Tanzania Birding Tours
With a whopping list of 1,155 bird species recorded to date, what’s not to love? Join us on an unforgettable Tanzania birding tour to remember!
Second only to the DRC, Tanzania has the largest species list of any country in Africa. Just let this sink in a moment: 1,155 individual bird species, 800 resident species with just under 200 migrants. In addition, there are 29 endemic species unique to Tanzania and a further 43 near-endemic species, restricted to Tanzania and neighbouring countries.
If that didn’t get your attention then I don’t know what will!
Location
With an area covering 947,303 km2 (365,756 sq mi), Tanzania is East Africa’s largest country with Dodoma being the capital but Dar es Salaam being the ‘unofficial capital’ with the largest population. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
It also has a glorious Indian Ocean coastline to east with breath-taking white beaches and turquoise waters. The coast is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar’s largest marine protected area.
In north-east Tanzania, you’ll find the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s largest mountain. It also is home to Africa’s Great Lakes – in the north west lies Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the south lies the beautiful Lake Malawi.
Another highlight is the Kalambo Falls, located on the Kalambo River at the Zambian border, which is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in the whole of Africa.
Of course, for wildlife and bird lovers it’s unmatched. With 22 national parks, and so many birding spots to accurately put a number on, you’ll no doubt love this incredible country.
Along with all above, Tanzanians are lovely people and are always happy to see you visit their country. They’re an incredibly accommodating nation and are forever happy to help visitors and teach them about their beautiful country. I can’t stress this enough – you’ll end up falling in love with Tanzania and quite happily let it cast a comforting warm spell over you.
Weather & Climate
Bring on the sunshine! Although generally hot and sunny the climate varies greatly within Tanzania. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between November and February (25–31 °C or 77.0–87.8 °F) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F). The climate is cool in high mountainous regions. Tanzania has two major rainfall periods: one is uni-modal (October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March–May). The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north from Lake Victoria extending east to the coast. The bi-modal rainfall is caused by the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence
It is advised to bring clothing items suited for both hot and cold weather. For hot weather, please bring along a sun or baseball cap to protect you, along with short trousers, short sleeved shirts, t-shirts and do not forget to bring sunscreen. For cold weather, please bring long trousers, a jumper and a warm hat. It’s also advisable to bring along a travel raincoat or poncho in case you do experience heavy downpours.
Endemic Bird Species in Tanzania
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Established in 2016, we are renowned as the best birdwatching tour company in East Africa