2. Usambara cliffs. Right next to MamboViewPoint. 3. Ndungu lake and ricefields
... April, many palarctic species, including eagles, falcons, warblers and many ...
enjoy the birds from the Usambara mountains
MamboViewPoint Birding Tanzania is the best birding country in Africa, with the highest diversity of birds including many endemics. West Usambara is one of the hotspots of the country with incredible birds surviving in the beautiful remnant highland forests. Visiting MamboViewPoint allows you to discover some of the birds living in those forests and participate in the conservation of this precious habitat through sustainable tourism. Details can be read at www.MamboViewPoint/MamboViewPointMain/Projects.htm The lodge is ideally situated to explore other interesting habitats: rocky escarpments, meadows, savannah and lakes offering you an all-in-one exciting birding holiday. You can easily add a visit to the nearby Mkomazi National Park for game viewing to complete your birding trip with a traditional safari. Starting in 2011, two packages are available.
Birding Package 1 : colourful mountain jewels / 4 days – 3 nights An ideal introduction discovering the beautiful mountain birds of the West Usambara area, such as turacos, trogons, sunbirds, white-eyes, raptors, weavers, waxbills and chats. Walking in different habitats will allow you to enjoy the birds, landscapes, and with luck, colobus monkeys. Day1:
Pick up at Lushoto and drive to MamboViewPoint; we will start with a welcome drink and presentation on birds of the West Usambara area before dinner. Accomodation is in luxury safari tents with en suite bathrooms.
Day2:
After breakfast, we will bird the upper-part of the escarpment, below the lodge, rich in bird diversity; cliffchats, starlings, sunbirds, barbets, pipits, waxbills, swallows and swifts are all numerous. After lunch at the lodge, we will walk down to an ideal viewpoint for raptors and the search the surrounding bush and farmland for hildebrandts francolin and canaries.
Day 3:
After breakfast, drive to the base of Shagayu forest. After walking along the forest edge and interior, a picnic lunch is provided before our we search out the rarities in the forest. Birds and monkeys are numerous but difficult to see. Well trained guide(s) will help you to see as many of them as possible. Spectacular trogons and turacos are amongst the possibilities, as well as rare and elusive endemic species such Usambara Weaver, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird and Usambara Akalat. Drive back to the lodge for dinner.
Day 4:
Early morning walk in the property and in farmlands in search of shrikes, waxbills, pipits and robinchats. Breakfast then drive to Lushoto.
Options available on request: your stay in a cottage instead of luxury tent, transportation from Arusha/Moshi/ Kilimandjaro airport or Dar-es-Salaam with or without birding/game viewing stopover. An additional day/s with birding on foot the very rich dry savanna (as in the nearby Mkomazi park) in search of Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Tsavo Sunbird, Pygmy Batis, hornbills, bee-eaters and many others is also possible. This day/s Places to visit: 1. Shagayu natural forest A “forgotten” forest with a high bio diversity 2. Usambara cliffs Right next to MamboViewPoint 3. Ndungu lake and ricefields Always good for many East African species 4. Mkomazi National Park Known from the high variety of birds
+255 785 272 150
[email protected] In case of no answer +255 774 272 150 www.MamboViewPoint.org
enjoy the birds from the Usambara mountains
MamboViewPoint Birding Birding Package 2: West Usambara rare birds / 6 days – 5 nights This is the perfect journey to make the most of West Usambara highland birds. Time and effort will be made to look for all local endemics such Usambara Weaver, Usambara Akalat, Usambara Sunbird and Usambara Greenbul but also Spot-throat, Red-capped Forest Warbler and other Tanzanian/East African specialities. Day1: Pick up at Lushoto and drive to MamboViewPoint; we will start with a welcome drink and presentation on birds of the West Usambara area before dinner. Accommodation is in luxury safari tents with en suite bathrooms. Day2: After breakfast, birding in the upper-part of the escarpments, below the lodge, a rich place in bird diversity; cliffchats, starlings, sunbirds, barbets, pipits, waxbills, swallows and swifts are numerous. After the lunch taken at the lodge, walk in the property down to the ideal viewpoint for raptors. Late afternoon, a special lecture on forest birds and birding is offered before dinner. Day 3: After breakfast, drive to the base of Shagayu forest. After walking along the forest edge and interior, a picnic lunch is provided before our we search out the rarities in the forest. Birds and monkeys are numerous but difficult to see. Well trained guide(s) will help you to see as many of them as possible. Spectacular trogons and turacos are amongst the possibilities, as well as rare and elusive endemic species such Usambara Weaver, Usambara Double-collared Sunbird and Usambara Akalat. Drive back to the lodge for dinner. Day 4: Another full day in the forest on other trails; all birds including the most difficult warblers and greenbuls will be sort out. Day 5: A full birding day in the escarpment is organized for cisticolas, pipits, buntings, chats and other open area species. During migration, noticeably from October to December, but also February to April, many palarctic species, including eagles, falcons, warblers and many others, can be seen sometimes in large numbers. Day 6: Early morning walk in the property and in nearby farmland searching for shrikes, waxbills, pipits and robin-chats. Breakfast then drive to Lushoto. Options available on request: your stay in a cottage instead of luxury tent, transportation from Arusha/ Moshi/Kilimandjaro airport or Dar-es-Salaam with or without birding/game viewing stopover. An additional day with birding on foot the very rich dry savanna (as in the nearby Mkomazi park) in search of Rosy -patched Bushshrike, Tsavo Sunbird, Pygmy Batis, hornbills, bee-eaters and many others is also possible. This day can also include the visit of a lake for those who want an impressive list of birds.
Base and overnight place: MamboViewPoint eco lodge, Mambo-Lushoto Individual and group arrangements possible.
+255 785 272 150
[email protected] In case of no answer +255 774 272 150 www.MamboViewPoint.org
