This 16 Days (15 Nights) Uganda Birding Safari offers the opportunity explore Uganda’s Important Bird Areas. Get exposed to Uganda’s avifauna that counts to over 1062 bird species. This unforgettable trip takes you among the best birding areas in Uganda that include wetlands, forests and savanna grasslands. Other tour activities included in this birding safari are game viewing drives, nature walks, cultural tours, and primates trekking among others.(We can customize these options any way you want;
or add as many extra days to this tour
as you need. Just specify and our team makes it happen. )
Trip Overview
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport – Bird watching at Entebbe Botanical Gardens. D/O Imperial Botanical Hotel.
Day 2: Birding in the Mabamba Bay and Mpanga Forest. D/O Imperial Botanical Hotel.
Day 3: Birding in Budongo Forest. D/O Nyabyeya Guest house (Full Board)
Day 4:Bird along the Royal mile ( the country’s premier forest birding locality). D/O Nyabyeya Guesthouse.
Day 5: Head to Kibale Forest national park. D/O Ndali Lodge / Kanyanchu Tourist Centre (Full Board)
Day 6: Guided Walks and birding in the Kanyanchu area. D/O Ndali lodge/ Kanyanchu (Full Board)
Day 8: With packed lunch, head to Semuliki forest. D/O Semuliki lodge (Full Board)
Day 9: Full day birding in Semuliki Forest. D/O Semuliki lodge (Full Board)
Day 10: Drive off to Maramagambo forest. Nature walk through the forest. D/O Mweya Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 11: Bird along Lake Kikorongo and the Kasenyi track . D/O Mweya Safari lodge (Full Board)
Day 12: Drive to Bwindi Forest – the home to the mountain gorillas. D/O Luxury Bush Camp (Full Board)
Day 13: Follow the Water Fall trail while birding. D/O Gorilla forest Camp/ Buhoma community Banda.
Day 14 &;15: Early in the morning after dark, drive to the highest peak of the forest Ruhiija.
Day 16: Leave for Kampala early in the morning. D/O Hotel Africana / Sheraton Hotel (Full Board) .
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport – Bird watching at Entebbe Botanical Gardens
You will arrive at Entebbe International Airport to meet our representative who will transfer you to a hotel of your choice. Early arrival will provide an opportunity to view birds in the Botanical garden Entebbe. The tall trees at the entrance are the favorite day-roost of a pair of Verreaux’s eagle Owl. Generally you will be able to see Orange tafted, and Red- chested sunbirds, African open-billed stork, Orange weavers, Slender billed and Jackson’s Golden backed Crowned hornbill, great red warbler, Ross’s turaco, black headed Gonolek. Have dinner and spend a night at Imperial Botanical Hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Mabamba bay and Mpanga Forest
After breakfast, transfer to Mabamba – the closest and best spot to watch the majestic African shoebill in the wild. Watch out birds like papyrus Gonolek, white winged warbler, yellow-backed weaver, and blue-headed coucal. Go for a dug-out canoe ride to search for the swamp flycatcher, purple swamp hen, goliath heron, white faced whistling duck, African pygmy goose, winding cisticola, common moorhen, the majestic shy shoebill, and many more as you explore the highs and downs in the marshy swamp. In the afternoon, you transfer to Mpanga forest in Mpigi district to look out for birds like white-spotted fluff tail, Grey parrot, lemon dove and many more. Retire to Imperial Botanical Hotel for Dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Budongo Forest
After an early breakfast, depart for Budongo forest. You will have several stop-over for bird’s enroute. Watch out for the white-crested helmet shrike, white-crested turaco and Ross’s turaco. Have a lunch stop-over in Masindi and check-in Budongo Nyabyeya Guesthouse. Go for late afternoon birding to view birds like African wood owl, black shouldered nightjar, white crested turaco and bat hawks. Take Dinner and overspend the night at Nyabyeya Guest house (Full Board)
Day 4:
Go birding early morning in the Royal mile (also referred to as the country’s premier forest birding locality). Here you will watch out for birds like rare Nathan’s francolin, banded snake eagle, brown-backed kingfisher, brown-backed scrub robin, black bishop, brown twin spot, black-belled fire finch, the chocolate-backed kingfisher, yellow-billed barbet, spotted-greenbul, slender-billed greenbul, black-capped apalis, lemon-bellied Crombec, green hylia, pale-breasted illadopsis, fire crested alethe, yellow browed camaroptera, yellow-footed flycatcher, African dwarf kingfisher and many more. Look out for chimps, too ,as they swing through the forest. Dinner and overnight at Nyabyeya guesthouse.
