13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour
13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour: Explore the captivating beauty of Uganda on this adventure combining primate tracking and birding. From lush forests to diverse wildlife, this safari promises encounters and a deeper connection with Uganda’s Natural wonders such as unique avian and primate species
Safari Highlights of the 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport
Day 2: Birding to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Day 3: Royal Mile Birding and Primate Viewing
Day 4: Visit Kibale National Park
Day 5: Bird Watching and Chimpanzee Tracking
Day 6: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8: Maramagambo Forest Birding
Day 9: Bwindi via Ishasha
Day 10: Gorilla Trekking Experience
Day 11: Birding to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 12: Birding Lake Mburo National Park and transfer to Entebbe
Day 13: Birding to Mabamba and Airport Transfer
Detailed Itinerary of the 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport
Upon arrival for our 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour, Meet Journeys Uganda Representatives for a meet and greet, and proceed to the hotel for your overnight stay in Kampala or Entebbe. You can visit the Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre if you arrive early.
Day 2: Birding to Masindi Via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
We start our journey after breakfast and head to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is the only place in Uganda and perhaps the whole world with Rhinos roaming freely in their natural habitat and you are allowed to walk alongside them while on this Adventure in Uganda. The sanctuary has an impressive bird list of about 340 species in woodland, savannah and wetlands. You will be looking out for woodland and grassland bird species including but not limited to the White-crested Turaco, Orange-breasted and Grey-headed Bushshrike, Rufous Chatterer, African Grey Flycatcher, Yellowbill, Purple, Lesser-blue and Greater-blue Eared Starling, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Black-headed Batis, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Red-necked Spurfowl, Nubian and Cardinal Woodpecker, Buff-bellied Warbler and many more
Upon your arrival at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you shall set out for a 1 hour or so guided Rhino tracking adventure to see these members of the African Big 5 and thereafter continue birding in the sanctuary looking out for various bird species after which you will enjoy lunch at the Sanctuary restaurant and later continue travelling to Masindi, taking a northwest drive via the renowned Kafu junction. After a fantastic birdwatching experience today in the Savannah, we searched north for specials. We’ll spend the night at either the New Court View Hotel or the Masindi Hotel.
Day 3: Royal Mile Birding and Primate Viewing
On the third day of our 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour, we drive to the Royal Mile early in the morning and stop along the way to look for birds such as the Brown-backed Scrub-Robin, Black-bellied Firefinch, Grey-Headed Olive Back, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Black-bellied and African Firefinch, Brown Twinspot, Cabanis’s Bunting, Brown Babbler, Senegal Coucal, Singing and Whistling Cisticola, Red-collared Widowbird and White-Thighed Hornbill. Birds in the forest include the Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Forest and Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Little Green, Collard, Olive, Blue-throated Brown and Green Sunbird.
More species include the Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Ituri Batis, Tit Hylia, Red-chested, Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Fraser’s Flycatcher Thrush, Yellow and Grey Longbill, and Western Black-headed Oriole, Crested and Red-Headed Malimbe, Green Crombec, and Yellow-mantled Weaver, African Hawk Eagle, Cassin’s Spine Tail, and Red-headed Bluebill, Sabine’s Spinetail, Yellow Billed, Hairy Breasted, and Yellow Spotted Barbets, Little Greenbul, Slender-billed, White-throated, and Plain Greenbul, among others. While birding, keep an eye out for forest primates such as chimpanzees, velvets, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and olive baboons.
Day 4: Visit Kibale National Park
On this 4th day while on our adventure in Uganda, we will start our birding and wildlife safari today with a lengthy journey to Kibale National Park following an early breakfast. Birding along the main road is a potential opportunity for us to see big groups of Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Red-tailed and Velvet Monkeys, Olive Baboons, and Red Colobus Monkeys. There are 13 primate species found in Kibale National Park, notably chimpanzees, the closest living relatives of humans.
Along the swamps on the way, we shall look out for the White-winged Swamp Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek and Lesser Swamp Warbler, in some savannah patches we try and find birds like the Grey-headed Oliveback, Brown Twinspot, Stay, Black Cuckoo, Moustached Grassland Warbler, African Yellow Warbler, African Firefinch and in the forest north of Kibale forest around the Sebitoli area we check on the bridge for the Cassin’s Flycatcher, African Black Duck and Mountain Wagtail. The forest here can produce Masked Apalis, Pink-footed Puffbuck, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Narrow-tailed, Purple Headed, Wallers Stuhlmann’s Starling, Afep and the very rare White-naped Pigeon, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo and many more, we continue and spend our night at Chimpanzee Forest or Guereza Canopy Lodges.
