Woken by the anticipation of adventure, before the sun breaks the horizon. A cacophony of sound surrounds you as you walk to your Safari vehicle. Lions roaring in the distance, establishing their territorial dominance, Zebra barking in alarm and of course, the orchestra of spectacular bird calls begins amongst the scrub. 

The orange glow of morning light illuminates the dirt track ahead, revealing endless plains, dotted with a variety of animal species. As the day warms up, the activity increases. Lions basking on the exposed granite outcrops seek the shade, the African Apex predator of the skies, the Crowned Eagle, scans for prey from a perch, Kori Bustard forage in the grass, assisting Northern Carmine Bee-eaters in pursuit of disturbed insects, and African Elephants rumble in complex family communication. This is Tanzania, one of the ultimate safari destinations on the planet. 
 
With a bird list exceeding 1000 species, there is a plethora of astonishing birds to be seen. To boot, most species present themselves in the open, making for incredible photographic opportunities. 

The incredible Ngorongoro Crater holds the densest population of megafauna on Earth! When coupled with locations such as the Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, plus the spectacular snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro, you have a multitude of reasons why Tanzania is often regarded as one of the supreme ‘Big 5’ Safari destinations. 

Tanzania is also home to a fascinating collection of 34 endemic bird species. The vast majority of them are found in the beautiful Eastern Arc Mountains and include some of Africa’s most little-known birds such as Uluguru Bushshrike, Udzungwa Forest Partridge, Rufous-winged Sunbird, Iringa Akalat, Winifred’s Warbler, Usambara Eagle-Owl, Usambara Weaver and many more. A few have only been recently described to science such as White-tailed and Kilombero Cisticolas and Kilombero Weaver while others include one of the world’s rarest lark species - Beesley’s Lark and four endemics to the island of Pemba – Pemba Green Pigeon, Pemba White-eye, Pemba Sunbird and Pemba Scops Owl. 

Pictured above is one of Tanzania’s over 20 stunning species of starling - Hildebrandt’s Starling. A marvellous, iridescent, blue-purple species, often found following large mammals to catch the insects they disturb or foraging on the ground in pairs or groups. The Sturnidae of Tanzania occupy many niche habitats and include common savanna species such as the aptly named Superb Starling to the rare and endangered Abbott’s Starling of the lush afro-montane forests around Arusha and Mount Kilimanjaro. The impressive Golden-breasted Starling is another sought-after East African species which occupies the dry woodlands and thorn scrub zones to the very north and is always a highlight to see while another special species, on most birders target lists, is the endemic Ashy Starling which occupies moist savanna and woodland. While most of the starlings reside in the savanna zone the Afro-montane forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains are also home to several lovely species such as Slender-billed Starling, that favour areas around waterfalls, Kenrick’s Starling, and Waller’s Starling. Elsewhere the localised Sharp-tailed Starling favours the broad-leaved (miombo) woodlands of southern Tanzania. 

Our Tanzania - Highlights of the North: Birds & Big Game tour is the perfect tour for non-birding spouses who simply enjoy being out in nature or for those who are venturing out to Africa for the first time as it combines the very best of Tanzania’s vibrant culture, wildlife, and excellent birding. 

Our Tanzania Mega Birding tour by contrast is an endemic focused extravaganza through Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains. We take time to search out many of Tanzania’s most special birds through the Udzungwa, Uluguru and Usambara Mountains while we also take time to explore the Kilombero Swamps, Pemba Island, and the vast miombo woodlands of Mikumi. 

We look forward to seeing you soon in Tanzania.