- Overview
- Trip Plan
- Trip Includes
- Trip Excludes
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Experience the ultimate Uganda birdwatching tour with our 17-day Uganda Birding Safari & Primate Trekking. This comprehensive adventure seamlessly combines birding with thrilling encounters with Gorillas and Chimpanzees, offering a richly diverse Ugandan safari experience.
Begin by exploring the wetlands of Mabamba, then traverse the savannah landscapes of Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, and Murchison Falls. Continue your journey through the forested regions of Bwindi, Semuliki, and Budongo. Our carefully crafted itinerary ensures an unforgettable blend of birdwatching and primate trekking, making this safari package an essential choice for enthusiasts. Book now to create lasting memories on your Uganda adventure!
Trip Outline
Day 1: Arrival and birding around Entebbe
Day 2: Birding Murchison Falls
Day 3: Birding Murchsion falls
Day 4: Birding to the nothern sector of murcsion falls national park
Day 5: Birding Budongo-Royal mile and BusingiroYour Plan
Day 6: Birding to Kibaale Forest national park
Day 7: Kibaale Forest national park-chimp tracking
Day 8: Birding to Semuliki
Day 9: Bird Semuliki and transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP
Day 10: Bird Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 11: Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi impenetrable NP
Day 12: Gorilla tracking & birding
Day 13: Gorilla tracking & birding
Day 14: Birding to lake Mburo NP
Day 15: Birding lake mburo NP to Kampala
Day 16: Birding Kampala -Mabamba swamp
Day 17: Airport transfer
17 Days Uganda Birding Safari.
This is one of Uganda’s best birding tours as we are targeting most of the highly sought bird species.
We shall be highly looking out for the Shoebill Stork, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Chocolate Backed Kingfisher, Lemmon Bellied Crombec, Guinea-Congo Biome endemics in the Semuliki a territory rarely visited by tour groups. Here are a whole range of very special West African forest birds known in Uganda basically only from this one location. This should be a very thrilling and matchless "interweave" to our tour. The Green Breasted Pitta, Lots of Nightjars and owls, we will have a show of some the 23 Albertine Rift Endemics the major target being the African Green Broadbill and the Grauer’s Rush Warbler an option of the mountain gorillas which will be the guaranteed primate of our trip and this is the biggest animal encounter you should never miss on the African continent. Our last national park will be Lake Mburo which has unique species within the southern savannahs and hosting a range of different birds and animals our main targets here will be the Red Faced Barbet, Tabora Cisticola, Coqui Francolin, African Finfoot easily seen here in the whole of Africa and the White Backed night heron.
Itineraries
Day 1
Arrival and birding around Entebbe
Our arrival is at Entebbe International Airport followed by a transfer to the Lodge. Depending on the arrival time and how you are feeling, we can have optional bird watching at Entebbe, especially on the grounds of the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where we’ll see both forest and lakeshore birds. Our first bird species could include Palm-nut Vulture, Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Gray Plantain-eater, African Pied Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling, the rare Orange weaver, Slender-billed, Golden Backed, or the other birding option will be around the lodge. Keep eyes open in the evening for the Bat Hawk around this place.
Day 2
Birding Murchison Falls
After breakfast in the morning we transfer to Masindi where we shall have our lunch via the Luwero triangle passing through undulating grasslands and mosaic woodland where we drive, our target bird species here will be the White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, lesser Blue and Great Blue Eared Starlings, Black, Yellow Mantled and Black Winged Bishops, White Headed Barbet, Cardinal and Nubian Woodpecker, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide, Saddle Billed Stork in the swamps after Luwero, we have also had chances of seeing the Rufous Bellied Heron, Banded Snake Eagle, Eastern Chanting Goshawk and many more.
Day 3
Birding Murchsion falls
A highlight of the visit will undoubtedly be the boat trips to the bottom of the falls and to the delta area, and of course the one bird that will be on everyone’s mind is the Shoebill while at the delta. Superb views can be had of this wonderful bird. There will be other birds including the Red-throated and Northern Carmine Bee-eater, mammals such as Rothschild’s Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Waterbuck and many others will be viewed. Other birds to look out for include the Saddle-billed, Yellow Billed and African Open Billed Stork, African Finfoot, Hauglins Falcon, Senegal Thick-knee, Rock Pratincole, Giant, Woodland, Grey Headed, Malchite, Pygmy and striped Kingfishers. On the game drive we look out for Heuglin’s Francolins Black Billed Barbet, Northern and Red Faced Barbet, Swallow-tailed and Blue-breasted and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Rollers, the giant Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Black Winged and Northern Red Bishops. The Pata Monkey will be the primate to look out for on this day. A night drive today is very advisable looking out for nocturnal mammals and birds.
Day 4
Birding to the nothern sector of murcsion falls national park
Today we start early and drive through Budongo Kaniyo Pabid area in search for the Puvel’s Illadopsis, after this we bird the grassland as we head to Masindi Hotel for our dinner and over night stay
Day 5
Birding Budongo-Royal mile and BusingiroYour Plan
Depart early for the nearby Budongo Forest, birding along the Royal Mile, a truly spectacular road with forest canopy towering far overhead. There is a good system of trails in the forest, today we expect skulking birds like the Nahan’s Francolin, excessively noisy White-thighed Hornbill, graceful Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetail, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Forest Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Tit Hylia, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Forest Robin, Yellow Billed, Grey Throated, Hairy Breasted and Yellow Spotted Barbet, Great Blue and Black Billed Turaco, Dusy Long Tailed Cuckoo, Spotted, Plain, Slender Billed, White Throated, Little Grey and Little Greeenbul, Red Tailed Bristlebill and Black-capped Apalis among others
Day 6
Birding to Kibaale Forest national park
The drive today is long, we shall only have a few birding stops, there are a few papyrus swamps where specialties such as White-winged Warbler and Papyrus Gonolek can be found, while the surrounding scrub may harbor, Double-toothed Barbet, Black-bellied Seed cracker and Gray-headed Olive back.
