Tanzania Birding & Wildlife Safari

Our Tanzania birding and wildlife safari begins at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we will be met on arrival and transferred the short distance to KIA Lodge. The lodge grounds offer a pleasant introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife, with views towards Mount Kilimanjaro when the weather is clear.

We gather for dinner and an opportunity to meet our guide and discuss the adventure ahead. Night: KIA Lodge.

After breakfast we set out for Mkomazi National Park, travelling east towards one of northern Tanzania’s least-visited and most scenically impressive protected areas. Lying against the Kenyan border and forming part of the greater Tsavo-Mkomazi ecosystem, the park protects a striking landscape of dry savanna, acacia scrub, open grasslands and rugged mountains.

For birders, Mkomazi brings an exciting new element to our safari. Its position within the Somali-Masai biome gives us access to a suite of dry-country and range-restricted species that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere on our route. Among our principal targets are the dazzling Golden-breasted Starling and Golden Pipit, along with Vulturine Guineafowl, Three-streaked Tchagra and Pangani Longclaw. Seasonal wetlands and watercourses provide contrasting habitat, with possibilities including African Woolly-necked Stork and a variety of other waterbirds.
Mkomazi is equally interesting for mammals. The distinctive Gerenuk and Lesser Kudu are important targets here, together with a variety of more widespread East African game. The park has also played an important role in the conservation of African Wild Dogs and Black Rhinos.

Over two days we will explore a range of habitats, giving us plenty of time to search for the park’s bird specialties while enjoying its spectacular scenery and wonderfully uncrowded wilderness. Nights: Babu’s Camp

We have another opportunity for birding in and around Mkomazi before beginning our journey west towards Arusha and the foothills of Mount Meru. Our destination is Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, a beautiful historic property established in 1901 and set among extensive gardens beside a clear mountain stream.

After several days in Mkomazi’s dry country, the mature evergreen vegetation introduces us to a very different community of birds. Silvery-cheeked Hornbills call from the canopy, while the gardens, forest edge and stream can hold turacos, sunbirds, flycatchers and kingfishers. Depending on our arrival time, we will have an opportunity to explore the lodge grounds before dinner, and there may also be time for another bird walk the following morning.

The next day we explore nearby Arusha National Park on the lower slopes of Mount Meru. Forest is an important feature here, providing a welcome contrast to the open savannas that dominate much of the rest of the safari. We will listen and watch for Hartlaub’s Turaco, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill and other forest birds, while the localized Abbott’s Starling is a much more difficult possibility. Crowned Eagle also occurs in the park.

A series of lakes adds another assortment of birds. Depending on water conditions, we may find Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Pied Avocets, Black-winged Stilts and Gray Crowned-Cranes, along with ducks, rails and other waterbirds.

Arusha also provides our first concentrations of classic African big game. Plains Zebra, Common Waterbuck, Bushbuck, African Buffalo, Common Warthog and Giraffe can all occur here, along with several species of monkeys, including striking Pied Colobus. Nights: Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge

After an optional pre-breakfast bird walk at Ngare Sero, we leave the green foothills of Mount Meru and travel towards the much drier baobab savannas of Tarangire National Park.

Tarangire is one of the most important birding stops of our safari, particularly for several specialties of north-central Tanzania. We will be watching for colourful Yellow-collared Lovebirds, distinctive Ashy Starlings and Rufous-tailed Weavers among the acacia woodlands. Red-and-yellow Barbet, D’Arnaud’s Barbet and the impressive Southern Ground-Hornbill are further possibilities.

The park’s open grasslands, acacia woodland, enormous baobab trees, riverine habitats and seasonal wetlands support tremendous diversity. At shallow pools we may find species such as Dwarf Bittern, Lesser Moorhen and Yellow-crowned Bishop, while the Tarangire River attracts ibises, herons, lapwings, thick-knees and kingfishers.
We may travel south towards scenic Silale Swamp, an exceptionally productive area for birds of prey. Bateleur, snake-eagles and African Marsh Harrier are among the possibilities, while migrant falcons may hunt insects above the wetlands.

Tarangire is equally famous for its mammals. Large numbers of African Elephants gather around the river and wetlands, while Lion and a wide variety of antelope and other game may accompany us throughout our explorations.
Our lodge enjoys a remarkable position on a bluff overlooking the Tarangire River, and the grounds themselves can be extraordinarily bird-rich—making it tempting to continue birding long after the day’s game drive is over.
Nights: Tarangire Safari Lodge

Leaving Tarangire, we travel towards the great plains of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Ndutu. The landscape changes dramatically as baobab savannas give way to immense horizons, scattered flat-topped acacias and the shortgrass plains of the southern Serengeti ecosystem.

This open country provides some superb birding. One of our important regional specialties is Gray-breasted Spurfowl, while Fischer’s Lovebird, Secretarybird and enormous Kori Bustards are among the other characteristic birds we hope to encounter. Coursers, larks, wheatears, storks, vultures and eagles add tremendous variety.
The plains are especially rewarding for raptors. Migrant Steppe Eagles and other Palearctic species may still be present before beginning their northward migrations, while White Storks and Abdim’s Storks can gather in impressive numbers.

We spend a full day exploring the mosaic of grasslands, acacia woodland, brackish marshes and shorelines around Lakes Ndutu and Masek. Birding opportunities are constant, whether we are searching the grasslands for spurfowl and bustards, watching raptors overhead or checking wetlands for waterbirds.

