Birds Watching and Trekking Safaris

Itinerary Description

Day 1: Arrival, Tour Briefing and Resting

• You will be picked up from the airport in Moshi (Kilimanjaro International Airport) and be transferred to the booked hotel in Arusha
• Get the safari general briefing from the prepared safari consultant/guide
• Dinner and overnight at the booked hotel in Arusha

Day 2: Ilkiding`a Culture Tourism

• After breakfast in the Hotel drive Ilkiding`a Culture Tourism where you will Visit Maasai Boma where you will learn lifestyle of Masai tribe in the morning till afternoon
• Later afternoon you will visit waterfalls and enjoy time there until evening
• Have dinner and overnight stay at Moivaro Plantations Lodge or Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge/Campsite

Days 3-4: Sinya

• After breakfast departure to Sinya across a landscape with spectacular views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro and plains populated by Maasai pastoralists with their herds of cattle, sheep and goats
• Arrive at lunch time
• You will be devoted to game drives in open cars, and walking safaris escorted by “Morani”, Maasai warriors in search of birds
• The area also hosts some of the biggest elephants in East Africa
• Interesting species : Maasai Ostrich, Kori bustard, Crowned plover, Crested francolin, Temminck’s courser, Heuglin’s Coutrser, White browed sparrow weaver, Fischer’s starling, Hildebrandt’s starling, Wattled starling, Rufous chatterer, Rosy patched shrike, Slate colored boubou, White headed buffalo weaver, Black necked weaver, Spike heeled lark, Grey wren warbler, Banded Parisoma, Von der Decken’s hornbill, White bellied go away bird, Eastern pale chanting goshawk, African spoonbill, Glossy ibis, Blue-naped mouse bird
• Have dinner and overnight stay at Kibo Medium Camp

Day 5: Drive to Arusha National Park for a game drive

• After breakfast drive to Arusha National Park for a game drive
• Visit to Momela lakes in search of water birds
• Continue with the game drive until afternoon
• In the afternoon break for a while to have picnic lunch
• After lunch a walk in the forest surrounding Mount Meru (4.596 m) escorted by an armed ranger will be organized
• Have dinner and overnight stay at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge

Day 6: Usambara Mountain Hiking

• After breakfast drive to the Eastern Arch Mountains “The Switzerland of Tanzania” The Usambara Mountains for guided hiking to the famous view points of waterfalls passing through the Sambaa villages, the local tribe of the area
• Continue the Usambara Mountain hike until late afternoon
• In the evening drive for dinner and overnight stay at the booked Lodge near Usambara area

Days 7 – 8: Bird watching and butterflies species tour

• Early morning and late evening are usually the best time to watch birds and butterflies species
• We walk from the base camp to the peak and back
• We walk slowly, partly to pace yourself, but most to watch birds and butterflies species and to enjoy the forest and its inhabitants
• Everywhere you look there are things of interest
• Your guide will point out beautiful birds, such as the African paradise flycatcher, Amani sunbird, Usambara hyliota, Hyliota, filcher’s Turaco, black and yellow dark-backed weaver and the velvet black square – toiled Drongo
• The searching for mixed foraging flocks in the forest is essential to locate many of the birds
• The next day we continue with birds and butterflies watching and identification
• If lucky, we might see the little yellow Flycatchers and plain backed Sum birds which can only be spotted along the East African Coast
• The number of species recorded thus far is just over 1,000 and the East Usambara Mountains house close to 350 species, a number that continues to grow
• Have dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge in Usambara

Day 9: Amani Nature Reserve tour

• After breakfast visit the “Aman” Nature reserve famous Tea farms in Africa
• In Amani Forest is where you will have the opportunity of viewing the “African Violet, Saint Paulia” (The origin of the World’s domestic flower) Beautiful Butterflies of the world etc
• Have dinner and overnight stay at your booked Lodge

Days 10 -11: Drive to Saadani National Park for a game drive

• After breakfast drive to Saadani National Park the only park where you hear the lion roar combined with the ocean tides of the day
• A place where Rivers collide to join the ocean with a stream like spray in the air over the mangrove trees in the water
• Continue with the game drive until evening
• In the evening drive to your booked lodge in Saadani for dinner and overnight stay

Day 12: Drive to Mikumi for a game drive

• After breakfast we proceed to Mikumi National Park with packed lunch on the way for a game drive
• Mikumi is Tanzania’s third largest National Park with a large variety of wildlife
• Within its 3230 sq km set between the Uluguru Mountains to the north and the Lumango mountains to the south-east
• Mikumi hosts populations of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, lion, zebra, leopard, crocodile and many others
• Have dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge in Mikumi

Days 13 – 14: Drive to Udzungwa Mountain National Park for a game drive

• After breakfast at your hotel, our guide will pick you up and we depart for Udzungwa Mountains National Park for a game drive
• Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a paradise for hikers and one of Tanzania’s most beautiful wilderness areas
• Its most striking feature, apart from its mountainous terrain, is its pristine and biologically diverse forest which host a variety of animal and plant species not found anywhere else in the world
• Among its residents are six species of primates, including the rare Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey monkeys, as well as populations of elephant, buffalo, leopard, and a rich variety of birdlife
• Continue with the game drive until evening
• Have dinner and overnight stay in your booked lodge in Udzungwa

Days 15 – 16: Drive to Selous Game Reserve for a game drive

• After breakfast we leave for Selous Game Reserve for a game drive with picnic lunch
• Selous Game Reserve is the largest game reserve in Africa – 4 times the size of the Serengeti
• It possesses a diverse landscape from hot volcanic springs, sporadic lakes, channels from the Great Ruaha and Rufiji rivers
• Walking is permitted (with an armed ranger) which with over 350 species of bird and 2,000 species of plants to see makes this the most heavenly sanctuary to explore
• Selous is famous for its elephant and hippopotamus
• The park has a broad range of game: buffalo – the largest population in Africa, Nyasaland gnu, brindled gnu, hartebeest, Greater Kudu, sable antelope, eland, reedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck, warthog, zebras, giraffe, and wildebeest
• Also lion, leopard, the spotted hyena and hunting dog are in abundance
• Cheetahs are rare and there are over 350 species of bird and reptiles such as crocodiles and various snakes and lizards
• Have dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge in Selous

Day 17: Transfer to Dar es Salaam

• After breakfast we drive to Dar es Salaam and have a lunch en-route
• You will arrival in afternoon in Dar es Salaam
• Rest for a while at your booked hotel in Dar es Salaam
• In the evening you may have an optional Dar es Salaam City tour if you wish too
• Have dinner and overnight stay in the Coral Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam

Day 18: Have a full day relaxation in Dar es Salaam

• Have an early breakfast at Beach hotel in Dar es Salaam
• Have a free whole day of relaxing in the Coral Beach Hotel
• Also enjoy swimming in good environment at the hotel
• Have dinner and overnight stay at the Coral Beach Hotel

Day 19: National Museum and Village Museum tour

• After breakfast you should visit the National Museum, the Village museum, and many colorful markets are well worth a visit and others an interesting walking tour around the waterfront and city centre for a full day
• Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay

Day 20: Departure Day

• Have an early morning breakfast and have a free morning relaxing till afternoon or evening depending on your flight time, take your flight from Mwalimu .J.K. Nyerere International Airport back home