Tour summary

This 14 Days Uganda Birding and wildlife Safari is a magical journey into the isolated jungles of East Africa, promising you an experience of different bird species encounters like no other. This 14 Days Uganda Birding safari is a budget safari that is designed to allow every traveler interested in birding have a chance at spotting the different unique bird species Uganda has to offer.

Highlights

• Safari takes place in South Western Uganda.
• Safari starts and ends in Entebbe (Uganda)
• You will visit Mabamba Swamp wetlands for spotting the famous Shoebill stork
• You’ll visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Northern part for Birding
• You’ll visit Kibale forest National Park for Birding
• You’ll visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for Birding
• You’ll visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for Birding
• You will have stops along the way to spot some other bird species.
• Countryside road trip in an open-sided 4×4 vehicle & pop-up roof 4×4 vehicle for spotting birds
• A transfer from and back to the airport (or hotel) is included
• Small Group Safari: Max 6 People per group
• Tour Can Depart any day
• Tour can be customized
• Detailed Itinerary
• Arrival
• You’ll be picked up from the airport (or hotel)
• Accommodation before the tour departs can be arranged for extra cost

DAY 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport.

Upon arrival, you will be met by worthwhile African Safari guide who will transfer you to your overnight Guest house. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to take a boat excursion to Ngamba Island (optional and not included), visit the nearby Botanical gardens or Uganda Wildlife Education center for a short excursion tour and birding.

Drive time: Approximately 15 minutes

Lodge: Gorilla African Guest House

Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast

DAY 2: Drive to Mabamba Swamp for Birding.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Mabamba swamp, which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, traditionally one of the few and best places to spot the rare and elusive shoebill stock in central Uganda.

The bird species that we expect to encounter here include the  Goliath Herons, White faced whistling Duck, White-winged Warbler, Lesser Jacana, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Yellow-backed, Golden-backed, Vieillot’s Black, Weyns’s and Orange weaver and Red-headed Lovebird among others. The birding at mabamba swamp, we normally use a canoe to maneuver through the thin pass in the swamp until we find the mabamba shoebill stock as well identify other bird species, which makes the whole activity exciting. After we will latter drive back to the guest house while birding on the way, arriving the hotel in the evening.

Lodge: Gorilla African Guest House

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch and dinner.

DAY 3: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park, Birding along en-route.

After breakfast, you will check out of the guest house and we will drive to Lake Mburo national park while birding en-route, with stopovers at the Equator for photographs and equator experience and en-route lunch. We will proceed and make another stopover at Kaku swamp where we sometimes encounter species like the Black kite, the White-faced and Fulvous, whistling ducks, Common and Purple Swamphen, Lesser Moorhen, Hottentot Teals, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Grey-crowned Cranes and Saddle-billed Storks, Grey wood Pecker, Dusky Blue, African Dusky, African Paradise, Red-bellied Paradise, Brown-throated Wattle-Eye, Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Lesser and Scaly-throated Honeyguide among others. You will then proceed on to Lake Mburo national park for overnight.

Drive time: approximately 5-6 hours

Lodge: Rwakobo Rock Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 4: Birding in Lake Mburo National Park – Boat cruise

After your breakfast, with our parked lunch, we shall start our game drive/birding in Lake Mburo national park. This is one of the IBAs in Uganda, protecting more than 350 bird species, with specialties that includes; the Spot-franked, Double-toothed, Red-faced and Crested Barbets, Western-banded and Brown Snake-eagles, Trilling, Red-faced and TaboraCisticolas, Crested and Coqui Francolins, Chin-spot Baits, Broad- billed and Lilac-breasted Roller, Brown-chested Lapwing, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Brown Parrot, Bateleur, and Emerald-spotted wood dove among others. We latter drive towards Rwonyo, and the lake side for our picnic lunch and later go for the boat cruise on lake Mburo.   Here we expect species like; the White-faced and Fulvous whistling ducks, White-backed and Black-crowned Night Herons, African Fin foot, African Darter, Rufous-bellied Heron, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Greater and Lesser Swamp Warbler, Common and Purple Swamphen, Lesser Moorhen, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Grey-crowned Cranes, African Water Rail and Allen’s Gallinule among others. We later drive back to our lodge while birding on the way.

Lodge: Rwakobo Rock Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 5: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Norther part of the park, birding along en-route.

