The Usambaras And The Indian Ocean

if arrived at night then the next morning we shall visit the lark plains just about 45 km north of Arush searching for the super endemic and probably the most endangered bird in Tanzania Beesley’s lark and other birds that inhabit short grass plains and acacia scrub.

Drive back to your hotel in the afternoon, rest and get ready for the next day.

Leave the hotel early in the morning for Arusha National Park, In this beautiful National Park at the base of the second tallest mountain in Tanzania, Mount Meru, we will spend the whole day in the Park enjoying wildlife and looking for some aquatic and forest birds species such as Moustached grass warbler, Maccoa duck, Grey-headed nigrita, Hartlaub” Turaco, Bar-tailed and Narina Trogon, African Olive pigeon, Waller’s and Kenrick’s starling, Black sparrowhawk, Cinnamon chested sunbird, Bronze sunbird, Evergreen forest warbler, Cinnamon bracken warbler, red-faced and singing cisticola, trilling cisticola and many more species. Return to the hotel later in the afternoon.

Early departure for about 2hours drive to Tarangire National Park where we will be looking for some aquatic and open woodland bird species such as Red and yellow barbet, White-faced whistling duck, long-toed plover, rufous-bellied heron, the Tanzania’s endmic – Ashy Starling, Northern pied babbler and the near endemic Rufous tailed weaver, Nothern yellow-billed hornbill, Southern Ground hornbill, Red-bellied parrot, yellow-collared lovebird, Martial and Towny Eagle, Crimson-rumped waxbill, Eastern grey woodpecker and many more birds of open woodland.

Later in the afternoon drive to your hotel at Mto wa mbu small town or Karatu town.

After breakfast, drive to Karatu and hike in the beautiful Endoro trail for about 3hours in the beautiful Endoro forest part of  Ngorongoro Conservation Area looking for some beautiful bird species such as Mbulu white-eye, White-tailed blue flycatcher, Purple-throated cuckooshrike, Hildebrandt’s spurfowl, Brown-headed apalis, Grey-capped warbler, Schalow’s Turaco.

Lunch in the hotel or enjoy Swahili dish in Karatu town and drive back to arusha.

Leave early to Mererani and Maasai Steppe just south-east of Arusha for some beautiful species that inhabit the Maasai-Somali biome such as Somali(acacia) Tit, Mouse-coloured penduline tit, Tsavo sunbird, Hunter’s sunbird, African bare-eyed thrush, scaly chatterer, Golden-breasted starling, Pringle’s puffback, Black-throated barbet, Pygmy batis, Black-capped social weaver, Pink-breasted lark Grey wren-warbler and depending on the time, we may explore the Shambarai swamp for some water birds.

Drive back to arusha in the afternoon and get ready for the next morning drive to Same small town for South pare mountains.

Leave early for a long drive to Same small town and arrive there for lunch. We will make some few stops birdwatching on the way. Conduct birding in the afternoon in the woodland just outside Mkomazi National Park before for some species like Eastern Black-headed batis, Eastern yellow-billed hornbill, Black-bellied sunbird. Dinner and overnight stay in the hotel at Same small town.

Early drive to South Pare Mountains for an endemic South Pare white-eye and other species we may find on our way to and fro.

Back to the hotel/lodge and start our drive to the Legendary Usambara Mountains and start birding right after setting up our camp in the Magamba forest.

Full day birding in Magamba forest, walking in the trails searching for amazing bird species in this spectacular forest, all endemics, near endemics and the specials of this part of Eastern Arc Mountains such as Usambara weaver, Usambara akalat, Usambara double-collared sunbird, Usambara thrush, Usambara greenbul, Red-capped forest warbler, Spot-throat, Füllerborn’s boubou, Moustached Tinkerbird, White-breasted Alethe and many more bird species. We may also do a night walk for some Usambara specials such as chameleons where we may also see or hear an African wood owl.

We will divide the day into two or three depending on how you feel.

Before breakfast, we will do our la88st bird walk to fill the gapes and get back to our camp for breakfast, pack everything and depart to East Usambara.

Birding on the way whenever possible and arive in the Amani Forest in the afternoon where we shall bird around the Hotel/Lodge before night.

In this amazing forest of East Usambara birding will include a bit of drives and walks searching for very special birds such as Amani sunbird, Banded green sunbird, Uluguru violet-backed sunbird, Fischer’s turaco, Green-headed oriole, Moustached green-tinkerbird, Green barbet, the very special Long-billed forest warbler(Tailorbird), Kretschmer’s Longbill, Black-bellied, Kenrick’s and Waller’s starling, Half-collared Kingfisher, Sharpe’s akalat, and the very endemic Usambara Eagle-owl which we may see or hear at night.

Spend the next morning in the lower elevation looking for other Amani specials: Fischer’s, Montane Tiny and placid greenbul, Forest batis, plain backed sunbird, Tanzania illadopsis, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Little spotted and mombasa woodpecker, Little yellow flycatcher, Usambara Hyliota, Chestnut-fronted helmetshrike, Plain-backed sunbird.  Drive back for lunch and drive to Pangani in the afternoon where we will arrive for dinner.

Waking up in a mesmerizing view of Indian Ocean, Ushogo beach is one of the very few clean and most peaceful beaches along the Indian ocean.

Here it will be more of relaxation and a bit of birding along the shoreline for shorebirds and in the coastal thickets. Expecting to see lots of Terns, Gulls, Crab plover, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed godwit, Curlew sandpiper, Mangrove kingfisher, Black-bellied starling, White-throated Bee-eater, Pale batis, Kurichane thrush, Crested barbet and a lot more.

Only about 10 minutes boat trip to a beautiful tiny island for Snorkeling and a little bit of birding. We will spend the morning on this beautiful island and head back to the hotel/lodge for lunch.

Spend the rest of the day enjoying the beach.

Spend the morning bird watching in the coastal thickets and head back to the hotel/lodge for breakfast before starting our journey back to Arusha for your flight back home on either the following night or day.

End of our amazing Birding Tour.