Overview
Visiting Uganda and you feel you need more days? This 10 day's birding and primate safari is dedicated to making our trip in Africa a memorable one. On arrival you will be welcomed by our birding guide who will be birding with you to the booked lodges and all trails. You will have several stop overs while on your way for birding, stretching, photo taking, and picnic lunch. Different wild animals and birds will be spotted in different places as you continue with this safari in Uganda. This will lead us to both savannah and rain forested national parks to watch the birds and primates like chimpanzees, gorillas and many more.
Detailed safari itinerary
Day 1. Arrival
Arriving at the airport, our birding guide will warmly welcome you and take you to the agreed hotel. Depending on how you are feeling, you can either visit the botanical gardens that introduces us to tropical birding of Uganda or stay at the lodge.
Day 2. Birding in Mabamba swamp
After an early breakfast, we drive from the lodge to Mabamba swamp, famous for the Shoebill Stork and many other water rarities, like Papyrus Gonolek, Goliath Heron, Lesser Jacana, African Swamphen, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Blue-headed Coucal, Wyn's Weaver and many more. Spend as much as we can and dive back to the lodge.
Day 3. Transfer to Kibale forest National Park
Leave our lodge after an early morning breakfast to Kibale forest national Park via fort portal the tourism city. For a birding trip, this will take us the whole day driving through the beautiful central forest reserves of Matiri and many as we look for birds, animals and experiencing the beautiful cultures of the great Uganda.
Day 4 chimpanzees and birding in the forest.
Kibale national Park is well known for its chimpanzees and more than 9 more other primates, thus being the primate capital of the world. Birding in Kibale N.P is a delightful experience. We look out for species such as Red-winged Francolin, White sported Flufftail, White-naped Pegion, Green-breasted Pitta, Joyful Greenbul, Grey-winged Robin, White-tailed Ground Thrush, Grey-throated Flycatcher, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Masked and Black-throated Apalises, Splendid Glossy Starling, Purple-headed Starling, Tiny/Superb/Bronze/Green headed/Green/Green throated/Little green sunbirds, Grey-headed Olive-back and many more. Lunch at the hotel later bird along the road. Dinner and overnight at our lodge.
Day 5 Birding to queen Elizabeth national Park
After breakfast, we drive to Queen Elizabeth national park. The Park which is named after the Queen of England after her visitation, is the second largest national park in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth national park boasts the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. This is evidenced by the presence of open savannah, rainforest, dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes, and the vast Lake Edward. Queen Elizabeth National Park has almost 100 mammal species and a remarkable 612 bird species hence making it a superb safari territory, with elephants, a profusion of hippos, the elusive Giant Forest hogs and handsome Uganda Kobs all regularly sighted during the birding drive and also boasts a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Day 6. Birding to Bwindi through Ishasha sector
You start early after breakfast, we will also drive through the Ishasha section where, if lucky, you may be able to see the tree climbing lions and continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world endangered population of Mountain Gorillas. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive Afro-montane Forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighboring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and therefore of big conservation importance.
Day 7. Gorillas trekking and nature walk.
After breakfast, we shall assemble at the Park Offices for the briefing prior to this historic event. Gorilla tracking is a very captivating activity; It might take 1-8 hours which involves walking in the wilderness in search of these gentle giants. Gorilla Tracking can be a challenging activity, therefore ensure physical fitness. Eight people are permitted per group per day. On occasions the Gorillas prove elusive but often can be found within an hour by the tracker guides. It is a wonderful experience to stare into the eyes of these gentle giants; watch them in awe as they play and go about their daily activities. Gorilla Tracking is indeed a “once in a lifetime” experience that you must never miss. Each encounter with the gorillas is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Day 8. Birding to Ruhija sector
After an early morning breakfast, we bird to Ruhija through the neck. Key bird species include: Mountain Wagtail, Chin-spot Batis, Black-billed Turacco, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Dwarf Honeyguide, Red-tailed Greenbul, and we should come across Bee-eaters including Black Bee-eater and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Ayres's Hawk-eagle, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Honeyguide Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Gray Apalis, African Shrike-flycatcher and Red-headed Malimbe; and in areas of dry fern vegetation, we expect to watch the Dusky Twinspot. Other birds here include Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Black Saw-wing, Chubbs’ Cisticola, Grey Apalis, Augur Buzzard, Petit’s Cuckoo Shrike, Pink-footed, Northern Puffbacks, Red-tailed, Little Grey Greenbuls, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Red-throated Martin, East African Swee (Yellow-bellied Waxbill), Yellow White-eye, Yellow-rumped and Speckled-rumped Tinkerbirds, African Stonechat, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Stripe-breasted Tit, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Regal Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Yellow-throated Leaf Love, Crested Guinea Fowl, African Crowned Hornbill, Black-necked Weaver, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-spotted Barbet and many more
Day 9. Birding the Mubwindi Swamp
After breakfast we head for a whole day birding to Mubwindi Swamp. This is the best birding spot for the Albertine rift endemics including the Grauer's Broadbill, the beautiful Regal Sunbird, Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis Black Headed Waxbill, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Grauer's Warbler, Fraser's Eagle-Owl, Grauer's Rush Warbler, Purple-breasted, Blue-headed, Regal, Northern Double Collared, Eastern Olive and Collared Sunbirds, Strange Weaver. This part of Bwindi is generally at a higher altitude and more species to look for include Western Green Tinkerbird, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Mountain Greenbul, Mountain Illadopsis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer's and Mountain Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-throated, Buff Throated, Black-faced and Rwenzori Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Montane Sooty Boubou, Red-throated Alethe, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatchers, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty's Bush-shrike, White-napped Raven, Montane Oriole, Stuhlmann's Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller's Starling, Strange, Brown-capped, Baglafecht and Black-billed Weavers, Dusky Crimsonwing, East African Swee, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre's Hawk-eagle, Handsome Francolin, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, (Western) Bronze-napped Pigeon, Elliot's Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Archer's Robin-chat, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Ansorge's Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, Olive Thrush, and many more
Day 10. Departure
This day will Mark the end of our combined safari of birding and primate watching as we drive back to Entebbe for our flight.
