12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania

12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania starts and end in Dar Es Salaam. You will bird several destinations such as Nyerere National Park, Mikumi National Park, Udzungwa Mountains, Kilombero Valley and the mighty Ruaha National Park to spot a number of birds such as Crested barbet, Hornbills, Dickinson’s kestrel, Pale-billed hornbill, Green-wood hoopoes, Violet-crested turaco, Racket-tailed roller, Plovers, Kingfishers, Sunbirds, Bee-eaters, Egrets among others.

Tanzania is one of the best birdwatching destination with an approximate total of about 11114 avifauna as of August 2019; 30 of them are endemic, 44 are accidental, and 4 being introduced by humans. This total is the third-highest in Africa, representing more than 10% of the global avifauna. Accommodation before the 12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania starts and airport pick up can be arranged at an extra cost.

12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania Highlight

• Day 1: Dar es Salaam to Selous Game Reserve
• Day 2: Full day game drive Selous Game Reserve
• Day 3: Nature walk & Birding Selous Game Reserve
• Day 4: Transfer from Selous to Mikumi National Park
• Day 5: Bird Miombo woodlands and then Mikumi national park
• Day 6: Full day birding in Mikumi National Park
• Day 7: Transfer from Mikumi to Udzungwa National Park
• Day 8: Bird the Kilombero Valley Endemics
• Day 9: Udzungwa to Ruaha National Park
• Day 10: Big game viewing, Photography and birding Ruaha National Park
• Day 11: Adventure Ruaha National Park
• Day 12: Transfer from Ruaha National Park to Dar Es Salaam

Day 1: Dar es Salaam to Selous Game Reserve

Meet and greet your birding guide for a quick briefing about 12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania and drive to Selous game reserve, arriving on time for late lunch at Rufiji River Lodge which is located at the banks of great Rufiji River. After lunch, relax and set off for an exciting boat cruise along the river to meet several animals including the hippos and crocodiles. The Common birds to see during your boat cruise on river Rufiji include; kingfishers, yellow-billed storks, lapwings and colorful bee-eaters. Fish eagle and palm-nut vulture can also be seen high in the trees and skimmers always fly across the water. Have dinner and overnight stay at Rufiji River Camp.

Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Full day game drive Selous Game Reserve

Have an early morning breakfast and set off for a full day game drive in Selous game reserve to look for wildlife such as Waterbuck, southern reedbuck and bushbuck, the Rare sable antelope, lion and greater kudu among others. Your packed lunch will be served by your driver guide who will select a perfect location with shade and water nearby to watch several animals coming to drink! Today you will also see several birds in Selous game reserve like; the Spur-winged lapwing, The White-fronted bee-eater, The Pel’s fishing owl Rare, African wattled lapwing, The African spoonbill, The Common White-headed vulture among others. Retire from your full day exploration and drive to the camp for sunset viewing. Dinner and overnight at Rufiji River Camp.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Nature walk & Birding Selous Game Reserve

Wake up early and set off for a guided nature walk through the bush and along the riverbank with a help of an armed ranger to explore fauna and flora of the game reserve. Return to the camp for breakfast and later head to the park for another game drive/ birdwatching experience to look for birds like; the Pearl-spotted owlet, Thick-billed cuckoo, Broad-billed roller, White-headed lapwing, White-backed vulture, African skimmer, Böhm’s bee-eater, Pel’s fishing owl , White-fronted plover, yellow-bellied bulbul, green-capped eremomela, African skimmers, a pearl-spotted owl, Layard’s black-headed weavers, broad-billed roller, grey-hooded kingfisher, Brown-headed parrot, mosque swallow, the brown-breasted barbet, freckled nightjars, palm-nut vulture, purple-banded sunbird, Mangrove kingfishers, spotted-flanked barbet, red-throated twin spot, waders, wattle-eyed flycatchers, spotted-flanked barbet, green-billed coucal, Arnot’s chat, long-tailed fiscal, Livingstone’s flycatcher, red-winged warbler, Boehm’s bee-eater, black cuckoo-shrike, Sterling’s barred warbler, green-capped eremomela, red-faced Crombec, red-billed helmetshrike, white helmet-shrikes, grey Penduline-tit, Von der Decken’s hornbill, Brown-necked parrot , Black-winged stilt , Palm-nut vulture , Dickinson’s kestrel, Racket-tailed roller, Yellow-billed stork, Carmine bee-eater White-backed night heron, the Rock pratincole in Selous Game Reserve. Dinner and overnight stay at Rufiji River Camp.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Transfer from Selous to Mikumi National Park

Have an early Breakfast and set off for Mikumi national park, driving through the Selous game reserve from Eastern region to West into Morogoro and Mikumi. Mikumi is home to several hills and plains. The park also forms part of the famous Miombo Woodlands. You will have an opportunity to spot several special and rare Wildlife that can’t be seen anywhere in Tanzania. You will also enjoy unscheduled stretching and birding stops en route arriving in time for dinner and overnight at Tan-Swiss Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Bird Miombo woodlands and then Mikumi national park

