Overview
Enjoy 12 days birding and photography safari in Uganda as you explore key Important Bird Areas (IBAs) that make this pristine country the top birding destination. From Mabamba Swamp to bird areas such as Kibale Forest National Park, Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls National Park, Maramagambo Forest and Bigodi Wetland, expect astonishing bird sightings of forest birds, migratory and resident avifaunal species.
Uganda is a complete birding destination with a total of about 1080 bird species including the shoebills, white crested hornbill, secretary birds, papyrus gonoleks, green breasted pitta, green broadbill, flamingos, etc. Your birding expedition in the Pearl of Africa begins and ends in Entebbe city or Kampala.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: To Hotel
A warm welcome at Entebbe International Airport -EBB by your birding safari leader in Uganda. After, he will drive you to check in at your hotel for relaxation, dinner and night sleep.
Day 2: Mabamba Swamp for shoebill
Enjoy an early breakfast, after exit with pack of lunch to catch up with a boat connecting to Mabamba swamp found on Lake Victoria shores, 50kms West of Kampala capital. At Mabamba swamp enjoying a canoe ride, keep an eye on the swamp bizarre, the Shoebill and a diversity of other bird species including the White-faced Whistling Duck, Goliath, Squacco, Purple and Black-headed Herons, White-winged, Greater Swamp and Grey-capped Warblers, Yellow-backed Weaver, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Weyns’s Weaver Vieillot’s Black, Black-headed, Northern Brown-throated, Little and Slender-billed weavers, Red-headed Lovebird and many others.
Day 3: Lake Mburo National Park (LMNP) for birding
Following an early breakfast, check out of the hotel then drive to Lake Mburo National Park, about 4 hours to a whole day with en-route stopover be made at Equator crossing that divides the earth into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern. Proceed to Lake Mburo in Kiruhura district, Western Uganda a birder’s paradise with more than 350 bird species. A stopover will be made at Kaku Swamp for interesting sights such as Blue-billed Teal, Garganey, Little Grebe, Lesser Moorhen, African Swamphen, Brown-throated Wattle Eye, African Paradise Flycatcher, African Grey Woodpecker, Arrow Marked Babbler, Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese and more. After, drive to check in at your accommodation for a comfortable stay in Lake Mburo NP.
Day 4: Lake Mburo birding
Enjoy an early game drive which comes with amazing bird sighting of Lake Mburo National Park both in the car and on the boat. The birds to expect here include the Red-faced, Black-colored, Spot-flanked, Crested and White-headed Barbets, Long-tailed (Tabora) Cisticola, Banded and Black-chested Snake Eagles, Crested Francolin, Brown and Meyr's Parrots, Red-necked Spurfawl, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Temmincks Courser, Common Quails, Green Wood hoopoe, Blue-napped Mousebird, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, African Grey Hornbill, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola, Lilac-breasted Roller, Coqui Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, African Wattled Plover, Rufous-naped and Flappet Larks, Rufous-chested Swallow, Southern Red Bishop, and Yellow-throated Long Claw among others. The fringing swamps in the park also hide secretive papyrus specialties such as the Papyrus Gonolek,White-winged Warbler, Malachite Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher. Also, on the water edges, we look out for the Whit-backed Night Heron, African Finfoot, Water Thick-knee. Other common conspicuous birds we may encounter on our game-drive include Common Scimitarbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Great Blue-eared Starling, Green Wood Hoopoe, and Marico Sunbird. A small number of the migratory Brown-chested Plover is regularly observed. Spot lighting along the entrance road may produce interesting nocturnal species such as the African Scops Owl, Verreux’s Eagle, and Freckled, Black Shouldered and Pennant-winged Nightjars. Overnight at our lodge.
Day 5: Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Leave Lake Mburo National Park after a morning birding drive to look for birds you could have missed during the previous day including Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Temmricks Courser, African Wattled Lapwing, Black-bellied Bustard, Red-faced Barbet etc. Plus, other wildlife such as Impalas, Buffaloes, Elands, Zebras, Giraffes. Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s second biggest park thanks to its large size of 1978sq.kms.
