The 10-Day Tanzania Birding Safari offers a rewarding bird-watching experience across some of Tanzania’s best landscapes. The journey begins with a pickup from Kilimanjaro International Airport and a stay in Arusha.
You will visit Arusha National Park, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire National Park — all known for their rich birdlife and wildlife. Expect to spot unique species like Maccoa ducks, Grey-breasted spurfowl, Rufous-tailed weavers, and Fischer’s lovebirds.
The safari also includes game viewing and visits to forests, open plains, and soda lakes, offering both variety and excitement. Accommodation ranges from comfortable lodges to luxury retreats.
10-Day Tanzania Birding Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and Airport Transfer
- Day 2: Bird Arusha National Park
- Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
- Day 4: Bird Serengeti National Park
- Day 5: Bird Ngorongoro Crater
- Day 6: Bird Lake Manyara National Park
- Day 7: In Lake Manyara
- Day 8: Bird Tarangire National Park
- Day 9: In Tarangire
- Day 10: Back to Arusha and Departure
Detailed 10-Day Tanzania Birding Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Airport Transfer
On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will meet your driver guide or company representative. Depending on the group size, you will travel in a 4WD minibus, Land Cruiser, or Land Rover — all designed for safari with pop-up roofs and window seats for everyone.
Pick-up or drop-off can also be arranged from Namanga (the Kenya-Tanzania border) or from Nairobi by air or shuttle bus.
After dinner, you will transfer to your lodge in Arusha for a briefing and overnight stay.
Day 2: Bird Arusha National Park
Start the day with pre-breakfast bird watching around the lodge grounds, where you may see fire finches, sunbirds, bulbuls, and olive thrushes. After breakfast, head to Arusha National Park with packed lunches. Visit several crater lakes and look out for Maccoa ducks, Egyptian geese, Hottentot teal, comb ducks, and other waders.
The woodlands are home to orange-bellied parrots and trogons. After lunch, enjoy a walking safari north of Arusha, where you might spot the white-fronted bee-eater and the elusive spike-heeled lark. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, begin your long scenic drive to the Serengeti with packed lunches. You will arrive in the evening, spotting game along the way. As you approach the park, you may see guinea fowl and sandgrouse along the roadside. Dinner and overnight at your camp or lodge.
Day 4: Bird Serengeti National Park
Begin the day with an early bird walk before breakfast, searching for endemics such as the Grey-breasted spurfowl and Fischer’s lovebird. After breakfast, spend the day bird-watching and game viewing. Look out for Usambiro barbets and Grey-capped social weavers among other species. Return to your tented camp in the evening for dinner and rest.
Day 5: Bird Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s natural wonders. Here, the rare Rufous-tailed weaver will be a highlight.
You may also spot flocks of flamingos on the soda lakes and several raptors including black-winged kites, martial eagles, bateleurs, yellow-billed kites, and augur buzzards. Look out for the golden-winged sunbird and enjoy seeing the large mammals that inhabit the crater.
Day 6: Bird Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, drive to Lake Manyara National Park, known for its tree-climbing lions, hippo pools, and hot springs. Enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the designated sites and continue exploring the rainforest areas, adding new bird species to your checklist.
In the evening, drive to E Unoto Retreat, a five-star luxury lodge in a quiet Maasai area, known for scheduled bird-watching excursions. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 7: In Lake Manyara
Take an optional pre-breakfast bird walk around E Unoto Retreat. After breakfast, you can choose between a full-day game drive in the park or relaxing at your balcony, which offers great bird-watching opportunities.
Later, you may take a walk around the area, meeting local Maasai and spotting dry-country birds and waders. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 8: Bird Tarangire National Park
After an early breakfast, head to Tarangire National Park with packed lunches. This area is known for Tanzanian endemics such as the ashy starling, Rufous-tailed weaver, and yellow-collared lovebird. Spend the day birding and game viewing. Dinner and overnight at your lodge inside the park.
Day 9: In Tarangire
Enjoy a full-day exploration of the Tarangire plains. Apart from many bird species, Tarangire is famous for having the highest concentration of elephants per square kilometer in East Africa. After a day of birding and game drives, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Back to Arusha and Departure
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have a short morning birding session in Tarangire before driving back to Arusha for your departure flight. End of Safari.
