Recommend an African Birding Tour!

In My Humble Opinion
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[quote=“FloatyGimpy, post:16, topic:830541”]

I don’t think that one’s for me. I live on Vancouver Island so I’ve been surrounded by shore birds my whole life. While they’re just as awesome they no longer get an “ooohh ahhhh” from me :stuck_out_tongue: .[/log]

I don’t blame you. I had a look at the “Birds of Canada” list on Wikipedia. The shorebirds -waders - have a huge overlap, at least with SA the same sandpipers, curlews and greenshanks.

Boobies are always awesome though. :smiley:

Shoebills aren’t found in Southern Africa, so you’re definitely looking at East Africa. They’re a popular lifer for birding tourists, so any operator in the region will know the best places and times to see them.

Rollers, bee-eaters and barbets are widespread throughout savannah habitat; any of the countries I previously mentioned will provide a good cross-selection.

Tanzania or South Africa

Most large conservation areas in Southern and Eastern Africa

Same as for elephants

Those probably won’t be in the same areas occupied by lions and elephants.

South Africa. The vast majority of white rhinos are within our borders.

Same as for elephants and lions.

Same as for elephants and lions but in lower numbers; Tanzania’s Serengeti is probably your best bet.

There are 28 000 members of the orchid family. They are well represented in Africa.You can probably see a number wherever you can walk.

Literally anywhere. Depending on definition of “cool” of course.

I definitely think Tanzania is probably where you should be focusing on, judging from your stated preferences.

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Yep, agreed.

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And if you time things right in Tanzania, you can be on the Serengeti during the herd migrations.

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If I could only pick one, I guess I’d pick seeing Wild dogs. I’ve wanted to see them my entire life. I agree that Tanzania is looking like my best option. While looking at birding tours I’ve noticed that most of them seem to be for people wanting to check off their life list by going to as many places as possible to see as many birds as possible. That’s not really for me.

I guess I’m wanting a birding/mammal tour, with equal emphasis on both rather that spending hours and hours looking for one specific bird. This video is sort of what I want:

I want to see neat, common birds, not the ultra rare, nearly extinct Throatwarbler Mangrove. :)
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If you are ever in northern Senegal, Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary was a pretty good wetlands to visit:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/25

and a youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx5FhXxrE-8

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If you do end up going to Tanzania, do NOT pass up seeing Ngorongoro Crater. Stunningly beautiful, and chock full of wildlife. If you can afford it, stay at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.

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I’m starting to figure out a bit more of what I’m looking for. I’m in contact with some people from some of the links which is helping as well. It’s being suggested one week in South Africa and then one week in Uganda. That way I’d be able to see everything on my list.

I do still really want to go to Tanzania, though, specifically for Ngorongoro Crater. I’d be happy in a tent there for the duration.

Fortunately I’m finding out that most of the tours are driving here, check off a bird/mammal, drive there, do the same thing…and that’s definitely not at all what I want. I want more of a base-came with daily excursions be it walking or driving.

If I can find some sort of place like that, maybe with views of plains or wetlands where there are already lots of animals, I’d be happy even just hanging out for the whole day, relaxing and viewing the flora and fauna.

I’ve given myself a time line to research/choose/book by the end of March.

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The safari tours we took were leisurely days observing wildlife. Hell, in Botswana, we even took a morning tea break. These are large, open areas, so you necessarily have to do some driving to get to where the animals are. There are options for walking tours, but I was never comfortable with them. Too many critters can eat you, stomp you, or poison you. Even the guides were nervous about taking people out on foot, as tourists will do stupid things like trying to pet the Cape Buffalo.

I found the parks in SA to be too restrictive. You have to stay on the roads in the national parks, and they are clogged with tourists. If you go to a private reserve, such as the camps run by Wilderness Safari, they can drive wherever they please, and often go off-road to search out wildlife.

