Overview
Over 1080 are estimated to reside in the different habitats of Uganda and with our 18 days Uganda birding safari, expect to encounter diversity of species of birds, including the elusive shoebill, green breasted pitta, green broadbill, flamingoes etc. Navigate through the savannas, swamps, hills, dense rain-forests and lake shores as you explore variety of avifaunal species in the top birding sites, inclusive of Mabamba Wetland, Budongo Forest, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi and more.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & pick up
A warm welcome into the Pearl of Africa from your birding tour leader who will brief you about your birding expedition. After, drive to the hotel for evening relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Mabamba Wetland & Budongo Forest
Enjoy an early morning breakfast, after go enjoy a remarkable birding tour in Mabamba Wetland located about 50kms from Kampala city. Take a canoe to explore variety of birds that make this swamp the most sought for birding spot including saddle billed stork, shoebill stork, malachite kingfishers, African jacanas, yellow backed weavers, white winged warblers, blue headed coucal, papyrus gonoleks,
Northern brown throated weaver, common moorhen, African water rail, African purple swamp hen, swamp flycatchers, white faced whistling duck, blue breasted bee-eater, goliath heron, African pygmy goose, etc. Return from your birding and in the afternoon, proceed to Budongo Forest via Masindi town on Gulu highway, about 4 hours’ drive.
Day 3: Budongo birding
Birding tour in Budongo Forest starts early and you will be exploring its Royal Mile site known to be the leading birding spot in Uganda with great birds such as chestnut capped flycatchers, Cassin’s spine tail, Nahan’s francolin. Other special birds include red tailed greenbuls, white throated greenbul, spotted greenbul, honeyguide greenbuls;
Yellow browed camaroptera, blue shouldered robin chat, scaly breasted, Uganda woodland warblers, yellow mantled weavers, grey throated tit flycatchers, rufous thrush, hawk eagles, etc.
Day 4: To Murchison NP
Leave the lush Budongo Forest while keeping an eye on playful baboons as you proceed to the Northern side of Murchison Falls National Park. Spanning on land area of 3840sq.kms, Murchison Falls NP houses over 451 bird species besides large mammal species. Drive to the top of the falls for photography and to witness this powerful waterfall as it forces itself into a narrow gorge of about 8m.
Day 5-6: Birding expedition -Murchison
Have a chance to enjoy diversity of birds in Murchison Falls National Park – full day inclusive of game drive and a boat cruise. The birds of interest on Murchison Falls NP birding tour include shoebill storks, western violet backed sunbird, foxy cisticola, red winged grey warblers, swallow tailed bee-eaters, red winged ptyalin, secretary bird, pied kingfishers, Northern crombec, black billed barbet, African hawk eagle, black headed batis and more.
Day 7: Birding tour- Kibale
Leave your lodge for Kibale Forest, a home to over 375 bird species and access the park via Hoima-Fort Portal (a stopover for lunch be made here). Kibale also shelters a total of 13 primate species which include 1500 chimpanzees, largest number of the red colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, etc.
The birds of Kibale include blue headed sunbird, yellow rumped tinkerbird, purple breasted sunbird, black capped apalis, dusky crimson wing, Abyssinian ground thrush, black bee-eaters, little greenbul, yellow spotted nicator, brown chested alethe, crowned eagles, green breasted pitta, etc.
Day 8: Kibale Forest birding to see green breasted pitta
Rise up early and drive to meet your birding tour guide in Kibale National Park. You will set off to look for the green breasted pitta in the lush forest of Kibale plus other birds including the red-faced woodland warblers, blue breasted kingfishers, dusky crimson wing, blue headed sunbird, black bee-eater, Abyssinian ground thrush, black capped apalis, little greenbul and more.
In the afternoon, next birding expedition will be done in Bigodi wetland where 138 bird species all reside. They include the Great blue turacos, Abyssinian ground thrush, crowned eagles, yellow rumped tinkerbird, white thighed hornbill, black bee-eater and more.
