Guide: possibly Duan Biggs and local guide
Tanzania is the quintessential Africa. The Serengeti National Park and Ngorogoro Crater are must-see destinations for every avid naturalist and birder. Our tour combines these African wildlife spectacles with a taste of the unique Tanzanian arc mountains and their endemic birds.
Our tour starts in Arusha, which is serviced by the Kilimanjaro International Airport Our first two days are spent searching for forest and savannah birds and mammals at MountMeru and around the town of Arusha. Here we will search for both Narina and Bar-tailed Trogons and the critically endangered Beesleys’s Lark. From Arusha, we move to TarangireNational Park, home to the Rufous-tailed Weaver and two other Tanzanian endemics. Bird-watching will get stiff competition from mammals in Tarangire, likely including Lion, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Masaai Giraffe and Burchell’s Zebra.
From Tarangire we move onto the world-famous Ngorogoro and Serengeti. Our tour is timed to coincide with one of nature’s finest displays – the sight of one million wildebeest, together with masses of Zebra and Thompson’s Gazelle, crossing the Serengeti National Park to new grazing lands. Once we have soaked up enough of this wildlife extravaganza, we move onto the PareMountains, part of the Tanzanian arc mountain range. Here we search for the endemic South Pare White-eye and the Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, among a range of more widespread species including Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Speckled Mousebird and Black-headedMountain Greenbul.
After Pare, we make our way to another part of the ArcMountains– the West Usambaras. These are the higher of the two Usambara ranges, where among the rich diversity of species we will search for Usambara Akalat and Usamabara Weaver, the notoriously shy Spot-throat and Usambara Ground Robin (a type of Akalat).
Our last site we visit during the tour are the nearby East Usambaras at Amani. These are lower in altitude than the West Usambaras, but are closer to the coast and receive higher rainfall. In the East Usambaras, we plan to end the tour on a high note, as we search for the localised Banded Green and Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbirds, the impressive Fischer’s Turaco and the curious Moreau’s Tailorbird. We return to Arusha’s Kilimanjaro National Airport for our departure.
Day 1: Arusha:
Arrive in Kilimanjaro International airport onboard KLM flight. .
Upon arrival, meet, greet and pick up from the airport to Meru View Lodge for check in.
Overnight at Meru View Lodge on HB basis.
Day 2: Arusha National Park:
Full day of birding in Arusha National Park, with picnic lunches. Touring the lake studded landscape we will be looking for common waterbuck, Maasai bushbuck, Cape buffalo and hippo. After rains, helmeted terrapins, scatter away from lakes and Common platanas fill every puddle and pool. Large concentrations of water birds may include highlights such as southern pochards, black-necked grebes and macoa duck with the grasslands around the lakes offering a good chance to see Pangani Longclaw and trilling cisticola. The Ngurdoto crater, with it’s walls thickly covered in montane forest. Beautiful stands of Loliondo and dramatic strangling figs line the road. The cliffs, clad with ferns and wild palms, are home to resident African Hobbies. From the high view points we can watch buffalos and wart hogs feed in the marshes below while the trees around abound with birds such as Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Montane White-eye, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Forest Batis, African Hill babbler, black fronted bush shrike and a host of barbets. The forest is also a wonderful place to observe butterflies and the local variety is rich in colourful and charismatic forest species such as the banded forester, the gaudy commodore, the green veined Charax, the green-banded swallawtail, the mocker swallawtail, the forest mother pearl and so many others. In the forest we might chance upon a Suni antelope, or a Harvey’s red duiker, the gentle monkey and the acrobatic black and white colobus monkey. The endemic Meru three horned chameleon is sometimes seen while walking. Dinner and overnight at Meru View Lodge.
Day 3: Lark Plains:
After early breakfast, depart driving around the looming Mt. Meru to Lark plains. The plains are rich with grassland species and are the sites where the world's last 200 Pygmy Spike-heeled Larks exist. We will attempt to find the rarest of Tanzania's endemics. Dinner and overnight at Meru View Lodge.
Day 4: Maramboi.
After breakfast drive to Maramboi Tented Camp for check in and lunch overlooking Lake Manyara with birding en-route. Afternoon, we will bird on foot on the lake shores, and at dusk might add a couple of species of night jars to our daily talley. Dinner and overnight at Maramboi Tented Camp.
