On this 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, discover the magic of Africa's bird paradise on a birdwatching safari in north-eastern Uganda

15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari

On this 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, discover the magic of Africa’s bird paradise on a birdwatching safari in north-eastern Uganda. With so many different bird species to see in their native habitats, this region is a veritable gold mine for birdwatchers seeking diversity in their birding experiences. The discovery of the secluded Kidepo Valley National Park, home to over 475 bird species, is a highlight of the safari. In this area, naturalists can search for the rare Fox’s Weaver, which is unique to this region of the world, and the endemic Karamoja Apalis. Birdwatching is made possible by the park’s untamed savannahs, which are interspersed with mountains and valleys.

Next, birdwatchers can travel to one of Uganda’s largest protected regions, the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, where the environment changes from rocky outcrops to woodland savannah. Many species can be found in this area, such as the striking Jackson’s Hornbill and the secretive African Hill Babbler. A visit to Mount Elgon National Park, whose montane woods serve as a refuge for species like the Lühder’s Bushshrike. The park’s diverse elevations provide a range of birdwatching opportunities, from the lower slopes to the higher moorlands.

North Eastern Uganda provides an amazing experience for birding enthusiasts, combining the tranquil beauty of the African wilderness with the excitement of discovery.

Detailed Itinerary of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari

Day 1: Arrival for the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport for the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, meet and greet and be transferred to your lodge for chek-in. Early arrivals shall have the oportunity to bird the Entebbe Botanical Garden looking out for species like the Diederick and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Pygmy, Malachite, and Giant Kingfishers, Bat Hawk, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Balack Bishop and Orange Weaver among others. You will be transferred back to Papyrus Guest House for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 2: Birding Mabamba Wetland

Arrive early and travel for an hour and a half to Mabamba, an Important Bird Area and Ramsar site. One of the two best locations in the world—Murchison Falls National Park is the other—to locate the Shoebill, which is Africa’s most sought-after bird and a popular target for birdwatchers worldwide. Over 80% of people get the chance to observe this pre-historic-looking bird in Mabamba.

While travelling, we may spot Ross’s Turaco, African Green Pigeon, and Great Blue Herons, who enjoy foraging high on the wayside snags. When we arrive at the wetland, which is one of the best community-based projects in the nation, we take the used boat with an engine that belongs to a local. Expect to see a variety of common African water and surrounding habitat species, such as Malachite Kingfisher, Long-toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, African Jacana, and Yellow-billed Duck, while searching for the Shoebill. Depending on the season, there are also good opportunities to see the African Marsh Harrier, African White-backed Duck, Lesser and African Jacana, Papyrus Gonolek, Blue-headed Coucal, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Common Waxbill, Grey-capped Warbler, Madagascar, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, and Black Bishops, among other birds. After, we will transfer to Red Forest Lodge at Mabira Forest.

Day 3: Birding Mabira Forest

On this day of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, we are going to use our limited time today to bird the Mabira forest in search of a diverse range of forest species. Spending time in this remote forest is worthwhile due to the outstanding diversity of birds there. We will concentrate on locating various ground-dwelling skulkers during the morning and afternoon sessions, such as the Forest Robin, Scaly-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Nahan’s Patridge, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethe, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, yellow-eyed and Red-tailed Bristlebill, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Purple-throated Bushshrike and Forest Robins, among others. Dinner and overnight at Red Forest Lodge.

Fire-crested Alethe

Day 4: Birding to Soroti

We shall determine whether to go birding in the morning or to carry on to Soroti, birding through the rice schemes and marshy areas, according to the results of the previous day. Rich in waterfowl, the Rice projects occasionally attract unusual species such as Rufous-bellied Herons and Black Egrets, which are quite beautiful to watch. Although Soroti is a town, it serves as a strategic point from which to reach the Fox’s Weaver and Karamoja Apalis sites.

Day 5: Birding Pakwi in Kumi district

In the morning, we leave Soroti town and travel to Pakwi on this 5th day of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari. Dry scrubs and prickly whistling acacia characterise this isolated area of Kumi district, which is excellent for an amazing variety of dry country birds. The Fox’s Weaver and the elusive Karamoja Apalis feed mostly on the types of acacia ants drawn to the whistling acacia holes. The region might be excellent for a variety of seed-eating birds and birds of prey while searching for the two targets.

Numerous birds can be found there, including the Lesser Kestrel, Brown and Black-breasted Snake-eagle, Bateleur and Wahlberg’s Eagles, Black-headed Gonolek, Wattled Starling, Red-headed, Red-billed, and Cardinal Quelea, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Red-throated Pipit, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Allen’s Gallinule, African Pygmy Goose, Stout and Red-faced Cisticola, and many more.

Fox’s Weaver

Day 6: Bird to Mount Elgon National Park

On this day of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, after a leisurely morning,you will head to Sipi village to go birdwatching in Mountain Elgon National Park. 43 of the 144 species of the Guinea-Congo Forests biome and 56 of the 88 species of the Afro-tropical Highland biome that are found in Uganda are found in this stunning forested mountain park. After arriving, we bird-watch in the surrounding area and up to the fascinating Sipi Falls during the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Lakam Lodge.

Day 7: Birding Mount Elgon National Park

We’re going to eat breakfast before exploring the montane woods of the park on this day of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari. This place has a very high elevation, so chilly weather is to be expected. Moreover, the birds are of higher quality here. This species prefers high elevations.
We’ll explore a few of the popular trails in pursuit of Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, Jackson Francolin, and Black-collared Apalis.

