We are glad to introduce this birding safari. It will be led by an experienced birding guide with varied experience and knowledge of other wildlife. It all starts from Central Uganda, down to Lake Mburo one of the best savannah Parks for birding in Uganda as it attracts species from Northern Tanzania, after here we visit Africa’s number one birding site according to African Birding Club - Bwindi, explore both sections of Queen Elizabeth with the biggest birding checklist ever recorded in any game reserve, to Kibale Forest the best birding site for the Green Breasted Pitta, Murchison Falls the No. 3 birding spot of Africa divided into four sections all with excellent birding – Kaniyo Pabid popular for the Puvel’s Illadopsis, The Royal Mile, Busingiro and Northern Murchison Falls gifted with savannah northern migrants plus other rarities, we shall not overlook the primates and big mammals and our guide will be glad to share with you the different cultures of people you will come across.
DAY 1: Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, meet our representative who will transfer you to your respective hotel. BB
DAY 2: BIRDING TO MABAMBA AND TRANSFER TO LAKE MBURO
Leave Entebbe early in the morning for Mabamba swamp birding enroute, we have a chance to see a variety of weavers on the way, Black headed Oriole, Black Bishop, Sooty Chat, Lizard Buzzard, Double Toothed Barbet, Shikra and many others when we get to Mabamba swamp, we shall take a hand paddled or engine canoe in search for the majestic Shoebill; here we have a chance to see a variety of water birds like the African Swamphen, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, Purple, Rufous Bellied, Goliath and Squacco Herons, Malachite King fisher, and many more. After the swamp we transfer to Lake Mburo lunch and birding enroute, arrive for an evening game drive as we enter the park where we have a chance to see a variety of open woodland birds like the Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Blue Napped Mousebird, Sulpher-breasted Bush-shrike, Brubru, Green Wood Hoopoe and many more. Dinner and overnight stay. FB
DAY 3: BIRDING LAKE MBURO
After an early breakfast, we shall head for a morning boat trip where we look for the African Finfoot, White-backed/ Black-crowned Night Herons, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed/ Golden-backed/Slender-billed/ Village/ Spectacled and Northern Brown-throated Weavers, Greater swamp Warbler, Red-headed, Black-collard, Speckle-flanked, Crested and White-headed Barbets, Crested, Coqui and Red-necked Spurfowls, Trilling, Long-tailed( Tabora), Croaking and Winding Cisticolas. Afternoon game drive for Toppies, Zebras, Buffaloes, Impalas, Elands and many others. Dinner and overnight stay. FB
DAY 4: BIRDING TO BWINDI - RUHIJA
Morning game and birding drive which gives us higher chances of viewing mammals like the Zebras, Impalas, Elands, Topis, Buffaloes among others, as we bird we focus our attention on the search for the Red Faced Barbet, Coqui Francolin, Brown Chested Plover depending on the month as it is an Intra African migrant (July – Dec), Tabora(Long-tailed) Cisticola, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, Buff Bellied Warbler, Red Headed Weaver, Black Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Sulpher Breasted Bush-shrike, Green Capped Eremomela, Bare faced Go-away-bird, Green Wood Hoopoe and more acacia associated birds, we later drive out of lake Mburo as we transfer to Ruhija birding enroute, one of the main birding areas will be the bamboo zone where we look out for the Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Handsome Francolin, Mountain Illadopsis, White-starred Robin, Mountain Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Grauer’s Warbler, Dusky Twinspot and Crimson-wing late birding along the road brings great views of the Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Black and White Manikin, Stripe breasted Tit, White Headed Wood Hoopoe, Regal Sunbird, Chestnut Throated Apalis and a variety of other birds. Dinner and overnight stay. FB
DAY 5 & 6: BIRDING MUBWINDI AND GORILLA TRACKING