Uganda: now we’re talking about someplace I lived for a year. Uganda was relatively safe when we were there; not so much any more. BUT: Uganda has a very dense bird population, I believe the number is up around 1100 species, which is more than in the entirety of North America. Turacos, hornbills, maribou storks, and the crowned crane (national bird), etc. You don’t even have to leave the city of Kampala to see a lot of them.

The national parks were making a comeback when we lived there in the 90s. During harder times, a lot of the wildlife was killed either for food or just because. We saw elephants and giraffe in relative abundance while there and I would hope it’s gotten better, not worse. But there is some risk driving to those parks, as there are road agents around and crackpots like the Lord’s Resistance Army. You really don’t want to go trekking after gorillas, as that activity is restricted to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is on the border with Congo. A dangerous place.

One great thing about Kampala is that there is a large Indian population that owns the tea plantations, so great Indian cuisine is easily available.

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After more communication with some safari groups and the advice/opinions here, I’ve come to a final decision about where I want to go - Kenya and Tanzania. I realize and accept that I will have to give up seeing some things that I really want to but I have to be realistic.

Now I have to find a safari that will take me to the Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, the Great Valley Rift and Mt. Kilimanjaro (not up it, just to see it). There is so much conflicting info on when is the “best time” to go. Is this page accurate?

Because that brings back June into the picture (for my birthday).

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I think think I have chosen the company I am going to use:

https://www.amaniafrika.com/

They are a local safari company that also gives back to their community. I’ve had to be a bit more realistic about my expectations of where I can go and what I can see. I have chosen to go to Tanzania for the last two weeks of June 2020.

Again - I think!!

It’s super hard to make a choice about something from so far away and for so much money. I’m also trying really hard to get a small group of 4 people for this trip. Amani Afrika only does private safaris so you can’t join up with another group. They do this so each group gets exactly what they want and it’s all tailored just for you.

For anyone who’s reading this and maybe hasn’t posted anything or if anyone has any advice or knowledge about this company, please speak up!

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February is during the wet season, which would make it a non-starter for me. Roads become impassable and an open-topped vehicle (which you really need for wildlife viewing) would be problematic. I would definitely do Tanzania in June.

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According to this graph of average weather/temps in Tanzania/Kenya, there is more rainfall in June than in February. There is just so much conflicting info out there. I don’t know what to believe or think. This says that there is an average of 4 days of rain during the month of February. Is this wildly inaccurate?

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Hard to say, as weather patterns are difficult to predict. We went to the Serengeti in late December-early January. The road going in was pretty bad, with large lakes in the roadway, and a huge rut that broke our axle coming back out. But I think I read somewhere that the road is now paved (although the African version of paving may not be optimal). I don’t remember having to deal with much rain when in the park. I recall a couple of tour trucks being stuck in the muck in Ngorongoro Crater, which is not a great thing to happen when there are lions all over the place. I don’t remember any rain at all once we were on the Plain. The great thing about that time of year is that the migration is going on, so you’ll see thousands of wildebeest moving to wherever they move to, and migrations attract predators, so you’ll see those also.

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You’re going to have a really fun trip. The weather should be very nice in June.

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Update!

Booked my flights today! I (and my cousin) decided on the February trip to Kenya and Tanzania. Including travel the trip is going to be 20 days. We head out from Canada to Amsterdam and then down to Nairobi. I can’t wait, but it doesn’t seem real yet.

Anyone have any recommendations on hotels in Nairobi? The safari outfit suggests the Boma Hotel. We’re arriving a couple of days early so we can relax for a bit before we head out on safari so we want to stay somewhere on the nice side.

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You’re going to love it. I can’t remember if it was mentioned above, but I’ll mention it again: buy a decent camera and lenses if you don’t already have them. Do NOT rely on your cell phone or a point-and-shoot for photos, as you will be terribly disappointed in the result. A good all-around zoom lens like a 28-200mm or something that punches out to 300mm is a good choice. You don’t want to be changing lenses all the time, so either of those will serve you well.

