Village Weaver Birding

Village weaver birding
Menu
START PLANNING

Remote western Tanzania Birding

Remote western Tanzania Birding

12 Days Safari

START PLANNING NOW

Your Itinerary

Day 1 -Catch your local flights from dar es Salaam to Mbeya city

Catch your local flights from dar es Salaam to Mbeya city

Early morning drive to Mererani with stops at usa river for the east african endemic taveta weaver,grey olive greenbul and brown breasted barbet. At mererani we will bird for birds restricted to maasai-somali arid zones ,this birds are mainly endemic to NE africa. We will bird for scally chatterer,eastern violet backed , hunter’s,black bellied and Tsavo sunbirds,somali bunting,somali tit,golden breasted starling,black capped social weaver, northern brownbul, Donaldson smith nightjar, Fischer’s starling, Pringles puffback,white haeded mouse birds and more which are all endemic to NE Africa. At Shambarai we will bird for different species of terms,gulls,sandpipers and storks.
 
Night in Arusha
We will drive to nyumba ya mungu dam for more waterbirds and any special birds of the nearbly dry acacia scrub such as the near endemic southern grosbeak canary,kenya sparrow,the pale prinia and others .We will then drive to Johnsons villa for a hot lunch then at about 3pm we drive up the south pare mountains for the endemic south pare white eye and the paarensis race of bar-throated apalis. other birds we might see there is the endemic usambara double-collared sunbird,the near endemic stripe faced greenbuls,dark capped yellow warbler,african stonechats and more.
 
Night at Johnsons villa in SAME TOWN
Here we will drive in with picnic lunches and continue with our search for more birds which are restricted to somali-maasai arid zones. Birds here includes golden pipit,the most elegant of all the eastern yellow billed hornbill,vulturine guinea fowl,ashy ,rattling and winding cisticolas, red winged and paink breasted larks,hartlaubs,black bellied and buff crested bustards. The pangani long claw which is endemic to NE  is also very common.
 
Night in Johnson villa in Same town
 
We will drive to West usambara mountains for the endemics with stops on the way on the  first day then the second day we will do a full day birding there for the endemics such as usambara akalat, usambara weaver,usambara greenbul,usambara thrush, usambara double collared sunbird,the near endemic forest batis and the most elusive of them all,the spot throat which is a bird place in its own family together with the dapple throat. They are only found in the eastern arch mountain of Tanzania and N Mozambique. Rameron and eastern bronze naped pigeon,red faced crimson wung, evergreen forest and cinnamon bracken warblers,sharpes starling,red capped forest warblers,fullebons boubou,barred long tailed cuckoo,Night at Muller’s mountain lodge

On this day we will drive to the east usambara mountains with birding stops on the way for birds such as eastern golden weaver,coastal cisticola, Zanzibar and southern red bishops before having a lunch break at the Zigi lowland forest for Endemic such as usambara hyliota, Tanzanian illadopsis, banded green sunbirds. others here includes little yellow flycatcher, lowlnd tiny greenbul,red tailed antthrush, Fischer’s greenbul,mombasa woodpecker,plain backed sunbird and others

We will search for the near endemics such as the uluguru violet backed and amani sunbird,east coast batis, long billed forest warbler, Fischer’s turaco. othersa are kretschmer’s longbill, Sharpe’s akalat,yellow streaked greenbul, dappled throat,half collared kingfisher,african broadbill,the endemic usambara eagle owl and more

Early morning drive from the hotel and take a short stop at zigi lowland forest for what we might have missed the previous days, another stop will be Masunguru dam 10 km east of Msata town for the first search of the endemic ruvu weaver which was once lost in literature circa 1916, the recent paper describes this bird as restricted from bagamoyo to selous (now Nyerere national park)in Tanzania though we have recent records in SUA botanical garden in Morogoro town. We will also search for the rare african pygmy goose and great crested grebe here. Night in Dar es Salaam 

Day 12 Pugu hills We will either decide to do a full day or half day birding in pugu hills for gorgeous bushshrike,mouse colored sunbird,east coast akalat,another chance for Tanzanian illadopsis and kretschmer’s longbill,kenya crested guinea fowl, ground scrapper thrush and plenty more

We will drive through kisarawe road unto mtemere stopping on the way for any special bird we will see. Later in the evening we will bird the village and the hotel ground
Here we will look for reichenow’s woodpecker,red necked falcon,bohms and mottled spine tails, plain bellied francolin,bohms,blue cheeked,swallow tailed and european beeeaters, different species of eagles and vultures,a nother chamce for ruvu and eastern golden weavers,village and lesser masked weavers,northern white crowned shrike,eastern black headed batis,grey go away bird,pale billed hornbill etc etc . our first chance to encounter with the wild dogs, roan antelopes and more. 

 We will exit at matambo gate.

Night in Morogoro town

We will hike here for endemics and near endemics,tough hikes with good birds such as the endemic uluguru bushshrike, uluguru greenbul and loveridge sunbird. The near endemics includes chapin’s and white winged apalis and dark batis-Night in Morogoro town

Here we will look for the endemic winifreds warbler,another chance for the Endemic loveridge and uluguru greenbul, Livingstone’s turaco,white chested alethe,angolan swallow,the near endemic bertram’s weaver, endemic uluguru race of bar throated apalis and others.Night in Morogoro town

 
We will drive for 3 hours up the ukaguru mountains for the endemics such as rubeho akalat,rubeho warbler,moreau’s sunbird,Uhehe fiscal,near endemic black lored cisticola,others are variable indigobird,olive flanked robin chat,swynertons robin,southern yellow white eye etc.
 
