Kenya: Birding in Africa's Top Safari Destination (2 Viewers)

[lgonz1008]

Kenya is well known and established as one of the best places left on earth to see many of the iconic megafauna of Africa, not just the Big-5, but also many other iconic species that we've seen in zoos and nature documentaries since we were old enough to remember. While I can say with confidence that this is definitely the case, I think this title has heavily damages the perception of how amazing this place is not just as an entry point to the amazing birdlife of Africa but also as one of the top 5 destinations in the continent to see it's many feathered inhabitants. The country list includes over 1,100 species of which 11 are country endemic and many more are regional endemics, add to that a policy of no active hunting any of the birds and you have a place where even in the "low season" you can see hundreds of species in point-blank views and get amazing shots!

The itinerary made sure we went through some of the most iconic parts of the country, including Mt. Kenya, Samburu, Kakamega Forest and the Masai Mara; but that doesn't mean the whole country was covered and it certainly makes the need to do another visit in the future for the areas missed. This trip was also my first experience as a proper guide on a multi-day trip and thankfully the adventurous nature lovers that joined me enjoyed the whole experience, from the amazing mammal sightings to having the opportunity of connecting with over 500 species of birds in the span of 2 weeks!

As usual for my trips, a local guide was used to ensure everything matched the needs of the group on the ground-level and we have to thank Alex Mwangi from Cisticola Birding, who was a very happy and hard-working birder and driver, he made sure nothing was behind the schedule and was good company throughout the trip, even putting up with my last moment requests to target certain species that were recently reported on eBird. If you ever contact Cisticola for a tour of Kenya, Alex is a safe bet for a good time and lots of time in the field.

However, I'm aware a lot of birders here like to do things on their own and my answer to that is, Kenya is pretty straightforward. If you can book your lodging in advance and manage to get a good manual vehicle with high clearance, the country is easy to get through, the bird ID is straightforward to the point that I could identify over 70% of the species seen without much knowledge of the calls and since most of the reserves are on set road with off-road driving being illegal. The only sites that there was a struggle was in the forested habitats like Mt. Kenya and Kakamega Forest, in true rainforest fashion, you had one trail and the birds were first located by call/preferred habitat, so having a local guide in such places helped a lot.

Detailed Itinerary:

• May 11-12 (Flights and arrival in Nairobi)

The trip began with an overnight flight to London, followed by a quick layover and arriving in Nairobi in the middle of the night. The flights didn't have much of note, but once in Kenya we were quickly greeted by the driver that would take us to our lodging for the following 2 nights, Wildebeest Eco Camp. After some quick check-in, everyone went to their tents for a good night's rest and at 1AM we were woken up by the mechanical and human scream-like noises of a Southern Tree Hyrax. The only mammal in our trip that remained heard-only, but deserved a special note because of the trauma it caused many in the group multiple nights of the trip.​

• May 13 (Wildebeest Eco Camp and Ngong Forest Sanctuary)

Since this was the original arrival day of the trip, some of the participants made plans for the morning, leaving me and two fellow birders to go try and see as many species until the afternoon trip to the Ngong Forest Sanctuary. The lodge grounds provided us a good introduction to the birds of the region with some of the clear highlights being Dusky Turtle-Dove, Brown Parisoma and Holub's Golden-Weaver, among some more widespread species like Red-chested Cuckoo, African Black-headed Oriole, White-bellied Tit and Abyssinian Thrush. The morning birding provided us with good views of 45 different species.​

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After meeting with Alex in the early afternoon, we drove to the Ngong Forest Sanctuary, in hopes to connect some widespread but deeply sought-after species, including the local variety of White-headed (Brown-and-white) Barbet, a fledged Crowned Eagle, a calling male Narina Trogon, and a mixed flock that included Kikuyu White-eye, Amethyst Sunbird and a very surprising visitor in the form of Black-fronted Bushshrike. This last one was a big headache as the species has not been reported in Nairobi since the 1980's and unfortunately in the battle to identify the species, we missed on our chance to photograph this interesting, local rarity. Last highlight of the day was on the walk out of the forest as we came across a female Jackson's Chameleon crossing the road, with a naturalist in the group, the lizard was swiftly picked up and inspected much to the chagrin of the locals who saw the mzungus (Swahili for wanderer/white person) playing around with an animal usually linked with witchcraft and bad luck. This is something we couldn't understand as these are really cool reptiles, but each culture has their beliefs.​

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We arrived back at the hotel as the sun set and after a filling dinner and checklist, we went back to our tents in preparation for our first big day starting tomorrow in "The World's only Wildlife Capital" in Nairobi National Park.​