At the highest elevation bamboo forests, we will look out for, The Grauer's Broadbill, African Black Duck and Mountain Wagtail in the small fast-flowing streams. Mountain and Augur buzzards, Ayres's and Casin’s Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk; Rameron Pigeon; Brown-necked Parrot; Black-billed Turaco; Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo; White-headed Woodhoopoe; Western Green Tinkerbird; Olive Woodpecker; Thick-billed, Least, and the elusive Dwarf honeyguide; Black Sawwing; Gray Cuckoo-shrike; Eastern Mountain, Honeyguide, Red-tailed, Shelley's and Yellow-streaked greenbuls; Olive Thrush; White-starred Robin; Stripe-breasted Tit; Mountain and the beautiful Gray-chested Illadopses; African Hill Babbler (the local form often treated as a full species, Rwenzori Hill Babbler); Black-faced, Ruwenzori, and Chestnut-throated apalises; Red-faced Woodland-Warbler; White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher; Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher; Rwenzori Batis; Mountain Sooty Boubou; the rare Lagden’s Bushshrike; Sharpe’s Starling; Black-tailed Oriole; Strange Weaver, and Oriole Finch. Flowering trees attract the incredible, Purple-breasted Sunbird as well as Blue-headed and Regal sunbirds, all three being extremely beautiful Albertine Rift Endemics. On the following day early morning trek into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park with packed lunch led by experienced guides to a family of mountain gorillas. Tracking the gorillas through the dense mountain forest is a magical experience. You will spend one hour with the gorillas and be back to the lodge. Some gorilla families however are more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy overnight as the night before.
DAY 7: BIRDING TO BUHOMA VIA THE NECK
Whole day birding on the road to Buhoma 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, Dark-capped Bulbul, Yellow-bellied Kite, Yellow-rumped, Speckled-rumped Tinkerbirds, African Stonechat, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Stripe-breasted Tit, Montane-masked Apalis, Red-faced Woodland, Montane 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, Lead-colored Flycatcher, Black-necked Weaver, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-spotted Barbet, African Harrier Hawk
DAY 8: BIRDING TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, we shall bird the self-guided trail of Buhoma then drive to the second biggest protected area in Uganda - Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birding here exposes us to a variety of savannah birds including the Larks, Pipits, Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, Black Coucal, African Crake, African Moustached, Broad Tailed and Grey Capped Warblers, 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. We shall later have a longer drive into the national park in the late afternoon and evening. If we are lucky, we find the area's tree-climbing lions Ishasha is famous for, as we go on safari among other mammals expect buffaloes, Uganda Kob, Elephant, and Topi.
DAY 9: BIRDING AND GAME VIEWING IN QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Morning game and birding drive through the park’s tracks down to the Kasenyi track and Kob mating grounds where we have a concept of the hunter and the hunted living alongside one another, today viewing the lions and leopards are on our agenda, more big mammals like the elephant, cape Buffalo, water buck and much more are expected, back to the birding we lookout for the Temminck’s Courser, Red Caped Lark, Caspian, Crowned, African Wattled and Senegal Plover, Martial, Wahlberg’s Brown Snake and Short-toed Snake Eagles, Rupell’s Griffon, Palm-nut, White Backed and Lappet Faced Vulture and many more. later in the afternoon we take a boat ride along the natural Kazinga Channel which links lakes George and Edward whispered to host the largest concentration of Hippos in Africa, a variety of migrants and good for water birding, Crocodiles later back to our lodge for dinner and overnight stay, a night game drive today is optional with expectations of the nightjars which at times gives us bonuses of seeing cats like the Blotched Genet, Leopard, Hyena and Lion. FB
DAY 10: MORNING DRIVE THEN TRANSFER TO KIBALE FOREST
We start with a morning drive through Queen Elizabeth looking out for what we might have missed the previous day of birding before we transfer to Kibale which has the highest concentration of primates in Uganda with 13 species. Depending on where we stay birding around the forest is delightful looking out for the Black Bee-eater, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Mountain Wagtail, Shining Blue kingfisher, Red Chested Owlet, White-napped Pigeon, Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Green Crombec, Purple Banded Sunbird, Uganda Woodland Warbler, White Tailed Anti-thrush, African Emerald Cuckoo, Red Chested Cuckoo, Red Capped and Blue Shouldered Robinchats and many more bird species. FB