At this season the greater ecosystem may also hold large numbers of Wildebeest, Zebra and gazelles. These concentrations attract predators, and we will certainly devote time to searching for Cheetah, Lion and other mammals while keeping a close eye on the remarkable birdlife around us.

Depending on our route and timing, there may also be an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge, famous for the discoveries of Louis and Mary Leakey and its importance in understanding early human history. Nights: Ndutu Safari Lodge.

Leaving Ndutu, we continue westwards across the seemingly endless shortgrass plains. At Naabi Hill we enter Serengeti National Park, where a walk to the top of the rocky kopje can provide a magnificent panorama across one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife landscapes.

The Serengeti is justifiably famous for its mammals, but it is also an outstanding birding destination. We will continue searching for Gray-breasted Spurfowl and Fischer’s Lovebird, while Rufous-tailed Weaver, Usambiro Barbet and Gray-crested Helmetshrike are among the regional specialties we hope to encounter.

The granite kopjes, riverine woodland, acacia savanna and open grasslands each support distinctive bird communities. Raptors are particularly conspicuous, while bustards, hornbills, rollers, starlings, weavers and larks provide a constant stream of activity. Migrant Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers may be moving north, while Lesser Kestrels and perhaps Amur Falcons may be preparing for their extraordinary migrations towards Eurasia.

Our camp in the Seronera region places us in an excellent position for exploring some of the richest wildlife country in the Serengeti. Coke’s Hartebeest and Topi occur on the plains, Impala gather in wooded grassland, Klipspringers inhabit rocky kopjes and immense Eland range across more open country. Spotted Hyenas are numerous, while smaller predators may include African Wildcat, Aardwolf, Honey Badger and Black-backed Jackal.

Of course, the central Serengeti is particularly renowned for Africa’s large cats. We will spend time looking for Lion, Leopard and Cheetah, but throughout our game drives the birding remains an integral part of the safari. Nights: Intimate Seronera Camp.

We have another morning to enjoy the Serengeti, giving us time for a final game drive before turning east and crossing the plains towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The journey itself remains part of the safari, with opportunities for birds, mammals and photography throughout the drive.

As we leave the open plains behind, we gradually climb into the dramatically greener Ngorongoro Highlands and reach the rim of the immense Ngorongoro Crater. The cool, moist forests here support a very different bird community from the grasslands below.

Around the crater rim we will watch for colourful highland species such as Golden-winged, Malachite and Tacazze Sunbirds, along with other forest and montane birds. The contrast between the highland forest and the vast plains of the Serengeti is one of the most striking habitat changes of the tour.

Our lodge is perched directly on the crater rim, providing remarkable views across the caldera and an atmospheric setting for the evening. Night: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.

Today we descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a full day exploring one of Africa’s most remarkable wildlife concentrations. The crater floor contains a mixture of grasslands, wetlands, woodland and alkaline lake habitats, resulting in excellent birding as well as extraordinary mammal viewing.

Depending on water levels, Lake Magadi may attract flamingos and migrant shorebirds, while freshwater wetlands support Saddle-billed Storks, African Spoonbills, jacanas, crakes and rails. Gray Crowned-Cranes, enormous Kori Bustards and Ostriches occur across the open grasslands, while woodland areas provide opportunities for a different assortment of passerines.

Lions, Spotted Hyenas and African Golden Wolves roam among herds of Wildebeest, Zebra and gazelles, while old bull elephants frequent the woodland and swamps. The crater is also one of the important places on our route for the possibility of seeing the increasingly scarce Black Rhino.

We spend much of the day slowly exploring this spectacular natural amphitheatre before climbing back into the highlands and continuing to The Retreat at Ngorongoro. Night: The Retreat at Ngorongoro.

After many days of safari drives, today gives us an opportunity for more traditional forest birding on foot in the cool, green Crater Highlands.

We explore the Endoro area and walk towards Endoro Falls along broad trails passing through clearings and dense highland forest. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters may perch conspicuously along forest edges, while more secretive possibilities include African Broadbill, Gray-capped Warbler, African Hill Babbler, Gray-headed Nigrita, Red-faced Cisticola and Tropical Boubou.

Higher in the canopy we will watch for Brown-headed Apalis, Mbulu White-eye and Schalow’s Turaco, together with cuckooshrikes, Collared Sunbird and other montane species. The mixture of forest, streams, cultivated land and gardens gives us the opportunity to add a number of birds quite different from those encountered on the Serengeti and Tarangire plains.

We return to The Retreat with time to enjoy the property and continue birding in the surrounding grounds. Night: The Retreat at Ngorongoro.

We have one final morning to enjoy Tanzania’s birds, with time for birding around the lodge and nearby highland habitats before a leisurely brunch.

We then begin our drive back towards Arusha and onward to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Along the way there will inevitably be a few final birds and mammals to add to our list and a chance to reflect on the remarkable variety of habitats we have experienced—from the dry Somali-Masai country of Mkomazi and the forests of Mount Meru to Tarangire’s baobab savannas, the vast Serengeti plains and the green Ngorongoro Highlands.

Our Tanzania birding and wildlife safari concludes at Kilimanjaro International Airport in time for outbound flights.