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 14 (Nairobi National Park)

Early departure from the camp brought us to the entrance of Nairobi National Park little before 8AM, with the pleasant temperature and overcast weather, we did not have any fears that bird activity would die down through the morning. Soon after entering the park, we would see our first vulture in the form of White-backed Vulture, this would remain to the most common vulture seen on the trip, but most of the individuals were seen within Nairobi National Park, other highlights in the entrance included our first traffic jam courtesy of a troop of over 100 Olive Baboons, along with Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird and Black Cuckooshrike, two normally widespread species that turned out to be scarce for most of the trip.​

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Once the habitat opened, the bird and mammal variety sky-rocketed, with a quick stop at a rookery providing us views of African Spoonbill, African Sacred, Hadada and Glossy Ibis, plus a surprise Cape Wagtail. On the mammal front, we soon found our first mega in the form of two White Rhinoceros having a laid back rest next to the watering hole. The grassland areas were also filled with the calls and mating displays of various species of Widowbirds and by the end of the day we would connect and see displaying males of White-winged, Red-cowled and Jackson's Widowbird. Other members of this family that were well represented throughout the park included Cardinal Quelea and what was surprisingly voted as the bird of the trip due to it's eye-catching mating display, the Yellow-crowned Bishop.​

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Driving through the savanna areas, one of the sharp-eyed participants spotted a female African Lion over a mile away, this took us away from the main route in hope of connecting with her up close, sadly this wouldn't be the case as she kept walking through the area, but by changing the route, the surprising targets kept on coming instead, these included Hartlaub's Bustard, Spotted Thick-knee, Secretarybird, Northern Pied Babbler, Pangani and Rosy-throated Longclaw; some widespread species that we still welcomed with open arms included Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Great Spotted Cuckoo (most common Palaearctic migrant of the trip), Blacksmith Lapwing, Martial Eagle and a variety of Cisticolas which included Singing, Winding, Rattling, Stout, Croaking and Siffling Cisticola. The mammal front was equally interesting with Masai Giraffe, Impala and Grant's Gazelle dotting the landscape and Thompson's Gazelle, Common Warthog and Hartebeest providing some variety.​

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As we began the drive towards the picnic site, we stopped by some watering holes that would provide us with some interesting species including the first of many Little Bee-eater and Hamerkop, but the standout sightings belonged to an African Yellow-Warbler and cooperative Moustached Grass-Warbler. Once we reached the picnic site, we couldn't really drop the binoculars as Brown-crowned Tchagra and family of Hildebrandt's Starling kept our attention away from the food. From there, a short walk to a spot within the Hippo Pool trail, courtesy of eBird, we were greeted by a pair of one of the hardest to find heron species in the African continent, White-backed Night-Heron, our short time in the trail also gave us our first Hornbill in the shape of African Gray Hornbill and we enjoyed seeing the nesting site for the White-backed Vulture in the region.​

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A steady drive out of the park helped us connect with new mammals species such as Vervet Monkey, Black Rhinoceros and Plains Zebra, along with many birds including Shelley's Francolin, Three-banded Plover, Eurasian (African) Hoopoe, African Gray Flycatcher and Cape Robin-Chat. Once out of the park, we began moving towards our lodging for the night around the shores of Lake Naivasha. The drive was uneventful, with the group arriving just as the sun set; checklist and dinner, ensured everyone was back to their rooms before 9, although next morning I was informed that some of the group members joined hotel staff to see the Common Hippopotamus that feed on the lawns at night.​

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 15 (Lake Naivasha, Kinangop Plateau and Aberdare National Park)

Early risers today were greeted to the calls from a variety of water birds around Lake Naivasha, with African Fish-Eagle being the most common sight in the area. On the way to breakfast, the lawns provided some of the group with our only views of Hildebrandt's Spurfowl, along with White-browed Robin-Chat, Arrow-marked and Black-lored Babbler, and the only seen Tropical Boubou of the trip (the rest were heard onlys).​

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After a quick ATM stop in town, we drove up to Murungaru in the Kinangop Plateau in search of some of the most sough-after bird species on the trip and with the help of a local guide that's been working with farmers to ensure these birds are protected, we soon found all of our targets. The first bird in question was a roosting Montane Nightjar, a bird with a patchy distribution in the highlands of East Africa, Angola and Saudi Arabia. After seeing this beauty, we moved to the open grasses, where we had back to back our feathered big 3, in the forms of Leviallant's Cisticola, Long-tailed Widowbird and amazing views of the sadly endangered endemic known as Sharpe's Longclaw.​

