Tour Leader: Paul Varney
Tour price (Per person): USD7,095 * GBP5,664 * EUR6,815 * AUD10,925
Single Supplement: USD590 * GBP471 * EUR567 * AUD909
Tour Leader: Yoav Perlman
Tour price (Per person): USD7,195 * GBP5,744 * EUR6,911 * AUD11,079
Single Supplement: USD610 * GBP487 * EUR586 * AUD939
Our tour explores the famous and quintessential birding and wildlife reserves of northern Tanzania, Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The tour will focus on Tanzanian endemics and regional specials whilst having ample time to marvel at some of the highest concentrations of wildlife to be found anywhere on our planet, and all this amidst spectacular scenery in one of Africa's wildest, most stable and least spoilt destinations. Some of the many regional specials and endemic birds that we will target on this tour are the beautiful Fischer’s and Yellow-collared Lovebirds, Ashy Starling, Grey-breasted Spurfowl and Rufous-tailed Weaver. With Mt. Kilimanjaro as a backdrop, we will search for the highly localized Beesley’s Lark, one the world’s rarest lark species with perhaps no more than 250 birds left. Our tour uses a good standard of accommodation and comfortable safari vehicles with pop-up roof hatches to optimize viewing. This incredible and immensely rewarding birding safari is augmented by some of the most outstanding mammal viewing the world has to offer.
Fischer’s & Yellow-collared Lovebirds; Ashy Starling; Grey-breasted Spurfowl; Rufous-tailed Weaver; Beesley’s Lark; Rosy-patched Bushshrike; Blue-naped Mousebird; Von der Decken’s & Silvery-cheeked Hornbills; White-bellied Go-away-bird; White-headed Buffalo Weaver; Grey-crested Helmetshrike; Karamoja Apalis; Secretarybird; Bateleur; Silverbird; Blue-capped Cordonbleu; Lappet-faced Vulture; Schalow’s & Purple-crested Turacos; Tacazze, Golden-winged & Eastern Double-collared Sunbirds; Crowned & Martial Eagles; Abyssinian Scimitarbill; vast numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos; Red-throated Tit; Steel-blue Whydah; Kori & White-bellied Bustards; Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill; Saddle-billed & Marabou Storks; Grey Crowned Crane.
African Elephant; Black Rhinoceros; Lion; Leopard; African Buffalo (the 'Big Five'); Cheetah; Serval; East African (Maasai) Giraffe; Spotted Hyena; Bat-eared Fox; Thomson’s & Grant’s Gazelles; Tsessebe; Hartebeest; Bohor Reedbuck; Common Eland; Common Hippopotamus; Kirk’s Dik-dik; Oribi; (Defassa & Common) Waterbuck; Blue Wildebeest; Plains Zebra.
lowland & afromontane forests, Acacia savanna, rivers and wetlands, rocky gorges, grassland, Baobab-studded grasslands.
warm to hot, dry conditions, but cool at higher elevations and rain can be expected
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
undemanding, but some relatively long drives
comfortable lodges & tented safari camp
mostly easy birding & mammal watching
Oldupai Prehistoric site, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Maasai, African curios
very good to outstanding
Both the tour leader, Stuart Elsom, and the local driver were great. he knew exactly where to go for a certain set of species - all knowledge from his many trips to these areas of the tour.
"Andre loved showing us this part of Africa and now we understand why! Yes the birds were amazing and yes seeing the animals in their natural habitat was breathtaking but it was also much more. It was the endless horizons. It was the distant and up close rains. It was Mt. Kenya appearing and disappearing rom us. It was the people. The colorful clothing. The happy faces and the shy children. It was the beautiful lodges and the excellent food. TIA! This is Africa!"
The guide , Paul Josop was excellent and his identification and spotting skills were unparalleled. He repeated the bird names frequently when asked and was very enthusiastic about everything he pointed out to the group. He always took care of the group and was very patient and enjoyable to be around. He has excellent knowledge of the areas we visited. The two drivers that helped in Tanzania and Kenya were both knowledgeable and friendly and assisted Paul well. We saw very abundant wildlife in all the parks we visited and exceeded expectations in most areas . The accommodations were also very good . Food was excellent throughout.
Our Tanzania: Highlights of the North tour was a wonderful experience. Nigel Redman was a superb leader with an in-depth knowledge of the birds of East Africa which he generously shared throughout the trip. His many years of experience in leading birding tours showed: he was an expert in spotting and identifying birds and, most importantly, getting participants on the bird quickly. Nigel's own enthusiasm and delight in birds was contagious and his good humour set the tone for a very enjoyable tour. He and local guide Roger were true professionals and we would love to travel with either again.
I really can’t think of a way this tour could have been improved.... The itinerary was wonderful, the accommodations lovely, and the birds fantastic. Greg de Klerk is one of my all-time favorite guides. He genuinely cares about his guests, and does his best to make sure they have a great experience. This was truly a trip I have dreamed of since I was a kid, and it certainly fulfilled my expectations.
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2024 - September 2024
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2023 - September 2023
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game I 2022 - September 2022
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game II 2022 - September 2022
Tanzania - Matson 2021 - November 2021
Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game 2019 - November 2019
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2017 - September 2017
Tanzania - Kennedy 2017 - March 2017
Tanzania - Knox 2010 - December 2010
Tanzania - Mega Birding Tour 2009 - June 2009