Leave the US.
Evening international flight from the US to Europe in coordination with Bird Treks. Last year's European stopover was in Amsterdam. Your night will be spent over the Atlantic Ocean.

Fly to Nairobi.
Depart the European city on a morning flight to arrive into Nairobi that evening. You will be picked up at the Nairobi Airport by Steven and the drivers for transfer to your first hotel. The night will be spent in the Nairobi Holiday Inn.

All day at Nairobi National Park.
Our entire day will be spent in the famed Nairobi National Park. The park is located on the edge of the city but you will feel as if you are far out on the savanna. This park is very diverse in habitats, having montane forest, a river, small lakes, grassland, and a deep rocky ravine. We will sample the birds and mammals from each of these areas. Specialty birds include Hartlaub's Bustard, Shelley's Francolin, Narina Trogon, White-headed Barbet, African Pygmy Kingfisher, White-tailed Lark, Northern Pied Babbler, and Long-tailed Fiscal, plus a host of waterbirds, raptors, cisticolas, and weavers. It is possible to see three species of longclaw in the grasslands, Pangani, Yellow-throated, and Rosy-breasted. It is not unusual at this time of year to see over 200 species in a single day! Mammals to look for include the endangered Black Rhino, Lion, Serval Cat, Masai Giraffe, White-bearded Gnu, Eland, Coke's Hartebeest, Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles, Impala, Cape Buffalo, Black-faced Vervet Monkey, Olive Baboon, and possibly even a Leopard. One year we saw three Cheetahs at the end of the day. As you can see we are not going to waste any time getting you into the big game for which Africa is famous. We will have lunch at one of the designated picnic sites, one of the few places you are allowed out of the vehicle within the park. We will return to Nairobi for dinner and the evening. Our second night at the Holiday Inn in Nairobi.

Nairobi to Naivasha via Limuru Pond and Gatamayu Forest.
We will leave early for a visit to Limuru Pond just outside of Nairobi. This small lake is usually teeming with birdlife. Watch for White-faced Whistling-Duck, the local White-backed Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Whiskered Tern, African Jacana, Purple Swamphen, herons, egrets, shorebirds, and a few raptors overhead. Our next stop will be at either Gatamayu Forest or Kiene Forest depending upon recent rains. Both are semi-protected montane forests with similar bird species. Birds of interest include Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Placid Greenbul, White-starred Robin, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Brown-backed Manakin, and four species of apalis, among a host of more common and widespread montane species. Mammals of note include troops of the handsome Black-and-White Colobus feeding in the forest canopy. We will have a nice picnic lunch before leaving for the Kinangop Plateau. Once we arrive at the plateau the bird life will change from forest species to the highland grassland species. Watch for Capped Wheatear once we exit the main road. Our main target in this area is a rare and local endemic, the Sharpe's Longclaw. Other birds that inhabit this region are the not so Common Quail, Levaillant's Cisticola, and migrating raptors, weather permitting. We plan to arrive to our lodge located on Lake Naivasha by late afternoon.

Morning boat ride on Lake Naivasha, transfer to Lake Baringo.
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in the Rift Valley and is a dream come true for birders. Highlights of birding the grounds may include Pearl-spotted Owlet, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, lovebirds, White-fronted Bee-eater, African Hoopoe, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Ruppell's Starling, Grey-backed Fiscal, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, African Paradise Flycatcher, Black-lored Babbler, and White-browed Robin-Chat, among many others. Along the lakeshore and on the boat trip we will search for Black Crake, Purple, Squacco, and Goliath Herons, the latter being the largest heron in the world, African Spoonbill, Southern Pochard, Hottentot Teal, the stunning African Fish Eagle, Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Grey-headed Gulls are abundant, Malachite, Pied, and Giant Kingfishers, Winding Cisticola, and Lesser Swamp Warbler. We will maneuver the boats around the Hippos in order not to disturb them. After lunch at the lodge we will transfer to Lake Baringo to the northwest, another bird-rich Rift Valley lake. Our night will be at the Baringo Country Club.