DAY 11: BIRDING AND CHIMP TRACKING IN KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Early morning start in search for the Green-Breasted Pitta and other species we concentrate on include the Black and White Mannikins, Afep Pigeon, White-chinned Prinia, Little Grey and Joyful Greenbuls, Grey-winged Robin-chat, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Black-billed Turacco, White-spotted Flufftail, Alpine Swift, Collared Sunbird, White-breasted Negro-finch, Superb Sunbird, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Purple-headed Starling, Toro Olive Greenbul, Ayre's Hawk Eagle, Red-headed Bluebill, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Bocages (Grey Green) Bush Shrike, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Yellow White-eye, Tambourine Dove, Grey-capped Warblers, Black and White Shrike Flycatcher Narina Trogon and many more. Later in the afternoon we do a chimp trek and look out for other monkeys like the Red Tailed, Black and White Colobus, Blue, L’hoest’s and many more monkeys. We later return to our lodge for dinner and overnight stay. FB
DAY 12: BIRDING TO MASINDI
After an early breakfast we bird to Masindi. We have about three routes to this place depending on the weather and where we anticipate good birds, we shall choose one of these, birding stops will be at certain points trying to find special species like the Dusky and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Wallers, Narrow Tailed and Stuhlmann’s, Starling, African Black Duck among others. We later get to our destination and spend our night. FB
DAY 13: BIRDING BUDONGO – ROYAL MILE AND BUSINGIRO.
To maximize on our chances of seeing the rare skulking birds, we begin birding at dawn. Key bird species for the two sections include: Blue Breasted, African Dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfishers, Brown-eared and Yellow Crested Woodpecker, Dusky long-tailed Cuckoo, Crowned Eagle, Forest and Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Narina Trogon, , Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Chestnut-crowned Eremomera, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Olive-bellied Crombec, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Little Green Sunbird, Green Sunbird, White-Breasted Negrofinch, Western Black-headed Oriole, Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Forest Robin, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Tit Hylia, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Green Crombec, Crested Malimbe and Red-headed Bluebill, Cassin's Hawk Eagle, Slender-billed, White-throated, Spotted, Plain and Toro Olive Greenbuls, Nahan’s Francolin as we drive back to our lodge. FB
DAY 14: BIRDING TO NOTHERN MURCHISON FALLS
You start early birding via Busingiro to the escarpment. This stretch is one of the best of Uganda Birding spots. Sighted birds here include Foxy Cisticola, White-headed and black billed Barbet, Northern Crombec, Singing, Croaking, Rattling, Black Backed, Siffling and Whistling Cisticolas, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Grey-headed Oliveback, Red Winged Pytilia, Black-bellied Firefinch, Lesser-masked and Vitelline Masked Weaver, Cliff Chat, Cut-throat Finch, Cinnamon Breasted Rock Bunting, we check in at our lodge for two nights. FB
DAY 15: BIRDING NORTHERN MURCHISON FALLS
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, we 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, Senegal and Water Thick-knees, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwings, 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, Red-throated Bee-eater, Silver Bird, Beautiful Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver and White-rumped Seedeater, Rock Pratincole, African Darter and Giant Kingfisher. Dinner and overnight stay. FB
16: BIRDING TO ENTEBBE AND ONWARDS
In the morning, after an early morning breakfast, we drive towards Entebbe with a stopover for rhino tracking while birding along the way.
End of the Tour.
The cost of this tour based on six (6) people sharing double/twin rooms and on full board apart from the first hotel in Entebbe is.
4,155$ per person without Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Rhinos permits,
Additional 1000$ per person tracking all the three.
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, tips etc.)
- Any other activities or excursion not mentioned above
