May 2016/2017 ITINERARY
May 15th to 29th
May 15: The tour will begin in the evening, when the group will meet up at the lodge after various different flights. O/N Maasai Lodge.
May 16: Today will begin with an early morning optional bird walk in the grounds of the hotel, where some of the commoner birds will be seen. After breakfast, we will pack up and leave for a day in the Arusha area, encompassing the NP, and some plains areas on the Nairobi road which hold some otherwise scarce birds. The afternoon will then be spent in the park, before retiring to Momella Wild Life Lodge.
May 17: After an optional early morning walk in the lodge grounds, we will leave after breakfast for Tarangire NP, where we will spend the rest of the day. O/N Tarangire Porini Tented Lodge.
May 18: After an optional early morning bird walk, and breakfast, we will leave for Lake Manyara NP, where we will spend the rest of the day and afternoon, before retiring to Migunga Forest Tented Camp.
May 19: After an optional early morning bird walk and breakfast, we will leave for the fairly long drive to the Serengeti. We will have time for an afternoon exploring some of the park. O/N Ikoma Bush Tented Camp.
May 20: All day will be spent in the Serengeti, exploring the plains and Kopjes, where we hope to spot the Two Endemic Fischer’s lovebird and Grey Breasted spurfowl . O/N Ikoma Bush Tented Camp.
May 21: After an early breakfast, we will depart for Ngorongoro Crater, justly famous for its large concentrations of game, and we will have plenty of time to explore the area. O/N Ngorongoro Wild Life Lodge.
May 22: After an optional early morning bird walk and breakfast, we will leave Ngorongoro, for a long drive to Marangu, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. We will stop en-route for lunch, and also for a few short birding stops. O/N Kibo Hotel.
May 23: After an early breakfast, we will set off for the West Usambaras, stopping at Hedaru along the way, where a few restricted species ca sometimes be found. In the afternoon, we will explore some of the forest areas for the many rare and endemic species present. O/N Mullers Mountain Lodge.
May 24: We will have an early breakfast, and explore further the forests in the local area. Then we will depart after lunch for the East Usambaras, where we will experience the switchbacks up to this old colonial settlement before arriving at Amani Rest House.
May 25: All day will be spent in the forests and plantations around Amani, seeking out the endemics and rarities which occur here. O/N Amani Rest House.
May 26: After an early breakfast, we will leave Amani for the drive to Morogoro, in the shadow of the Uluguru mountains, where we hope to arrive in time to explore some of the lower slopes. O/N Kollu Hills Hotel.
May 27: After an early breakfast, we will leave for the Udzungwa Mountains, where we will arrive in time to explore some of the forest in the Sanje area. O/N Udzungwa Mountain View Hotel.
May 28: After an early breakfast, we will explore some further areas of forest, before leaving for Ifakara, a site of endemism where two new undescribed Cisticolas, and a weaver were recently discovered. After some explorations of the area and lunch, we will head back north, and spend the evening in the vicinity of Mikumi NP. O/N Mikumi Genesis Hotel.
May 29: After an early breakfast and some final explorations in the Mikumi area, we will head for Dar-es-Salaam. If time permits, we will spend some time at Pugu Forest near the coast, and then have an evening meal overlooking the Indian Ocean before we have to get to the airport for our flights home.
End of Tour