Day 5
Take a cup of tea to head to Kibale forest national park where you will reach in the early afternoon. Go birding at the entrance of the forest in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge/ Kanyanchu tourist centre (Full Board)
Day 6
In the morning after breakfast, go for guided birding in the Kanyanchu area where you will watch out for birds like the African go-shwak, the majestic crowned eagle, masked apalis, grey parrots and many more. Have a picnic lunch in the forest and in the afternoon head to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary through the Magombe swamp to see birds such as papyrus Gonolek, papyrus canary, mosque swallow and brown headed Tshagra. Dinner and overnight at Ndali lodge/ Kanyanchu (Full Board)
Day 8:
After breakfast, with packed lunch, head to Semuliki forest- a moist semi-deciduous forest, where you can spot birds like Northern bearded scrub robin, sport breasted ibis, capuchin babbler, lyre tailed honey guide, Zenker’s honey guide, yellow-throated green cuckoo, white-bellied kingfisher, Maxwell’s black weaver, black-winged oriole, red-eyed puff back, red-bellied malimbe, brown crowned eremomela, green wood-hoopoe and many more species. Take Dinner and spend your night at Semuliki lodge (Full Board)
Day 9:
Early in the morning after dark, go for a full day birding in the forest. This will reward you with both nocturnal and diurnal birds like Pearl spotted Owlet, Pennant –winged nightjars, Hornbills, green bulls and many more. Have dinner and overnight at Semuliki lodge (Full Board)
Day 10
Early after breakfast, drive off to Maramagambo forest west of Queen Elizabeth NP. A walk through the forest will reward you with birds like fawn-breasted waxbill, Brubru, sulphur breasted bush shrike, Marsh tchagra, Green Crombec, bat hawk, red tailed bristle bill black and white flycatcher, brown eared wood pecker, redheaded bluebill, African hobby, Ross’s turaco, African fin foot. Have dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 11
After breakfast drive towards Lake Kikorongo and the Kasenyi track for more birding in the park. Watch out for birds like Common Squacco Heron, Glossy and sacred Ibises in the Kikorongo Area. The Kasenyi track has much to offer for birders. It passes through grass plains which support large numbers of stork in seasons as well as raptors such as brown-naked eagle and martial eagle. Retire for lunch and in the afternoon embark on a launch cruise on the Kazinga channel to watch out for both resident and non resident species such as the African morning dove and Eurasian Honey Bizzard respectively. The birds surround animal species such as hippopotami and buffaloes. Have dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge (Full Board
Day 12
Transfer Southwards to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- the home to the forest giants that are relatives to human beings, the gorillas. The forest has over 300 recorded bird species. These include among other forest rarities, grey throated barbet, red throated alethe, equatorial akalat, forest robin, montane oriole, African broadbill, black bee eater, pale breasted illadopsis, hairy breasted barbet, Narina’s trogon, Pettit’s cuckoo shrike and black faced rufous warbler. Dinner and overnight at the Luxury bush camp (Full Board)
Day 13
Very early in the morning, after breakfast move into the forest on the Water Fall trail for birding. Look out for birds such as Kivu ground thrush, white bellied Robin-chat and slender billed starling. In the afternoon bird along the main track as you descend to the camp. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla forest Camp/ Buhoma community Banda.
Day 14 & 15
Early in the morning after dark, drive to the highest peak of the forest- Ruhiija, to check out species like white starred robin, strange weaver, slender billed greenbul, banded prinia, Luehder’s bush shrike, grey bush shrike, yellow streaked greenbul, grey cuckoo shrike, and many more. You will then go for birding on the Mubwindi swamp. You will bird both on the long trail to Mubwindi and the short trail too. Watch out for birds like handsome francolin, stripe breasted tit, dusky crimson wing, archers robin chat, purple breasted sunbird, mountain greenbul, chestnut winged starling, duikers, wallers, mountain illadopsis, mountain yellow warbler to mention a few. Birders who come with camping equipment can camp at Ruhiija campground.
Day 16
Leave for Kampala early in the morning. Have a lunch stop-over in Mbarara and then proceed to Kampala. Have dinner and spend the night at Hotel Africana / Sheraton Hotel (Full Board)
Dates and Prices
Departure Dates / Prices
There are no departure dates currently available for the rest of this season. Enquire for 2012 Departure Dates or for a private safari option.
Inclusions in this safari
• Gorilla Permits
• Park Entrance Fees
• Relevant Government Taxes
• Full Board Accommodation
• Full-time English speaking Driver/Guide
• Ground Transportation by a 4×4 safari vehicle
• Airport transfer, as long as your flight is on the same day on which the safari ends.
Tour Exclusions:
• Airfares
• Visa Fees
• Personal Insurance
• Expenses of personal nature such as; drinks, tips, laundry, telephone, cigarettes, accommodation & meals not indicated in the itinerary and optional activities.