
9 Days Birding Usambara Mountains
Tour Overview
The Usambara Mountains, a section of the Eastern Arc range, offer a distinctive birding habitat, home to numerous endemic and near-endemic species.
Highlights
Explore the Eastern Arc Mountains landscapes, historical landmarks, and local culture.
Bird species: Usambara Thrush, South Pare White-eye, Bar-throated Apalis (Pareensis), Tanzania Illadopsis, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, Fischer's Turaco, Black-headed Mountain Greenbul, Usambara Greenbul, Usambara Akalat, Usambara Weaver, Fülleborn's Boubou, Forest Batis, Usambara Eagle-Owl, Green Barbet, Green Tinkerbird, Mombasa Woodpecker, Long-billed Tailorbird, Usambara Hyliota, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, Banded Sunbird, Amani Sunbird, Coastal Cisticola Scaly Chatterer, Golden-breasted Starling, Tsavo Sunbird, Somali Bunting, and many more.
Itinerary
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Arrive at the airport, where you will be greeted by our crew and sent to your accommodation in Arusha. You will meet our expedition leader in the evening for a tour briefing.
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We depart to Same town and we will stop at Maasai steppes, South Pare, and sleep over in Same town. At the Maasai steppes stop we will look out for the White-backed Duck, Blue-billed Teal, Vulturine Guineafowl, Long-toed Lapwing, Eastern Chanting Goshawk, White-headed Mousebird, Black-throated Barbet, Pygmy Batis, Pringle's Puffback, Acacia Tit, Pink-breasted Lark, Scaly Chatterer, Wattled Starling and many more. Before we end our day we will stop at South Pare Mountains to track down the local endemic South Pare White-eye – which is only found on these mountains. Also, we will look out for other target species like Paarensis race of bar-throated apalis, East coast flycatcher, East coast boubou, Tanzania illadopsis, Purple banded sunbird, and Usambara double-collared sunbird.
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Early morning we will bird locally around Same area head back to the hotel for breakfast and drive up to Magamba forest, West Usambara for our next adventure for the rest of the day.
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We will spend all day in Magamba forest and we will be look out for targer species like Böhm's Spinetail, Fischer's Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Lemon Dove, Mountain Buzzard, African Wood Owl, Bar-tailed Trogon, Green-backed Honeybird, Black-fronted Bushshrike, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Mountain Greenbul, Stripe-faced Greenbul, Montane Tiny Greenbul, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Red-capped Forest Warbler, Spot-throat, Orange Ground Thrush, Usambara Thrush, Usambara Akalat, Usambara Weaver, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Fülleborn's Boubou, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Black-headed Apalis, African Hill Babbler, White-starred Robin, Usambara Weaver, Oriole Finch, Forest Batis, Moustached Tinkerbird, White-chested Alethe, Sharpe's Starling, Rameron pigeons, Dark backed weaver, African black duck, Scaly throated honeyguide, Green backed Honeyguide and many more.
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After early morning bird watching we will head back to get our breakfast at the lodge and drive to East Usambara mountains for lunch and evening bird watching in Amani forest.
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We will spend full days in Amani forest to look out for Green Malkoha, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Lesser Cuckoo, Olive Ibis, Usambara Eagle-Owl, Green Barbet, Green Tinkerbird, Mombasa Woodpecker, Little Spotted Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Pale Batis, East Coast Boubou, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Black Cuckooshrike, Green-headed Oriole, Shelley's Greenbul, Fischer's Greenbul, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Mosque Swallow, Little Yellow Flycatcher, Long-billed Forest Warbler, Tanzanian Illadopsis, Usambara Hyliota, Waller's Starling, Kenrick's Starling, Red-tailed Ant Thrush, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Sharpe's Akalat, Plain-backed Sunbird, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, Banded Green Sunbird, Amani Sunbird, Cabanis's Bunting, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Lowland Tiny Greenbul, Kretschmer's Longbill, Red-headed Bluebill, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Half-collared Kingfisher, Eastern Nicator, Coastal Cisticola, Eastern Golden Weave.
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We will continue with our excursion in the morning and drive to Same Town evening for an overnight.
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On the last day of our tour, we will travel to Nyumba ya Mungu dam to see the broad range of bird species that can be seen there. The surrounding habitat is dry Commiphora-Acacia woodland that gently dips towards the lake, allowing us to observe shoreline and woodland species. African fish eagles, Plovers, pink-backed pelicans, Kingfishers, African jacanas, and many more are among the famous species. We'll eat lunch and bid farewell before heading back to the airport or hotel for your next journey.
Details Info
Group size
Max 6 pax
Fitness
Normal