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The drive up to the entrance of Aberdare National Park was uneventful but beautiful, while waiting for Alex to do the park entrance procedure, we were able to connect with some of the targets found only within the park such as Tacazze and Eastern Double-collared Sunbird, Moorland Chat and Jackson's Spurfowl, these two would prove to be extremely common within the park. On the mammal front, we connected with Mantled (Mt. Kenya) Guereza (Eastern black-and-white Colobus), Kolb's (Blue) Monkey, Western (Harnessed) Bushbuck and Harvey's Duiker. The overcast sky and rainy weather made it difficult to locate properly our last target, Aberdare Cisticola. This species is only found within this mountain range and it is outnumbered 10 to 1 but the more widespread Hunter's Cisticola. Eventually, in a cruel game of find the tiny bird in the open field, I was able to briefly connect with a pair, but nobody else in the group got to see it in time due to the drizzle. The lunch break also provided the opportunity to heard a Blue-headed Coucal that never appeared and soon we were on our way down the mountain. The habitat change also provided a change in species, with Mountain Buzzard and Waller's Starling being the standouts.​

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The final drive of the day took of for 3 hours, before we reached Castle Forest Lodge in the foothills of Mt. Kenya National Park. This would be our base for the next two nights, but even as the sun was setting, we were provided some good birds along the grounds; these included Red-fronted Parrot, White-tailed Crested-Flycatcher and the only Sharpe's Starling of the trip! This last one was an amazing surprise, as there are multiple birders that visit the region time and time again only to miss this small, localized starling. This marked the end to a very long day that was less about the quantity and more of the quality, as over 50% of the targets seen today would not be seen for the rest of the trip. Dinner in the lodge's restaurant had an amazing homely feel and the meals eaten there were a highlight of the trip.​

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 16 (Mt. Kenya Castle Forest Lodge)

Today marked one of the few days that we weren't greeted by the raucous calls of the Hadada Ibis as the morning chorus, instead it was the rare forest-dwelling Olive Ibis that did the honors. This species is a species that has a patchy distribution throughout Central African rainforest belt, and it is here in Kenya's Castle Forest Lodge that one has the best chance to connect with this species as they roost near the waterfall in the property. In the first glimpses of light, I barely managed to see them as I opened the cabin door, but everyone in the group heard them as their calls were unmistakable and loud. Sadly this would also be our only connection with the species, as during the afternoon, the birds decided to roost elsewhere in the forest and we weren't able to connect with them at their usual spot.​

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The pre-breakfast walk was pretty productive as we moved through the mist, it began with more well-represented species like Red-fronted Parrot, Hunter's Cisticola and Hartlaub's Turaco, followed by harder to find locals like Gray Cuckooshrike and Rameron Pigeon. After a delicious breakfast, we walked down the main lodge road, by this time the fog had dissipated and bird activity was vocal and cooperative, with Spectacled Weaver, Brown-woodland Warbler and White-starred Robin making early appearances. As we continued down the road, a trio of Abbot's Starling foraged through the canopy and mixed flocks contained Black-throated, Chestnut-throated and Gray Apalis, plus proper Greenbul representation with Slender-billed, Eastern Mountain, Yellow-whiskered and Cabanis's Greenbul making appearances. Other species in these flocks included Brown-capped Weaver, African Hill Babbler and Black-tailed Oriole, plus hearing the calls of an Evergreen-forest Warbler that we knew would never come out. As we reached towards the river crossing, one of the largest birds in the forest made their presence known and everyone in the group wanted to see them, with what originally sounded like a huge flock, we were surprised to only see a pair of the spectacular Silvery-cheeked Hornbill. These giants kept us company for around 5 minutes before moving on and it was a clear highlight for all who got to see them.​

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The final stop of the morning was going through a slippery trail to a waterfall, in hopes of connecting with species we've missed so far, the trail itself was pretty empty, but seeing a relaxed African Black Duck was a great bonus as we had considered this a missed at this point of the trip. Drive back to the lodge, we encountered flocks of Black-and-white (Red-backed) Manikin with some Common Waxbill in the mix and joined at times by Mountain and African Pied Wagtail.​

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After a lunch break, we decided to do a different trail in hopes of connecting with species missed in the morning. The first hour proved to be slow, but soon activity picked up once we passed the nesting tree for a family of Waller's Starling, from there we encountered a surprisingly popular bush that provided us with great views of Black-collared Apalis, Thick-billed Seedeater and flyover Crowned Hornbill. Driving back to the lodge, we played the most frustrating game possible of hide-and-seek with Kandt's Waxbill, the game ended with only two people seeing these colorful little birds, even after doing seat changes so everyone could have a chance to connect with them. Back at the lodge, the Olive Ibis were no-shows as previously mentioned and instead we consoled ourselves with an amazing dinner and knowing that tomorrow we would drive to our number one destination of the trip, Samburu National Reserve.​

