20 Days Birding Safari Uganda
20 Days Birding Safari Uganda
On the 20 days Birding Safari Uganda, you’re to explore Uganda’s rich avian life and also discover Uganda’s magnificent rainforest jungles and savanna plains. Uganda boasts over 11% of the world’s bird species and at least 50% of all the birds found on the African continent. Moreover, on a birding trip in Uganda, you don’t just only see birds. You also get to see amazing landscapes, sunrises and sunsets, or spot the big5, the Mountain Gorillas and other primates. Above all, you get to meet the ever-friendly people of Uganda as you take on your ultimate birding adventure in Uganda.
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe International airport
Arrive and meet your professional bird guide at the airport. Exchange pleasantries and transfer to your booked lodge in Entebbe. He will brief you about your birding safari, have diner and enjoy your first night in our small East African country, Uganda.
Day 2: Mabamba Wetland for the Shoebill
After an early breakfast, visit the Mabamba Wetland on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is home to the Shoebill, Uganda’s most famous resident and most sought-after bird. We make special efforts to find it by paddling through the channels by boat. Whereas our target will be the Shoebill, there will ofcourse be a good selection of other wetland birds to observe along the way. These are the Pink-backed Pelican, Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Long-toed Plover, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater etc. Bird your way back to Entebbe looking out for birds like African open billed Stork, Grey Kestrel, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Red-headed Lovebird, Swifts, Sunbirds, Weavers, Finches among other birds.
Day 3: Birding en-route to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
After breakfast, start another day of your 20 days birding Safari Uganda with a bird viewing journey to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Check into your lodge and have lunch. Use the rest of the afternoon looking for birds like Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Crested Francolin, White-crested Turaco, Blue-naped Mousebird, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher, White-headed Barbet, Double-toothed Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Grey Woodpecker, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Tropical Boubou, Black-headed Gonolek, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird among other birds.
Day 4: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Step out after an early breakfast and start your day birding in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Look out for birds like Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Bateleur, Long-crested Eagle, Crested Francolin, Bruce’s Green-Pigeon, White-crested Turaco, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, among others. From the Rhino Sanctuary, make a birding drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit the top of the falls from where you can walk down to the river’s edge and see the sheer power of the falls. Look out for birds like Raptors, Rock Pratincole, Crested Francolin, White crested Turaco, White-headed Barbet, Narina Trogon, Red-throated Bee-eater, Silverbird, Red-cheeked Cordon blue, Waxbills, Finches, Sunbirds, Canaries among other birds.
Day 5: Murchison Falls National Park
After an early breakfast, proceed for a game/bird drive getting back in time for lunch. After lunch, transfer to Paraa northern bank for the boat trip up to the bottom of the falls. The boat safari presents an avenue to view hundreds of hippos, crocodiles, and a variety of bird life. Look out for birds like Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-headed Plover, Rock Pratincole, Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater, Red-throated Bee-eater, Black-billed Barbet, Spotted Morning Thrush, Speckle fronted Weaver, White-browed Sparrow Weaver among other birds. Mammals will include the graceful Roth child Giraffe, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Defassa Waterbuck, Buffaloes, Elephants, Warthog, Hippos, Oribi and when lucky a leopard and Lion among others.
Day 6: Transfer Back To Masindi via the Escarpment
After breakfast with your packed lunch, bird your way back to Masindi driving through the rift valley escarpment where you will have good views of Lake Albert. Bird the escarpment before proceeding to Busingiro Forest Centre time permitting. Bird around the vicinity and the road, look out for birds like Striped Kingfisher, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Cliff Chat, Spotted Morning Thrush, Northern Crombec, Red-faced Crombec, Rattling Cisticola, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Red-winged Ptyalin, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Black-faced Waxbill among other birds.
Day 7: Budongo Forest, Royal Mile – Kibale National Park
After an early breakfast with your packed lunch, you are to do a birding expedition in the Royal Mile. Look out for birds like the African Crowned Eagle, Heuglin’s Francolin, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher, White-thighed Hornbill, a Selection of Tinkerbirds and Barbets, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Greenbuls, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufus-crowned Eremomela, Whistling Cisticola, Black-throated Apalis, Black-capped Apalis, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Forest Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Western Black-headed Oriole, Purple headed Starling, Brown Twinspot among other birds. Primates like Blue Monkey, Red-tailed Monkey, and Black and white Colobus Monkey among others. Continue via Kinyera to Hoima and proceed to Kibale National Park.
Day 8: Birding in Kibale National Park
After breakfast, start from Kanyanchu in Kibale Forest national Park for chances on the Green-breasted Pitta and other birds like Yellow-billed Barbet, African Emerald Cuckoo, Black-billed Turaco, Narina Trogon, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Sabine’s Spinetail, Chestnut Wattle eye, Narrow-tailed Staring among other birds. Primates like Red Colobus, Black and white Colobus, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, Red-tailed Monkey, L’Hoest’s Monkey among others can be spotted. Proceed to bird in the Bigodi swamp before returning to your accommodation in the evening.
Day 9: Birding Kihingami Wetland – Semuliki National Park
On the 9th day of your 20 Days Birding Safari Uganda, drive to Kihingami Wetland to take a wild nature walk. This wetland located 12km from Fort Portal is a home to the White spotted flufftail, a very shy species. Other birds to be seen include Red headed bluebill, Black and white shrike fly catcher, Red bellied paradise flycatcher. Proceed to the Semuliki National Park for an afternoon nature walk within the park. Birds to be seen are White tithed hornbill, Black casqued wattle hornbill, White crested hornbill and Dwarf hornbill. Evening check into your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Birding Semuliki National Park
This is another day for a nature walk/birding activity within the Semuliki National Park in the morning. Where shoebill stork was not successfully seen in Mabamba Swamp, it would be possible to again look for this species in the Semuliki Toro Game Reserve at Ntoroko.
Day 11: Semuliki – Queen Elizabeth National Park
Check out of the lodge after breakfast and get ready for another 3 hour drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This second largest national park in Uganda ranks highest with respect to overall diversity having a bird species list exceeding 600. Queen Elizabeth Park has a mosaic of habitats from moist forest at Maramagambo to wild savannah excellent for Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Hyenas, Ugandan Kobs, Baboons, Giant Hogs, and Warthog among others. Look out for birds like White spotted Flufftail, Yellow-billed Barbet, African Emerald Cuckoo, Black-billed Turaco, Kingfishers, Lesser Striped Swallow, Cisiticolas, Shrikes, Starlings, Widowbirds among other birds.
Day 12: Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park
early morning after breakfast, we will set out for game drive/birding returning to the lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon we go for the boat trip on the Kazinga Channel to see a variety of wildlife, hundreds of hippos, crocodile and bird life from a boat for two hours. Look out for birds like Pelicans, Green-backed Heron, Storks, African Spoonbill, Kittlitz’s Plover, Senegal Plover, Wattled Plover, Larks, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Babblers, Sunbirds, Weavers, Widowbirds among others. Look out for mammals like Uganda Kob, Bushbuck, Defassa Water buck, Buffaloes, Elephants, Warthog, when lucky a leopard, spotted Hyena and Lion among others.
Day 13: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Ishasha Sector
At 6:15am with your packed breakfast, set off to bird maramagambo area around Lake Nyamusingiri looking for birds like Black Bee Eater, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Speckled Tinkerbird, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Snowy-capped Robin-Chat, Buff-throated Apalis, Honeyguide Greenbul, Red-colored Widowbird among other birds. Proceed to overnight in the Ishasha sector.
Day 14: Bird to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Buhoma Sector
After breakfast with your packed lunch, set out for birding in Bwindi Impenetrable jungle. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighboring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and is of immense conservation importance. Look out for species like Raptors, Bee Eaters, Kingfishers, Barbets, Tinkerbirds, Woodpeckers, Apalises, Honeyguide Greenbul, Swallows, Larks, Cisiticolas, Pipits, Chats, Shrikes, Starlings, Widowbirds among other birds.
Day 15: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Nkuringo
In the company of your park guide, commence a traverse of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park on 14km walk to Nkuringo following the Kashasha river and Buhoma trails. This walk is one of the birding enthusiast must-do activities. Birds to be seen are Black bee-eater, Western green tinker bird, and Bar-tailed trogon among others. Note your safari vehicle will proceed around the forest to meet with you in Nkuringo. This is 170km – 6 hour drive.
Day 16: Birding Rushaga Bwindi Impenetrable
Early start for to the Rushaga sector of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Forest to follow the waterfall trail within the National Park. This is a prime birding spot in a gorgeous swathe of primary forest. Here you are able to observe the Yellow eyed black flycatcher, Banded prinia, Regal sunbird, Short tailed warbler all of which Albertine rift valley endemics.
Day 17: Birding Buniga/Nkombe Forest
Drive to the Nkombe pocket forest 5km away from Nkuringo Gorilla Camp to take on another Uganda birders paradise birding safari experience in a northern Bwindi sector. The location has been well received by visitors looking for Bwindi Forest specialties. Here you will be able to search for the Purple breasted sunbird, Stripe breasted tit, Rwenzori double collared sunbird and Doherty’s bush shrike. Evening bird watching along the road adjacent the nearby Buniga pocket forest outside the village of Nkuringo.
Day 18: Birding journey to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, bird to Lake Mburo National Park. We will have opportunity to stop at Echuya Forest to the proceed to Lake Mburo. This park has varied habitats from open Acacia woodlands to a number of papyrus-lined lakes and swamps. We will continue our exploration this afternoon in Lake Mburo National Park where we will be covering several different habitats looking out for birds like Bateleur, Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-napped Mousebird, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, White-napped Raven, Fork tailed Drongo, Black-crowned Waxbill, and Black-headed Waxbill among other birds.
Day 19: Lake Mburo National Park
Whole day birding Lake Mburo National Park looking for birds like the Bateleur, Crested Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-napped Mousebird, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Long-tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, among other birds. Look out for animals like the gorgeous Eland, Zebra, Impala, Buffalo, Reedbuck, Topi, Waterbuck Bushbuck, Hippos, Oribi, Bush-duiker and others.
Day 20: Lake Mburo to Entebbe for flight Departure
Check out after breakfast with your luggage and bird your way back to Entebbe arriving in the late afternoon. Look out for birds like Battler, Crested Francolin, Lilac-breasted Roller, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-napped Mouse bird, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Striped Kingfisher, and Golden-backed Weaver among other birds. Day room use at a hotel in Entebbe. Later transfer to the airport for your flight back home.