After breakfast at the lodge you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park, you will have opportunities to stop along the way the way to spot some bird species as well as sightseeing, This journey takes you through the beautiful green rolling hills of southern Uganda with banana and tea plantations and good scenic views. Lunch will be served en route and you will arrive in Bwindi in the evening.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Broadbill Tented Forest Camp or Bakiga Lodge.

Drive time: 6-7 hours

DAY 6: Birding in Mubwindi Swamp.

After breakfast at the Lodge we will go for birding at Mubwindi swamp, we will spend the entire day birding at this area. The 4km trail to Mubwindi Swamp is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all rift endemics including Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill, the beautiful Regal Sunbird, and Archer’s Robin-Chat. Mubwindi Swamp is also home to Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Ruwenzori Appalls, African Hill Babbler (sometimes treated as a separate species from Ruwenzori Hill Babbler), the rare and localized Grauer’s Scrub-Warbler. Some of the many species we have a chance of seeing here include Black Goshawk, Augur Buzzard, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Olive (Rameron) Pigeon, Bronze-winged Pigeon, Black-billed, Ruwenzori, and Ross’s Turacco, African, Barred Long-tailed, and African Emerald Cuckoos, Red-chested Owlet, Narina and Bar-tailed Trogons, Black and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Blue-throated Roller, White-headed Wood hoopoe, Gray-throated, Double-toothed, and Yellow-spotted Barbets, Western and Yellow-rumpedTinkerbird, Thick-billed and Dwarf Honeyguides, Rufous-necked Wryneck, Tullberg’s, Speckle-breasted, Elliot’s, and Olive Woodpeckers, African Broadbill, Rock Martin, Black Saw-wing, Gray and Pettit’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Ansorge’s, Kakamega and Cabanis’ Greenbuls, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Kivu Ground-Thrush, Olive and Mountain Thrushes, Red-throated Alethe, Chubb’s Cisticola, Banded Prinia, Ruwenzori, Black-throated, and Black-faced Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera, Grauer’s Warbler, Cinnamon and Black-faced Bracken-Warblers, Mountain Yellow Warbler, White-browed Crombec, Short-tailed Warbler, Red-faced Woodland-Warbler, White-eyed Slaty- Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Sooty Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, White-bellied and Archer’s Robin-Chats, Ruwenzori Batis, White-tailed, and African Blue-Flycatchers, Pale-breasted, Mountain, and Gray-chested Illadopses, Ruwenzori Hill Babbler, Gray-headed, Western Violet-backed, Green, Green-headed, Blue-headed, Green-throated, Stuhlmann’s, Northern Double-collared, and Regal Sunbirds, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Ludher’s, Gray-green, Many-colored, and Lagden’s Bush-shrikes, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Slender-billed, Waller’s, Narrow-tailed, Stuhlmann’s, and Sharpe’s Starlings, Black-billed, Strange, and Brown-capped Weavers, Jameson’s and Woodhouse’s Ant-peckers, and Red-faced and Dusky Crimson-wings.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Broadbill Tented Forest Camp or Bakiga Lodge.

DAY 7: Birding to Buhoma through “The Neck”

Today we will go for birding to Buhoma section through “The Neck”. The Neck (where the forest narrows) offers excellent forest birding. Key species that we will look for there include many of the Albertine Rift Endemics that we may not have seen earlier. These include Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Nightjar, Dwarf Honeyguide, African Green Broadbill, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Collared Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing. A few other species we may encounter as well include Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Fine-banded and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Willcocks’s Honeyguide, KakamegaGreenbul, Red-tailed Greenbul, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Mountain Wagtail, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Equatorial Akalat, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Dusky Tit, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-headed Malimbe, Dusky Twinspot, Cape Wagtail, Brown-backed Scrub Robin, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, and Western Citril.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Buhoma Community Rest Camp.

