Day 2: Nairobi-Nakuru
After breakfast, you’ll be collected by your driver/guide and private vehicle to drive to the Great Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru National Park. Arriving in time to check-in at the Lake Nakuru Lodge, a delightful, small lodge with beautiful views, friendly, staff and comfortable rooms with full ensuite facilities, you'll enjoy stunning views over this alkaline lake with its famous flamingos. Enjoy lunch and an afternoon drive in the Park before dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Apart from game within the lake area is hippo,
leopard and of course the diverse bird life. Both black and white rhino are now resident in the sanctuary and Rothschild giraffe, buffalo, impala, eland, warthog, Mountain Reedbuck, klipspringers and Black and White Colobus Monkeys are all plentiful Nakuru is most famous for its concentrations of both Greater and Lesser Flamingo who feed upon the blue green algae with which the lake abounds. Depending upon the concentration of the algae, there may be up to 2 million flamingos in the area, turning the entire lakeshore a dusky pink. With over 400 varieties of birds to spot, you’ll never be bored at Nakuru. In the European winter the park becomes an important feeding ground for migrant waders such as the Little stints, Curlew sandpipers, Marsh sandpipers and Greenshanks. Large numbers of Pelicans can also be seen on the southern and eastern shores.

Verreaux Eagles can be seen around the updrafts on the western escarpment and other commonly spotted birds of prey include Long crested eagles, Augur buzzards, Harrier eagles, Fish eagles, Gabar goshawks and Harrier hawks. The woodlands also harbour many more species including the African hoopoes, Grey-headed kingfishers and Red-chested cuckoos. Other species easily spotted within the park are Hamerkops, Ducks, Geese, Falcons, Rollers, Shrikes, Sunbirds, Weavers and Starlings. After a day of bird and game viewing, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Nakuru National Park
Spend a full day exploring the Nakuru National park with your guide. You will be able to spot at least 150 species of bird in this one day, and if lucky, you may reach over 200 species. All meals and overnight at the lodge.

Day 4: Nakuru-Kakamega
After breakfast, you drive over the Mau Escarpment to the fertile plains of the western part of Kenya, close to Lake Victoria. Here you explore the Kakamega Forest Reserve, the last remaining remnant of tropical rain forest in Kenya where walking on foot is allowed.

A part of the Congo-West African equatorial rainforest, the 45 square km reserve is bordered on all sides by fertile farmlands, making this small area a refuge for a huge number of animals, insects and plants. The Forest itself is incredibly diverse, with over 125 species of trees, orchids, creepers and bushes. The high forest canopy shades the ground, preventing thick undergrowth from forming. Walking is surprisingly easy and one of the best ways to explore the Forest as the animal, bird and insect life is small, but truly spectacular.

Several animals, such as the bush-tailed porcupine, giant water shrew and hammer-headed fruit bat, are found nowhere else in the country. Colobus and blue monkeys cavort in the trees and shy duikers peer out from the occasional bush. In Kakamega you’ll stay at the Rondo Retreat, a small, privately owned group of cottages deep in the heart of the reserve. Unlike many areas of East Africa, it is safe to walk in Kakamega due to the lack of large predators. There are abundant walking and hiking trails that spread out through the forest from the lodge. As the only forest of its kind in the country, there are many bird species, which may be found here, and nowhere else in the country. Keep your spotting eyes open for species such as the Grey parrot, Great blue turaco, Ross’s turaco, red-chested owlet, African broadbill and wattle-bill. Enjoy an afternoon walk near the lodge, dinner and overnight at the Retreat.

Days 5 and 6: Kakamega Forest
Walking and driving through the forests, you’ll explore all the forest habitats, from the high canopies to the mossy ground. There are a tremendous variety of bird species, ranging through various sizes. Watch for the Giant Plantain Eater or the small, Dusky tit. Birds of prey to look for include the Banded snake eagle and the Crowned eagle. Hornbills to be found are the Black and white casqued hornbill and the Crowned hornbill. Look out for the Paradise flycatcher, Emerald cuckoo, Lemon dove and Yellow white-eye, Blue shouldered robin chat, Green pigeon, Scarce swift, Bearded woodpecker, Green sunbird and Nariner’s Trogon. All meals and overnights at the Rondo Retreat.

Day 7: Kakamega -Lake baringo
Leave the forests of Kakamega behind as you return to the Rift Valley, this time to the fresh water of Lake Baringo. Here you will stay at the Lake Baringo Club, which specializes in bird watching. Baringo offers bird walks, boat rides and game drives-a great deal of variety! Home to a great number of hippo, caution should be paid if walking on the lakeshore due to hot springs! Enjoy a walk along the cliff edges this afternoon before dinner and overnight at the Club.