Days 5 & 6: Tarangire National Park:
Breakfast. 2 full days to explore the Tarangire National Park and eco-system. Tarangire National Park and the adjoining conservation areas are famous for the Baobab dominated woodlands and the large elephant herds that roam them. During the dry season a migration of thousands of animals from all over the Maasai steppe are attracted to its waters. Wildebeest, elands, zebra, Oryx, lesser and greater kudu, Steenbok, Impala, Lion, Leopard and even the rare African Wild Dog inhabit the park. Herds of Buffalo and elephant walk amongst the huge baobabs and in the hollow baobab’s themselves mottled spinetails nest and roost with various insectivorous bats. The Park offers easy viewing of the endemic Ashy Starlings and yellow-collared lovebird while other specialties include northern pied babblers, magpie shrikes; barefaced go away bird, Pigmy Falcon, orange-bellied parrot, African cuckoo and more. The river course might yield saddle-billed storks, whiskered terns and many other surprises and the great acacias that line the Silale Swamp are the place to look for the southern African Rock pythons. Terminalia and Marula trees are conspicuous species in parts of the park, while the meandering sand rivers support riverine forest communities. Meals and overnight at Maramboi Tented Camp.
Days 7, 8 & 9:: Serengeti National Park:
Breakfast. Pushing northwards and westwards words we drive through the Serengeti plains to our new base in the central wooded valleys of the Serengeti. From Ikoma Bush Camp we will explore the vast 15 000 km2 wilderness of the splendid Serengeti National Park, encountering teeming herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, giraffe, Hartebeest, Buffalo, elephant, Topi, Impala and their associated predators, the lions, leopards, hyenas, and cheetahs. Small mammals such as Pigmy and banded Mongooses, bush and rock hyraxes and a myriad of rodents are easy to see in the picnic points. The birds, of course, are party to this unique wilderness; amongst other are six species of vultures that gather to Kills as well as a stunning diversity of other raptors. The herds attract a band of followers such as the Oxpeckers, wattled starlings, and egrets. The area is justly famous for its avian richness Grey capped Social Weaver, Silverbird, flappet lark, Abyssinian Scimitarbill and hosts of bee-eaters, bush shrikes, starlings, woodpeckers, turacos, bustards, kingfishers and rollers. The Serengeti eco-system is a huge wilderness area and contrary to popular belief it is not all endless grasslands. Huge stands of woodlands cover the park; swaths of various acacia and species are dominant. Kopjes, rocky hill ranges, rivers, swamps and lakes create a myriad of microhabitats. This kind of richness is the reason that the Serengeti is still ‘’the’’ place to glimpse many fascinating, even if rarely seen, species such as honey badgers, aardwolves, side-striped jackals, Pangolins and more. Blue headed and Mwanza flat-headed agama lizards are a feature of the Kopjes and if lucky once climbing a Kopje one might find the famous pancake tortoise amongst the crevices of the rocks. One morning we will drive along the course of the Grumeti River and its adjoining riverine forests where we will try and add to our list some of the area’s unique wildlife. Huge crocodiles bask on the river’s banks; many bird species are beautiful and interesting such as the giant Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill, the colorful Black-headed Gonolek, Eastern-Grey plantain eater and the exceedingly rare Karamoja Apalis. Meals and accommodation at Ikoma Bush Camp in the central Serengeti.
Day 10: Ngorongoro highlands.
After breakfast, we check out and spend our day, driving, birding and game viewing en-route the Ngorongoro. PM we arrive at the Ngorongoro Crater rim and check in to our lodge. Afternoon walk in the montane forest near the lodge might turn up a host of Ngorongoro Specialities, such as the Schalow's Turaco and a host of charming montane sun birds. Dinner and overnight at Rhino Lodge.
Day 11: Ngorongoro crater.
