OVERVIEW
The tour starts and ends in Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria. Upon arrival, you will be picked from the Airport by your driver and guide and taken to your hotel for overnight stay.
Some of our routes connecting to site are long with a few smooth tarmac roads, (some still under construction) they are sometimes bumpy and dusty /muddy taking you through a patchwork of Uganda`s scenic areas passing through engrossing villages and streets with isolated pockets of woodland, tropical rainforests, papyrus swamps, farmlands and captivating hilly landscapes. These are particularly in the south western part of the country. It is important to note that all the routes and trails in Ugandan National Parks are not tarmacked
Although we shall do our best to adhere to the schedule bellow, this itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control ; including flight schedule changes or delays, participants logistical issues, weather, road or trail condition.
Destinations
This particular Uganda Birding trip holiday takes you to some of the country`s finest and most diverse birding sites including;
Mabamba wetland – Only reliable for the Mighty Shoebill in the whole of Africa.
Lake Mburo National Park – a small National Park with boosting of a multitude of habitats and species.
Bwindi impenetrable Forest National Park- Famous for world`s endangered mountain Gorillas and high number of Albertine rift endemics.
Queen Elizabeth National Park– Hosts the highest number of biodiversity rating than any other Natural reserve in Africa and famous for its tree climbing Lions.
Kibale Forest National Park, has the highest concentration of primates in Africa including the Chimpanzees and offers the best birding and only reliable for the Green- breasted Pitta
Murchison Falls National Park- the largest National park in Uganda hosting the Murchison falls along the River Nile. The falls at Murchison represents one of the most powerful water surges on the Planet earth.
Generally, the tour will cover a multitude of habitats from lush rainforests, wild Savannah, dry acacia, wetlands some with papyrus reed beds and other with open Water. This tour is likely give a chance to see more than 450 species of Birds and the Mammal experience will be great enough.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day One: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and you will be picked by Harriet and transfer to Lake Victoria View Guest House for an overnight stay.
Day Two: Mabamba Swamp for the Shoebill
Stay at Rwakobo Rock 2 Nights
We start early in the morning, check out our Hotel and bird to Mabamba wetland and continue to Lake Mburo in the Afternoon. While at the swamp we shall take a hand paddled boat through a channel of lagoons into the Mash to look out for the Shoebill.
Besides the Shoebill , there is a selection of common wetland species that we are likely to see here including Lesser Jacana, African Jacana , Malachite and Pied King Fishers ,Papyrus Gonolek , Gull-billed Terns, white –winged black Terns, Whiskered Terns , Common Moorhen , Swamp Flycatcher ,Goliath and Purple Herons, Spur –winged and Pygmy Goose, African snipe, Blue headed Coucal, Caruthers’s Cisticola Winding and red face Cisticola,Nothern brown Throated Weaver, Orange Weavers, Golden Backed , Village, Black headed and Slender Billed weavers, Purple headed, Splendid , Ruppelle`s and Purple headed Starlings, Red shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike ,Grey rumped Swallow, African Mash Harrier, African Harrier Hawk , Western Banded Snake Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Red headed Lovebirds, African grey Parrots, Red Rumped and Mosque Swallows, Sooty chat and Rufous naped Lark, Red Chested , Scarlet Chested, Superb, Olive Bellied Sunbirds, Great blue and Ross`s, Turacos, Eastern Grey Plantine Eater,Diedric , Klass`s and Red Chested Cuckoo, Yellow-Throated Tinkerbird, Blue breasted bee-Eater, Grey Crowned Crane ,Saddle-Billed Stork and Open Bill Stork. Yellow billed Ducks, Spur Winged Lapwing. We Shall leave this area around mid Morning and head to Lake Mburo stopping at the Equator for Lunch and we shall enter the park in the evening and birding to the Lake where we shall take a boat to look for African Fin foot, White backed night Heron and along the lake holds the Papyrus yellow
Warbler, White-winged Warbler, you will also encounter pools of hippos, Crocodiles, buffalos, and at night if the weather is good we shall look out for African Scops Owl, Black Shouldered ,Swamp, Pennant-winged Night Jars.