Day 7
Kibaale Forest national park-chimp tracking
Kibale is home to 13 species of primates and there. This is where we have bigger chances of Chimpanzee tracking. Birding in the forest is also very rewarding and you could encounter White-naped Pigeon, African Gray Parrot, Black Bee-eater, Hairy-breasted, Yellow Spotted and Yellow Billed Barbet, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed, Waller’s and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds, White-collared Olive back among others.
Day 8
Birding to Semuliki
place in East Africa as we encounter some of the Guinea Congo Biome endemics not easily seen in other East African destinations. Specialties include Congo Serpent Eagle, Bate’s Nightjar, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Black-winged, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Icterine Greenbul, Black-throated Coucal, Nkulengu Rail, Long-tailed Hawk, Spot-breasted Ibis, Capuchin Babbler, Yellow-throated and Western Nicator, Northern Bearded Scrub Robin, Red-chested Owlet, Western Bronze-napped Pigeon, Black-collared Lovebird, White-bellied Kingfisher, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Lyre-tailed and Zenker’s Honeyguides, White-throated Blue Swallow, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Crested Malimbe, Blue-billed Malimbe, Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike, Pale-fronted and Chestnut Bellied Negrofinch, Black Dwarf
Day 9
Bird Semuliki and transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP
Have breakfast very early in the morning and proceed for birding along the Sempaya trail. We try out what was missed the previous day, Palm Swamp Bulbul and the Leaf Love, Rufous Bellied Negrofinch, Black Bellied Seed Craker, are easily seen in this area. After this we drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is Uganda’s second largest protected area on the shores of Lake Edward. We check in at Mweya Safari Lodge or Mweya Hostels then head for and early evening game drives looking for numerous birds that inhabit the surrounding scrub and lakeshore like the African Hopoe, Green Winged Pytilia, African Golden Breasted Bunting and later in this drive we look out for the Black Shouldered, Swamp, Square Tailed and Pennant-winged Nightjars
Day 10
Bird Queen Elizabeth National Park
Today we immensely explore Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birds on this drive are numerous and may include among others the Wahlberg’s, Brown Snake, Short Toed Snake and Martial Eagle, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, African Crake, Hollub’s Golden and Lesser Masked Weavers, Black Coucal, Black Lored and Arrow Marked Babbler, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl Copper, Scarlet Chested and Red-chested, Broad Tailed and African Moustached Warbler. In the afternoon we do a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel looking out for water birds that roost in between the Edward and George lakes. Close encounters with the biggest schools of Hippos in Africa and some crocs many migrating species like the Gulls and Terns are here
Day 11
Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi impenetrable NP
Have breakfast then transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable forest birding en-route. Today we have a chance to go through the Ishasha sector which provides chances of viewing the tree climbing lions and other game, lookout for grassland birds including; Pipits, Larks, African Cuckoo Hawk, Black Cuckoo, White Winged Black Tit, Ovambo Sparrow Hawk etc we continue to Ruhizha where we have Africa’s no.1 birding spot according to the African Birding Club.
Day 12 & 13
Gorilla tracking& birding
Before tracking we shall have early breakfast then assemble at the park headquarters for briefing about this breath taking activity. Time spent tracking depends on where the gorillas spent the night and their feeding range or encounter with other groups which might be wild forcing them to move long distances so be prepared for a whole day activity. Once found you spend an hour with them, seeing these gentle giants interact is awesome and the marvelous wildlife encounter on the African continent and an unforgettable. Birding Ruhizha e start after breakfast and go out birding looking out for the Black-billed and Rwenzori Turaco, Western Green Tinkerbird, Olive, Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpecker, African Green-Broadbill, Mountain, Yellow whiskered and Yellow-streaked Greenbul, African Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Grey Cuckoo Shrike Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Collared Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Montane Sooty Boubou, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird
Day 14
Birding to lake Mburo NP
Today birding will be done en-route, depending on the route we use either the Ishasha or the Rukungiri each has birds of interests and we shall stop at different interesting spots. While in the lake we shall look out for mammals like the Zebra, Eland, Topi, Impala, Cape Buffalo, Warthog etc, today we target the boat ride along lake Mburo where we hardly miss the African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher. A night drive always produces good views of the Black Shouldered, northern Tanzania Fiery Necked Nightjar, nocturnal mammals and Bush Babies.
Day 15
Birding lake mburo NP to Kampala
After breakfast we start early in search for special savannah birds like the Yellow Bellied Apalis, Green Capped Eremomela, Buff Bellied Warbler, White Winged Tit, Red Billed Wood Hopoe, the special birds for today’s drive will be the Tabora Cisticola, Red Faced Barbet and Coqui Francolin. Brubru, Sulpher Breasted Bush Shrike, Red Headed Weaver, Green Backed and Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, African Black Headed Oriole.
Day 16
Birding Kampala -Mabamba swamp
After an early breakfast we do birding to Mabamba in search for the Shoebill then later transfer to Mabira Forest where we have an over night
Day 17
Airport transfer
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