8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari
8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari: This combination of gorilla trekking and birding safari takes you to the misty jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of the nation’s most exciting wildlife adventures. The journey will introduce you to the rare wonders of the jungle forest, particularly the 23 endemic bird species of the Albertine Rift and the giant mountain gorillas. There are less than 800 mountain gorillas worldwide and Uganda is home to more than half of the total population. Gorilla trekking is one of the most fascinating activities to do, an experience of a lifetime that you should not miss. Besides, mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to a diverse range of other primates, such as Chimpanzees, Olive Baboons, Red, Blue, Black and White Colobus Monkeys.
Additionally, a checklist of over 360 bird species may be found in the park, 23 of which are Albertine Rift Endemics. These include globally vulnerable species like the Shelly’s Crimsonwing and the Grauer’s Broadbill (African Green), and others include the Handsome Spurfowl (Francolin), Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Rwenzori Turaco, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Forest Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Batis, Sassi’s Olive Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Dusky Crimson-wing, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Neumann’s Warbler (Short-tailed), Grauer’s Warbler, Collared Apalis, Montane Masked Apalis, Kivu Ground Thrush, Stripe-breasted Tit,
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Air Port
Upon arrival on your 8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari, meet and greet our company representative for a briefing and check in to your booked hotel. After the drive, go birding at Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where you will spot birds like the beautiful Woodland Kingfisher, Egyptian Goose, Common Sandpiper, Water Thick-knee, Malachite Kingfisher, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Black-headed Gonolek, Senegal Coucal, Little and Toro Olive Greenbul, Long-tailed Starling, Little Stint, Little weaver, Yellow-backed weaver, Lesser Jacana, White-winged Tern, Blue Spotted, and Little, Red-eyed Greenbul, African Jacana, Blue-checked Bee-eater, African Pied and Crowned Hornbill, Green Crombec, long-tailed Cormorant, Spur-winged Lapwing, Striated Heron, and many others. Have dinner and over night at Papyrus Guest House.
Day 2: Birding to Bwindi impenetrable Forest
After an early morning breakfast, we set off to the western part of the country to one of Africa’s top birding spots. Ideally, expect an excellent, thrilling adventure because Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas, together with a good number of nocturnal and diurnal primates such as Chimpanzees, L’Hoest, Red, Blue, Black and white Colobus monkeys, Mangabeys, and Bush Babies. Other species include antelopes, forest Elephants, unique tree and plant species, reptiles and many others. En route, expect to see birds like Giant King fisher, African Green Pigeon, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Western Green Tinkerbird, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, and Majestic Crowned, among others. Have lunch at Igongo in Mbarara, dinner and overnight at Bakiga Lodge or Gorilla Mist Camp.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking and Birding on your 8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari
After your breakfast with a packed lunch, you will drive to the park headquarters early in the morning for a mini-briefing exercise for instructions. This will take place at the trekking departure point. You will be split up into several habituated families of gorillas, with not more than eight members in each group. For security purposes and to provide you with knowledge about the movements, lifestyles, and behaviours of these critically endangered mountain gorillas. While in the jungle, armed game ranger guides will be assigned to each group, and after the trekking exercise, you have an hour to critically observe, take photos, and learn about the behaviours, eating habits, games, structural appearance, take photos, and many other aspects of these mountain gorillas. If gorilla trekking is successfully done, later in the evening, you can go self-guided birding around the premises. Keep searching for bird species like the Strange Weaver, White-naped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Handsome Spurfowl, Dusky Crimsonwing, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, blue-headed Sunbird and many others.
Day 4: Full day Birding in Ruhija of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Have your early morning breakfast with packed lunch, embark on the forest edges and interior along this higher elevation of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Keep an eye out to see bird species like the African Broadbill, Yellow-crowned Canary, Black Bee-eater, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Cassin’s and Ayres’s Hawk-eagle, Handsome Spurfowl (Francolin), Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Red-chested Owlet, Scarce Swift, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Archer’s Robinchat, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Purple-breasted and Blue-headed Sunbird, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Grauer’s Rush, Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland, Grauer’s and Mountain Yellow Warbler, Buff Throated, Black-faced and Rwenzori Apalis, Pink-footed Puffback, Mountain Black Boubou, Mountain Greenbul, Regal Sunbird, African Shrike, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Montane Oriole, Sharpe’s and Stuhlmann’s Starling, among others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Full day birding the Mubwindi Swamp on your 8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari
After our break fast, we shall embark on bird watching towards the Mubwindi swamp. This place is famous and is the best site to spot the the Albertine Rift Endemics, Such species include the vibrant Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Black-billed Weaver, Stuhlmann’s Staring, Many Coloured Bush-shrike, Mountain Illadopsis, Rwenzori Nightjar, Brown Capped Warbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, African Hill Babbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Fraser’s Eagle Owl, African Broadbill, Eastern Olive and Collared Sunbird, Double Collared Sunbird, and Dwarf Honeyguide, among others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Birding to Buhoma via the Neck
After your early morning breakfast, we shall embark on a full day birdwatching along the “Neck”, This is the route from Ruhija to Buhoma where numerous unique bird species can be spotted, such as Dwarf Honeyguide, Little Grey Greenbul, mountain Wagtail, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Cinnamon-chested and Black Bee-eater, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-headed Malimbe, Many-colored Bush-shrike, Black Saw-wing, Natrina Trogon, Toro Olive, Ansorge’s, slender-billed, and Little Grey Greenbuls, Black-billed Turaco, African Black Duck, African harrier Hawk, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Red-throated Alethe and many others.
Day 7: Exclusive Birding in Buhoma on your 8 Days Gorilla Trekking and Forest Birding Safari
Take your breakfast early in the morning, Our birding will start from the lower slopes of Bwindi, searching for species like Chapin’s Flycatcher, African Broadbill, Black Bee-eater, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-necked Weaver, Oberlaendaer’s Ground-thrush, Brown-Capped Weaver, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-chat, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Pink-footed Puffback, Narrow-tailed Starling, Red-throated Alethe, Shelly’s Day Greenbul, Fine-banded Woodpecker, and Grey Apalis, among others. Dinner and Overnight at Ride for a Woman and Buhoma Haven Lodge.
Day 8: Birding to Kampala/Entebbe
En route, expect to see bird species like Black-billed, Brown-capped, and Black-necked Weaver, Pink-footed Puffback, Many-colored Bocage’s and Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s, and Narrow-tailed Starlings, Oberlaender’s Ground-thrush, and the rare Jameson’s (Woodhouse’s) Antpecker, among others.