Day Three: Game drive and Boat cruise
We shall start early after breakfast we shall go for the a walk in the wooded savannah in search of Red Faced Barbet, white headed Barbet, Tabora and Trilling Cisticola ,white –winged Tit, Surlphur breasted Bushrike ,common Scimmitabill and Green wood-hoopoe, Emerald sported wood dove, Lilac breasted Roller, Rufous bellied Heron, African water Rail etc. This is the best place in the country to see antelopes such as Eland, Zebras, Topi,, Impala, and more acacia associated birds.
Day Four: Birding to Bwindi-Ruhija
2 Nights stay at Trekkers Tavern
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is exceptionally rich in forest species restricted to the Albertine Rift covering Uganda. Our journey takes us through Kabale and over highlands reaching almost 2500 meters. Specialist on this journey include Papyrus Gonelek, White-winged and Papyrus yellow Warblers, Papyrus Canary, Carruthers’s and Chubb’s Cisticola, Augar Buzzard, African Stone Chat. We eventually reach Bwindi a huge montane forest for two nights stay at Trekkers Tarven.
Day Five: Birding in Ruhija
After Breakfast we shall carry our picnic Lunch and head for the whole day birding in following the famous trail through the forest to Mubwindi swamp .Ruhija is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all the Albertine Rift Endemics including the rare and Localized Grauer`s Rush Warbler, African green Broadbill , Archer`s Robin Chat, Dwarf Honryguide,Yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Regal , Purple breasted, and Blue headed sunbirds, Stripe Breasted Tit , Strange Weaver, Ruwenzori and Mountain masked Apalis, Ruwenzori Batis, Ruwenzori Hill Barbler, Doherty`s Bushrike , Black headed waxbill , Bar tailed and Narina trogon, Handsome Francolin , Red faced woodland Warbler, White headed Wood hoopoe , Eastern Mountain Greenbul , Stuhlmann`s and Waller`s Starlings, Tullberg`s Woodpecker, Evergreen forest Warbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Chestnut throated Apalis, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Streaky seed eater , Yellow crowned Canary, yellow whiskered Greenbul , White naped Raven , White stared Robin, Barred long-tailed Cuckoo, Banded Prinnia , Dusky and red faced Crimsonwing , Mountain Buzzard and African Crowned Eagle, Red throated Alethe , and Ruwenzori Night Jar.
In addition to birds, other likely encounters include Ruwenzori and Yellow backed Duikers and the beautiful L`Hoest and Blue Monkeys.
Day Six: Gorilla Trekking
Later proceed to Buhoma
2 Nights at Bwindi Community Homestay
Today we leave early after breakfast with our packed lunch ready for Gorilla trekking experience.
Trekking uphill to see the families of Gorillas nestled in a casual flocking play is a fascicinating once in life time experience. You will have an opportunity to enjoy close views of adults feeding and grooming, resting as young stars swing from vines in a delightfully gentle display. Besides Gorillas you have a chance to see other forest antelopes like Ruwenzori and Yellow-backed Duikers, Guereza Colobus Monkey, Blue Monkey, and L, Hoest monkey.
We shall later proceed to Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable National park birding in the Neck. The Neck is a relatively narrow stretch separating the two sections of Bwindi impenetrable forest and it characterized by riverine forest vegetation. Some of the species we are likely to see at the Neck include , Mountain Wagtail Red tailed and Kakamega Greenbull, Toro olive , little grey, little, White throated, Slender billed, and Cameroon somber Greenbuls, Dusky blue and Cassin`s Flycatcher, African black Duck, Grey throted,Yellow billed and Yellow spotted Barbets, Olive Long-tailed, Dusky Long-tailed, and African Emerald Cuckoo, It is also the best place in Uganda for the Black Bee eater, African Shrike and Vanga Flycatchers, Many colored Bushrike, Red headed Malimbe, Gray Apalis , Buff-throated Apalis, Western bronze naped Pegion, Tambourine Doves, Mountain oriole.
Day Seven: Friday 1st March 2019
Birding in Buhoma main trail.