Day 5: Bird Watching and Chimpanzee Tracking
On this fifth day of our 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour we shall enjoy adventure in Uganda as we go tracking our close cousins of ours the Chimpanzees which live in intricate societies, just like a community of humans, they can solve complicated problems, they are also able to make and bring into play tools, engage in convoluted social interactions and communicate through a variety of sounds and gestures. When encountering these habituated chimpanzees, you may scrutinize a variety of behaviours.
It’s worth watching them play and interact with one another. later we embark on our birding safari and the main bird species we look out for here is the Green Breasted Pitta a very uncommon bird restricted to forest interiors Kibale Forest has the biggest chance of presenting it in the entire world. We shall also look out for the African Broadbill, Fraser’s (Rufous) Flycatcher Thrush, Red Tailed Ant-Thrush, Purple-headed, Glossy-Starling, Brown, Pale and Scaly Breasted Illadopsis, Afep, White-naped and Olive Pigeon, Masked Apalis, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Black-billed Turaco, Golden-crowned and Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Green Crombec, Black-bee-eater, red-chested Owlet, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo and many more other spp.
Later in the evening we shall take a swamp walk around Bigodi looking out for Red Headed Bluebill, Scaly Breasted Illadopsis, Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, African Emerald Cuckoo, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-winged and Red-capped Robin-Chat and Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Luhdher’s Bush-shrike, Shining-blue Kingfisher, and Joyful Greenbul as well as White-spotted Flufftail. We later get back to our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay. BDL
Day 6: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth
Our primary goal on this day will be to locate the Green Breasted Pitta again once it was missed on the last attempt while on our adventure in Uganda. We will also be searching for other unique species such as the Long-legged Buzzard, Red-capped Robin-chat, Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Green Hylia, etc., before moving on to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will start our day very early and head into the forest. We go through stunningly magnificent regions of Uganda where we can see the Mountains of the Moon.
We’ll arrive in the dark, and seeing wildlife on the way is always a treat for Queen Elizabeth in Uganda’s second-largest national park. Given its diversity, with 612 species reported to date, this park has the largest birding checklist in Uganda, if not the entire globe. The park is also home to a variety of unique species, such as the African Crake, Amur Falcon, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Ow, Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Red Capped Lark, and Common Buttonquail. Primates include the Olive Baboon, Velvet Monkey, and Tantalus Monkey. Chimpanzees, Blue and Red-Tailed Monkeys, can be found in the Chambura Gorge. Dinner and a night in either Buffalo Lodge or Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Birdwatching in the early morning, followed by a boat ride down the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon, where we get up close and personal with large schools of Hippos, Buffalos, and Crocodiles near the shore. Numerous bird species can be found, such as the saddle-billed stork, the great and pink-backed pelicans, and other migratory species.
The following birds are listed as sightings on the birding list: Marsh, Green, Wood, and Common Sandpiper, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Gray-headed Gull, Yellow-billed Ox-Pecker; Plain Martin, Greater and Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Goliath Heron, Reed Cormorant, Great-white and Pink-backed Pelican, Dwarf Bittern, African Skimmers and always in big flock, Red-throated Bee-eater and many more..
Day 8: Maramagambo Forest Birding
Following an early breakfast and with our packed lunch, we shall proceed to the Kyambura Gorge. We spend the whole day searching for chimpanzees and other monkeys, and then we continue to the Maramagambo jungle to go birdwatching at the crater lake showers. Maramagambo Forest is home to a variety of unique species, such as the African Finfoot, Black Bee-eater, Black-headed and African Paradise Flycatcher, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Brown and Grey-chested Illadopsis, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, African Emerald Cuckoo, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Narina Trogon, Least Honeyguide, and Brown-chested Alethe. Later, we return to our lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Birding to Bwindi via Ishasha tree climbing lion section
On our 9th day of the 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour,we begin our birdwatching journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park following breakfast. Via the Ishasha sector, which is open seasonally and offers better opportunities to see tree-climbing lions, one may even be lucky enough to spot a leopard. To search for unique Savannah birds.