After early breakfast, we descend to Ngorongoro Crater. The diverse habitats of the crater offer a great wildlife and birding experience, Lions are common in the crater as are large clans of spotted hyenas, Cheetahs rear their cubs on higher ground and Leopards roam the river beds and forests, herds of Gazelle, buffalo, zebra and Gnu abound, The hippo pools over flow while Reedbucks and Elands are always possible. Great elephant bulls roam the crater floor and Black rhinos graze the grasslands. Birding is no less impressive with Rosy-breasted Long claws and the Tanzanian endemic Rufous-tailed Weaver. A pink mass of Flamingoes covers Lake Magadi, prey to the ever-present golden jackals that haunt the lakeshores. Cape Teals gather in the shallows and Hildebrandt's Francolins dive off the road when closely approached while Speke's weavers and black kites are common at the picnic site. In the Lodge gardens and the forest road we will look for the Brown Parisoma, Oriole finch, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, golden winged sunbirds, Brown-headed Apalis, Hunter’s Cisticola and, if lucky, we might find the rare local sub-specie of the brown backed woodpecker - endemic to the Ngorongoro highlands. In the afternoon, we ascend and drive to Karatu to enjoy an overnight at Bougainvillea lodge. Dinner and overnight at Rhino Lodge.
Day 12:Same.
After breakfast depart on road to Same. We head first shortly to the woodlands south of the Pangan river, to search for the elusive fin foot and may be a golden pipit before we proceed to the main road and drive under the shadow of the South Pare mountains while stopping en-route for interesting dry land species. We arrive at the Same elephant hills motel for lunch. After lunch and rest, we drive up the Pare Mountains to reach the Chome Forest reserve where we hope to add to the tour list the endemic South Pare White eye. Other forest species might include the Sharpe's Starling or the purple throated cuckoo shrike. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Motel. After dinner, if stamina holds, we might head out of town with our torches to look for some night jars lying on the sandy roads.
Day 13: Lushoto (West Usambara)
After breakfast we set out for a birding in Mkomazi game reserve with picnic lunches. Nestling in the rain shadow of the Usambara and Pares, the dry, arid woodlands and savannahs of Mkomazi offer a wonderful range of typical arid Somali-Maasai biome species of northeast Africa. Drive to Lushoto in West Usambara with birding stops en-route in the gorges leading to Lushoto to scout for Cliff chat and variety of potential swifts. Arrive for check in at Muller’s Lodge. Dinner and overnight at Muller’s Mountain Lodge.
Day 14: Lushoto (West Usambara):
After breakfast set out for birding at Magamba forest - sawmill trail. The West Usambara Mountains, supporting good stands of forest support a species that are found nowhere else in the world, the Usambara Akalat; it is also home to the much localized Usambara Weaver. Other rare forest gems we shall be looking for include Oriole Finch, Spot-throat, Usambara (Mountain) Greenbul, (Usambara) double banded sunbird, (Usambara) Olive thrush, Fulleborn's Boubou, Red-capped Tailorbird, Starred Robin and many others. Overnights in the quaint Muller’s lodge which offers great birding with home made meals and colonial atmosphere accommodation. Meals and overnight at Muller’s Mountain Lodge.
Day 15: Amani (East Usambara)
Breakfast; we depart early en-route to the East Usambara mountains. Upon arrival at Amani – Sigi where we overnight. Upon arrival we enjoy some birding In Lower forest. The lowland forests in and below the Sigi section of the Amani reserve support a plethora of exciting forest birds including the East Coast Akalat, Chestnut-fronted Helmet shrike, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Kretchmer's longbill, Usambara Hyliota and the stunning Green-headed Oriole, all target birds on our list. We will also be looking for the gracious Angola Pied Colobus monkeys leaping from tree to tree and by torch light after dark might chance a rare glimpse of a gliding Derby's anomaloure or one of the frogs and chameleons the area is famous for. Dinner and overnight at the simple Amani-Zigi Guest House.
Day 16: Amani (East Usambara)
Breakfast. Enjoy 1 full day in the Amani nature reserve in the ancient eastern Usambara Mountains. Although these mountains are geographically very close to the West Usambara, the avifauna
is dramatically different Hinting of an age when Asia and Africa had a similar avifauna. These Mountains are an incredibly exciting birding destination. This ancient arc of crystalline mountains is jam-packed with real specials such as the Sharpe's Akalat, Cabanis bunting, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Banded Green, Amani and Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbirds, Green Barbet, Fischer's Turaco, Vanga Flycatcher, White-breasted Alethe and the bizarre long billed tailorbird, a relict species closely tied to Asia. Meals and overnight at Amani Guest House-forest bungalows.
Note: Accommodation in both the guest houses is of very simple standard.
Day 17: Amani-Kilimanjaro.
Breakfast. Drive to Kilimanjaro with picnic lunches. Arrive at Kia lodge for your day use room and rest. Evening short transfer to Kilimanjaro international airport. Connect to KLM flight back home.
End of Safari.