 

[lgonz1008]

Photos of May 13 & 14

• Crowned Eagle
• Narina Trogon
• Jackson's Chameleon
• Jackson's Widowbird
• Masai Giraffe
• Spotted Thick-Knee
• Martial Eagle
• Yellow-crowned Bishop
• Secretarybird
• Hildebrandt's Starling

 

[lgonz1008]

Photos of May 15 & 16

• Montane Nightjar
• Sharpe's Longclaw
• Harvey's Duiker
• Jackson's Spurfowl
• Sharpe's Starling
• Hartlaub's Turaco
• Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
• African Black Duck
• Northern Double-collared Sunbird
• Black-collared Apalis

 

[Owene]

Love that chameleon. This has been a great read

 

[lgonz1008]

Love that chameleon. This has been a great read

More to come but glad you are enjoying it!

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 16 (Transfer to Samburu and afternoon drive)

Today started with a long drive to Samburu National Reserve, probably Kenya's best kept secret as far as the big game reserves are concerned. The reserve is well-known for the desert-like landscape dotted by doum palms and crossed by the Ewaso Ng'iro river, the main appeal of the region belongs to the large numbers of elephants found within and around the reserve, plus their own unique 'Big' 5 and how concentrated the wildlife is. We were already with high expectations as Alex informed us that this was his favorite place in all of Kenya, but also braced ourselves since he warned us that during the rainy season, the elephants tend to leave the reserve in pursuit of food in the public lands.​

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Our arrival in the reserve was around 1PM and even in the blistering heat, activity was non-stop with an active colony of Little Swift right at the park arches distracting us from our lunch. After lunch, we had the simply goal of arriving to our lodge at the other end of the reserve with as few stops as possible, but this was easier said than done due to the amazing spectacle of birds and mammals we were experiencing. On the mammal front we soon saw Generuk, Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx and Kirk's Dik-dik, these all proved to be amazing showstoppers but the true winner were the family groups of African Bush Elephant; turns out that Alex's worries were over nothing as Samburu lived up to its name as elephant haven and we ended up seeing over 150 individuals during our time here, including every herd having multiple babies. The elephants also provided the only "dangerous" experience of the trip due to how surprisingly quiet and well hidden they were in the bush, nothing gives you a bigger reality check than an elephant walking straight towards you to protect its patch while giving you eye-to-eye contact, thankfully no actual problems occurred.​

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It wasn't just the mammals that kept us from reaching the lodge at a normal time though, the birds were just as amazing, with Three-banded Courser, Red-bellied Parrot, Northern Red-billed, Von der Decken's and Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill all giving us a show back to back. Vulturine Guineafowl were often seen scurrying through the grasses and each acacia was dotted White-bellied Go-away-bird, White-throated Bee-eater or White-headed Buffalo-Weaver.​

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Eventually we reached the lodge and soon it was time for an afternoon drive that put the morning drive in to shame, with the cooled temperatures, many of the smaller birds gave an appearance and we were able to enjoy amazing close-up views of D'Arnaud's Barbet, Brubru, Slate-colored Boubou, Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver and Blue-capped Cordonbleu. While looking up at the kettles we were able to identify Fan-tailed Raven alongside Rüppell's Griffon and Black-chested Snake-Eagle, but it was in the acacias that we had photo-ops for African Hawk-Eagle and Pygmy Falcon. When we arrived back to the lodge, the sun had already set and thanks to the naturalist in the group, we were able to add a new mammal in the form of Yellow-winged Bat while waiting for our dinner to be served.​

 

[Jon Turner]

Back in 1960, my Dad was posted to RAF Nairobi for a 2.5 year posting. I was 9 and my brother was 11. It was all incredibly exciting, especially being able to head for Nairobi National Park at weekends. We loved every minute of it, especially the Lions and Elephants. We did trips to Murchison Falls in Uganda, several holidays in Mombasa, and even another two weeks in Zanzibar. However, as a 9 - 10 -11 year old, I wasn't into birds - at this age who cares when there a chance of Lions killing things? Didn't even see Cheetah or Leopard. So when I turned into an avid birder 20 or so years later, I tried hard to remember what I could recall. About 12 species..... I have put some of this right with trips to Uganda, Gambia and Botswana (Leopard and Cheetah), but I do very much regret not seeing more during those 2+ years - my mother worked in the Corydon museum and one job she was given was proof-reading John Williams field guide to the birds of East Africa. I think he found a new Owl species while we were there.
So I am very jealous of your travels and also extremely glad that there is still such a range of species to see. So Thank you!