Day 6: Whole Day Queen Elizabeth NP Birding
We start early for a game drive and birding the vast grassland area the whole morning looking out for; Larks, Pipits, Harlequin and Blue Quails, Small (Common) Buttonquail, Black Coucal, African Crake, African Moustached, Broad Tailed and Grey Capped Warbler, Martial Eagle, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, Amur Falcon, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, Terek Sandpiper, Crimson Rumped Waxbill, Sulpher Breasted Bushshrike, Golden Breasted Bunting, Temminck's Courser, Senegal and Wattled Lapwing, Brown Snake Eagle and many more bird species. This park has a great number of mammals numbering to 96 which are both diurnal and nocturnal. Some of them include Buffaloes, Uganda Kob, Elephant and Lion, Leopard and Jackles. Later in the afternoon we have an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a natural water channel connecting Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for waterside birds and abundant Hippopotamus. Birding on the boat avails us opportunities of seeing the African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black Backed and Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Grey Plover, Terek Sandpiper most of which are winter visitors. Dinner and overnight at our Lodge.
Day 7: Maramagambo Forest & Kibale
With a packed lunch, we set off for birding in Maramagambo Forest to enjoy forest bird sightings. We will come across birds such as African paradise Flycatcher, African Golden Oriole, Bedford’s Flycatcher, Moustached Grass Warbler, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Red-headed Bluebill Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Brown-eared Woodpecker, etc. After, transfer to Kibale National Park, the primate capital of the world and a home to 375 bird species.
Day 8: Kibale birding & Bigodi Wetland
Over 375 bird species are in Kibale and today, expect to look out for the Green-breasted Pitta plus other numerous birds such as Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Red-chested Owlet, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Black-billed Turaco, Red-tailed Bristle bill, Yellow-billed Barbet, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, Forest Robin, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Fire-crested Alethe, Little Greenbul, Masked Apalis, Jameson's Wattle-eye, Western Nicator, White-napped Pigeon, White and Red-tailed Anti-thrushes and many more. After, get back for lunch then drive 4kms to Bigodi wetland to look out for the Great Blue Turaco, Cameroon Sombre Greenbull, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, White-spotted Flufftail, Whit-collored Oliveback etc.
Day 9: Kibale- Murchison Falls NP Birding
Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, drive via Fort Portal-Hoima city while enjoying the rift valley escarpment specials which include Fox's Cisticola, Cut-throat Finch, Namaqua Dove, White-headed and black billed Barbet, Northern Crombec, Singing Cisticola, White-rumped Seed Eater, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Grey-headed Oliveback, Red Winged Pytilia, Black-bellied Firefinch, Vitellin and Lesser-masked Weavers, Crowned Eagle, Green-backed Eremomela, Beautifull Sunbird, we check in and later we do a night drive in search of the nightjars and nocturnal mammal.
Day 10 & 11: Birding in Murchison Falls -full day
Today our birding starts after an early breakfast. We may bird on a boat along the Victoria Nile to the delta or do a birding drive to the delta. Later in the afternoon, you take a launch trip to the bottom of the falls. Recorded birds in this park include Shoebill, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, Pied Kingfishers, Red-throated Bee-eaters, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Spotted, Senegal and Water Thick-knees, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Vinaceous Dove and Grosbeak Weaver. Buff-bellied Warbler, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Marabou Stork, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Silverbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver and White-rumped Seedeater, Rock Pratincole, African Darter and Giant Kingfisher, Shelley's Sparrow.
Day 12: Birding & depart
Have breakfast, after leave with packed lunch and stop in Budongo Forest for a short birding walk at Kaniyo-Pabidi looking out for African shrike Flycatcher, Spotted Greenbull, PUVELL'S ILLADOPSIS, Golden-backed Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, and many more then proceed to Kampala or Entebbe.
End of tour.
The cost of this tour based on Six People sharing double/twin rooms and full board apart from the first hotel in Entebbe is.
2,977$ per person without, Chimpanzees and Rhinos,
Additional 300$ per person tracking all the two.
Included are.
All ground transportation in a 4*4 land cruiser
All accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
An English-speaking bird guide and his allowances
Water in the car throughout the trip
All park entrances and the activities as per the program
Excluded are.
- Personal items (travel insurance, visa fees, Laundry, tips etc.)
- Any other activities or excursion not mentioned above
