Want an authentic Tanzania birding safari experience? We have very interesting Tanzania birding tours that you may love.
This 8-day Tanzania birding safari & bird-watching holiday is not your usual safari itinerary but a unique package for those intrepid travelers looking for something quite different and special: bird-watching in Tanzania.
Tanzania is not only a wildlife-rich destination but also a very important birding destination, with some of Africa’s most endemic bird species and a migratory stopover for birds that come from as far as Asia and Europe.
8-Day Tanzania Birding Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and Pickup from Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Day 2: Birding within Arusha and Usambara Trails
- Day 3: Birding in East Usambara Mountains
- Day 4: Full Day in East Usambara
- Day 5: Transfer Back to Arusha
- Day 6: Transfer to Tarangire National Park
- Day 7: Full Day Birding in Tarangire National Park
- Day 8: Transfer from Tarangire to Arusha
Detailed 8-Day Tanzania Birding Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Pickup from Kilimanjaro International Airport
On this day of arrival in Tanzania for your 8-day Tanzania birding safari & bird-watching holiday, you will be met by a dedicated tour guide who will welcome you and briefly introduce you to this 8-day birding safari in Tanzania.
Afterward, embark on a transfer to Arusha Town, where you will spend the first night in Tanzania. By this time, you will already have begun your adventure by encountering species like the African green pigeon, pied cuckoo, common swift, little egrets, black-winged kite, and speckled mouse birds among others.
On arrival in Arusha, you will be helped to check into your accommodation, relax as you wear off your jet lag, and wait for a delicious dinner.
After dinner, guests are free to interact with fellow guests over a drink or just have their time alone. Rest and await the following day’s adventures.
Day 2: Birding within Arusha and Usambara Trails
Your second day will begin with a refreshing breakfast to help you with the energy you will need throughout the day’s activities. After breakfast, you will engage in a quick birding expedition around the lodge gardens before heading to Moshi (the base of Mount Kilimanjaro).
The transfer will take you through the drier region of Hedaru, well known for local species associated with dry neighborhoods. Notable species include the black-bellied bustard and Taveta golden weaver.
Afterward, explore the ancient rock system of the Pare Mountains before heading into the popular Usambara ranges for a well-awaited lunch. After lunch, commence with a hike to the Magamba Rainforest trails.
This trail will gift you the opportunity to see some of Tanzania’s endemic and rare species like the Usambara weaver, dapple-throat, Usambara Akalat, and greenbuls among others.
You will head back to your lodge in the late evening with higher chances of encountering the endemic Usambara eagle owl.
Have dinner and check in for a well-deserved rest after your long, tiring but rewarding day.
Day 3: Birding in East Usambara Mountains
After a hearty breakfast, you will head out again to the birding trails with a major aim of spotting species you missed on the previous evening.
After your mid-morning birding expedition, retreat to your accommodation for an early lunch. The early lunch leaves you with ample time for a drive to the East Usambara Mountains to explore and bird within the celebrated Amani Botanical Gardens.
Common species include various species of turacos, green and brownbuls, sunbirds, and endemics such as the small Amani sunbird and little green sunbird.
You will retire to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay as you please.
Day 4: Full Day in East Usambara
The fourth day of your birding safari will be entirely devoted to the East Usambara mountain area. After your breakfast, you will have a brief exploration of Karamjje and its tea estates.
Afterward, dive into the East Usambara ranges. This is a haven for several unique bird species worth encountering.
This includes some of the forest specialists like the Uluguru violet-backed sunbird, the endemic little green sunbird, and the small Amani sunbird.
Others will include forest species such as various turacos, sunbirds, brownbuls, trogons, and greenbuls.
This day, you will have a picnic lunch in the beautiful woodlands of Tanzania and later partake in your dinner at the lodge.
Day 5: Transfer Back to Arusha
After your exhilarating birding expedition in the montane forest, we head back to Arusha after a savory breakfast.
You will have a stopover in Moshi for lunch at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. If the weather permits and it’s a clear sky, you will be presented with a picturesque view of the snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro in the background.
Continue to Arusha where you will arrive in the evening and in time for a charming dinner in this beautiful Tanzanian city.
Day 6: Transfer to Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, you will check out of your lodge and start your transfer to Tarangire National Park. This is one of Tanzania’s exceptional birding havens with over 550 bird species listed in the park.
The park derives its name from the Tarangire River, which dissects it and is the primary source of water for most park residents.
The park is home to the yellow-collared lovebird and ashy starling, which are endemic to the region.
You will also encounter more species like the crested francolin, greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, little grebe, speckled pigeon, black-necked grebe, African olive pigeon, mourning collared dove, chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, and European nightjar.
Day 7: Full Day Birding in Tarangire National Park
Your seventh day will be devoted to exploring Tarangire Park, one of the country’s hotspots for birding due to its amazing bird diversity.
While here, you will boost your bird list by checking off a few Tanzanian endemics like the yellow-collared lovebird and ashy starling.
Other species you might encounter include but are not limited to the common ostrich, white-faced whistling duck, Hottentot teal, northern shoveler, yellow-billed duck, Cape teal, and more species comprising the red-billed teal, white-backed duck, spur-winged goose, comb duck, crested guineafowl, African pygmy goose, helmeted guineafowl, and vulturine guineafowl.
Day 8: Transfer from Tarangire to Arusha
The last day of your birding safari will kick off with a leisurely breakfast when you are free to have more personal time than on the previous days.
Immediately head back to Arusha and do some city tours or souvenir shopping before embarking on your departure flight out of Tanzania.
The shopping and city tour will be arranged greatly based on your flight schedule.
End of 8 Days Tanzania Birding Safari & Bird Watching Holiday.
