16 Days Uganda Birding Safari
16 Days Uganda Birding Safari: This amazing 16-day Uganda birdwatching safari takes you through the misty jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Mburo National Park, Entebbe, Mabamba Wetlands, and Mgahinga National Park. The journey commences with birdwatching at the Botanical Gardens and along the shores of Lake Victoria. The greatest spot in Uganda to watch endangered Shoebill Storks is Mabamba Wetlands; visit there the next day. This Important Bird Area is home to a good number of various birds, in addition to the rare Shoebill stork. Next, for the Albertine Rift endemic species, the journey will continue to Lake Mburo National Park, Mgahinga National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Day 1: Birding Entebbe Botanical Gardens and Lake Victoria shores
Take your breakfast and then go birdwatching at Entebbe Botanical Gardens with our tour guide. This destination attracts more than 472 bird species. You are likely to see species like the impressive Yellow-billed Duck, Crowned, African Pied, white-thighed, Black and White Casqued Hornbills, White-winged Tern, Common and Green Sandpiper, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Striated Heron, Blue-spotted Greenbul, Green Crombec, Red-eyed and Little Greenbul, Village Weaver, African Jacana, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff Heron and many more species. You will have Lunch and dinner at Papyrus Guest House.
Day 2: Birding Mabamba Wetland
After breakfast, proceed to Namugabo, which is close to Mabamba swamps and prominent wetland sites with the biggest population of Shoebills recorded on a single day. Most of the birding is done by canoeing; however, other species to be seen may include the striking Lesser Jacana, African Wattled Plover, Madagascar Bee-eaters, Long-toed Lapwing, Grey-headed Gull, African Reed Warbler, Northern-brown Throated Weaver, Greater and Lesser- Swamp Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Lesser Moorhen, African Pygmy-goose, Yellow-crowned Bishop, Black Crake, Allen’s Gallinule, White-faced Whistling Duck and many others. Other species to see include swamp antelope, or Sitatunga, among others. While travelling to Kampala, make a stopover at another swamp where you might see White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow Crowned Bishop, Weyns Weaver, and other numerous birds. Have your lunch and after, enjoy your evening while birdwatching with a packed lunch. Enjoy dinner and spend the night at the hotel.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
On our 16-day Uganda birding safari, following your breakfast transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, which is situated in western Uganda,. Briefly stop at the equator, proceed to Lake Mburo National Park as you look out for bird species like the Great Blue-eared Starling, Spot-flanked Barbet, Common Quails, Papyrus Gonolek, Red-necked Spurfowl, Emerald Spotted Wood Dove, Bare faced Go-Away Bird, Crested Francolin, Green Wood Hoopoe, Lilac breasted Roller, Northern Black Tit, Common Scimitarbill, Trilling Cisticola, African Grey Hornbill, and Brown Parrot. After lunch, embark on late afternoon game drive along the Zebra Track, which may expose you to species like the Glossy Blue-black, Coqui Francolin, Black Bellied Bustard, Temmricks Courser, African Wattled Plover, Rufous-napped and Flappet Lark, Rufous-chested Swallow and others. Look out also for evasive Leopard and other nocturnal species. Have Dinner and stay overnight at Rwakobo Rock Lodge.
Day 4: Full day Birding in Lake Mburo National Park
After your breakfast in the morning, go for a nature walk where you will see a variety of savanna and wetland birds, as well as some animal species, including Impalas, Buffaloes, zebras and Elands. After lunch, head back to the Kigambira loop for an evening game drive. Expect to see the following species: Lead-colored Flycatcher, Black Collared Barbet, Handsome Spurfowl (Francolin), Red-headed lovebird, and localised Red-faced Barbet. Return for Dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Birding Lake Mburo National Park
We proceed to the Lakeside Track for an early-morning game drive. This involves entering the aquatic environments that surround Lake Mburo National Park. Expect to see species like the Lesser and Greater Swamp Warbler, White Winged Warbler, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, and the elusive Blue-headed Coucal, also known as the Shoebill. As we make our way to the lakefront campground, keep an eye out for numerous species, including the African Water Rail, African Finfoot, Spur-winged Plover, and African Darter. After lunch, head back to the launch-cruise to look for any missing papyrus species. Expect to see Crocodiles and Hippos among the extras. After dinner, spend the night at the lodge.
Day 6: Birding on the Boat and transfer to Kisoro Via Echuya
After your breakfast, we embark on a game and birdwatching drive with an armed ranger, which raises the possibility that we will spot mammals including Zebras, Buffalo, Elands, Impalas, Topis, and Rothschild’s Giraffe. We focus our birding efforts on locating the Tabora Cisticola, Lesser-blue Eared Starling, Red-faced Barbet, Brown Chested Plover, Crested Black Collared, Red-headed Weaver, and Coqui Francolin. The bare-faced go-away bird, the Black-shouldered shrike, the Green Capped Eremomela, the Buff-bellied Warbler, the Red-billed woodhope, and other acacia-related birds.
Subsequently, we transfer to Kisoro, stopping en route to search for uncommon papyrus species, including African Stonechat, Papyrus Canary, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Greater and Lesser Swamp Warbler, Highland Rush Warbler, and the locally uncommon Papyrus Yellow Warbler. In the Echuya Forest Reserve, where we will also spend a few hours, we will also be introduced to a variety of high-altitude residents and some Albertine Rift Endemics, including the Mountain Buzzard, Dusky Crimsonwing, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Rwenzori Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-faced Apalis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Strange Weaver, and many more.