 

[lgonz1008]

Back in 1960, my Dad was posted to RAF Nairobi for a 2.5 year posting. I was 9 and my brother was 11. It was all incredibly exciting, especially being able to head for Nairobi National Park at weekends. We loved every minute of it, especially the Lions and Elephants. We did trips to Murchison Falls in Uganda, several holidays in Mombasa, and even another two weeks in Zanzibar. However, as a 9 - 10 -11 year old, I wasn't into birds - at this age who cares when there a chance of Lions killing things? Didn't even see Cheetah or Leopard. So when I turned into an avid birder 20 or so years later, I tried hard to remember what I could recall. About 12 species..... I have put some of this right with trips to Uganda, Gambia and Botswana (Leopard and Cheetah), but I do very much regret not seeing more during those 2+ years - my mother worked in the Corydon museum and one job she was given was proof-reading John Williams field guide to the birds of East Africa. I think he found a new Owl species while we were there.
So I am very jealous of your travels and also extremely glad that there is still such a range of species to see. So Thank you!

These are some amazing memories, I had someone in the trip that had visited Kenya many times before (similar to you not as a birder) but she always clamored how much it all changed and how Samburu was amazing for her since she saw a Leopard kill and her volunteer work with Grevy's Zebra.

Back then, were there Elephants in Nairobi National Park or did you see them elsewhere?

 

[Jon Turner]

These are some amazing memories, I had someone in the trip that had visited Kenya many times before (similar to you not as a birder) but she always clamored how much it all changed and how Samburu was amazing for her since she saw a Leopard kill and her volunteer work with Grevy's Zebra.

Back then, were there Elephants in Nairobi National Park or did you see them elsewhere?

I don't recall any Elephants in Nairobi National Park. We saw them in Tsavo (where we stalked them from our lodge!) and hundreds in Uganda.

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 18 (Samburu National Reserve)

A full day of birding in Samburu involves 3 things: 2 safari drives, lots of target bird species and trying to find all of the special "Big 5" of the reserve (we had already seen Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra and Beisa Oryx). This morning we were on a mission to get some of our targets while driving to an abandoned air strip, plus trying to find the last of the special "Big 5", the Somali Ostrich.​

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One of the first new animals to greet us for the day was Günther's Dik-dik, a longer nosed version of Kirk's Dik-dik, that is found only in the arid regions of East Africa and Samburu is one of the few places where booth species are readily found. On the bird front, we found the first Bateleur of the trip flying low above us while the calls of Pink-breasted and Fawn-colored (Foxy) Lark filled the air. Soon we were avoiding the herds of grazing mammals and we began driving a side road in hopes of connecting with some interesting birds, this soon turned into a reality as an acacia forest by a dry river bed supported a variety of birds including White-headed and Blue-naped Mousebird, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Banded Parisoma, Pied Cuckoo and a flock of Vulturine Guineafowl.​

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From there, we made a brief stop to enjoy a herd of Gerenuk and some low-flying Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse before arriving to some weaver colonies, the main colony contained the ever present White-browed Sparrow-Weaver and Black-capped Social-Weaver, but the appearance of Lesser and Vitelline Masked-Weaver and a flyover flock of Chestnut Weaver made clear that this bird family was well represented in the region. Other birds of note in the surrounding trees included a pair of Rufous-crowned Roller, Taita Fiscal and Mottled Swift. On the final stretch to the airstrip, we went up a rocky road that just threw our way the sought-after dry country specialties with the clear highlights being Somali Bunting, the gorgeous Golden-breasted Starling and a male Somali Ostrich! The airstrip was barren of our main targets, sandgrouses, but the appearance of Eastern Chanting-Goshawk, Black-throated Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker and White-rumped Shrike were a decent consolation prize. Driving back to the lodge saw us driving by the Samburu Sopa Lodge and seeing the remodeling being done, we were just glad to not stay there for the night. Birds on the drive back included Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow, Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird and, a sadly seen only two participants, male Steel-blue Whydah.​

