18 Day Tanzania Birding Adventure

Main Destination: Arusha (City)
Accommodation: Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge

Welcome to Tanzania — a land where sky meets savanna and the air sings with life. At Kilimanjaro International Airport, your journey begins as your driver welcomes you with a sign and a smile. A short, scenic drive takes you to the serene Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, nestled at the base of Mount Meru, where forest birds greet you to dinner and dreams of feathered wonders begin.

Main Destination: Arusha National Park
Accommodation: Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge

Rise with the light and head into Arusha National Park — a hidden jewel bursting with endemic treasures. Seek the broadringed white-eye, Taveta weaver, and the near-mythical Abbott's starling. Watch colobus monkeys leap through the canopy as your lens captures rare motion. After an epic day of birding, return to the lodge to swap sightings and savor the day’s magic.

Main Destination: Lark Plains
Accommodation: Asmorein Hotel – Babati

This morning, venture into the legendary Lark Plains, where the critically endangered Beesley’s lark dances across arid soil. You'll encounter dryland gems like the Red-throated Tit, Southern Grosbeak-Canary, and Short-toed Lark. After lunch, drive toward Babati near the Mbulu Mountains — an untouched haven awaiting your arrival.

Main Destination: Mbulu Mountains
Accommodation: Octagon Lodge – Karatu

Today’s quest takes you deep into the Mbulu Mountains — sacred ground for birders. Hike among hidden forest trails in search of the elusive Mbulu-ground Robin and the near-endemic Mbulu White-eye. This three-hour moderate hike offers not just incredible birdlife, but panoramic views of untouched Tanzania. By evening, you’ll be in the cool village of Karatu, resting in the comfort of Octagon Lodge.

Main Destination: Serengeti National Park
Accommodation: Central Serengeti

The road to the Serengeti is lined with life. As you journey through Ngorongoro, watch for thornbush secrets — the first sightings of Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Rufous-tailed Weavers, and the sought-after Karamoja Apalis. In these two unforgettable days, you’ll bird the legendary southern plains of Serengeti, surrounded by plains game and the golden hues of savanna. Every sunrise is a spectacle. Every call from the wild, an invitation.

Main Destination: Ngorongoro Highlands
Accommodation: Octagon Lodge

As you leave Serengeti behind, climb to the green, mist-wrapped highlands of Ngorongoro. Here, rare endemics await — Hunter’s Cisticola, Schalow’s Turaco, and Jackson’s Widowbird flash through moorland grasses. With your camera at the ready, witness some of East Africa’s most unique highland species. By nightfall, you're once again embraced by the quiet charm of Karatu.

Main Destination: Tarangire National Park
Accommodation: Tarangire Safari Lodge

Enter the realm of ancient baobabs and roaring herds. Tarangire teems with birds — from the endemic Ashy Starling and Yellow-collared Lovebird to Emin’s Barbet and Northern Pied-Babbler. Your two-day stay here is a full immersion into one of Tanzania’s most dramatic landscapes, with elephants as sentinels and raptors overhead. Between game drives and bird quests, savor unforgettable sunsets at your hilltop lodge.

Main Destination: Arusha (City)
Accommodation: Tumbili Lodge

After one last morning among the giants of Tarangire, enjoy a peaceful drive back to Arusha. The journey is a reflective one — reviewing sightings, calls, and checklists. Arrive at Tumbili Lodge in time for a quiet dinner and deep rest among garden paths alive with local birdsong.

Main Destination: Same (Town)
Accommodation: Johnsons Villas

Today’s route takes you past the vast Nyumba ya Mungu Dam, into the Maasai lands, where dry-zone birds reign. Look for Acacia Tit, Somali Bunting, Tsavo Sunbird, and Pink-breasted Lark among thorny scrub and rolling plains. As the sun begins to drop, ascend the South Pare Mountains for a magical encounter with the endemic South Pare White-eye and Paarensis Apalis — twilight among cloud forests.

Main Destination: Lushoto (West Usambara)
Accommodation: Mullers Mountain Lodge

After morning birding near Mkomazi National Park, you climb into the West Usambara Mountains. In Magamba Forest, your search begins for forest jewels — secretive and shimmering among mossy trees. Mullers Lodge welcomes you with warmth, perched above valleys echoing with sunbird song.

Main Destination: Shume Magamba Forest
Accommodation: Mullers Mountain Lodge

Today is a day of legends. Deep in the forest, you'll track the endemic Usambara Weaver, Usambara Thrush, Akalat, and Montane Tiny Greenbul. Sunlight flickers through the canopy as you move through primeval forest, lens focused, spirit soaring. This is a birder’s paradise — untouched, serene, and packed with biodiversity.

Main Destination: Amani Nature Reserve (East Usambara)
Accommodation: Amani Rest House

Morning birding in Magamba prepares you for your descent to Amani. En route, you’ll bird Amani Botanical Gardens, where East Africa’s rarest flora and fauna converge. As night falls, settle into Amani Rest House — deep within the forest, surrounded by silence, stars, and the promise of more avian magic.

Main Destination: Amani Nature Reserve (East Usambara)
Accommodation: Amani Rest House

Explore the mystical forests of Amani, home to avian wonders you won’t find anywhere else on Earth. Banded Green Sunbird, Usambara Bluebill, Usambara Eagle-owl — these names are whispered among elite birders. Photograph the dazzling Usambara Hyliota and Tanzanian Illadopsis, and revel in the songs of Lowland Greenbuls and Kretzschmer’s Longbill. Each moment here is golden, each sighting a treasure.

Main Destination: Arusha (City)
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate

After one last morning chorus in Amani, begin the long journey westward back to Arusha. Along the way, stop for spontaneous sightings — the road itself a birding opportunity. Arrive in luxury at Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate — a haven of beauty and calm where birds greet you once more.

Main Destination: Kilimanjaro Airport
Accommodation: None (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch included
• Drinks not included

Depending on your flight time, enjoy morning birding around the estate — a final farewell from Tanzanian skies. Whether you’re headed home or on to another adventure, your heart will carry the songs, sights, and soul of East Africa forever.

🦜 End of Tour

• 🛏️ Additional accommodation can be arranged.
• 🚗 Airport drop-off included.
• 💵 Tour Price: $6,600 per person