D - Serengeti Birding Safari

explore tanzia - central serengeti migration safari

Serengeti Birding Safari

If you are a birder who wants to explore the rich diversity of birds in Tanzania, you cannot make a better choice than this Group Serengeti Birding Safari. Experience the Great Wildebeest Migration - one of the world’s most thrilling, intriguing and spectacular displays of wildlife behaviour. Join us for an unforgettable 8-day safari adventure in April and enjoy the best of what Tanzania has to offer! Search for the “Big Five” in the scenic Tarangire National Park, the wildlife-teeming Ngorongoro Crater and the plains of the Serengeti .

Our small group safaris offer the opportunity to explore Tanzania while enjoying the company of an intimate group of like-minded safari enthusiasts, on a set itinerary.

Your Birding Host:

Itinerary:

Day 0: Johannesburg

Meet an eXplore Plus Travel & Tours representative at OR Tambo Airport at the Kenya Airways check-in counter 3 hours before the scheduled departure time as your flight to Tanzania departs after midnight. Enjoy full assistance from our representative through all airport check-in processes.
Day 1: Johannesburg / Kilimanjaro Airport / Arusha

Depart from Johannesburg on an overnight flight with Kenya Airways to Kilimanjaro Airport (departing at 01h15, arriving at 09h50). You will, therefore, touch down in Nairobi and board another flight to Tanzania. Our friendly safari team will welcome you to Kilimanjaro Airport, and they will transfer you to Arusha. Arusha is the hub of Tanzania's legendary Northern safari circuit and home to Mt Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara National Parks. Arusha is also one of the foremost coffee-growing regions in Tanzania.
Afternoon visits Engikaret or Lark Plains, the most famous birding spot in East Africa to see the endemic Beeslys's Lark and other dry country species. Other Lark’s that can be spotted in this tiny area is the Fawn-coloured (or Foxy) Lark, Fischer’s Sparrow-lark, Short-tailed Lark, Athi Short-toed Lark (split from Somali Short-toed Lark), and the Red-capped Lark.
Stay: Kahawa Lodge (Standard room)
Meals: Dinner & breakfast
Day 2: Arusha / Tarangire National Park / Lake Manyara

After breakfast, we meet our guide for a short briefing. We head off to Tarangire National Park, known as the land of giants - elephants and baobab trees. We’ll leave Arusha behind and drive to Tarangire National Park for a game drive in the Park.
Late afternoon we travel towards the local town of Mto Wa Mbu (Maasai for Mosquito Village – the only place in Tanzania which represents all tribes – 120 ethnic groups). Bananas are the main export in the area, and there are over thirty species of banana in the village, including a red banana which we recommend you give a try! We continue to drive up the Rift Valley escarpment to our Lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with distant views over Lake Manyara. With over 400 bird species recorded, you will find the Greater and lesser flamingo on the lake, as well as large numbers of pelicans and wading birds such as the African spoonbill and the charming African jacana. Rare gems found here include the Rufous-tailed weaver, ashy starling, emerald cuckoo, and Black-collared lovebird.
Stay: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge (Standard room)
Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast
Day 3: Lake Manyara / Serengeti National Park

Our journey continues towards the misty Ngorongoro highlands, passing on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, where we will stop for your first spectacular view of the Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands together form one of Africa's most beautiful regions. En route, you can opt to visit a Maasai village near Ngorongoro Crater. (The Maasai charge US$30 per person - for your account).
After bidding the Maasai farewell, our adventure takes us to the Central Serengeti with en-route game viewing as we make our way towards the Lodge. The Central area encompasses the world-famous Seronera Valley, which is known for its prime wildlife-viewing opportunities. The Serengeti is renowned for its incredible concentrations of predators and the Great Migration of more than 1,5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras.
Stay: Embalakai Authentic Camp (Standard tent)
Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast
Day 4 & 5: Serengeti National Park

Balloon Safari - optional
Enjoy two full days game drive to explore more of what the Serengeti offers and enjoy the greatest safari spectacle in the world – the great wildebeest migration as massive herds of wildebeest call the Central Serengeti home during this time of the year. On our Tanzania birding tours you can experience one of the most prominent activities at the Park, bird watching! Second, to game viewing, the Park harbors over 500 bird species across the endless plains. The most common sited birds are the Kori bustard, Secretary bird, Black-headed gonolek, Spurb sterling, Ruppell’s vulture, Southern ground hornbill, Grey-crested helmet-shrike, Black Eagles, Ostriches, and many more. Endemic bird species we hope to encounter are the Rufous-tailed weaver, Fischer’s lovebird, and grey-breasted spurfowl.
Stay: Embalakai Authentic Camp (Standard tent)
Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast
Day 6: Serengeti National Park / Ngorongoro Crater

We’re in no hurry to leave and will spend most of the day in the Serengeti discovering more of what the Serengeti offers as we are slowly moving toward the park gate. The Serengeti will leave you with images of vastness and breathtaking beauty and memories to re-telling and re-living long after your safari. Late afternoon drive to Ngorongoro Crater to overnight on the crater rim.
An afternoon guided bird hike from the lodge on the Crater Rim can be arranged at US$40.00 per person (your account). The Afromontane Forest that swathes the crater rim supports different flora and fauna on the crater floor. Colourful forest birds often seen in lodge gardens on the crater rim include bar-tailed trogon, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, baglafecht weaver, tacazze sunbird, malachite sunbird, golden-winged sunbird, and Schalow’s turaco.
Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (standard room) with picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast.
Stay: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (Standard room).
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater / Lake Manyara NP

