Tanzania is a twitcher’s paradise, boasting over 1,100 bird species across diverse ecosystems. Its national parks and conservation areas provide perfect habitats for rare and migratory birds, making it an ideal destination for birdwatchers of all levels.
We’ll explore the essence of twitching, top birdwatching destinations, twitching ethics, and essential tips for a successful birding trip.
Tanzania is a twitcher’s paradise, boasting over 1,100 bird species across diverse ecosystems. Its national parks and conservation areas provide perfect habitats for rare and migratory birds, making it an ideal destination for birdwatchers of all levels.
We’ll explore the essence of twitching, top birdwatching destinations, twitching ethics, and essential tips for a successful birding trip.
While often used interchangeably, twitching and birding are not exactly the same. Birding involves observing and enjoying birds in their natural habitats, often as a relaxing or casual activity.
Twitching, on the other hand, refers to the more focused pursuit of tracking rare species (almost like a bird bucket-list!), particularly those that are difficult to find or not commonly seen in a specific region.
Twitchers should follow 3 core ethics to ensure the conservation and protection of birds and their habitats, as well as promote awareness for others.
These rules are standard all around the world for bird watchers.
The rules:
When going on a birding safari, we recommend these top 5 tips to enhance any Twitcher’s experience:
Tanzania is ideal for twitching due to its combination of diverse habitats, rich biodiversity, and an abundance of both endemic, and migratory birds.
The country’s varied ecosystems—from savannas to wetlands—attract birds year-round, making it one of the best destinations for spotting rare and elusive species.
For photography enthusiasts, these opportunities not only enhance the twitching experience but also contributes to awareness and conservation efforts when shared responsibly.
Tanzania’s commitment to eco-tourism makes it an ideal destination for responsible birding.
Conservation efforts national parks and reserves ensure that twitchers can observe birds in their natural habitats without disturbing the delicate ecosystems.
Visitors are encouraged to support eco-friendly tourism operators who prioritize sustainability.
For a successful twitching tour, visiting key birding destinations in Tanzania is essential as these areas offer prime opportunities to encounter rare species in diverse environments.
While birding can be done year-round, the best time is during the wet season (November to April), when migratory birds arrive from Europe and northern Africa.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Whether you're a novice or an experienced twitcher, you can embark on a birding safari and discover the diverse bird species that Tanzania has to offer. From the wetlands of Lake Manyara to the vast Nyerere National Park, the country’s ecosystems are perfect for a rewarding birding safari.
With Benson Safaris at the helm, we aim to ensure any avid Twitcher can have a rewarding and responsible experience in this birdwatcher’s paradise.
EXCELLENT Based on 112 reviews Steve L2024-10-12Verified Tanzania with Benson Tours We have just returned from the most amazing adventure, planned and arranged by Benson Safaris. We were met at the airport by Obedi, and from that moment on our journey was fun, safe and filled with so many sights and sounds! We could not image taking this journey with anyone else, Obedi ensured that we saw the all the sights and animals. He was energetic, fun to be around and extremely knowledgeable. We could not have had a better guide! Thanks for the memories! luba15242024-10-11Verified Benson Safari Rocks! My husband and I just returned from our safari with Benson Safari, which took place from September 26 to October 7th. From the beginning of my trip planning, which started a year before, Benson and his team made sure that our visit to Tanzania would be unforgettable, and it was. Over the year, I made several changes and asked many questions, and he never made me feel that I was asking too many questions. Benson was always ready for a WhatsApp call when communication through email didn’t seem enough. Ultimately, our trip was beyond my expectations. We booked an 11-day safari and stayed two nights at each location. We started at Tarangire, then to Ngorongoro, Mara River, Central Serengeti, and ended at Lake Manyara to unwind. Our driver and guide, Liberatus, was the face of Benson Safari and was terrific. He is gentle, patient, and always willing to go the extra distance, literally, for the best sightings. I don’t know how he does it, but we were often the first vehicle at the scene, witnessing nature's drama unfold. Liberatus knew how to position the jeep so that a cheetah jumped onto the hood of our jeep; we watched vultures and storks attack a recently killed zebra, again the first to arrive at this sight. We saw the river crossings and had an excellent view. Over and above the big 5, we love sighting birds. Liberatus was excellent in pointing out the wide variety of beautiful and colourful birds during our safari and gave us the time to take fantastic pictures. Pole Pole was how we travelled, and it paid off. After spending 11 nights with him, he was a part of our family. And we miss him. Don’t hesitate to sign up for this epic adventure with Benson Safari. Benson and his team will do everything to ensure you will be well taken care of through your safari. They are quick to reply to your questions, patient, and professional. The travel, from airport pickup to safari to dropoff, was seamless, and the accommodations exceeded our expectations. Asante Sana, Benson, for making this once-in-a-lifetime adventure the most brilliant we’ve had. And thank you for the delicious coffee! Reflecting on our journey, we are filled with a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, knowing we've experienced something truly remarkable. I only wish we could do this again. It’s like being in a real-life Jurassic Park, with breathtaking and awe-inspiring moments at every turn. Aubrey S2024-09-19Verified Amazing Reliable, Professional, Flexibleand and thoughtful. Amazing!!!5/5What a trip completly Flashed from a lifetime of beautiful experiences with the people,animals accomodations.how friendly and helpful everyone was. a nation full of wonderful people and a safari full of lifetime experiences.I can only say if you can, do not wait to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Our