All day in Baringo.
An early morning visit to the nearby cliffs is always productive. Amongst the rocks and thornscrub we'll watch for Verreaux's Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Spotted Eagle-Owl, White-bellied Go-Away-Bird, Hemprich's and Jackson's Hornbills, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Cliff Chat, Bristle-crowned Starling, Fan-tailed Raven, Somali Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline-Tit, Hunter's, Beautiful, and Eastern Violet-backed Sunbirds, Red-headed Weaver, Eastern Paradise Whydah, and Green-winged Pytilia, among others. Mammals here include Rock Hyrax and the diminutive Kirk's Dikdik, a tiny antelope. Breakfast back at the lodge by the bird feeding station is also quite productive. We will get fantastic looks at a variety of doves, starlings, weavers including White-billed Buffalo Weaver, sparrows, and one year we had visits from Bearded Woodpecker, Brown Babbler, Red-and-Yellow Barbet, and a Nile Monitor! In the afternoon we will look for some roosting nocturnal species such as the elegant Heuglin's Courser, Spotted Thick-Knee, White-faced Scops Owl, and Slender-tailed Nightjar. A late afternoon walk along the lakeshore near the lodge can be good for ducks, herons, egrets, storks, sandpipers, plovers and lapwings, Red-throated Pipit, Northern Red Bishop, and weavers. A second night at the Baringo Country Club.

Baringo to Kakamega via birding the Kerio Valley.
Having hopefully seen everything possible the previous day, we will leave early for the Kerio Valley and new birds. Here amongst the riverine figs and rocky outcroppings we will look for such local species as White-crested Turaco, Gambaga Flycatcher, Green-backed Eremomela, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver. After a picnic lunch we will continue the drive, arriving in the rainforest of Kakamega in time for afternoon birding. The possibilities seem endless here with practically every bird being new. Along the entrance road we will look for Crested Guineafowl, Great Blue Turaco, African Broadbill, five species of barbet, Mountain and Grey Wagtails, many species of greenbuls and sunbirds, African Blue Flycatcher, Square-tailed Drongo, Banded and White-chinned Prinias, White-breasted and Grey-headed Negrofinches, Red-headed Bluebill, Red-headed Malimbe, Black-billed Weaver, and Oriole Finch. We will arrive at the lovely grounds of the Rondo in time to watch the massive Black-and-White-Casqued Hornbills move through the canopy that towers over our comfortable rooms. A peaceful night at the Rondo Retreat Center.

All day in Kakamega Forest Reserve.
Today we will bird the nearby Kakamega Rainforest Reserve with our good friend Wilburforce. The forest comes alive in the morning with hornbills, greenbuls, robin-chats, illadopsis, and warblers. Searching the enormous trees as well as the thick undergrowth may produce such specialties as Red-chested Owlet (#1 bird in 2001), the beautiful African Emerald Cuckoo, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Grey-throated, Yellow-spotted, Hairy-breasted, and Yellow-billed Barbets, Bar-tailed Trogon, Brown-eared and Buff-spotted Woodpeckers, four species of honeyguide, Red-tailed Bristlebill, White-tailed Ant Thrush, Western Black-headed Oriole, Pink-footed Puffback, Bocage's and Luhder's Bush-Shrikes, Mackinnon's Fiscal, four species of wattle-eye of which all are spectacular, Buff-throated Apalis, Southern Hyliota, Green Hylia, the very local Turner's Eremomela, Olive-green Camaroptera, Dusky Tit, nine species of sunbird, and Dark-backed and Brown-capped Weavers. Mammals of interest include Red-tailed and Blue Monkeys, and the Black-and-White Colobus. We will have all of our meals today at the Rondo and may even have a siesta before we head back out in the afternoon. A second night at the Rondo Retreat Center.

All day in Kakamega Forest Reserve.
Today we will continue birding this amazing rainforest, starting in the ravine behind our lodge. Here we will look for such skulkers as White-spotted Flufftail (a woodland rail), Blue-headed Coucal, Little Grey Greenbul, Brown Illadopsis, Brown-chested Alethe, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, and Black-collared Apalis. Canopy birds may include Great Blue Turaco, Double-toothed Barbet, Joyful Greenbul, Petit's Cuckoo-Shrike, Stuhlmann's Starling, Green-throated and Green-headed Sunbirds, Vieillot's Black Weaver, and Thick-billed Seedeater. Later we will bird along the entrance road looking for new birds such as Great Sparrowhawk, Yellowbill, the tail-wagging African Shrike Flycatcher, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, and Chubb's Cisticola. Kakamega is always exciting because one can only guess which rarities we may find during our time there. Will it be a Buff-spotted Flufftail, or perhaps a Black-billed Turaco or Chapin's Flycatcher? Our third and final night at Rondo.