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After lunch and a nap break, we were out again, this time we had a lot of birds still missing and soon we were out, unfortunately, it seems like the mammals didn't receive the memo as we were greeted with some of the most amazing views of the iconic megafauna of Samburu, with the river on either side filled with elephant and giraffe herds, this led to an inevitable distraction since when was the next time you would be able around 100 African Bush Elephants and over 30 Reticulated Giraffes just relaxing by the riverside? Well, bird activity wasn't completely missing as we had a very vocal Spur-winged Lapwing upset at the elephants and the trees had plenty of Namaqua Dove to keep us company.​

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Once we moved on from this amazing sight, the birds made sure to be extremely cooperative, with Crested Francolin walking right up to the car and Red-and-yellow Barbet finally showing off its beautiful colors. However, our main targets were still the Somalian/dry country specialties, soon we connected with some of these including Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver, Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Pale Prinia and Gray Wren-Warbler. However, our big name targets were on average bigger, yet much more uncooperative, eventually we connected with the first one being Black-faced Sandgrouse, from there Somali Bee-eater finally made an appearance and the cherry on top was a female Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse (these two birds were specially nice as they were considered the hardest targets of the area by Alex and I was the one to find them). With the sun setting, we drove back to the lodge, with the highlights being a mixed flock of Cut-throat, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver and Chestnut Sparrow, plus a pair of Norther Brownbul and a family of Rufous Chatterer. We were given an educational presentation about the Samburu people in the lodge and dinner gave us a sense of accomplishment after the amazing day we had.​

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Nice report Luis, and some great photos too. 500 spp in two weeks is going some!

My wife and I are thinking about 10-14 days in Kenya next year (holiday allowance pending), and wondered if you knew what the situation is regards paying NP fees? I had been told that this was all done via a pre-paid card, but wasn't sure if it was possible to just turn up and pay. I know you hired a driver, but any comments on driving/road condition would also be helpful, we want to hire our own 4x4.

 

[lgonz1008]

Nice report Luis, and some great photos too. 500 spp in two weeks is going some!

My wife and I are thinking about 10-14 days in Kenya next year (holiday allowance pending), and wondered if you knew what the situation is regards paying NP fees? I had been told that this was all done via a pre-paid card, but wasn't sure if it was possible to just turn up and pay. I know you hired a driver, but any comments on driving/road condition would also be helpful, we want to hire our own 4x4.

The cost for entry to each of the national parks if stupidly expensive to put it kindly, there is a local fee, a guide fee and a foreigner fee. The foreigner fee is the highest one and you have to pay a vehicle fee on top of an individual fee. Add to that, each park has different pricing depending if it's an urban park, a luxury park, a reserve, etc.

Best example I can give is for Nairobi National Park (which counts as an urban park), here there was a $20-$50USD cost for the vehicle, and each person in the vehicle that was a tourist cost around $40USD. So if you visit Nairobi National Park, be ready to spend around $100-$150 for you and your wife. Even if you paid online, you still have to do the whole check-in process and depending on how many people are in front of you/how ready you are it will take minimum 10-20 minutes per vehicle.

Outside of that, driving in Kenya is honestly extremely easy on 80% of the areas we covered, most of the country is paved with only the roads leading to the wild areas being dirt roads. One thing that is a bit worrisome is driving in and out of the Rift Valley, these inclined roads are often full of trucks and tired drivers which are all going less than 15kph due to the vehicle size compared to incline (10-15% at most times). Also, there are no traffic rules, you drive like if you own the road, some of the bigger cities have traffic lights, but everyone considers them pretty decorations and a solid line means nothing if you can see a bit ahead and pass the car in front of you. If you can handle both of those things, Kenya is pretty easy to get through.

Last thing I need to point out, it is illegal to enter/drive through any of Kenya's protected public lands at night, night safaris are no good, arriving at sunset to a park is risky even if your lodging is inside because based on the time you get there and how prepared you are, you might get told to go stay in the nearby town and come back the next day. The conservancies don't have such policies, but you need to book in advance with them and their fees are a lot higher than going to the public lands.

 

[opisska]

I am sorry, but ... what?

I have driven a car in many countries all around the world and I can confidently say that I have never been frightened by the process ... except in Kenya. Driving in Kenya is enthusiastically NOT easy and it is not for the faint of heart. The most dangerous roads are major "highways" (such as Nairobi-Mombasa) where people overtake without any regard for oncoming traffic - if you just drive in your lane, minding your own business, you will die within minutes. Instead you are expected to make space, even if it means going off tarmac. The situation is so bad that the government regularly publishes desperate pleas to the people to kindly consider not killing their fellow neighbors on the road so much. Some local people told us that they were so afraid of the main highways that they drive through the national parks instead (even though it is several days slower). That having said, I have driven over 5000 kms around Kenya with no accident, but please, don't post statements such as "driving in Kenya is extremely easy", that is just absurd and may get someone killed. Only experienced and confident drivers should ever attempt driving in Kenya and they should be well aware of how terrible that is and make a conscious decision to still drive themselves.

