Birding and Wildlife Safaris - 19 Days

With this Safari for 19 days, you will enjoy bird watching, games drives and primate tracking in the various Uganda National Parks.

Day 1: Drive to Kampala
Land at Entebbe International Airport. Our guides will welcome you and transfer you to a booked accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe. Time allowing, you may have a brief Kampala city tour where you see attractions like the Kasubi Royal Tombs, the Uganda Museum, The Bahai Temple, the Martyrs’ Shrine in Namugongo and many more. Have dinner and overnight at a chosen hotel.

Day 2: Mabamba Swamp Trip.
Mabamba lies 50 km west of Kampala; it is of late a discovered habitat for the eagerly sought after bird, the Shoebill and bird watching here is done on canoes in the swamp water channels. Bird species at Mabamba include the Blue-headed Coucal, yellow Backed Weaver, African Water Rail, Northern Brown Throated Weaver, Papyrus Gonolek, White-faced Whistling Duck, African Purple Swamp Hen, Lesser Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, Squacco Heron, Blue Breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron and many others. Dinner and overnight in Kampala.

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park Birding and Wildlife Tour.
In the morning, you start on your trip to Murchison Falls National park, Uganda’s largest National park that protects a large piece of natural African Savannah and interconnected by the great River Nile. You will arrive at the park in the afternoon and drive to the top of the falls where the park’s name was derived. At the falls, the world’s longest river explodes compellingly via a slim gap to push into a frothing pool, 43 metres down. You will then be transferred to the landing spot to cross the river to Paraa Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Wildlife Tour, Nile Boat Ride And Birding Safaris
Enjoy your breakfast and take a boat along the Victoria Nile to the Delta at the Lake Albert. This is a home for the Hippos and many exceptionally large Nile Crocodiles as well as special birds like the famous Shoebill, Pied Kingfishers, Abyssinian Roller, the Ground Hornbill, Secretary Bird, Red Throated Bee-eaters lining along the water banks; Goliath Heron, Sacred Ibis, Saddle-billed Stork, Senegal and Water Thick-Knee, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Vinaceous Dove and Fulvous Whistling- Duck. Have lunch at the lodge and go for bird watching in the afternoon at the top of the falls where you will see the Grey Woodpecker, Darter and Giant Kingfisher, Western Violet Sunbird, Brown Twinspot, Red-Winged Pytilia, Bruce’s Pigeon, Red Shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike and others. Overnight and Dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 5: Game Drive Safari
Have a game drive the whole day to the northern bank of the Victoria Nile with packed lunch. You will identify birds like the Rock Pranticole, Denham’s Bustard, Red Winged grey Warbler, Carmine Bee-eater, Pat Hawk, Pels Fishing Owl, Vinaceous Dove, White Rumped Canary and others. Have dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 6: Bird Watching Tours in Budongo Forest
You will begin birding early enough in Budongo forest through the escarpment searching for the Fox’s Cisticola, Northern Combrec, Grey Headed Bush Shrike, Madagascar Heron, Lesser Masked Weaver and Shikra. You will use a full day in Budongo which is one of the biggest and most attractive forests in Uganda. The forest as well provides accommodation to birds like Yellow and Grey Long Bills, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Ituris Batis, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Red Tailed Ant-thrush and many more. Overnight and Dinner at the Forestry College.

Day 7: The Royal Mile And Busingiro Bird Watching Tour
Have breakfast and go bird watching the whole day in the Royal Mile and Busingiro Ecotourism Site. Get set to watch bird species like the Brown-backed Scrub-Robin, African Dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Long Bills, Yellow-browned Camaroptera and Cabanis Bunting, Narina Trogon, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Red-headed bluebill and Crested Malimbe. Overnight and dinner at Busingiro Tourism Site, Busingiro Camping or Forestry Cottages.

Day 8: Leave for Kibale Forest National Park.
Head off in the early hours for Kibale Forest National Park. The forest is known to be a place for habitation for about 13 primate species. The jungle is also a habitat to loads of birds like Masked Apalis, Joyful Greenbul, Black billed Turaco, White-naped Pigeon, African Pitta, White Collard Olive Back, Grey-winged Robin, Nahan’s Francolin, Tiny Sunbird and Buff-spotted Woodpecker among others. You will arrive at Kibale in the evening and have dinner and overnight at Kanyankyu Centre, Primate Lodge or Ndali Lodge.