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Congratulations. I haven’t posted here before because although I’ve been to Kenya, it was a long time ago and wasn’t an organized tour. Unfortunately I’ve never been to Tanzania. (Elsewhere in Africa I’ve worked or visited Gabon (five visits working on bird surveys), Cameroon, Nigeria, Congo/Kinshasha, South Africa, and Madagascar.)

I birded Kenya in November-December 1985 with two other guys who had been working in Madagascar. It was low season so we were able to rent a safari-type vehicle fairly cheap and roam around. We went to Lakes Nakuru, Naivasha, and Baringo, the Masai Mara, Kakamega Forest, Mt. Kenya, and Samburu.

Although we didn’t have a good field guide or a professional guide, we still saw nearly 300 bird species in 16 days. (I had my second-highest total of lifers in one day, 56, at Lake Naivasha). I’m sure if we had been on a guided tour we would have seen many more.

I’m sure we stayed in budget accommodations most of the time in Nairobi. But another time I was in Nairobi on business I decided to splurge on the (Fairmont) Norfolk Hotel, the classic old colonial hotel. I was surprised to see that it was only about $160/night, but reviews indicate that it has lost much of its charm over the past few decades.

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I have a camera that I’m going to take. It’s nothing super fancy but it takes clear photos, has a decent zoom and also takes videos.

I’m so excited about the birds. It makes me a bit nauseous with excitement when I think about it.

I did check out the Fairmont and when I looked at it in google street view it was a bit uninspiring. Turns out the safari outfit has already booked the Boma for us so that’s where we’ll be staying.

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I really hope that your tour includes the crater, as it’s just spectacular. Bad weather can prevent or hamper a trip to the bottom, as rain turns the place into a muddy morass, but even being able to see it from the top is awe-inspiring. Be cautioned that the monkeys are bold and habituated to humans, but by no means tame. They’ll steal your lunch if you’re not hanging on to it. :slight_smile:

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Days 8 and 9!

Day 8: Serengeti - Ngorongoro Conservation – WALKING EMPAKAI CRATER. In the morning at 0830hrs depart Serengeti with picnic lunch box and drive to arrive Ngorongoro Crater conservation with stops at some viewpoints to see the Great Rift Valley, wonderful landscape, the vegetation and the highlands. Continue to Empakaai crater Rim where you will have your lunch served. After lunch, trek down from the East rim to the crater floor accompanied by an Armed ranger guide. It is a pristine forested crater with no roads; take an easy walk to the lake where sometimes-huge flocks of flamingo birds can be seen. -A caved in volcanic caldera, Empakaai Crater stands at 300metres in height and more than six kilometers in width. Rippling at its heart is Empakaai Lake, an 85metre deep alkaline pool that envelops three quarters of the crater’s floor. Standing at Empakai Crater’s imposing rim, you can see landmarks, such as the distant fleecy snows of Kilimanjaro far on the eastern side of the Valley, the Great Rift Valley, and Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano. -Along your hiking sojourn, while taking in the glorious sights, you are sure to spot a profusion of animals including blue monkeys, buffalo, bush bucks, water bucks, and an extensive array of kaleidoscopic bird life. The guide will advise time to leave the crater and drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight booked on full board basis, FB

Day 9: Full day Ngorongoro Crater tour. After your early breakfast, at 0630hrs drive to Ngorongoro Crater Rim and descend for a full day tour of the crater. The drive commences with the 600 m descent to the crater floor, a magnificent natural amphitheater. Covering 260 sq. km, the crater is an attraction in its own right and is one of the wonders of the natural world. The crater supports a year round resident population of a variety of wildlife. You will have no trouble spotting the BIG FIVE lion, leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo and many other species of plain animals- wildebeest, zebra, reedbuck, Thompson gazelle and many more. You will have picnic lunch in the Crater,