Guide was also Fantasticone had the feeling he Knew all three parks like the back of his hand. and spotted Animals that we would have never seenhe also had the talent of knowing where to be at the right Time and always managed to manover so that we alwayshad a place in the first Row,this was incredible when you are competing with many other travel companys but he was clearlyone of the more respected guides.Thankyou once again Benson Safaris especially Libaratus who was at the end of our Travels ike a brother to me Siree2024-09-07Verified Amazing Safaris for the 1st time! It was my first time to Africa and Tanzania. My friend and I had a great time spent during our 7 days vacation in Tanzania Mainland which organized by Benson Safari.Benson and Peris were thoughtful and high customer focus. They customized our private trip professionally. Both were quick response and ensure that the itinerary met my expectation and all my questions were answered. The accommodations they chose for us were amazing! Clean room, great view and nice staffs.On arrival day, we met Zabron who was our driver and guide. He was kind, friendly and proactive, no doubt his professional. During our game drive in 4 parks (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) we have been to, he drove us to see abundant of wildlife and BIG5! Unbelievable but we have seen the all!! Thanks to his luck, his good connection with other guides and his professional.On the last day, unexpectedly our guide gave us a gift from Benson which was local coffee. We were impressed. Overall my friend and I had a wonderful experiences on our first trip to Africa and Tanzania.Only small things I would like to mentioned that on our last 2 day. Benson office offered us to stay at the other hotel as it’s close to the airport and have a transfer service. (Different from mentioned in our program). That was a great offer and I was happy with that. As I booked this trip as a private, I asked our guide to ensure that it’s a private transfer. He did confirmed and let the hotel staff be informed. However, on the day to the airport , the hotel staff told me i had to travel with a shared transfer and the bus was leaving in a minute. If I would like to travel base on my schedule, I had to pay extra. After 15 mins discussion, they provided us private transfer with no extra. I guess it was a miscommunication, but it would be great if this situation not happen. MC-Fam2024-09-07Verified True cultural experience Thank you, Benson and team! My family and l travelled to Lake Eyasi and Tarangire with Benson Safaris Tanzania and we had a brilliant trip.Our guide was fun, full of knowledge andd jokes, and very patient with the kids and happily answered all their questions and requests for a bathroom break! In Lake Eyasi we also had a local guide who was great fun, full of energy and shared so much information with us. Hunting with the Datoga tribe was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the highlight of our safari. If you have kids who love culture and running around in the bush - do not miss out on Lake Eyasi! It's an early morning, but 100% worth it.Tarangire was amazing, and an elephant lover's dream. We also saw giraffes, zebra, lions and smaller animals. The lunch lookout was beautiful and it was great to spend some time out of the car. We were even able to buy an ice cream! Fortune in the office found accommodation for us in family rooms, so we were able to stay together, and both lodges had pools, which the children enjoyed. The food was family-friendly and the staff would make dishes requested by the children! The vehicle was spotless and we even had a cooler box with our favourite drinks. You thought of everything and made every moment a joy, thank you! I highly recommend Benson Safaris Tanzania. They made travelling with young children so easy and we can't wait to explore Zanzibar with them next week. Susanna G2024-08-28Verified Piece of Paradise TANZANIA!!! If you are planning to visit Tanzania - so only with BENSON SAFARIS agency!!!Benson is proffesional from start to finish, the service , bookings was very quick and proffesional and helpful. Our driver Liberatus - Thank you sooooo much , the best driver and he became our best friend, he was so friendly, they really made our trip memorable and unforgetable for us. The accommodation and vehicle were all to a high standart and we were very comfortable during the whole trip.Highly recommend: BENSON SAFARI to anyone planning to go Tanzania.GO TO TANZANIA - peace of paradide! Thank you guys, you are the best...we will back again Roberto D2024-08-26Verified Totally happy with Benson Safari We had a great experience with Benson Safari. We were 3 families and we arrived to Arusha 2 days later than expected due to a flight delay and they were able to adjust the whole safari super quickly. Our guides Liberatus and Alex were excellent. We would defenetly reccomend this tour operator to families and people travelling with kids! Navendu P2024-08-20Verified Magnificent wildebeest migration. We booked this trip to see the great migration of wildebeest and Benson Safari just delivered that. With the added bonus of seeing many other animals including chimpanzees in Gombe national Park. lions, leopards elephants and many more animals in central and north Serengeti .The tented camp accommodation were brilliant experience, with animals wandering around in the grounds and you can hear lions roaring and hippos at night time.The balloon Safari over the Mara river was an excellent choice,It was overall and excellent experience deliverd by Benson Safari. Johannes2024-08-04Verified Everything great We booked a custom tour, because we hat a lot of things we wanted to cover in the short time we had. The booking was professional. The lodges and our driver Oby were amazing. I can fully recommend Benson Safari. Jerry Bailey2024-07-05Verified AMAZING The safari experience offered by Benson Safaris Tanzania was great, and Amani, our guide, was excellent. His expertise about the Serengeti and its fauna was unmatched, and he made sure we experienced everything the area has to offer. The trip was made even more remarkable by Amani's love of the outdoors and his amiable disposition. Everything was excellent, from the cozy lodgings to the thoughtfully designed schedule. I heartily endorse Amani and Benson Safaris for a truly remarkable safari experience!
Benson Safaris Tanzania, founded in 2006, offers expertly guided Wildlife Safaris, Mountain Treks, and Beach Breaks.
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