Early transfer from Kakamega to Nakuru National Park.
We will arrive at the edges of Lake Victoria in the cool of the morning. The lakeshore is typically teeming with wildlife! Our first targets are the colorful Papyrus Gonolek and the large Blue-headed Coucal. Other specialties here include African Open-bill, Water Thick-Knee, Black-billed Barbet, Swamp Flycatcher, Red-chested Sunbird, 3 new species of weaver, Papyrus Canary, and hopefully some migrant Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, just to name a few. En route to our next destination watch for Bare-faced Go-away-birds, one of my favorites. Once we can see Lake Nakuru we will notice a pink haze in the shallower sections. Closer inspection will reveal a multitude of flamingos, mostly Lesser with the occasional group of Greater as well. Some wildlife enthusiasts consider this to be the greatest spectacle of nature. The sight of clouds of flamingos flying by us in the afternoon light will surely imprint on our mind a magical image that will last a lifetime. Other birds along the soda-encrusted lakeshore include Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Cape Teal, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, hundreds of Little Stints and Ruffs, with the occasional Kittlitz's, Ringed, and Mongolian Plovers. Listen for the yelping cries of the nearby African Fish Eagle, which preys upon Lesser Flamingo. Later in the afternoon we will look for big game such as Lion, Leopard, the endangered White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Rothschild's Giraffe, and Defassa Waterbuck. Another large predator in this park is the African Rock Python, known to kill, and swallow whole, a full-grown Impala! We'll return to the Lion Hill Sarova Lodge and another great dinner.

Morning at Lake Nakuru, transfer to Nara Moru on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
Lake Nakuru lies just outside the large town of Nakuru. A Yellow-barked Acacia forest lines the edge of the lake. Bird specialties of this forest include Hildebrandt's Francolin, the beautiful Broad-billed Roller, Red-throated Wryneck, Arrow-marked Babbler, and the fabulous yet endangered Grey-crested Helmet-Shrike. Other noteworthy species to be looked for include Steppe Eagle, African Harrier-Hawk, Little Sparrowhawk, Coqui Francolin, Striped Kingfisher, Rufous-crowned Roller, Eurasian Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Southern Ground Hornbill, Greater and Scaly-throated Honeyguides, Cliff Chat and Little Rock Thrush around the rocky outcroppings, Northern Anteater Chat, and African Firefinch. After lunch, with flamingo images fresh in our minds, we will head for the hills, the high hills of Mount Kenya. Along the way we will pass through a section of montane grassland, a favorite display area for the entertaining Long-tailed Widowbird. With luck we will see displaying males in slow, undulating flight above the grassland, their tremendously long tails waving behind them. Any of the roadside flowers could have the angelic Golden-winged Sunbird or the steely Malachite Sunbird searching for nectar and insects amongst the petals. A stop at Thomson's Falls has produced Slender-billed Starlings in the past. A horseshoe-shaped canyon with cliff walls will be our next roadside stop and has been a favorite daytime roost for the spectacular Cape Eagle-Owl. Our lodge this evening is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya beside the Nara Moru River. It has lovely grounds and a trail system along the river through patches of montane forest. We will arrive in the late afternoon, maybe in time for a brief look for African Black Duck or Mountain Wagtail that feed in the cold, fast-flowing water. We spend the night at the Nara Moru River Lodge.

Morning in the Mount Kenya area, transfer to Samburu Game Reserve.
Today we will begin birding around our lodge, looking for stunning species like Crowned Hornbill, Narina Trogon, and Tacazze Sunbird. With a picnic lunch in hand we will drive to nearby Mountain Rock Lodge and bird the grounds and gardens watching for Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Placid Greenbul, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, Brown-backed Manikin, and hopefully several species of starlings. Another stunning bird in this area is the Golden-breasted Bunting. It is not unusual to find Black-and-white Colobus and Blue Syke's Monkeys in the area as well. We will bid a temporary farewell to the highland forests, traveling through farm fields and open plains, as we make our way toward Samburu. It is in these highland fields where we watch for Black-winged Plover, Dusky Turtle-Dove, Red-capped Lark, and more Long-tailed Widowbirds with attendant males. The highlight in this area may very well be the migrating raptors. On a recent tour we counted at least 22 Steppe Eagles circling in a loose flock, and with them was the even more impressive Imperial Eagle! Other raptors may include Pallid and Montegue's Harriers, Augur Buzzard, White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures, and various falcons. It is not unusual to find flocks of migrating White Storks as well. We will make our descent from this high plateau, stopping for Boran Cisticola en route, our final destination being Samburu Game Reserve. The terrain here is much different from the montane forests and grasslands we just departed. Samburu is rocky and covered with dry thorn forest, with gallery forest along the river. The signature backdrop of Samburu is the unusual trunk forking Doum Palm that can be seen along the waterways. We will arrive at the beautiful Samburu Serena Lodge along the Uaso Nyiru River in time for the Nile Crocodile feeding. Watch the bait across the river for Leopard and both species of Hyena.

All day in Samburu.
A morning drive will produce many of the specialty birds of the area like Somali Ostrich, Palm-nut Vulture, the tiny African Pygmy Falcon, Vulturine Guineafowl, Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, African Orange-bellied Parrot, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, White-headed Mousebird, Somali Bee-eater, Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, the glorious Golden-breasted Starling, Bare-eyed Thrush, Rosy-patched Bush-Shrike, Black-capped Social-Weaver, and Cut-throat Finch. Back at the lodge watch for Water Thick-knee, Red-billed Hornbill, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Rufous Chatterer, Spotted Mourning Thrush, Eurasian migrants including flocks of Eurasian Hobby, both Nightingale and Thrush-Nightingale, Upcher's and Olivaceous Warblers, and Spotted Flycatcher. After lunch and a siesta we will go to a special location to look for the rare and local Somali Long-billed Crombec, which we saw and recorded its voice in 2001 and have seen again since then. Other birds in this area include the handsome Crested Bustard, Pink-breasted Lark, Three-streaked Tchagra, the aptly named Shining Sunbird, and Somali Golden-breasted Bunting. Samburu is great for big game as well with Lion, Cheetah, Striped Hyena, the attractive Reticulated Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Beisa Oryx, Greater Kudu, the unusual looking Gerenuk, which means Giraffe-Antelope, and the endangered Grevy's Zebra. It is here that we will see our first African Elephants of the tour. Our second night at Samburu Serena Lodge.

We have an excellent chance of seeing Cheetahs.

--Kevin Easley

Morning in Samburu, transfer to Mountain Lodge.
We will take one last game drive through nearby Buffalo Springs Reserve looking for Somali Courser, African Hawk Eagle, Red-necked Falcon, Namaqua Dove, the butterfly-like Golden Pipit, Red-winged Lark, Taita Fiscal, Black-bellied Sunbird, the local Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow Weaver, and Golden Palm Weaver, among others. We will then backtrack to the Mount Kenya highlands, watching for Black-winged Plover and Long-crested Eagles en route. Our destination is a wooden lodge that towers over a mineral salt lick surrounded by montane forest. Here, Elephant, Defassa Waterbuck, Cape Buffalo, Warthog, and Bushbuck come in to satisfy their appetite for various natural salts. Floodlights are kept on at night and it is then that some of the shyer species may appear, such as Spotted Hyena, Giant Forest Hog, and the occasional Black Rhino or even Leopard. Mount Kenya is the second tallest mountain in all of Africa rising to over 17,000 feet. Weather permitting, we may have great views of its snow-capped peaks. Our night will be at the Mountain Lodge.

Morning at Mountain Lodge, transfer to Nairobi for departure flight.
We begin this morning from the rooftop overlook watching for highland species like Scaly Francolin, Eastern Bronze-naped and Olive Pigeons, Red-fronted Parrot, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Black-throated Apalis, Yellow-crowned Canary, and Oriole Finch. A Bat Hawk surprised us on a recent tour. A walk along the entrance road is very good for the huge African Crowned Eagle, as well as African Emerald Cuckoo, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Yellow-rumped and Moustached Green Tinkerbird, Mountain Greenbul, the rare Kenrick's Starling, African Hill Babbler, Purple-throated Cuckoo-Shrike, and Grey-capped Warbler. Watch for the tiny antelope known as the Suni in the heavy undergrowth near the lodge. En route to Nairobi we will make a stop at a nearby camping area to look for the local and rare endemic Hinde's Babbler. Other notables in this area are Ayre's Hawk-Eagle, day-roosting African Wood Owl, and Brown-hooded Kingfisher. Another stop by a large marsh has been good for Black Crake, African Rail, shorebirds including the Greater Painted-Snipe, ducks, and White-winged Widowbirds. The last birding highlight might very well be the entertaining male Yellow-crowned Bishops displaying low over the rice fields like huge bumblebees. With our trip coming to an end we will make our way to Nairobi for showers, clean clothes, and repacking, followed by dinner and our daily checklist. We will then transfer to the International Airport to catch our evening flight home. Activities on the flight may include going over the more than 600 species of birds and 50 species of mammals seen during our safari in beautiful Kenya. Then again, you might want to take a nap! Night in the air en route to the European stopover city.

Home!
European stopover. We often have time for a few hours of birding and sightseeing in Amsterdam. A few of our life birds included Robin, Great Tit, Ring-necked Parakeet, and Short-toed Tree Creeper. Then we depart for the US to arrive back home in the afternoon or evening of the same day.

Steven L. Easley lived near Nairobi, Kenya for four years. During that time he had the opportunity to observe more than 920 species within Kenya. He is very knowledgeable of the calls and habits of all Kenyan birds and enjoys identifying the difficult groups such as cisticolas and greenbuls. His expertise will be evident from day one. Steven also works as a guide in Costa Rica through Costa Rica Gateway. Steven's parents lived in Kenya as missionaries from 1994 to 2000. A second guide will join Steven if we add a second van.

Approximately $4395 per person from Nairobi, based upon double occupancy. We will finalize the tour fee as soon as possible. We anticipate little or no increase over the stated price. Single accommodations are available at an extra cost of approximately $575 if we are given ample notice. If you request a roommate but one is not available, you may need to pay part or all of the single supplement. This is different from our usual policy, but necessary because of pricing and policies at the Kenya lodges.

Expert guide service with Steven Easley and resident guides; all boat rides, ground transportation, and entrance fees within Kenya; ALL meals and lodging for the entire tour. ALL tips are also included in the tour fee, except for anything extra that you may wish to give to your tour leaders, drivers, and boat captains.
Does not include the cost of alcoholic beverages, extra drinks during the day, items of a personal nature, airport departure tax, or airfare to Nairobi. Upon request we will help you obtain the best possible airfare and coordinate arrivals into Nairobi. Also not included are costs of passport, visa, and inoculations.

A $1000 deposit will assure your reservation on the tour. The balance is due August 1, 2008. Send your deposit SOON so that we can secure the least expensive airfare to Nairobi and guarantee your spot on the tour.

We offer the services of our exclusive BIRD TREKS travel agent, Lori Heathcote, in arranging your air travel. Lori has 22 years of experience in the travel industry and is a veteran birder. Contact her through Bailey Travel at 1-800-224-5399, or you can e-mail lori@baileytravel.com. By dealing with Lori you have the security of a 24-hour toll-free telephone number in case of any travel emergency. She can also assist you with all pre- and post-tour travel plans.

With written notice more than 90 days prior to the first day of the tour, 100% of your deposit will be refunded, minus a $100 service fee. With 30-90 days notice, you will receive a 50% refund of the full cost of the tour. No refund can be made with less than 30 days notice. You will receive a full refund if you provide a replacement for your spot on the tour. No partial refund can be given once a tour begins. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment in case of injury or illness to you or your family prior to or during a tour. Click on the following link to Access America or contact BIRD TREKS for information on obtaining this coverage.