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7-Day
Lake Naivasha + Masai Mara tour
This is a
"slow" 1-week birding tour covering Lake Naivasha, a
fresh water lake, and Masai Mara NP. It combines good
birding, top luxury accommodation and a lot of relaxation.
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DAY
1: NAIROBI
Arrival at the Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport in the evening.
Transfer to the La Mada or equivalent hotel.
DAY
2: HELL'S GATE NATIONAL PARK – Lake Naivasha Country Club
After
breakfast we leave Nairobi via the Nakuru road to the Rift
valley. The Nairobi - Nakuru road is on a contour along
the rim of the Rift valley and on viewpoints we will be
able to see our whole route for the next days. Our
destination is Crater Lake: a lesser lake in the Rift
Valley but a place where nature is at its best.
On
the way we stop at the Limuru Swamp where we do our first bird
count: Little Grebe, Yellow-billed and Maccoa Duck, Pelicans,
Coots, Egrets and Herons. Soaring are Black Kite, Augur
Buzzard and Pied Crow. |
After
lunch we drive to Hell's Gate National Park. The first part
is open grasslands bordered with steep rock cliffs in which the
Rüppell's Griffon Vulture nests. Easy sightings here are
the Verreaux's or Black Eagle, Common Ostrich, Black-shouldered
Kite, White-fronted Bee-eater, Grassland and Long-billed Pipit,
Northern and Schalow's Wheatear, Lilac-breasted Roller...
The narrow gorge
has a completely different habitat and hence very different birds:
Yellow, Grey and African Pied Wagtail, Red-cheeked Cordonbleu,
Purple Grenadier, Common Drongo, Superb Starling, Brimstone
Canary, Common Waxbill, White-browed Robin-Chat...
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Accommodation
is in the Lake Naivasha Country Club. This
lodge opened in 1937 as a staging post for Imperial Airways'
flying boat service from Durban to London. The 55-acre property
boasts green lawns shaded by mature acacias and spreading fever
trees, that stretch down to the lake's shore.
DAY
3: CRESCENT ISLAND – Lake Naivasha Country Club
We start
our day with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha on the look out
for a range of fish eaters: both the Long-tailed and Great
Cormorant together with the Fish Eagle and the Pied,
Malachite and Giant Kingfisher.
To have the
best sightings of the bird life in Lake Naivasha,
Crescent Island is the place of choice. It is a
lagoon from where we should be able to see Red-capped
Lark, Spectacled and Baglafecht Weaver,
Tawny-flanked Prinia, Brimstone Canary and Red-billed
Firefinch. |
DAY
4, 5 + 6: MASAI MARA
- Mara Simba / Sarova Mara / Keekorok
We head to the
famous Masai Mara National Reserve, which borders Serengeti in
Tanzania. Mara is the gem of birding and game viewing in
Kenya with 450 species recorded. We will drive through Masai land,
home to one of the most fascinating cultures in Africa.
In the vast
grasslands we expect to see Elephants; the large Cats - Lion,
Leopard, and Cheetah; the herd animals - Zebra, Wildebeest,
Thompson's and Grant's Gazelles; and specialties like the
Hartebeest and the Topi.
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Expected
bird species are the highly conspicuous Common Ostrich,
the small but still conspicuous Cardinal Quelea, Sooty
Chat, Ground Hornbill, Open-billed Stork, Temminck's
Courser, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and Denham's Bustard.
Lilac-breasted Rollers are common. If we find a
kill, we may see six species of vultures all dining
together: Egyptian, Hooded, Griffon, Nubian, White-backed
and White-headed. It will be a double reward should
a Hyena or a Jackal join in the scramble for the kill. In addition we will encounter numerous raptors such as
Bateleur, Martial and Tawny Eagles, as well as Pale Chanting
Goshawk, Augur Buzzards and Black-chested Snake Eagles. Along
the Mara River we'll watch for African Finfoot, Schalow's and
Ross' Turaco, Woodland Kingfisher,
Yellow-billed Barbet, Black-billed Weaver, Violet-backed Starling,
and perhaps with luck, Pel's Fishing Owl. Any tapping noise
on the trees may be indicative of the relatively uncommon
Woodpeckers (Golden-tailed, Green-backed and Fine-banded).
Hopefully we will be lucky enough to see some of the more
difficult to see mammals such as Bat-eared Fox, Hunting Dog,
Serval and the delightful Banded Mongoose. |
DAY
7: BACK TO NAIROBI
Transfer back to
Nairobi in time for lunch. Day rooms are at your disposal until 6 p.m. Evening transfer to the airport
where we say goodbye.
Itinerary
changes may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.
PRICE: Our
attractive price based on the size of your party includes all
accommodation as per itinerary, all meals from breakfast of day 2
through lunch of day 7, all transport Nairobi-Nairobi and airport
transfers, bottled water during the walks, services of
guides, a comprehensive bird checklist, the park entrance fees and
a Flying Doctors Evacuation cover.
The only extras on you are spendings on airfare to Kenya, airport
taxes, visa, insurance, drinks, tips and expenditure of personal
nature.
FOR A PRICE QUOTE: Contact
us
DEPARTURES are at the traveler's convenience.
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All
pictures and text on this web site are the copyright of
Peter and Anne Huysman and they can only be used, with our
consent by agents who sell our tours.
Text, pictures and web design © Peter and Anne Huysman.
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Ontdek =
'discover' in Dutch
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