Here we shall look out for Neumann`s Warbler, African Broadbill, Chapin`s Flycatchers, Oroile Finch, Arsornge`s Greenbul , Equatorial Akalat , White bellied Robinchat, White bellied crested flycatcher, Blue throated brown Sunbird, Scally breasted, Pale breasted, and Mountain Illadopsis , Dusky Tit ,Grey headed, Northern double colored ,Olive, Bronze , Green headed, Green throated, Scarlet chested sunbird, Black Billed, brown capped, Thick billed Seedeater, Mackinnon`s Fiscal, Black billed and Great Blue Turacos , Ayres’s Hawk Eagle, Little Sparrow hawk , Elliot`s Woodpecker, Black Faced rufous warbler , Pink Footed Puff back , Grey throated Tit Flycatcher, Olive Green camaroptera , Yellow rumped tinker bird ,White chinned Prinia , Boscages’ Bush shrike, Blue shouldered , Grey winged and Red capped Robinchat , Brown throated wattle eye .
Day Eight: Saturday 2nd March 2019
Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Two Nights at Bush lodge
Today we start early after breakfast and continue birding to Queen Elizabeth National park, We shall have several stops in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth birding on the way to Ishasha section famous for its tree-climbing Lions.
Queen Elizabeth is yet another area with some of the highest biodiversity ratings than any other national game reserve in the world. Its varied habitats of open Savannah , acacia woodlands, tropical rain forest, dense papyrus swamps, and Lakes, makes it one of the richest park in Africa. Game in the park include Elephants, Buffalo, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, a profusion of Hippos, the elusive Giant Forest Hog, Lion and Leopard and the Beautiful Uganda Kob The park boasts of over 612 bird species recorded, and one day record of 296 species.
Day Nine: Sunday 3rd March 2019
Game drive and Boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel
Today we shall go for a game drive in the Northern part of the park following one of the numerous trails of the park on a game drive will produce special sightings of such species as Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, African Crake, Martial Eagle, Stout and Zitting Cisticola, Black Crowned and Marsh Tchagra, Red-necked Francolin, White-browed and black Coucal, Arrow Marked and Black lored Babblers, Grey-backed Shrike, Amur falcon, Ovambo sparrow hawk, Nubian and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Blue Spotted wood dove, Green-winged Italia , Red-capped lark, Grassland and Plain Backed Pipit. This is will give us another chance to look for the Brown-chested Lapwing and crowned Lapwing.
Later in the afternoon, we shall take the luxurious launch cruise along the Kazinga channel where we shall have a chance to see the African Skimmers, Kittliz Plover, the new record for Uganda Grey Pratincole, Snowy headed Robin-chat, Saddle bill stork, Yellow-billed stork, Goliath and Grey Herons, Black Crakes and many other shorebirds both migratory and residents.
Day Ten: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Two Nights Stay at Kibale Forest Lodge
Day Eleven: Chimpanzee Trekking and birding
Kibale National Park is a tropical rainforest known for its high concentration of primates and the only reliable place to see the habituated Chimpanzees in Africa . Other primate species in this rainforest are; Olive Baboons, Gray-cheeked Mangbay, Red-tailed Monkey, Localized Central African red Colobus Monkey, Guereza Colobus, Vervet, L, Hoest, Blue Monkey.
Kibale national park is also the only place reliable to see the Green Breasted Pitta in Africa. other key species here include Shining blue Kingfisher, Narina Trogon, Ashy, Grey-throated Tit, Cassin’s grey, Sooty and African shrike Flycatchers, Hairy breasted, Yellow Spotted and Yellow-billed Barbets, Yellow-rumped, Speckled and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds., African emerald, Dusky long-tailed, Red-chested, Black and Klass’s Cuckoos.
More species here include Scally, breasted and Brown Illadopsis, White-Throated, Little, Toro olive, Plain and Slender-billed Greenbuls, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes, Olive belied, Superb, olive, and Collard Sunbird, Purple-headed, Splendid, Narrow-tailed and Chestnut-winged Starlings. Red-eyed Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Tamborine Dove, Afep Pegion and White Naped pigeon.
Day Twelve: Drive back to Entebbe and Fly back home.