Night in Morogoro 
Early morning drive to Mikumi Np and check in to our camp in time for lunch later bird kilosa road for the miombo specialities such as piping cisticola,western miombo sunbird, Stirling’s wren warbler,yellow bellied and southern hyliota,african spotted creeper,grey cuckooshrike,cabanis’s bunting and more. Night in camp bastian mikumi

Richard’s and black eared seed eater,purple crested turaco,pale billed hornbill,red necked(black bellied race)francolin, endemic Shelley’s sunbird, yellow throated petronia, Arnott’s chat, miombo blue eared starling, Livingstone’s flycatcher and lots more-Night in camp bastian mikumi

We will bird here for the endemic kilombero cisticola,white tailed cisticola and kilombero weaver. others are african white crowned lapwing, lesser seedcracker, different species of waxbills and reed warblers. We will deive back to Mangula village and do hikes in udzungwa mountains for the endemic white lined barbet and rufous winged sunbird. Night in either twiga hotel in mang’ula village or drive back to Mikumi. 
Day 22 Drive for drop off in dar or extension for 3 nights in Ruaha national park
 
Night at Johnsons villa in SAME TOWN

Important Informaction

All booking requests must be submitted in writing to Village Weaver Birding . A 30% deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your tour and accommodation.

This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

An invoice will be issued once your reservation is confirmed. Full payment is required 90 days prior to the start date of your trip.

For bookings made within 90 days of the trip start date, full payment must be received within 72 hours of booking to secure reservations with lodges, camps, and other service providers.

Currently, payments are accepted only via wire transfer to our designated bank account.

Note: All payments must be made net of bank charges. Any additional costs or transfer fees imposed by your bank or payment service are the responsibility of the client.

We understand that travel plans can change, and we aim to make our cancellation process as transparent as possible. Any cancellation request must be submitted to Village weaver Birding in writing (email or letter). Refunds will be issued based on the timeline below, with applicable cancellation charges deducted from the total tour cost:

  • 21 to 30 days before departure: A cancellation fee equal to your booking deposit (30% of the total package price) will apply.

  • 12 to 20 days before departure: 85% of the total package price is non-refundable.

  • 0 to 11 days before departure: 100% of the total package price is non-refundable.

Special Note on Accommodation, Activities, and Flights

Some bookings with hotels, activity providers, or airlines have strict deposit or payment policies. In these cases, we may be required to deduct any non-refundable amounts charged by these third parties. You may also be responsible for any additional charges applied by them that exceed your deposit.

No Refund for Unused Services

No refunds will be issued for any unused portion of the tour — including meals, accommodations, airport transfers, or activities — regardless of the reason.

Price Adjustments

Village Weaver Birding reserves the right to adjust tour prices in case of changes in operational costs, such as airfare increases, currency fluctuations, park fee changes, fuel surcharges, or government taxes.

Changes to Itinerary

We reserve the right to modify the tour itinerary without prior notice if necessary. Accommodation changes may occur based on availability.

Additional Expenses

Village Weaver Birding is not liable for costs incurred by travelers in preparation for the trip (e.g., visa fees, vaccinations, travel insurance, equipment purchases). We are also not responsible for any extra travel arrangements required should you depart from home prior to the official group departure date.

Cancellation Requests: Must be in writing.

    • 21–30 days before departure: 30% cancellation fee (deposit).

    • 12–20 days before departure: 85% non-refundable.

    • 0–11 days before departure: 100% non-refundable.

  • Third-Party Bookings: Hotels, airlines, and activity providers may have their own strict non-refundable policies, which will be deducted from any refund.

  • Unused Services: No refunds for unused meals, transfers, accommodation, or activities.

  • Price Changes: Tour prices may change due to airfare, currency rates, park fees, fuel costs, or taxes.

  • Itinerary Changes: We may adjust itineraries or accommodation if needed.

  • Extra Costs: We are not responsible for expenses before the tour (visas, vaccinations, insurance, equipment) or additional travel arrangements

 

Village Weaver Birding strongly recommends that all guests purchase comprehensive travel insurance from a reputable third-party provider. This coverage should include trip cancellation, medical emergencies, lost luggage, and other unexpected travel disruptions.

If your tour is canceled for any reason, your insurance policy can help cover cancellation fees and protect your investment. We encourage arranging this coverage at the time of booking for maximum protection.

 

If there are any questions regarding our policies you may contact us using the information below:

Customer Service & Booking Inquiries

Email:

bird@tanzaniabirdingexperiences.com

Business Hours

Tanzania: Monday– Friday; 9am –5pm GMT- Phone: +255-786- 665- 746

If your tour is canceled for any reason, your insurance policy can help cover cancellation fees and protect your investment. We encourage arranging this coverage at the time of booking for maximum protection.

Includes

  • Park Fees(For non-residents)
  • All activities mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
  • Meals (as specified in the day-by-day description)
  • All accommodation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional upgrade)
  • In Roundtrip airport transfer
  • A Professional Birding driver/guide
  • All transportation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
  • All flights during the tour
  • All Taxes
  • Beverage during the Safari (Local Beer, Wine, Soda, Mineral water)
  • 24/7 Service

EXCLUDES

  • International flights (from/to the client's home country)
  • Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
  • Tips: tipping guideline of 10.00US$ per person per day for the guide and crew
  • Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees and other personal items)
  • Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees