Birding Safari
Hope is the thing with feathers
Africa and its Indian Ocean Islands offer incredible avian diversity with over 2400 varieties and some 130 bird families.
Private Birding Safari in Africa
Flight of the Flamingo
Over the soda lakes of the Rift, a ribbon of flamingos threads the morning — a million wings between camps.
PERCHED on the elegant necklines of handsome giraffe snacking on acacia thickets or pecking away on the backs of Cape Buffalo in verdant savannah, Africa offers the most unique birding adventure in the world. From the deep forested escarpments of the Great Serengeti to the famous Okavango Delta in Botswana, the numbers and range of feathered species across the continent is as astounding as the myriad activities to seek them - on game drives, guided walks, on quadbikes, by canoe, afloat in hot air balloons, biking and even, on horseback.
Birding in Africa
Africa and its Indian Ocean Islands offer incredible avian diversity with over 2400 varieties and some 130 bird families. The African continent is home to the world's second largest assemblage of birds in some of the most varied and pristine habitats remaining on earth today. Lush rainforests, teeming savannah, endemic grasslands and specialized woodlands are teeming with fascinating birdlife.
Safari Films
Where the sky
keeps its colors.
Birding in Africa
The specialist's eye
The specialist's eye
With our specialist birding guides, resident ornithologists in each IBA and game area that we explore in Africa, you can acquire a completely personalized game drive experience with the Signature Guided Safaris® journeys. On your private safari, we’ll help tailor a unique birding safari for you in addition to capitalizing on your big game experience through our game reserves. This exclusive option provides you with not just hands-on identification guidance and in-depth behavorial insight on the special feathered species that you encounter on drives, but also it affords you unrestricted joy in lingering longer, observing and photographing at your own pace with specific sightings that interest you more, getting so much more out of your journey with the privacy of your own schedule and private guide.
Birding in Africa
Eleven hundred songs
Nowhere else on earth is swamped with a more astonishing array of birdlife than the relatively small country of Kenya, with 1100 known species of birds in its iconic game reserves and lake highlands surrounding the abundant forests of Mount Kenya.
There's no journey quite like it; Everyone at some point in their life dreams of an African safari and visiting wild, majestic landscapes where Lion and Elephant reign free on endless plains. Nowhere quite embodies this vision better than East Africa. The Great Lakes of Kenya are shallow and have no outlet to the sea, lending to a concentrated mineral content through natural processes of evaporation — with Lake Magadi being rich in sodium bicarbonate and Lake Nakuru and Bogoria being strongly alkaline, while Lake Naivasha is supplied with fresh springs luring in colonies of hippo. The birdlife here, in particular the large flocks of Flamingo, portray the quintessential images of Africa with fascinating species reigning over the wetland and haunting its Acacia-dotted woodland.
Well-known for the Great Migration spectacle and discovery site of Leakey’s hominid fossils in the regions surrounding Kilimanjaro, the Great Rift Valley has an incredible reputation for exceptional wildlife experiences and endless scenic splendors. Dazzling with gem-hued rollers, bee-eaters, rollers, touracos, iridescent sunbirds and surreal hornbills, East and Central Africa are noted Important Birding Areas with their equatorial climate and impenetrable rainforests and savannah woodlands.
1100+ Species • 68 Important Birding Areas in Kenya
Birding in Africa
Birding expertise
Birding expertise
As a treat for our safari guests, our collection of Guided Safaris® luxury lodges provide local bird books in your room as well as complimentary use of Spotting Scopes in most luxury lodges and complienntary use of Professional binoculars for game drives. However, if you’re looking for personalized recommendations on any safari gear or professional equipment to bring along for your private use, our safari designers have taken countless journeys to Africa and are always at hand with up-to-date recommendations for every region.
Birding in Africa
Great Rift Valley
Of notable interest to birdwatchers planning a safari in Africa is the Great Rift Valley panning all the way from the Dead Sea to Mozambique. Formed 35 million years ago, the resulting landscape of shifting tectonic plates that annually split the African continent by a couple millimeters, the Great Rift Valley is an impressive topography of habitats soaring from the tallest volcanic ranges in Africa to serene, picturesque craters rich in avifauna.
It's not unusual for birders to record up to 250 species in a single a day in the lake districts of the Great Rift Valley, nor for birding safaris in Kenya and Rwanda to record 600 different varieties seen over a fortnight's stay in these East African regions. Kenya alone contributes about 11% of the World's bird species.
Also delightful on safari here is the significant change in composition of species over short distances. Dazzling with gem-hued rollers, bee-eaters, rollers, touracos, iridescent sunbirds and surreal hornbills, East and Central Africa are noted Important Birding Areas with their equatorial climate and impenetrable rainforests and savannah woodlands. Enjoy unique ‘Out of Africa’ moments in the Kenyan highlands with this private safari tailored to your interests.
Guided Safaris®
A Day on Safari
Luxury Safari Camps
At the heart of every Guided Safaris® journey is a strong commitment to help protect wildlife and wild habitat. The rare Shoebill stork, listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature is now being sighted at Akagera in Rwanda, after careful efforts in rehabilitating this region.
Birding in Africa
Songs of the Albertine
The Albertine Rift running along Rwanda’s towering Virungas mountain range provides a remarkable habitat for Gorillas and other endemic primate species, with rainforest canopy trails en route filled with tropical bird songs. The wetlands of Lake Kivu draw unique species of waterfowl along the deepest lakes on earth. The Nyungwe forest is believed to have remained lush-green even through the Ice Age which explains much of its sustained biodiversity. With over 700 species of birds found in Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest is a designated Important Birding Area with many endemic residents. A star attraction is the rare red-collared babbler (Turdoides rufocinctus) only seen in this subtropical montane forest region. The rare Shoebill is a remarkable find in the Akagera habitat.
One of the oldest rainforests on earth, believed to have remained lush through the Ice Age, Rwanda's Nyungwe Forest is rich in biodiversity. The mountainous region is teaming with wildlife, including Chimps and 12 other species of primate.
700+ species • 29 Albertine endemics
Birding in Africa
A gentler footprint
A gentler footprint
Our luxury safaris are ecological models with a low-density sustainable tourism operation in visiting regions of extremely high species diversity where federal parks support has been limited. In these key wilderness areas we carry out projects that support significant habitat protection and considerable wildlife research to identify conservation solutions. Our explorations in these unique regions have often increased the amount of land under conservation protection and garnered anti-poaching effort in working with communities adjacent to the wilderness areas. Our interest in conservation goes beyond just the big mammal species; we are present in 8 biomes and 5 centers of endemism and our concern is ensuring that smaller species such as birds don’t go overlooked. Our journeys continue to generate awareness and draw considerable support for the future of bird and reptile projects in the regions where we traverse.
Birding in Africa
Private Journeys
Founded almost 30 years ago, Guided Safaris® lead luxury journeys into Africa’s most exclusive private game reserves on environmentally-responsible experiences. We invite you to customize your private safari to Africa with our Chief designers to craft out your very own tailor-made journey to Africa.
BIRDING SAFARIS WITH BIG GAME VIEWING
• The Albertine Rift & Gorilla Safari in Rwanda
• ‘Out of Africa’ moments in the Kenyan highlands
• A Luxury Safari in Masai Mara Game Reserve
• Over 1000 species of birds to be collected!
REAL KNOWLEDGE ON SEASONALITY
Another wonderful aspect of safaris is that birding seasonality plays a great role in the wetter summer months that attract greater species display in the reserves at an appealing package cost called the Green Season rate. With such creative advantages and our Chief Designers’ acumen on each region, we can help you plan out the safari of your dreams.
BROWSE THE EXPERIENCES HANDBOOK
Always Tailormade
Every detail defines an experience in your private safari.
Our custom safaris are meticulously planned journeys where nothing is left to chance, so you can enjoy unique moments with your loved ones in total luxury and privacy. Having the ultimate say in your preferences from start to finish allows you to explore our exclusive destinations in absolute freedom, whenever you want. No set dates; no groups, ever.