Have breakfast and head to Miombo woodlands for a guided birding walk in search for birds like; Miombo Grey Tit, Miombo Rock Thrush, Shelley’s Sunbird, Stierling’s Woodpecker among others. Later in the afternoon retire Miombo woodlands and drive inside Mikumi National park to look for birds like; African hawk eagle, African grey hornbill, African openbill, Cardinal woodpecker, Green wood-hoopoe, Long-tailed fiscal, Malachite kingfisher, Mariqua sunbird, Northern carmine bee-eater, Northern pied babbler, Pale batis, Pale-billed hornbill, Red-billed oxpecker, Shelley’s sunbird, Southern ground hornbill, Purple-crested turaco, Yellow-throated longclaw among others. Later drive back to the camp for dinner and overnight at Vuma Hills Tented Camp

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Full day birding in Mikumi National Park

Have breakfast and go for game drive / birdwatching in Mikumi National Park in search for a list of birds in the park like; Common Ostrich, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Egyptian Goose, Spur-winged Goose, Helmeted Guineafowl, Crested Guineafowl, Crested Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Harlequin Quail, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Scaly Francolin, Yellow-necked Francolin, Red-necked Francolin, Little Grebe, Mourning Collared-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Tambourine Dove, Namaqua Dove, African Green-Pigeon, White-bellied Bustard, Buff-crested Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Livingstone’s Turaco, Purple-crested Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Gray Go-away-bird, White-bellied Go-away-bird, White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, Green Malkoha, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Pied Cuckoo,Thick-billed Cuckoo, Dideric Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Black-winged Kite, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, European Honey-buzzard, African Cuckoo-Hawk, White-headed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Hooded Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Rüppell’s Griffon, Bateleur, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Fasciated Snake-Eagle, Crowned Eagle, Martial Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Eastern Chanting-Goshawk, Gabar Goshawk, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, African Marsh-Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, African Goshawk, Shikra, Little Sparrowhawk, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, Black Goshawk, Black Kite, African Fish-Eagle, Common Buzzard, Augur Buzzard, Crowned Hornbill, African Gray Hornbill, Pale-billed Hornbill, Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Trumpeter Hornbill, Malachite Kingfisher, Gray-headed Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Striped Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher among others. Dinner and overnight at Vuma Hills Tented Camp.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Transfer from Mikumi to Udzungwa National Park

Have breakfast and transfer southwards into Udzungwa and Kilombero flood plains for a memorable afternoon bird watching; looking for the Kilombero flood plains endemic bird species like the Kilombero weaver, Kilombero cisticola, Iringa akalat, Melodius cisticola, the dappled throated mountain robin and many more. Dinner and overnight at Udzungwa Twiga Hotel

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Bird the Kilombero Valley Endemics

After breakfast set off for birdwatching on foot / hiking the East Udzungwa forest to look for forest birds including the endemic Kilombero Weaver, Kilombero Cisticola and White-tailed Cisticola among others and endemic primates such as Udzungwa red colobus Procolobus gordonorum and Sanje mangabey Cercocebus, and the near-endemic kipunji monkey Rungwecebus kipunji. Dinner and overnight stay at Udzungwa Twiga Hotel

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Udzungwa to Ruaha National Park

After breakfast set off for a long day drive from Udzungwas to the Great Ruaha National Park via Mikumi and Iringa Towns into Ruaha with bird stop and game viewing en-route. Birdwatching in Ruaha National Park is extremely interesting and rewarding since the park hosts approximately 574 bird species.  Exciting birding is normally done during the wet season and migratory birds are seen from November up to April. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha River Lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Big game viewing, Photography and birding Ruaha National Park

Have breakfast and for an interesting big game viewing, Photography and birding in Ruaha national park. The following is a list of bird species seen in Ruaha national park; African fish eagle, Ashy starling, Black-bellied bustard, Collared palm-thrush, Crested barbet, Eleonora’s falcon, Emerald-spotted wood dove, Goliath heron, Long-crested eagle, Namaqua dove, Southern ground hornbill, Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, White-bellied go-away bird, Yellow-collared lovebird among others.

The most common big game that you may see on this day include; cheetah; elephant; buffalo; hippos; lion; leopard; wild dog; crocodiles; roan and sable antelope; Greater and Lesser Kudu; and Grants gazelles among others. Retire and come back to your booked lodge for dinner and night stay at Ruaha River Lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 11: Adventure Ruaha National Park

Have breakfast and go to Ruaha national park for another game drive and bird watching experience in search for the missed animals and birds in the previous day. Expect to see birds like yellow-collared lovebird, the crested barbet and ashy starling. Other notable birds are Collared palm-thrush, the common Tanzanian red- billed hornbill, Giant kingfisher, White-browed coucal, The common Bateleur, Spur-winged goose, African fish eagle, Crested barbet, Black-bellied bustard, Collared palm-thrush, Emerald-spotted wood dove, Goliath heron, Eleonora’s falcon, Long-crested eagle, Namaqua dove, Southern ground hornbill, White-bellied go-away bird, Yellow-collared lovebird and so many other birds. Dinner and overnight at Ruaha River Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 12: Transfer from Ruaha National Park to Dar Es Salaam

After breakfast, drive through Ruaha national park as you check out to start a long drive from the park to Julius Nyerere International Airport via Dar Es Salaam city to end your 12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania with lots of memories.

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch

12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania includes;

• Park fees
• All activities
• All accommodation
• A professional driver/guide
• All transportation
• All Taxes/VAT
• Meals As specified in the day-by-day section
• Drinking water

12 Day Birding Safari in Southern Tanzania excludes;

• International flights
• Airport pick up
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
• Tips
• Personal items like Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.
• Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees