7-Day Kenya Birding Safari: Samburu to Maasai Mara

The northern journey from Nairobi includes the scheduled Thomson’s Falls stop, where birdwatching focuses on the vegetation around the waterfall and permitted viewing areas. The programme then continues to Samburu National Reserve.

The afternoon birding drive explores the Ewaso Nyiro river corridor and adjoining scrub. Your guide looks for water-associated birds, woodland species and dry-country birds, while other wildlife encountered along the route adds to the introduction to Samburu.

Morning and afternoon birding drives explore Samburu’s riverine woodland, acacia scrub and open ground. The guide uses calls, movement and habitat to locate birds and explain the features useful for identification.

The second session continues across different habitat patches, looking for raptors, ground birds and smaller woodland species alongside the reserve’s mammals. The programme provides observation and photography time without promising a fixed species total or particular nesting colony.

The day begins with birdwatching around the camp’s permitted grounds before the programme leaves Samburu for Lake Nakuru. The journey links the dry-country birding of the north with the Rift Valley lake environment.

The introductory Nakuru game drive explores the lakeshore and adjoining woodland. Your guide looks for waterbirds and woodland species while also observing rhinos and other mammals encountered along the park roads.

The morning Lake Nakuru drive continues the exploration of lakeshore, grassland and woodland habitats, combining birdwatching with wildlife viewing. The programme then moves to Lake Naivasha for the included boat ride on the freshwater lake.

The boat route provides opportunities to observe waterbirds and hippos, followed by the included Crescent Island walk on open sanctuary paths. Later birdwatching continues around permitted lakeside and Hell’s Gate-area routes before the Naivasha overnight.

An early lakeside walk provides further birdwatching before departure for the Maasai Mara. The scheduled escarpment viewpoint stop adds time to scan the open landscape and look for birds in a different setting.

The afternoon Mara birding drive explores grassland and riverine habitats. Your guide looks for ground birds, raptors and water-associated species while also observing the mammals encountered along the route.

Morning and afternoon drives give a full day to birding and wildlife observation in the Maasai Mara. The programme explores open grassland for ground birds and raptors, then follows suitable riverine and wooded routes for a different range of species.

The guide provides time to observe plumage, behaviour and habitat, helping distinguish birds encountered during the drives. Mammal sightings remain part of the safari, while the birding programme follows the species present rather than a guaranteed daily count.

A final birding session around the lodge’s permitted gardens and treeline offers another opportunity to observe local species before departure. The return to Nairobi includes the scheduled Rift Valley birding stops, concluding the habitat sequence from Samburu’s dry country through the lakes to the Mara.