Day 9: Primates and Bird Watching Tour in Kibale Forest National Park.
Get an early breakfast to increase energy for Chimps trekking. Go to Kanyanchu Tourist Centre to track habituated chimps. It is an attractive experience to watch them as they fall out, quarrel and play in the vegetation. You will also have a chance to view a wider collection of primates, birds and butterflies through a system of sheltered tropical rain forest paths. Overnight at Ndali Lodge/Rwenzori View Guest house/Kanyanchu Ecological site (FB)

Day 10: Queen Elizabeth National park Tour.
Following to breakfast at Kibale, proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s second biggest national park, with over 600 species of birds. You will get to the park in the afternoon and go for an evening bird watching exercise which is definitely worthwhile. Bird species like Pelicans, Skimmers, Kingfishers, Thick-knees, Storks, Martins, Swallows, Weavers, Canaries, Kites, and relatively a lot of grassland species are a common at the park. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge, Jacana Lodge or Institute of Ecology.

Day 11: Game Drive and Birding Tours.
Satisfied with breakfast, begin the morning game drive and birding while in the afternoon, after an appetizing lunch, you set out for a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel during which you will see groups of water birds. The Kazinga Channel that joins Lakes Edward to Lake George is distinguished for being one of the best bird watching spots in the park. You cannot fail to see birds like Plain Martin, African Skimmer, Lesser Swamp-warbler, Water thick-knee, Grey headed Gull, Yellow Billed Oxpecker, African Spoonbill and many more.

Day 12: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Gorilla National Park.
Have breakfast; head off for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the globally known jungle address of the Mountain Gorillas. Despite the fact that the park is popular for its gorillas, it is at the same time a home for about 300 bird species. The drive will take you via the Ishasha Sector to get to Bwindi in the late afternoon. Unique birds like Red Throated Alethe, Banded Prinia, Yellow Eyed Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-naped Raven, Magpie Mannikin, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Ayre’s Hawk-eagle, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Robin-chat, Neumann’s Warbler, Equator Akalat, Handsome Francolin, Mackinnon’s Fiscal , Narrow tailed Starling, Rwenzori batis, Pink-footed Puffback, African Golden Oriole, Brown capped Weaver, Grauer’s Warbler are seen at the park. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma community Bandas, Gorilla resort, Gorilla Forest Camp, Volcanoes Exclusive Camp, Buhoma Homestead.

DAY 13: Gorilla Tracking Tour
Contented with breakfast, move to the Park head offices for briefing prior to the gorilla tracking exercise. The briefing by the guide is usually at 9:00 am subsequent to which you will set off to find out the gigantic mountain gorillas. The period for tracking gorillas is unpredictable however it may range between 2-9 hours depending on their movements. The movement requires you to move up and down, a tiresome exercise but worth it. Bumping into the gorillas creates eagerness and enthusiasm and makes a trip to Uganda a memorable one for the rest of one’s life. Dinner and overnight at your booked lodge.

Day 14, 15, 16 & 16: Have Birding Tours.
On day 14, do bird watching in the Buhoma sector the whole day followed by birding in Ruhija on day 15. On day 16, head to Mubwindi for birding and come back to Ruhija on the day 17. The 4 km path to Mubwindi Swamp is the most exceptional place for some of the most hard to find of all the Rift-Valley endemics. The Mubwindi Swamp has species like the Rwenzori Apalis, Dwarf Honey guide, Fraser’s eagle-Owl, Stuhlmann’s Starling, White headed Wood Hoopoe and the Montane Nightjars among others. Dinner and overnight at any booked accommodations above.

Day 18: Drive To Lake Mburo National Park
In the morning, have breakfast and head off for Lake Mburo National park , a park with a animal and plant diversity. The park contains a widespread swamp and harbors numerous species of mammals and flora. You will arrive in the afternoon to go for a boat ride on the lake searching for birds like, Papyrus Gonolek, Black-collared Barbets, Ground Hornbill, White-winged Warbler, Brown-chested Plover and others. Dinner and overnight at Rwonyo Camp, Mihingo Lodge and Mantana tented Camp.

Day 19: Game Drive, Birding Safari and Return to Kampala
Take breakfast and set off for game drive and birding for half a day. After the game drive, have lunch and then after drive to Kampala. Dinner and overnight at any booked hotel.

Day 20: Departure
Depending of your time schedule, you will be driven to Entebbe International Airport to catch up a departure flight back home.