from the Northern hemisphere, sometimes in fairly large numbers, and bird watching around the swamps and impromptu lakes can be very rewarding. Some of the birds to be seen include; White faced whistling duck, Brown snake eagle, Yellow billed stork, Woolly necked stork, Shikra, Helmeted guinea fowl and African cuckoo among others. Dinner and overnight stay at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
Day 3:	Day spent in Amboseli looking out for more birds. All meals and overnight stay at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
Day 4:	Depart after breakfast and drive to Tsavo West National Park arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. Tsavo is the largest game reserve in Kenya and in fact one of the largest game sanctuaries in the world. The bird life is as varied as the landscape, from the conspicuous flocks of Golden-breasted Starlings around most of the park to the dull, skulking Evergreen Forest Warbler in the Chyulu hills. Tsavo is home to both species of Kenyan Ostrich with the Common Ostrich present in Tsavo West and the Somali Ostrich in Tsavo East. Tsavo lies on one of the main migration routes for northern hemisphere birds. Each year from September to November the Ngulia region becomes the base for a large-scale netting and ringing exercise. This provides important information on the migratory routes and the habits of many common northern species. This position on the migration route makes Tsavo a good place to spot some of the rarer migrant falcons, with Eleonora's Falcon and the Sooty Falcon both being on the bird list for the region (they're most commonly seen in October and November although they may also be seen from March to May). Also to be seen are the endangered Taita Thrush and Taita White-eye, African Water Rail, Purple Swamphen and Lesser Jacana among others. Dinner and overnight stay at Ngulia Lodge.
Day 5:	Day spent in the park looking out for more birds. All meals and overnight stay at Ngulia Lodge.
Day 6:	Breakfast at the lodge then depart for Watamu with lunch en-route at Lion Hill Lodge. You will arrive at Watamu later in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay at Turtle Bay Beach Resort.
Day 7:	Breakfast at the hotel then depart for a half-day bird watching in Arabuko Sokoke Forest returning to the hotel in time for lunch. Birds expected to be seen include; Sokoke scopes owl, Clarke's Weaver, Amani sunbird, Ant-eater thrush, Eastern Nicator, Mombasa woodpecker, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Fischer's Turaco, Spotted Ground Thrush, Sokoke Pipit, East Coast Akalat, Plain-backed Sunbird and Clarke's Weaver. In the Afternoon you visit Gede Ruins (an area of Coastal semi-deciduous forest - Gede Ruins is a 12th Century Swahili village that was mysteriously abandoned some 600 years ago due to unknown reasons. It is now a National Museum, and the ruins are heavily overgrown with beautiful indigenous forest trees, baobabs and tamarind) returning to the hotel later in the evening. Dinner and stay at Turtle Bay Beach Resort.
Day 8:	Breakfast at the hotel then depart for a half-day bird watching in Arabuko Sokoke Forest returning to the hotel in time for lunch. The rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at Turtle Bay Beach Resort.
Day 9:	Breakfast at the hotel then depart for Sabaki River estuary where you expect to spot waders, Crab-plover, Lesser and Greater Sandplover as well as Roseate and Saunder's Tern. Also to be seen here are Malindi Pipit, Madagascar Pratincole, Sooty Tern, Saunder's Tern and Lesser Crested Tern. You will have lunch at the hotel followed by afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at Turtle Bay Beach Resort.
Day 10:	Leave after breakfast and drive to Mombasa North Coast for your Beach stay at Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa. Lunch on own arrangement. Dinner and overnight stay at Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa
Day 11:	Day spent at leisure. Overnight stay on Half Board basis at Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa.
Day 12:	Day spent at leisure. Overnight stay on Half Board basis at Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa.
Day 13:	Breakfast at the hotel. Thereafter transfer to Moi International Airport for your local scheduled flight to Nairobi where you connect your onward international flight.