8 Days Luxury Kenya Birdwatching Safari from Maasai Mara to Amboseli

Your professional guide will collect you from Nairobi early in the morning and begin the journey through highland farms and Great Rift Valley landscapes. Roadside observations may include storks, raptors, doves, swallows and weavers, with safe stops arranged when suitable. After arrival, lodge check-in and lunch, you will begin an afternoon birding drive through open grassland and acacia habitats. Possible species include secretary birds, rollers, bustards, hornbills, vultures, eagles, larks and starlings. Elephants, giraffes and predators may also be encountered during the same activity. You will return around sunset to update your checklist and enjoy dinner.

Distance: Approximately 260–280 km
Driving Time: Approximately 5–6 hours
Birding Time: Approximately 2½–3 hours plus roadside observations
Main Attractions: Secretary birds, rollers, hornbills, vultures and savannah mammals
Scenery & Habitat: Agricultural highlands, Rift Valley escarpment, grassland and acacia woodland

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Basecamp Maasai Mara

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Lunch, Dinner

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After breakfast, you will leave with a picnic lunch for a complete birding day. Your guide will listen for calls, scan exposed branches and stop for both large and small species. Possible observations include martial eagles, tawny eagles, bateleurs, vultures, secretary birds, kori bustards, larks, pipits, weavers and starlings. Lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and wildebeest may also appear during the same activity. Lunch will be enjoyed at an authorised picnic area before afternoon birding continues through grasslands, woodland and seasonal marshes.

Distance: Approximately 50–90 km inside the reserve
Driving Time: Birding and wildlife viewing throughout the day
Birding Time: Approximately 7–9 hours
Main Attractions: Eagles, vultures, secretary birds, bustards, larks and large mammals
Scenery & Habitat: Open plains, seasonal marshes, grassland and woodland

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Basecamp Maasai Mara

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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The second full birding day focuses on riverine and woodland habitats that may not have received enough attention during Day 2. Possible observations include kingfishers, bee-eaters, herons, storks, ground hornbills, raptors and smaller woodland passerines. Hippos, crocodiles, elephants and predators may also be encountered. Your guide will explain how vegetation, water availability, rainfall and season influence bird distribution. A picnic lunch or lodge-based midday break may be arranged according to the location of your accommodation and the day’s birding priorities.

Distance: Approximately 50–90 km inside the reserve
Driving Time: Birding throughout the day
Birding Time: Approximately 7–9 hours
Main Attractions: Kingfishers, bee-eaters, herons, storks, raptors and river wildlife
Scenery & Habitat: Riverbanks, drainage lines, woodland and open grasslands

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Basecamp Maasai Mara

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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After breakfast and check-out, you will travel toward Lake Nakuru through pastoral landscapes, farms, towns and Great Rift Valley highlands. Roadside observations may include raptors, storks, swallows, doves, weavers and agricultural species. Safe birding, refreshment and washroom stops will be arranged when appropriate. After arrival and lodge check-in, you may enjoy relaxed birding around the accommodation grounds, where sunbirds, bulbuls, weavers and other garden species may be observed. The evening can be used for updating your checklist and preparing for the following morning’s lake and woodland birding drive.

Distance: Approximately 230–250 km
Driving Time: Approximately 4½–6 hours
Birding Time: Opportunistic roadside and lodge-ground birding
Main Attractions: Storks, raptors, weavers, sunbirds and garden birds
Scenery & Habitat: Pastoral country, agricultural highlands, gardens and woodland

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

The lake nakuru flamingo lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Following an early breakfast, you will begin a three-to-four-hour Lake Nakuru birding drive. Possible species include pelicans, cormorants, herons, African fish eagles, storks, flamingos and woodland birds. Rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, buffaloes and baboons may also be observed. After the activity, you will return for check-out and lunch before travelling to Lake Naivasha. Depending on arrival time, late-afternoon lodge-ground birding or a short boat activity may be possible. The freshwater setting introduces a different range of birds from the alkaline lake and woodland habitats visited earlier.

Distance: Lake Nakuru drive approximately 25–50 km; Nakuru to Naivasha approximately 90–110 km
Driving Time: Road transfer approximately 2–2½ hours
Birding Time: Lake Nakuru approximately 3–4 hours plus optional Naivasha birding
Main Attractions: Pelicans, fish eagles, flamingos, woodland birds and rhinos
Scenery & Habitat: Woodland, lakeshore, grassland, papyrus margins and freshwater shoreline

Destination:

LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

Overnight:

Sawela Lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Your morning may include a boat safari for African fish eagles, kingfishers, pelicans, cormorants, herons and hippos when the activity is included in the confirmed package. After returning to the lodge, you will check out and travel toward Amboseli through agricultural landscapes and southern Kenya’s increasingly open country. Roadside observations may include raptors, storks and dry-country species. Meal, refreshment and comfort stops will be included before your late-afternoon or early-evening arrival. Lodge-ground birding may be possible depending on available daylight.

Distance: Approximately 300–340 km
Driving Time: Approximately 5½–7 hours
Birding Time: Lake Naivasha boat birding approximately 1–1½ hours plus roadside observations
Main Attractions: Fish eagles, kingfishers, pelicans, raptors and hippos
Scenery & Habitat: Freshwater lake, agricultural country, open plains and acacia woodland

Destination:

LAKE NAIVASHA NATIONAL PARK

Overnight:

kibo safari camp

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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After breakfast, you will begin a full-day birding safari through Amboseli’s seasonal wetlands, open plains, bushland and acacia habitats. Possible species include egrets, herons, pelicans, spoonbills, lapwings, ostriches, raptors and many smaller wetland and grassland birds. Elephant families, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest and hippos may be encountered alongside the birdlife. Mount Kilimanjaro may appear when weather conditions are clear, although visibility cannot be guaranteed. Lunch may be carried as a picnic or enjoyed at the lodge before afternoon birding continues.

Distance: Approximately 50–90 km inside the park
Driving Time: Birding and wildlife viewing throughout the day
Birding Time: Approximately 7–9 hours
Main Attractions: Wetland birds, ostriches, raptors, elephants and possible mountain views
Scenery & Habitat: Seasonal wetlands, open plains, acacia woodland and mountain landscapes

Destination:

AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

Overnight:

kibo safari camp

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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After breakfast and lodge check-out, you will travel to Nairobi. Opportunistic birding may continue during safe and authorised stops, with possible raptors, storks, doves and agricultural species. Lunch or refreshments will be arranged before final drop-off at your Nairobi hotel, residence or airport. Guests may use the return journey to review their checklist and identify the most productive habitats visited during the safari.

Distance: Approximately 215–240 km
Driving Time: Approximately 4–5 hours
Birding Time: Opportunistic roadside observations
Main Attractions: Raptors, storks, farmland birds and southern Kenya scenery
Scenery & Habitat: Open plains, agricultural country, towns and Nairobi surroundings