John Gitiri

6 Testimonials Write a testimonial for John

John was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide, who guided us for a day whilst in Nairobi. We hired Johns services for a day in Nairobi National Park and it did not disappoint. We saw some great species that just wouldn’t have been possible without John, seemingly able to pull birds out of thin air whilst also driving the vehicle around the NP - Small Buttonquail an obvious example! Would have loved to have hired John for more days out if I wasn’t limited for time. He will certainly be my first contact when I visit Nairobi or East Africa in the future, which will hopefully be next year. If you want a knowledgeable, personable and clearly passionate ornithologist to guide you around Kenya or East Africa - John is a top choice that you won’t regret!

We took a birdwatching trip for 6 days in Kenya, visiting Mount Kenya, Aberdare, Lake Naivasha and Nairobi national park among other regions. We saw more than 250 species. John ia a 100% professional (bird-)guide and driver. He knows, where to watch special species and is excellent in identifying bird calls. Alongside he is a pleasent person, always friendly and patient. My idea is to do another trip to Kenya, visiting the coast, Tsavo west an maybe Amboseli-National park, with John as our guide.

John is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced guide, no question! He made sure my day of birding was extremely fruitful and satisfying, and seemed to magically conjure up the species I wanted to see - but of course in fact there was no magic, just an excellent understanding of bird behaviour and knowledge of their habitats. I go birding around the world, and John has been among the best guides I’ve had. He is passionate about birds, preserving the habitat near his village in Kinangop, and about supporting other young people to learn. I have no hesitation recommending him!

Had the pleasure of having John and his friend Jonathan as guides from 26th to 28th September 2024 before I went on to Uganda. I was already in Kenya and was supposed to meet two friends on the evening of the 25th, but due to Qatar Air they didn't arrive until the night of the 26th. So on the first day I was picked up in the morning and we drove from Nairobi northwest while birding on the way. We visited some locations in search of highland specialties such as Sharpe's Longclaw and John did not disappoint. The area where you see it is John's home turf and he knows the locations and not least the birds and their sounds. He was also very familiar with the other locations we visited from Nairobi and on the way northwest to Kinangop and Aberdare. He is up to date with species, subspecies and the various lists such as IOC, HBW and Clements. As a birdwatcher you always want to see it all but I find it hard to believe that you can get more species in such a short time without such a good guide. Should I come to Kenya again and have the opportunity to explore other parts of the country, I will contact John again and he is welcome to bring Jonathan with him as he was also skilled and observant. Best regards Martin Thomsen

I have been on trips with John two times so far, once in 2022 on my own on a two nights three days birding safari, and in February 2024 with a group of 11 Swedish birdwatchers that I led where John drove one of the cars and guided us for 8 days. I have seen him in action both doing private guiding and group guiding and he is excellent with both. He manages to keep the spirit up and is very systematic in helping everyone in a group to see the birds we are looking at, being very thorough giving everyone a chance before moving on to the next bird. In the group that I led with participants of different ages and skills this was extremely valuable creating the best preconditions for unforgettable experiences for all participants. The most striking feature that resonates with me about John is that he is passionate about birds and knows a lot of other wildlife. Especially his interest in birds go way beyond guiding birds watchers. When not guiding he is also out watching birds, ringing birds and doing inventories, because birds is one of his big interests. Since I also spend a lot of my time thinking about birds, going out on trips together with someone that has the same mindset is very rewarding. I am certain that you will not regret letting John be your guide experiencing the fantastic birds, wildlife and nature of Kenya.

My wife and I spent 2 weeks on Safari with John and he was so good! I have hired many guides across the globe and John was top tier. He was very familiar with all of the locations, species and wildlife of the areas all across Kenya. My wife isn't obsessed with birds like I am, and John was able to masterfully weave together days that focused on both birds and Mammals such that both myself and my non-bird-loving wife were excited and interested each day. One thing that a less observant person might not realize was the subtle way that John was able to construct days that put us in the right locations, at the right time to search for target wildlife. One thing that comes to mind that I didn't realize until a few days in was that the routes we took always had the perfect sun angle such that the areas we were looking for wildlife in had the sun at our backs and the target area in perfect lighting. On top of birds he also knows mammals & reptiles VERY well. His english is perfect, good conversationist, prompt, willing to wake up at 5 AM every morning for us :). Can't say enough thanks to John for our Kenya safari. Hire him if you have the chance.