Today we’ll rise early morning to witness the sunrise over the Crater before enjoying an extended game drive along the Crater floor. A steep entry track leads us 600m down to the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater floor (referred to as the Garden of Eden). The crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes, and springs to open grassland with fantastic wildlife. Witness an unforgettable spectacle of African wildlife - a world teeming with animals. The park sustains a vast variety of animals, including the black rhino, with its year-round water supply and fodder. Another big drawcard to this picturesque park is its dense population of predators, which includes lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard. A drive through the forest will allow you to feast your eyes on some of the most spectacular green vegetation you will ever see. Ngorongoro Crater is also a 'must-see destination for bird-lovers – famous for its crowned cranes, kori bustards, secretary birds, and ostriches. It's common to see all of Africa's largest birds in a single day! We enjoy a picnic lunch with the last game drive en route to the access point followed by a drive to our lodge.
Stay: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge (Standard room)
Meals: Picnic lunch, dinner & breakfast
Day 8: Lake Manyara / Kilimanjaro Airport / Johannesburg

Morning game drive at Lake Manyara National Park, where we will enjoy lunch at a picnic site with beautiful views of the park. The mosaic of the Park's different habitats is easily seen: the rift wall, the groundwater forest, acacia woodlands, open grassland, the lakeshore, swamp, and the lake itself. With over 400 bird species recorded, you will find the Greater and lesser flamingo on the lake, as well as large numbers of pelicans and wading birds such as the African spoonbill and the charming African jacana. Rare gems found here include the Rufous-tailed weaver, ashy starling, emerald cuckoo, and Black-collared lovebird.
Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your onward flight home (departing at 18h30 Tanzanian time, arriving at 01h05 South African time).
End of service

We also offer this as a private safari or can send you a tailor-made quotation similar to the above itinerary - one designed specifically for you, around your taste, budget, interests and more.

Return economy airfares with Kenya Airways from Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro Airport (INCLUDING airport taxes).
Airport transfers from Kilimanjaro Airport with English speaking driver/guide.
Accommodation in Arusha with breakfast & dinner.
Accommodation on safari on a full board basis (breakfast, lunch & dinner).
4x4 stretched Land Cruiser safari vehicles (maximum 6 clients per vehicle).
Roof pop tops for better photography and game viewing vantage points.
Mini fridge you can use to stock with drinks (for your account).
Reference Books & Maps.
Bottled water in vehicles.
1x Ngorongoro Crater tour.
Unlimited kilometres on game drives during the safari.
Services of your professional and knowledgeable Tanzanian English-speaking driver/guide.
All national park entrance fees (park fees are valid for 24 hours – if you enter the Park at a particular time, you need to exit at the same time).
Travel information pack.
Free postage of travel documents.

Entry visa to Tanzania
Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
Meals and drinks not specified
Laundry services
Gratuities to the driver/guide, hotel staff & porters
Maasai Boma visit fee
Balloon safari
All expenses of personal nature
Malaria – Tanzania is a malaria area

Dates & Prices

Dates:

SMALL GROUP DEPARTURE DATES:

2024 dates TBA

Rates:

SHARING:	SINGLE:
TBA	TBA

Exchange rate used (bank selling rate): R17.50 to US$1.00
Request a quote from our Safari Specialists for the most current rates and availability on our group departures.
Please treat all pricing as a guide only.
All rates are subject to increases beyond our control, including fuel price, government taxes and exchange rate fluctuations.
Maximum 18 clients per safari, with a maximum of 6 clients per vehicle.

National Parks:

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is a long, thin park covering 1,360 sq. km, roughly running north south along the line of the Tarangire River. It is made up chiefly of low-lying, rolling hills on the Rift floor, its natural vegetation of acacia woodland and giant baobabs only altered by huge areas of swamp. The swamps of black cotton mud produce rich grasslands, while the watercourses are lined by huge trees, including sycamore fig, tamarind, and sausage trees.

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti’s endless plains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is patrolled by Africa’s big cats, elephants, buffaloes, gazelles and giraffes and is perhaps most famous for the migration of animals. The principle players are the wildebeest, whose numbers appear to have increased to about 2 million. In addition, about 250,000 zebras make the seasonal journey to fresh pastures, first to the north, then the south after the rains. Their ancient instinct to move is so strong that no drought, gorge or crocodile-infested river can hold them back. In February the wildebeest cows drop their young in a synchronized birthing that sees some 300 000 to 400 000 calves born within two to three weeks.

Bird watching in the Serengeti is good all year round, at its very best from November to April.This is when European and North African migratory birds are present for resident species.

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest unbroken volcanic caldera and is regarded as the 8th wonder of the world. It is one of the most diverse and fascinating areas of Tanzania and has been given the status of a World heritage site and International Biosphere Reserve. The fertile slopes and steep forest-covered walls are home to approximately 30,000 animals including the rare black rhino. The various ecosystems found within the 260 square kilometre crater floor sustain Cape buffalo, elephants, wildebeest, zebras, elands, gazelles, hippos, numerous bird species as well as a high concentration of predators. Although birdlife is generally good throughout the year, from November to April, migratory birds from Europe and Northern Africa are present and many resident birds are in breeding plumage.

Lake Manyara

Located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara is a remarkably species-rich reserve, primarily known for its birds, elephants, flamingos and tree-climbing lions. En-route to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara is well worth a stop. Its forests, bush plains, baobab-strewn cliffs and hot springs offer an incredible variety in a small area. The alkaline soda lake is home to an incredible array of birdlife.