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 wetland to bird areas such as Kibale 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 Wetland for shoebills
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 diverse bird species including the white-faced whistling duck, goliath herons, white winged warblers, yellow backed, blue breasted bee-eaters, Weyns’s weaver birds, vieillot’s black weavers, golden backed, 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 4-5 hours 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 white-faced ducks, black kites, lesser moorhen, purple swamphen, brown throated wattle eye, dusky blue, African paradise, hottentot teals, grey woodpecker, scaly throated honeyguide, arrow marked, Egyptian geese, spur winged 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 birds which total up to 350 species. The birds to expect to sight here include the western banded, bared faced go-a way bird, brown snake eagles, bateleur, brown parrot, tabora cisticola, red faced, double toothed etc. Have a picnic lunch, then continue with a boat cruise on Lake Mburo to keep an eye on numerous aquatic birds including the lesser swamp warblers, African darters, papyrus yellow warblers, grey crowned cranes, papyrus gonoleks, black crown night herons, African finfoot, African water rails, spur winged, rufous bellied herons, etc.
Day 5: To Queen Elizabeth National Park birding excursion
Leave Lake Mburo National Park after a morning birding to sight birds you could have missed during the previous day including yellow billed ox-pecker, temmricks courser, African wattled lapwings, black bellied bustards, 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: Queen Elizabeth NP Birding
Exit your lodge for a long day birding excursion in Queen Elizabeth National Park starting with Kasenyi plains. Over 620 bird species are in Queen Elizabeth NP and via Kasenyi plains, expect bird sightings like African white backed vultures, African crakes, red chested, black chested, cuckoos, European rollers, white tailed lark, trilling, verreaux’s eagles, black crowned tchagra, etc. Picnic lunch be enjoyed at Mweya Peninsular and you proceed for a boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will enjoy sightings of aquatic birds.
Day 7: Maramagambo Forest & Kibale
With packed lunch, set off for birding in Maramagambo Forest to enjoy forest bird sightings. You will come across birds such as African paradise, African golden oriole, Bedford’s flycatchers, African moustached, blue breasted kingfishers, red headed blue bill, red bellied paradise, brown eared woodpeckers, etc. After, transfer to Kibale National Park, the primate capital of the world and a home to all 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 woodpeckers, black billed turacos, red tailed bristle bill, yellow billed barbet, rufous flycatchers, forest robin, blue shouldered robin chat, scaly breasted, fires crested alethe, little greenbul, etc. After, get back for lunch then drive 4kms to Bigodi wetland for another birding session expecting bird sightings of the great blue turacos, Cameroon sombre, white napped pigeon, buff-spotted woodpeckers, white tail ant-thrush, white spotted flufftail, etc.
Day 9: Kibale- Murchison Falls NP Birding
Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, 7-8 hours’ drive via Fort Portal-Hoima city while enjoying the rift valley escarpment and homesteads. Murchison Falls NP a 3840sq.kms park hosts over 451 bird species and diverse mammal species.
Day 10: Birding in Murchison Falls -full day
Start an early morning with birding expedition and leave with some packed lunch and water. Drive to the delta area to enjoy bird sightings ranging from the Northern carmine, swallow tailed, Silverbird, black backed, red throated bee-eaters, chestnut crowned sparrow weavers, Madagascar bird, shoebill and more.
Day 11: Birding via the Nile - Murchison Falls NP
Leave the lodge after breakfast to enjoy a boat cruise which comes with uninterrupted sightings of aquatic birds and hippos, plus crocodiles. The birds to sight include fish eagles, turacos, bee-eaters and others.
Day 12: Birding & depart
Have breakfast, after leave with packed lunch and transfer to Budongo Forest for a short nature walk in Kaniyo-Pabidi. Enjoy sightings of birds like African shrike, kingfishers, flycatchers, etc and then proceed to Kampala or Entebbe.
