A flock of lesser flamingos wading and feeding in the shallows of Momella Lake, a soda lake in Arusha National Park

Wildlife

Birdwatching

More than 1,100 recorded species, from soda lake flocks to forest endemics.

On a general safari, birds come free with everything else: lilac-breasted rollers on every other bush, superb starlings around the lunch stop, ostriches and secretarybirds on the plains, kori bustards, ground hornbills, vultures at a kill, fish eagles calling over the water. Many travellers who arrive indifferent to birds leave with a list.

For dedicated birders the draw is the Eastern Arc Mountains — the Usambaras, the Udzungwas and their neighbours — a chain of ancient forest-covered blocks isolated for a very long time, with a high level of endemism. The Udzungwa forest partridge, described by science only in the early 1990s, is the best-known example of what these forests still hold, and the Usambaras have endemics of their own. Birding here is slow forest work: early starts, patience and a good local guide.

Season matters as much as place. Palearctic and intra-African migrants arrive from around November to April, swelling numbers considerably, and the rains bring breeding plumage and display. The soda lakes of the Rift can hold vast flocks of flamingos and waders; the Rufiji and the coastal wetlands add waterbirds; and Tanzania’s few remaining patches of coastal forest hold their own specialities.

Highlights

More than 1,100 bird species recorded in Tanzania, in a wide range of habitats
Eastern Arc forest endemics in the Udzungwa and Usambara Mountains
Flamingos, pelicans and waders on the Rift Valley soda lakes
Classic savannah birds: lilac-breasted roller, secretarybird, kori bustard, ground hornbill and many raptors
Waterbirds along the Rufiji in Nyerere, superb from a boat
Migrants from roughly November to April, when numbers and variety peak
Good birding on almost any itinerary, with a specialist guide available for dedicated trips

Where to see it

Best places for this

Lake Manyara National Park
Northern Circuit
Compact and varied: groundwater forest, floodplain and lake shore in one park, with flamingos and pelicans when levels allow.
Tarangire National Park
Northern Circuit
Several hundred species recorded, with dry-country specialities in the acacia and baobab woodland.
Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Southern Circuit
Eastern Arc forest with endemic species, explored on foot; the best of it needs early starts and a specialist guide.
Usambara Mountains
Central & Highlands
Ancient forest blocks with their own endemics, easy walking and a cool climate — a rewarding few days for keen birders.
Nyerere National Park
Southern Circuit
Superb waterbirds along the Rufiji channels and lakes, best seen from a boat in the late afternoon.
Lake Natron
Northern Circuit
The key breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa, with other waders and Rift specialities nearby.

A dirt safari track leading towards the shore of Lake Manyara, with the Rift Valley escarpment behind

View from a rocky ledge in the Udzungwa Mountains out over forest and the farmland of the valley far below

Best time

Roughly November to April is generally best for variety, when migrants are present and many resident species are breeding and in fine plumage. The dry season, roughly June to October, is easier for travel and still rewarding. Forest birding in the Eastern Arc is possible year-round, though trails are slippery in the rains.

Good to know

Bring binoculars — 8x42 or similar is ideal — and a field guide to the birds of East Africa.
Tell us at planning stage if birds are a priority: we can allocate a specialist guide and build in more time at the right habitats.
Forest birding is slow and quiet, with far fewer sightings per hour than savannah birding, but the species are the reward.
Please ask guides not to overuse call playback, which can disturb breeding birds, particularly with rare forest species.
Early morning is by far the most productive time; plan for pre-dawn starts on dedicated birding days.

Plan My Trip

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The Great Migration

The Great Migration is the year-round movement of well over a million wildebeest, together with hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles, through the Serengeti ecosystem in search of grazing and water. It is not a single event on a fixed date but a continuous cycle, and its timing shifts with the rains every year.

Month-by-month guide

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Chimpanzee Trekking

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