If you do love wildlife adventures, bird watching in Africa is one of the best things to do while on holiday. The African continent hosts a good number of birds. Most birders visit in the most scenic destinations of both East Africa and southern African countries. Here are the top 5 destinations that the first hand tourists shouldn’t miss out on these beautiful destinations.
South Africa
The country is big and it takes many weeks of birding to get sightings of these spectacular bird species. This is the main excuse for many of the travellers that return to South Africa for birding.This country has got big Five animals with small mammals. The Zulu land game reserve and the Kruger national park has got variety of the small mammals. When you are deciding to have a 2 weeks birding safari and starts from Durban and ending in Johannesburg, you will have a chance to see all the mammals as well as over 400 bird species that are found in the area. With the addition of the cape, you will view 50 bird species as well as the whale. This country is not so expensive and you can also bird the whole of the country on self-drive tours. The country has got variety of friendly and comfortable bed and breakfast lodges and Hotels. Also in order to enjoy yourself, it’s better to link up with a birding tour operator within the country.
Tanzania
You can also enjoy bird watching in Tanzania, it’s also a good country to visit in case you give it 2.5 weeks. By accepting to bird in Tanzania, you will enjoy many of the East African endemics and over 20 endemics with in the country. You will also see the first Miombo endemic bird species in Tanzania. There are also many small and large animals and some of these include; the big cats found in the Serengeti, the zebras and wildebeests of the annual migration, flamingos and the great Ngorongoro crater as well as the Kilimanjaro.
Uganda
Uganda is also a great destination for birding and you will get a chance to encounter the shoebill stork as well as the Albertine rift endemics, the green breasted pitta. There are many mammals that can be enjoyed here including the gorillas and the chimpanzees.
This country is also famous for the beautiful colobus monkeys and many other animals. Once you bird in Uganda, you will get a chance to see the great Albertine or the western rift in Bwindi which is famous for gorilla safaris, the source of the Nile, Lake Victoria and many different bird species found in this place.
Cameroon
In case you are looking to bird in the western part of Africa, Cameroon should be on the list of the countries to visit. You will find the basic accommodation as well as the birding sites. This tour will give you the best safari comfort level as well as the hot water showers. You will get a chance to view the country’s endemic birds as well as the West Africa rain forest species of the sahelian birds. The other bird watching countries in West Africa include; Guinea, Ghana as well as Gabon.
Namibia
Namibia is also a must visit country in Africa for bird watching due to its uniqueness. The country has also got the world’s oldest desert with the highest sand dunes in the world. The country has got variety of bird species that cannot be found in any other part of the world and it’s adjacent to Angola. You will bird around the Okavango and the Victoria falls for many bird species.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is also open and good for watching the birds and the country has over 550 bird species and can all be seen on a 3 weeks safari. This country has many tons of endemic species and many of these can be found in Addis Ababa.The country is also home to one of the next African bird that is nearing extinct, the Liben Lark. The other species found here include the Rudd’s ’Lark.
Madagascar
The magnificent islands of Madagascar could also be Africa’s number one birding destination since it’s so unique. The Island is also separated from the rest of the African continent and must be birded by any birder interested. This island is also full of other wildlife including the endemic mammal families as well as the lemurs which are most famous as well as charismatic. This area is also full of chameleons and many other species. You will as well enjoy bird watching in the Baobab dotted spiny forests, the remote tropical beaches as well as the stone forest of the Tsingy. This country has got fewer species of birds and some of the bird species found here include; Helmet Vanga, the ground roller, Black and the white Ruffed Lemur as well as the dancing sifika.
In addition, the other bird watching countries that are found in Africa include; Malawi, Zambia, Central African Republic, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zimbabwe as well as Seychelles.