As for the entrances to the parks, this situation is always in flux. When we were in Kenya at the break of 2021/2022, it was possible to pay most parks by credit card, but for some the only option was MPESA - mobile payment system that requires a Kenyan SIM card (but is pretty straightforward for foreigners to get) and Samburu wanted cash USD. As we were ready for all these options, we were always able to just turn up and pay.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Thanks both, that is extremely helpful, we will give it some careful consideration.

I don't want to hijack your thread anymore, so I look forward to the next instalment

 

[lgonz1008]

I am sorry, but ... what?

I have driven a car in many countries all around the world and I can confidently say that I have never been frightened by the process ... except in Kenya. Driving in Kenya is enthusiastically NOT easy and it is not for the faint of heart. The most dangerous roads are major "highways" (such as Nairobi-Mombasa) where people overtake without any regard for oncoming traffic - if you just drive in your lane, minding your own business, you will die within minutes. Instead you are expected to make space, even if it means going off tarmac. The situation is so bad that the government regularly publishes desperate pleas to the people to kindly consider not killing their fellow neighbors on the road so much. Some local people told us that they were so afraid of the main highways that they drive through the national parks instead (even though it is several days slower). That having said, I have driven over 5000 kms around Kenya with no accident, but please, don't post statements such as "driving in Kenya is extremely easy", that is just absurd and may get someone killed. Only experienced and confident drivers should ever attempt driving in Kenya and they should be well aware of how terrible that is and make a conscious decision to still drive themselves.

I went by the expectations of where we were, mostly roads away from the main highways. I agree that the main roads were hellish, but since we spent a lot of our time going through backroads between reserves and flat land, we also didn't experience Nairobi-Mombasa highway because we never went to that part of the country.

However, you have more experience than me having actually driven the roads, so your advice is likely much more helpful to Daniel.

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 19 (Samburu to Lake Nakuru)

Today marked probably the longest driving day of the trip, it began with us leaving the lodge in Samburu in the early morning and it didn't finish until our arrival in Lake Nakuru National Park after sunset. Before leaving the reserve, we still had a couple of species we hoped we could connect with them on the drive out, one in particular, the Buff-crested Bustard was high on everyone's list courtesy of the unique look it had for a bustard and it's limited range. Normally this bird is one of the easiest birds to see in Samburu, but likely due to the overgrown vegetation, they remained well hidden in the grasses and sadly, this remained as the bustard that got away and probably the only true nemesis bird of the trip. Outside of the failed bustard search, we didn't encounter anything new on the way out with a Rock Monitor (White-throated Savana Monitor) and a pair of Secretarybird being the highlight. From there the drive to our next stop was pretty normal, with the addition of Bristle-crowned Starling while passing through the town of Isiolo.​

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The next stop was in a backroad near the Le Pristine Hotel in Central Kenya, this road was filled with flowering plants that were a favorite of Golden-winged Sunbird, but the real reason to visit this spot was for the endemic Hinde's Pied-Babbler. This bird is an extreme skulker that seemed to go against everything the rest of the babbler family was about in Kenya, thankfully they are very responsive and the road was home to multiple family groups. Eventually while on our way to the lunch site we connected with two of these families and guilt-free picnic suited us well before getting back on the road. Roughly an hour later, we made our final stop of the day before reaching Lake Nakuru and this one was for a very special bird in the form of Cape (Northern) Eagle-Owl, this species is sadly persecuted for a number of bad reasons, from their eggs being used in witchcraft to locals accusing them for taking the livestock, but they still manage to survive and with the help of a passionate local guide, we managed to see a roosting bird and learn of the work he is doing in the community to deter people from harming this beautiful owl.​

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The final leg of the trip was a long drive 3 hour to our lodge within Lake Nakuru, needless to say, we entered the park as the sun was setting, we were so late that park rangers told us to pay on the way out because the booking system was closed for the day! Thankfully Alex drove with no issues through the roads winding the lake and outside of the jump scare of seeing our first Spotted Hyena of the trip in the middle of the road, we made it fine to the hotel for a well deserved rest.​

 

[lgonz1008]

• May 20 (Lake Nakuru and Lake Baringo)