Days 8: Lake Baringo.
Using boats, vehicles and your feet, explore the Baringo lakeshores, islands and surrounding plains. Watch for the huge colonies of Weavers in the acacia trees, including buffalo weavers and white-headed weavers, Tawny eagles, Martial eagles, Wahlberg eagles and others nest in the treetops and feed off the small mammals, dry country game and birds such as the abundant Guinea fowl and Francolins that come to the lake to drink, Blacksmith plovers nest on sand bars and huge flocks of Sand grouse come to bathe and quench their thirst. Queleas, hornbills, Secretary birds and Black crested snake eagles may also be found in the area. Malachite kingfishers, White throated bee-eaters and various Barbets are all easily spotted as are Variable and Collared sunbirds. Black headed herons, purple herons, Yellow-billed storks, Sacred ibis, Red-billed duck, Cape teal and other water birds are all found in abundance and there are always new species being recorded. All meals and overnight at the Baringo Club.

Day 9: Lake Baringo- Nairobi.
Leaving the Rift Valley behind you, drive to Nairobi for overnight.

Day 10: Nairobi-Watamu
After breakfast in Nairobi, proceed to Watamu through Tsavo national park another bird-watching area.
Watamu is a small village located on the Kenyan coast, approximately 120 km north of Mombasa and 25 km south of Malindi. The area has developed an international reputation for its white-sand, reef-protected beaches, which line the Watamu National Marine Park. It is virtually impossible to snorkel in Watamu without seeing at least a few dozen species inside the main reef; divers outside the fringe reef stand an excellent chance of viewing the magnificent whale shark and Manta rays that are seasonal visitors. Enjoy an evening of sharing stories and counting up your species list before dinner and overnight at Hemingway’s.

Day 11: Watamu-Arabuko-Sokoke Forest
Today you’ll have an early start as you head in to the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is East Africa's largest remaining area (420 square km) of indigenous coastal forest. The Forest contains six species of globally threatened bird, three of which, the Sokoke Scops Owl, Sokoke Pipit and Clarke’s Weaver, are found nowhere else in the world. Other rare species found in the forest are the Amani sunbird, African pitta, Fisher’s turaco, Southern-banded harrier eagles, Retz helmet shrike and the Thick-billed cuckoo, many other species within the forest, including the Plain-backed sunbird, Mouse-coloured sunbird, Little purple-banded sunbird, Palmnut vulture and various weavers.

Rare mammals are also present, including the golden-rumped elephant shrew, bushy-tailed mongoose and Ader's duiker. Rarely seen but also found in the Forest are elephant, buffalo, leopard and hyena and over 260 species of butterflies. The Forest itself is made up from Cynometra, which forms thick forest and thickets on the red compact soils of the Western area, and the more open, shady trees of the Brachystegia woodland on the Eastern side. Enjoy dinner at the hotel before you night forest visit to spot the Sokoke Scops Owl and then return for overnight at Hemingway’s.

Day 12: Mida Creek
Today you spend on the water, in Mida Creek. The Mida Creek reserve is formed of extensive mangrove forests, warm shallow waters and large areas of mud flats at low tide. This area hosts not only many local birds, such as Greater flamingo, Yellow-billed stork, Great white egret and Malachite kingfisher, but is also the winter home of many migrants such as the Crab plover, Curlew sandpiper, Whimbrel and Sanderling. The osprey and African fish eagle are often overhead. In the mangroves, you’ll find the brilliant flash of the Carmine bee-eater and flocks of white Ibis. Ringed plovers, Turnstones, Oyster-catchers and Greenshanks are all common migrants, spending the European winter in the warmth of the southern hemisphere. Local birds are also common, Grey herons feed in shallow pools and Roseate terns set up breeding colonies on the nearby Whale island; Mangrove Kingfishers, night herons, and the strange Black heron, with its peculiar feeding habit of bringing its wings up over its head to shade the water, may all be found in abundance.

You’ll have the chance to walk on the mud flats as well as take a boat ride to meander up the mangrove creeks searching for those little flashes of colour that indicate something interesting. Dinner and overnight at Hemingway’s.

Day 13: Departure
Today you’ll have the chance to relax, take a walk on the beach and spend time with Kip going through your species list and asking questions regarding the birds and wildlife that you’ve seen during your trip. After lunch, transfer to the airport for the flight to Nairobi and your onward connection back home.

INCLUDED:
Meet, great, and assist at Airport.
All transport and Transfers in Toyota Land Cruisers or safari buses all 4wds with a window seat guarantee.
Accommodations as specified above on Full Board basis sharing double rooms
3 meals a day
Park entry fees and sightseeing fees
Service of English Speaking driver/guides.
Car and Driver park entry fees.
Drivers' allowances
2 game drives per day while in National parks and Game reserves
Government taxes including V.A.T
1 liter of bottled water per person per day

EXCLUDED:
Personal Spending such as telephone calls, faxes, internet access, laundry etc.
International Flights
Airport taxes
All types of drinks, wines and spirits.
Tourist entry VISA where required
Optional excursions not mentioned in the inclusions and/or quoted separately
Tips and gratuities to driver guides/lodge/hotel staff
All other extras not mentioned in the 'what's included'