5 Days Uganda Birding Safari
5 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Embark on an exciting 5-day birding adventure in Uganda, a country known for its rich avian diversity. This safari takes you through captivating landscapes, wetlands, and national parks, providing ample opportunities to spot a wide variety of bird species. The trip will take you birding through Entebbe, Mabamba wetlands and Lake Mburo National Park. We shall begin our 5-day Uganda birding safari from Entebbe’s Uganda Wildlife Educational Centre, the Botanical Gardens and along the shores of Lake Victoria. The next day, we shall bird to Mabamba Wetlands, an Important Birding Area (IBA) and one of the best places to see the rare Shoebill Storks in Uganda. After, we shall end our safari with 3 days of birding in Lake Mburo National Park, home to over 300 bird species.
Safari Highlights
Day 1: Birding in Entebbe areas
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Wetlands
Day 3: Kampala-Lake Mburo National Park
Day 4: Birding in Lake Mburo National Park
Day 5: Birding in Lake Mburo and return to Kampala for departure
Detailed Itinerary of 5 Days Uganda Birding Safari
Day 1: Birding in Entebbe Areas for a 5-day Uganda Birding safari
After an early morning breakfast, begin your journey by exploring the Uganda Wildlife Educational Centre, formally known as the zoo. Here you will encounter over 170 different bird species, including 10 species of weavers such as the Northern Masked Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver, Slender-billed, Village, Golden-backed, Vieillot’s Black, and Black-necked Weaver, among others, 5 species of flycatchers such as the Black and White Shrike-flycatcher, Red-bellied or Black-headed Paradise and African Paradise Flycatcher, and the Swamp Flycatcher, among others. Be sure to see Raptors such as the Small Banded Snake Eagle, Shikra, Gabar Goshawk, African Goshawk, African Cuckoo Hawk, and African Fish Eagle, 5 species of Cuckoos including the Diederik, Klaas’s, African Emerald, Red-chested, and Levaillant’s, among others. We shall transfer to the Botanical Gardens for another birding experience. Keep an eye out for various bird species along the shores of Lake Victoria. Later, you will return for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House or Equivalent.
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Wetlands
After breakfast, we shall head to Namugabo or Mabamba swamps, which boast the largest population of Shoebill Storks recorded on a single day. While at Mabamba, most of the birding is done by canoe, allowing you to observe various bird species such as the African and Lesser Jacana, African Water Rail, Goliath Heron, Squacco, White-faced Whistling Duck, Grey and Black-headed Heron, Common Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, African Swamphen, Long-toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Fantailed-widowbird, African Marsh Harrier, Cape Wagtail, Rufous-bellied Heron, White-backed Duck, Greater and Lesser Swamp Warbler, Northern-brown Throated Weaver, and the Black Crake, among others. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House or Equivalent.
Day 3: Kampala-Lake Mburo National Park
On our 5-day Uganda Birding Safari, after an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda. Along the way, we shall briefly stop at the Equator for photography at the imaginary line, and proceed to Lake Mburo National Park while birding to the entrance of Nshara gate. Here are some of the notable bird species you will encounter while in this scenic park. The African-wattled Lapwing, the Common Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird, the ground-dwelling Common Black-bellied Bustard, the fascinating Greater Painted-snipe along the watering halls, the colourful Saddle-billed Stork, the Woodland Kingfisher, the secretive Blue-headed Coucal, the Papyrus Gonolek, which is a special resident of the swamps and the melodious White-winged Swamp Warbler, among others. We shall go for lunch at Rwonyo restaurant. After lunch, we shall go for a late afternoon game drive along the Zebra track, exposing you to other avian species such as the African Wattled Plover, Black-bellied Bustard, Flappet Lark and Rufous-chested Swallow. You shall be transferred to your hotel for Dinner and Overnight stay.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Kigambira Safari Lodge
Day 4: Birding in Lake Mburo National Park
After an early morning breakfast, on our 5-day Uganda Birding Safari, we shall embark on a nature walk, encountering several savannah and wetland bird species and wild animals such as the Giant Eland, Zebras, Impalas, Giraffes, Cape Buffalo, Warthogs, and Topi, among others. we shall return to the hotel for lunch, after which we shall embark on an evening Game drive along the famous Kigambira loop, where you will find more unique bird species such as the Red-headed Lovebird, Green-capped Eromomela and the Red-Faced Barbet, which is a special of Lake Mburo, The Crested and Black-collared Barbet, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Green-wood Hoopoe, African-black Headed Oriole, Coqui Francolin, Lilac-breasted Roller, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Bearded, Nubian, Uganda Spotted and Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Green-winged Pytilia, Greater-blue Eared Starling, Temmink’s Courser, Tabora Cisticola, Black-bellied Bustard, and African Penduline-Tit, among others. Back for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Kigambira Safari Lodge
Day 5: Birding in Lake Mburo National Park and return to Kampala for Departure
Early in the morning, we shall embark on an early morning game drive along the magnificent Lake track. This track has numerous aquatic habitats around Lake Mburo and is home to many avian species, such as the Papyrus Yellow Warbler, the elusive Shoebill Stork, the Papyrus Gonolek, and the Lesser and Greater Swamp Warbler, among others. We shall furthermore continue to the Lakeside Campground as we look out for the diving African Finfoot and the African Water Rail, among others. We shall have our mid-morning breakfast, after which we shall embark on a launch cruise, which shall expose us to papyrus bird species we may have missed out on, like the White-backed Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Water Thick-knee, and other wild animals such as the Nile Crocodiles and Hippos. We shall set off for Kampala and stop over for lunch before we proceed to the capital city for departure, marking the end of our 5-day Uganda birding safari.
Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch
The trip includes: All indicated Meals, accommodation and ground transfers.