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya's two luxury national parks (the other one being Amboseli National Park) and best known for the iconic flocks of Lesser Flamingos and a healthy population of White Rhinoceros within the park. Overall, the park is the definition of a tourist destination for any safari group in Kenya, thankfully the animals were still given plenty of space to thrive and move on their own without much confrontation with people.​

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The day began early with a busy breakfast that involved the company of Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, African Firefinch and Yellow-throated Longclaw. Once breakfast was over, we spent a good bit of time waiting for the truck to pull up as the number of different safari vehicles made it feel more like we were in Disney's Animal Kingdom, thankfully we were happily distracted by a family of Rock Hyrax on the rooftop of some of the cabins. Once out, Alex turned on the radio to see if there were reports of any "good animals" while we made a steady drive to find the last and most endangered giraffe of the trip, Rothschild's Giraffe. In the drive there we drove through woodlands that showcased a beautiful number of species we've missed so far like Klaas's Cuckoo, Striped Kingfisher, Green Woodhoopoe and Greater Blue-eared Starling.​

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Once we enjoyed the giraffes, we moved towards the lake, where there were reports of a mother and calf White Rhinoceros along with herds of dozens of Plains Zebra, Cape Buffalo, Impala, Grant's Gazelle and small family units of Common Warthog and Common Eland. However, Lake Nakuru is renowned for being a "birdwatcher's paradise" and while it might be exaggerated compared other stops we've had in the trip, the birds definitely put on a show. The plains and wetland area around the lake provided us with 50 new species for the day, many of which were only seen here for the trip. Some of the highlights include Lesser and Greater Flamingo, Great White and Pink-backed Pelican, Blue-billed and Cape Teal, Yellow-billed and Red-billed Duck, Common Greenshank, Whiskered and Gull-billed Tern, Gray-crowned Crane, Lilac-breasted Roller, Red-capped Lark, Northern Anteater-Chat and Plain-backed Pipit. Once we left the lake area, the woodlands provided us with brief looks of Greater Honeyguide, Gray-capped Warbler and Crimson-rumped Waxbill. Little past 10, we arrived at the other exit of the park and while Alex arranged for the payments we skipped the night before, we enjoyed some of the birds around by foot, these included two pairs of Fischer's x Yellow-collared Lovebird hybrid (sadly there were no true wild Lovebirds in our itinerary outside of these hybrids), Rock Martin, an incredibly cooperative Long-crested Eagle that posed for photos, but the standout bird of the morning was a Mountain Gray Woodpecker, that ended up being the milestone 4,000 life bird for one of the group's participants.​

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Once out of Lake Nakuru, we took a drive towards Lake Baringo, our base of operations for the next two nights, along the way, we stopped at a gas station in the town of Marigat that contained the only readily accessible colony of White-billed Buffalo-Weaver in Kenya (other options do exist, but usually involve going out of route from most itineraries). From there, it was a short drive to Baringo, where we were greeted by the beautiful cliffs on the left and our first new bird of the area, Jackson's Hornbill, on the right. We greeted the hotel staff, were shown to our rooms overlooking the lake and took a short break before meeting Willie, our local guide for the next two days and soon we were on our way to a dry riverbed to pad out our Owl List for the trip.​

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Lake Baringo is a unique area in our trip and one that goes opposite of what we've seen in Kenya, walking here is fine and even encouraged to find the birds, this is mainly due to the human pressures displacing all of the large animals around the lake are, adding to this pressure, the water level has risen drastically in the last decade and we were made aware of this by the fact that many houses and manmade structures were underwater with only the highest points/rooftops sticking out of the water. The area is similar to most areas of Kenya in that industries that work with the land (in this case fishing and beekeeping) are the go-to ways of making a living and it takes a lot of effort from Willie and similar individuals to convince the locals in protecting and maintaining what little native habitat is left intact (many parts of the region were overgrown with non-native cacti and cassia trees that were used for food and fire).​

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Once we were on the riverbed, we began a slow walk that surprised everyone as within a mile we had 3 different owl species, ranging from the giant Verreaux's Eagle-Owl all the down to the small African Scops-Owl and Pearl-spotted Owlet. This alone would have made for a good afternoon, but the birds kept on coming, with Lesser and Scaly-throated Honeyguide making an appearance, as did Spot-flanked Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Brown Babbler, African Gray Woodpecker and a flyover Shikra. Once done with this site, we moved to a new location to find a pair of Spotted Eagle-Owl, but in the more open habitat, other dry-country specialties like Pygmy Batis, Red-fronted Prinia and Hunter's Sunbird made for great camera subjects in the fading light. We arrived back at the lodge just as the sun set and were told to be ready early tomorrow morning for another day of dry country birding.​