DAY 8: Birding the Main Trail

Species we will search for include Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Bar-tailed Trogon,Dusky Tit, Kivu Ground-Thrush, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Equatorial Akalat, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Red-throated Alethe, White-bellied Crested- Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher, Gray-green Bushshrike, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Black billed Weaver and Magpie Mannikin. High exposed perches in the open forest are favored by African Goshawk; the dazzling Black Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Sooty Flycatcher and forest starlings including Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s and Narrow-tailed. One of Bwindi’s star avian attractions is the diminutive, pitta-like Neumann’s Warbler, a vocal yet very secretive bird! Other under-storey birds we hope to see include displaying African Broadbill; Banded Prinia and the handsome Black-faced Rufous-Warbler. The mid-storey and canopy supports Elliot’s and Tullberg’s Woodpeckers; Cabanis’, Kakamega and Ansorge’sGreenbuls; the strange Grauer’s Warbler and White-browed Crombec. The rare Jameson’s Antpecker may also been seen probing under moss on dead branches or gleaning warbler-like in the canopy. Overhead, Scarce Swifts forage over the forest. Birding at Buhoma is a truly magical experience. Other wildlife that we may be fortunate enough to find here include the huge Yellow-backed Duiker, Guereza Colobus; L’Hoest’s, Blue and Red-tailed monkeys; Chimpanzee and several species of Squirrels including Fire-footed Rope, Carruthers’ Mountain, Ruwenzori Sun and Red-legged Sun Squirrel.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Buhoma Community Rest Camp.

DAY 9: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National park, en-route birding.

This morning you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, be prepared for some incredible scenery along the way as well as spotting some birds. You will arrive in time for Lunch at the lodge and game drive in the plains of Kasenyi in search for savannah wildlife including spotting bird different birds like the Red Chested, Diederik, and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Short-toed, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagles, African white-backed, among others and savannah animals that may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, elephants and if lucky, some wild cats such as lions and leopard.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Elephant Hab\Buffalo Resort.

Drive time: 4-5 hours.

DAY 10: Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Boat cruise.

The day begins early with an early morning breakfast, then with our parked lunch, we start our birding/game drive through the kasenyi plains. The park has more than 612 bird species recorded and this is said to be the highest concentration of bird life as compared to any nature reserve in the World. Here we expect sightings of bird species like; the Red Chested, Diederik, and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Short-toed, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagles, African white-backed, Ruppel’s Griffon, Lappet-faced and Hooded Vultures, African Marsh, Eurasian Marsh, Pallid and Montagu’s Harrier, Wahlberg’s, Tawny, Long-crested and Martial Eagles, African Crake, Harlequin and Blue Quail, Common Button-quail, European Roller, Rufous-naped, White-tailed and Flappet Lark, Winding, Wing-snapping, Croaking, Trilling and Stout Cisticola,Temminck’s Courser, Vereaux’s Eagle-owl, Black-crowned Tchagra and Collared Pratincole among others. We drive towards Mweya peninsular, have our picnic lunch and then go for a boat cruise on Kazinga channel for yet another but deferent view of wildlife and birds. We then drive back to our lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Elephant Hab\Buffalo Resort.

DAY 11: Drive to Kibale forest National park, en-route birding at Maramagambo Forest.

After breakfast, with our packed lunch, we check out of the lodge and drive to Maramagambo Forest for birding/nature walk in the forest. During the walk, we expect to encounter different bird species that includes; the Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Chestnut Wattle Eye, African Dusky, African Paradise, Red-bellied Paradise and Bedford’s Flycatchers, African Golden oriole, Red headed blue bill, Bat hawks, Sulphur-breasted bush shrike, Brown-eared woodpecker, Fawn breasted Waxbill, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-fronted and Speckled Tinkerbirds, African Moustached, Garden,Willow and Dark-caped Yellow Warbler among others. We also expect to encounter different primate species like the Black and white Colobus monkey. Later in the afternoon we drive to Kibale Forest National Park, arriving in the evening and check in to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Lodge: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.

DAY 12: Birding in Kibale Forest National Park /Bigodi swamp.

After an early breakfast, we start our day birding in Kibale forest. The forest protects more than 300 bird species, so we will expect to encounter specialties that includes; Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Owlet, Scally-breasted, Pale-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Red-caped and Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Fire-crested and Brown-chested Alethe, Forest Robin, Buff-spotted, Brown-eared and Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Red-winged Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, White-naped and Afep Pigeon, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Rufous Flycatcher.

Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Lodge: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.

DAY 13: Transfer back to Entebbe International airport.

Drive back to Entebbe international Airport and depending on your flight time, you may decide to have dinner and relax at the Lodge in Entebbe, marking the end of your 12 days Uganda Birding Safari.

Drive time: 5-6 hours

End of Tour