
7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda
This 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the lifestyle of chimpanzees and a diverse range of cool African rainforest birds, such as the elusive Green-breasted Pitta. We are going to explore the lush forests of Kibale, Sebitoli, and Bigodi swamps during this amazing safari. Although you can finish Chimp habituation at your leisure, it is technically a full-day activity. Because you spend more time with the chimps than during the tracking experience, you become more familiar with the intricate daily routines of the closest cousins of humans.
Outlined Itinerary of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda
Day 1: Arrival and Birding Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Day 2: Birding to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 3: Birding Kibale Forest
Day 4: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience and Birding
Day 5: Birding Bigodi Swamp and Sebitoli
Day 6: Birding to Entebbe
Day 7: Departure
Detailed Itinerary of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda
Day 1: Arrival and Birding Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by a Journeys Uganda birding guide or representative, who will transfer you to the Papyrus Guest House for check-in. Depending on the time of arrival, we bird Entebbe Botanical Gardens, looking out for Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl usually seen at the entrance, the colourful Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed< Black-headed, Golden-backed and Village Weaver often seen weaving intricate nests, African Jacana, Bat Hawk, African Cuckoo-Hawk has been sighted here before, Diederik, Levaillant’s and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Duck, Glossy and Hadada Ibis, Spur-winged Lapwing and African Open-billed Stork, which are some Waterfowl that can be seen around the lake.

Day 2: Birding to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, make your way to Kibale Forest National Park to embark on an amazing chimpanzee acclimatisation and birdwatching safari. Several stops will be made along the route to maximise our chances of spotting several stunning birds like the Western-banded Snake-Eagle, Red-headed Lovebird, Meyer’s Parrot, Bat Hawk, Yellow-billed Barbet, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Grey Parrot, later as we get close to Kibale Forest, look out for the Lowland Masked Apalis, Joyful Greenbul, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, the Dark-backed (Forest) Weaver, Yellow-mantled Weaver, White-collared Oliveback, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Narrow-tailed, Stuhlmann’s and Purple-headed Starling. The river in the forest is at times home to the Mountain Wagtail, Cassin’s Flycatcher and African Back Dark and possibly several species of monkeys like the Red Tailed, Red Colobus, Varvet and Black and White Colobus. Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge.
Day 3: Birding Kibale Forest
After breakfast, we will hike the Kibale Forest as we search the forest for the Green-breasted Pitta on this day of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda. We should also keep an eye out for the following species: African Wood Owl, African/Rwenzori/Abyssinian Hill-Babbler, Alpine Swift, Western Black-headed Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo, Afep and African Green-pigeon, Scaly-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Brown-capped Weaver, Brown-chested Alethe, Velvet Mantled Drongo, Barn Swallow, Ashy Flycatcher, and Black Cuckoo, Blue-throated Roller, Black Bee-eater, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Black-and-White Mannikin, and Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cassin’s Honeybird, Black-billed Turaco, Black-billed Weaver, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Black-headed Weaver, Black-necked Weaver, African Blue Flycatcher, Bocage’ Bush-shrike, Bronze Mannikin, Bronze Sunbird, Black-throated Apalis, Red-capped and Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, and Blue-throated Roller, among others. You will be transferred back to Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience and Birding
On this 4th day of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda, you will have an early morning breakfast before we embark on a chimpanzee habituation experience all day while looking out for a few missed bird species the previous day. Unlike chimpanzee tracking, chimpanzee habituation involves visitors tracking the location of chimpanzees with a team of experts, After locating the chimpanzees, both the experts and visitors get involved in the process of getting chimpanzees used to human presence. Unlike chimpanzee tracking, where visitors spend only one hour with the chimpanzees, Visitors spend more hours with the chimpanzees during the Chimpanzee habituation experience. Also, keep an eye out for the different primate species, such as L’Hoest’s monkey, olive baboons, black and white colobus, mangabey, and various bird species, such as the Black Bee-eaters, White-naped Pigeon, and Sooty Flycatcher among others. After this strenuous activity, you will be transferred back to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Birding Bigodi Swamp and Sebitore
On this day of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda, we will be birding the Kibale Forest National Park’s Sebitoli region in the morning to look for the Joyful Greenbul and several other species, and we will be birding Bigodi Swamp in the afternoon to look for water birds and Papyrus endemics. We anticipate seeing the beautiful Papyrus Gonolek, White-browed Scrub-Robin the striking Great Blue Turaco, the secretive White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Black Bishop, the melodious Grey-winged Robin-chat, Superb Sunbird, and the loud Western Nicator, among others, in Bigodi. Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge.
Day 6: Birding to Entebbe
You will be transferred back to Entebbe while birding along the way. Keep an eye out for various species along the way, as this may be extremely rewarding. You will be transferred to Papyrus Guest House for dinner and departure
Day 7: Departure
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Entebbe International Airport for departure and the end of the 7-day Birding and Chimpanzee Habituation Tour in Uganda