Day 7 & 8: Whole day montane birding in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda
We depart early on our 16-day Uganda birding trip to visit the Ntebeko Head Trail. Because of the rare bird species that can be found in Mgahinga, birdwatching is an exciting experience. Some of the unique bird species that can be found here are the Black-headed Waxbill, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Dusky and Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin-chat, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Kivu Ground, Regal Sunbird, Olive Thrush, Rwenzori Turaco, White-tailed crested flycatcher, Brown Wood Warbler, Evergreen Forest and Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Afep Pigeon, Dusky Turtle Dove, Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted, Blue-headed, and Malachite Sunbird, among others. Dinner and lodging are at Kisoro’s Travellers Hotel.
Day 9: Early morning transfer to Ruhija birding via Echuya Forest.
After an early morning breakfast, we head to Ruhija through the Echuya forest, where we bird the forest borders, which is always rather productive. We are looking for Archer’s Robin-Chat, White-napped Raven, Black-faced Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-crowned Waxbill, and Stripe-breasted Tit. This section of Bwindi is usually higher up. Bwindi is home to Uganda and maybe all of Africa’s best woodland birding. About 23 very localised Albertine Rift endemics call it home, and the African Birding Club lists it as one of the best places in Africa for birdwatching.
The primary unique bird species that we keep an eye out for in this area are the Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Mountain Greenbul, Regal Sunbird, Handsome Spurfowl (Francolin), Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, Thick-billed and Streaky Seed-eater, Black-billed Turaco, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Olive and Fine-banded Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, White-napped Raven, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Grauer’s Rush, Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland, Grauer’s and Mountain Yellow Warbler, Black-necked and Black-billed Weaver, Buff Throated, Black-faced and Rwenzori Apalis, Pink-footed Puffback, Mountain Black Boubou, Purple-breasted and Blue-headed Sunbird, African Shrike, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Sharpe’s, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Waller’s and Narrow-tailed Starling, Brown-capped, Strange, Baglafecht, the dark grey Dusky Crimsonwing, Montane Oriole, Bar-tailed Trogon, East African Swee and many others. You will stay at Bakiga Lodge or Equivalent.
Day 10 & 11: Birding safari to Mubwindi Swamp and Gorilla tracking.
After breakfast, we head to Mubwindi Swamp for a full day of birdwatching. This is the best location to view the many endemic species found in the Albertine Rift, including the magnificent Regal Sunbird, African Green Broadbill, Dwarf Honeyguide, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, African Hill Babbler, Fraser’s Eagle-Owl, Northern Double Collared, Eastern Olive and Collared Sunbird, and many more.
Gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, where the primates live in their natural habitat, is an optional activity on one of these two days. A gorilla trekking excursion in the bush may take two to six hours, depending on where the trekkers and ranger guides locate the gorillas. After an early breakfast, we will leave the resort early to reach the park’s registration centre, where the lead guide will advise you on what to do once you have identified the gorillas and the walk will begin.
It is an incredible (thought-provoking) experience to watch the mountain gorillas. However, as the journey may be too strenuous for certain visitors who have issues with their psychological and physical health, we are leaving it as an optional activity. For those who choose not to trek, there will be a birdwatching excursion in Ruhija and the environs. Gorilla Mist Camp or Bakiga Lodge will serve meals for you.
Day 12: 13 Days Uganda Birding safari to Buhoma via the Neck.
Enjoy full-day birdwatching along the “Neck,” the path that leads to Buhoma, during our 16-day Uganda birding tour. A few noteworthy bird species to spot are Mountain Wagtail, Narina Trogon, African Black Duck, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Dwarf Honeyguide, African Shrike-flycatcher, Black-billed Turaco, Red-throated Alethe, Toro Olive, Ansorge’s, Slender Billed, Little Grey, Red-tailed, Little and Cabanis’s Greenbul, as well as Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpeckers. Other bee-eaters include the Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-headed Malimbe, Honeyguide Greenbul, Many-colored Bush-shrike, Cinnamon-chested and Black Bee-eater. The Black Saw-wing, Cassin’s and Ayres’s Hawk-eagles, Rock Martins, Starlings, and others have good habitats in the skies.
Keep an eye out for the following species as we make our way back into the forested area: Mackinnon’s Shrike, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, African Stonechat, Stripe-breasted Tit, Chubb’s Cisticola, African Stonechat, Augur Buzzard, Petit is Cuckoo-shrike, Black-headed (Red-bellied) Paradise Flycatcher, and Pink-footed and Northern Puffback. The species that can be found in the area are Black-faced Apalis, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Crowned Hornbill, Black-billed and Black-necked Weaver, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, African Harrier Hawk, Green White-eye, Yellow-billed Kite, Yellow-rumped, Speckled, and Yellow-throated Tinkerbird. Three nights at Ride 4 a Woman or meals and lodging at the Buhoma Haven Lodge.
Day 14 & 15: Birding Buhoma, waterfall and Munyaga trails.
After an early breakfast, we set out on our birding expedition on the lower slopes of Bwindi, searching for the following rare species: Oberlaender’s Ground-Thrush, African Broadbill, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Red-throated Alethe, African Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Jameson’s (Woodhouse’s), Petit is Cuckoo-shrike, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Shelley’s and Cabanis’s Greenbul, Olive Long-tailed and Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, and Black Bee-Eater. Equatorial Akalat, Buff-throated, Black-throated, and Grey Apalis, Green, Little Green, Grey-headed, and Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, the extremely rare Short-tailed Warbler, Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s, and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Several-colored Bocage’s and Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Black-billed, Brown-capped, and Black-necked Weaver, and so on
Day 16: Departure to Kampala-Entebbe International Airport
Set off birding to Kampala but take a stop over in Masaka town for Lunch before you proceed to Kampala.
End of Safari