Day 9: To Queen Elizabeth NP for birding
A birding journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park starts early after breakfast, and you drive 3-4 hours. Lunch will be had on arrival you proceed for a short birding tour around the park – Queen Elizabeth NP is a home to about 620 bird species including shoebill storks, flamingos, etc.
Day 10: Birding, game drive & boat cruise
Leave early for birding trip via Kasenyi plains to see lots of birds including the red throat spur fowls, yellow throated long crow, grey crown cranes, palm nut vultures, brown snake eagles, white backed vultures, Africa crake, black crowned tchagra, rufous napped lark, fork tailed drongo, lappet faced vulture, croaking cisticola, grey kestrel, etc. Also, enjoy sight of other wildlife including buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, antelopes and more.
Birding in the afternoon will be done on Kazinga Chanel which connects two lakes: Lake George and Lake Edward. Lots of aquatic birds will be spotted including pink backed pelicans, African skimmers, water thick-knee, yellow billed stork, African open billed stork, saddle billed stork, hamerkop, etc.
Day 11: Birding tour to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Breakfast early, after drive to Bwindi your next birding spot but, first catch a glimpse at the tree climbing lions at Ishasha sector. Continue to Bwindi a designated UNESCO Heritage Site with 360 bird species including the green broadbill, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, black billed turacos, red chested owlet, grauer’s rush warblers, Rwenzori nightjars, short tailed warblers, red faced woodland warblers, bar tailed trogon, yellow bellied waxbill, black faced rufous warblers, dusky blue flycatchers, grey cuckoo shrike, petit’s cuckoo, white bellied robin chat, etc.
Day 12: Buhoma-Ivy trail birding
A cup of tea/coffee, after set off for birding tour along Buhoma-Ivy trail expecting to sight birds such as the red throated alethe, red faced woodland, black bee-eaters, brown capped weaver, pink-footed puffback, white bellied robin chat, bush shrike, etc.
Day 13: Birding along Buhoma-Muyaga waterfall trail, Bwindi
Early morning breakfast, then begin a birding expedition along Buhoma-Muyaga to see birds such as black bee-eaters, red faced woodland warblers, starlings, mountain masked apalis, brown capped weavers, white bellied robin chat, bar tailed trogon, white headed wood hoopoe, Chapin’s flycatchers, black faced rufous warblers, pink footed puffback, brown capped weavers, Oberlander’s ground thrush, etc.
Day 14: Birding trip in Mubwindi swamp
Enjoy a remarkable birding experience along Mubwindi swamp trail 4-5 hours walk in the Ruhija sector. Birds to expect sighting along Mubwindi trail include the mountain yellow warblers, blue-headed sunbird, black billed turacos, fine banded woodpeckers, African hill babblers, western green tinkerbird, regal sunbird, Doherty’s bush-shrike, stripe breasted tit, collared apalis, African green broadbill, bar tailed trogon, yellow eyed black flycatchers and others.
Day 15: Ruhija to Kisoro
Drive to Kisoro to visit Echuya Forest a rich birding spot with birds such as papyrus canary, papyrus yellow warblers, little rush warblers, waxbills, etc.
Day 16: Birding trip to L. Mburo NP
After breakfast, leave Kisoro early for Lake Mburo National Park with packed lunch to be enjoyed en-route. A total of about 350 bird species resides in this park and birding sites of interest include Rubanga, Miriti and Warukiri swamps.
Day 17: Birding in Lake Mburo N/P
Wake up early and meet your guide ready to start a birding expedition to see Lake Mburo National Park’s birds including bare faced go-away bird, emerald spotted wood dove, black bellied bustard, crested francolins, African grey hornbill, yellow breasted apalis, swamp nightjars, black shouldered nightjars, spot flanked barbet, brown parrot, etc.
Day 18: Departure
Have an early breakfast at the lodge, then meet your driver afterwards for transfer back to Kampala. Enjoy packed lunch en-route and arrive early afternoon to be dropped at the hotel or Entebbe airport- end of your 18 days Uganda birding safari.