A few dark-coloured Starlings, Amethyst Sunbird, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Moustached Tinkerbird, White-starred Robin, Cape Robin-Chat, Little Rock-Thrush, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, African Hill Babbler, and White-browed Crombec are among the other birds. Dinner and overnight at Lakam Lodge

On this 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, discover the magic of Africa's bird paradise on a birdwatching safari in north-eastern Uganda
Hartlaub’s Turaco

Day 8: Birding to Pian Upe Game Reserve

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is unquestionably one of Uganda’s most amazing protected areas, despite being a less frequented destination for birdwatchers and other wildlife enthusiasts. Travellers strongly seek out the really welcome habitat that virgin grasslands and woodland areas have produced for dry country birds and very cool creatures. Notably, the attractive Roan antelopes can only be spotted in this park, out of all the others in the nation.

We will look for many Cisticola family birds among its red acacia, desert date, bushwillows, Harrisonia Abyssinia, and red spike thorns, in addition to shrubs like butterfly pea and woolly caper bush.
The stunning Secretary Bird, Fawny Lark, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Jackson’s Hornbill, and East African endemics like the Karamoja Apalis are just a few of the exquisite predatory birds that we will hunt down in its skies. You will have your dinner and overnight at Uganda Wildlife Authority Bandas.

Day 9: Birding Pian Upe Game Reserve

After breakfast, we shall go birding Pian Upe Game Reserve for the day on this 9th day of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, looking out for species suchas the Fox’s Weaver, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Secretary Bird, Superb Starling, Karamoja Apalis, Ostritches, Jackson’s Hornbill, White-headed Buffalo Weaver and Great Hartlaub’s Bustard among others

Day 10: Birding to Kidepo Valley National Park via Matheniko Game Reserve and Moroto

This section involves passing through towns and villages. The optimum time to locate Blue-capped, Steel-blue, and Long-tailed Paradise-Whydas is usually during this dry season. Along with several other birds that call these thickets home, we will keep an eye out for them and search through them for d’Arnaud’s Barbet and Rufous Chatterer. Dinner and overnight at Savannah Safari Lodge.

Day 11–13: Birding Kidepo Valley National Park

During this phase of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, we will spend three full days exploring Kidepo, with activities including game viewing, nighttime and daytime game drives, a cultural visit to the Karamajong communities for some performances, and comfortable game and bird hikes within the park. Of all the parks in Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park is the least visited, yet it offers the best opportunities for ornithological excursions.

Kidepo is the second-highest protected area in the nation, behind Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a total recorded species count of up to 480. 28 species from the Sudan-Guinea Savanna and Somali-Masai biomes are indigenous to this park in Uganda, which is the only IBA completely contained inside the Somali-Masai biome.

Two great locations for an amazing birding experience are the Narus Valley and the Ostrich regions. This area is favoured by the following wildlife: Clapperton’s, Heuglin’s, Yellow-necked Francolins, Kori, White-bellied, and Hartlaub’s Bustards; Common Ostrich; Secretary Bird; Scissor-tailed Kite; Eastern Chanting Goshawk; Pygmy Falcon; Fox Kestrel; Stone Partridge. White-crested Turaco, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black-headed Lapwing, Four-banded Sand Grouse, and a rare Violet-tipped Courser

On this 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari, discover the magic of Africa's bird paradise on a birdwatching safari in north-eastern Uganda
Hartlaub’s Bustard

Among the numerous birds we will search for are the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Eastern Yellow, Jackson’s Hornbills, Little Green Bee-eater, Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, Abyssinian and Rufous-crowned Rollers, and White-faced Scoops-Owl. The following birds were observed scanning the scrubs and moving through the prickly acacia of the dry country: Pied, Isabelline, and Heuglin’s Wheaters, Greyish Flycatcher, Foxy  Cisticolas, Karamoja Apalis, Red-fronted and Black-breasted Barbets, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Singing Bush Lark; Red-winged Lark, Ethiopian Swallow, Superb Starling, Slate-colored Boubou, Fan-tailed Raven, Northern and Yellow-billed Shrikes, White-bellied Tit, Mouse-colored Pendu Tit, The Pygmy, Beautiful, Eastern Violet-backed, and Red-billed Oxpeckers

Among the 480 bird species that are highly likely to be spotted in the park are the Rufous and Chestnut Sparrows, Yellow-spotted Petronia, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo-Weavers, White-browed and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weavers, Grey-capped Social and Speckle-fronted Weavers, Pytilias such as Green-winged, Orange-winged, and Red-winged, Black-bellied and Black-faced Waxbills, and Brown-rumped Bunting.

Of the more than 80 species of mammals found in Kidepo, 28 are unique to this national park in Uganda. These include captivating African creatures like the Klipspringer, Caracal, Cheetah, and Bat-eared Fox. Regretfully, Kidepo experienced the same devastation as numerous other parks in Uganda in the 1970s and 1980s, and it is still recuperating from years of poaching that severely reduced the number of game herds. Lesser Kudu, Grant’s gazelle, and Spotted Hyena

There are currently thriving populations of elephants, common zebra, buffalo, bohor reedbuck, waterbuck, and kongoni, among other huge species that have made an amazing return. There are many predators around, and it’s common to encounter lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas. In the Narus Valley, oribis are common, while Guenther’s Dik-Dik inhabits the arid thorn thickets to the north. The White-tailed Mongoose is abundant but more likely to be spotted during a night drive, while at night the Senegal Galago and Side-striped Jackal may be spotted in the rest camp. The wildlife of the park includes a wide variety of vivid reptiles. Dinners and overnights at Savannah Safari Lodge

Day 14: Birding to Gulu

We think about spending the night in Gulu town because it’s a lengthy drive—more than ten hours—from Kidepo Valley NP to Entebbe, and there may be suitable species to see along the route.

Day 15: Transfer to Entebbe and departure

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Entebbe International Airport. Along the way, keep an eye out for various bird species. This will be the end of the 15-day North-Eastern Uganda Safari.

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