We will be making stops and hoping for the Ovambo Sparrow-Hawk, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Violet-backed Starling, Western Banded and Brown Snake Eagle, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide, Grassland and Plain-backed Pipit, Black Cuckoo, Fork-tailed Drongo, Speckled and Blue-naped Mousebird, Marsh Tchagra, African Yellow Warbler, Stout and Short-winged Cisticola are a few of the bird species to look out for here. Dinner and overnight shall be at Buhoma Community or stay at Buhoma Haven Lodge.
Day 10: Gorilla Trekking Experience
We shall start early on this particular day, carrying a picnic lunch to go to the park headquarters for a briefing before our gorilla trekking experience. Taking pictures of the gorillas in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness their loving nature. Observing these gentle behemoths up close and in wonder as they play and go about their everyday lives is an amazing experience.
You really should not miss this “once in a lifetime” opportunity. Every encounter is unique and has its benefits; you can probably get up close and personal with the adults while they groom, feed, and relax while the children playfully romp and swing from branches. A few hours or a full day are spent in the impenetrable forest tracking gorillas. If you want to increase your chances of finding the gorillas, you must be physically active. In some cases, you can discover them and return in about an hour, but in other cases, it may take a whole day of strenuous hiking. Now and then, despite our best efforts, the gorillas prove to be elusive.
Day 11: Birding to Lake Mburo National Park
On the 11th day of our 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour, we take a journey after breakfast to Lake Mburo National Park. On our game drive across the park, which will take place in the late afternoon as we enjoy our adventure in Uganda, we hope to see herds of zebras, Topis, Common Elands, Impalas, Cape Buffaloes, Giraffe and primates, including olive baboons and velvet and Tantalus monkeys.
Among the bird’s species, expect to see the Bare-faced Go-Away Bird, African Black-headed Oriole, Green-caped Eremomela, Arrow-marked and Black-lored Babblers, Orange (Sulphur)-breasted Bushshrike, Brubru, Tabora and Trilling Cisticola, White-winged Black-Tit, Black-headed and Chinspot Batis, Red-headed Weaver, African Golden-breasted Bunting, Broad-billed and Lilac-breasted Roller, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Green-winged Pytilia, Black-faced Waxbill, Grey-caped Warbler, Red-faced, Crested and Black-collared Barbet, Wahlberg’s Honeybird and Buff-bellied Warbler are among the birds that can be seen. Afterwards, we settle into Rwakobo Rock or equivalent for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 12: Birding Lake Mburo National Park and transfer to Entebbe or Kampala
We get up early today and go for an early morning walk while birdwatching in this savannah parkon as we enjoy our adventure in Uganda. Expect to spot different bird species such as the African-grey Hornbill, Green-wood Hoopoe, Thick-billed Cuckoo, African-white backed and White-headed Vulture, Bateleur, Broad-billed and Lilac-breasted Roller, Senegal and African-wattled lapwing, Greater-blue Eared Starling, Diedrik Cuckoo, Fork-tailed Drongo, Nubian Woodpecker, African Golden-breasted Bunting and Tropical Boubou among others.
Afterwards, we head to the boat and make our way to Kampala. African Finfoot, Giant Kingfisher, White-backed and Black-crowned Night Herons, and numerous other waterfowl are expected to be seen on the boat. Make your way to Entebbe or Kampala, where you can stay at Papyrus Guest House or the nearby Nkima Forest Lodge to Mabamba.
Day 13: Birding to Mabamba and Airport transfer
Today we shall enjoy adventure in Uganda,We head off early and travel to Mabamba Bay, where we hope to see the Lesser, Greater and White-Winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Lesser and African Jacana, White-backed Duck, African Pygmy Goose, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Cape Wagtail, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Long-toed Lapwing, African Marsh Harrier, African Swamphen, Black Crake, Allen’s Gallinule, Rufous-bellied Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Duck, Purple Heron, Common Squacco Heron,
The Reed Cormorant, Common Moorhen, Winding Cisticola, Northern-brown Throated Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher, Malachite Kingfisher and of course our bird of the day, the Shoebill Stork, among others while on our adventure in Uganda. We anticipate seeing the Pallid Harrier, Blue Swallow, and various species in July. Transfer subsequently to Entebbe International Airport in time for your trip home. That will be the end of the 13 Days Primate and Birding Uganda Tour.