Uganda with over 1000 bird species, this 12 day birding safari will expose you to ¾ (three-quarter) of the species. Book with us this trip which involves rare bird sightings like rare shoebill stork among others species, watch birds on boat cruises with opportunities of sighting wild animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants among others. Request for Gorilla tracking activity in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and it will be added in your bird watching trip in Uganda.
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport
Upon arrival, you will be received by our office representative who will then take you to your hotel and you will be briefed the whole tour program. Overnight at Hotel Number 5 (Meal Plan: Dinner
DAY 2: Entebbe – Lake Mburo National Park
Your bird guide will meet you at Entebbe Airport on your arrival in the morning and proceed to Botanical gardens for a half day birding watching. You will then depart for Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo National Park is an extension of the Tanzanian plains with impala, giraffe, eland, big herds of zebra and other ungulates. At least more than 310 bird species have been recorded in the park. It is probably the best place in Uganda to see, bare-faced go-away bird, and acacia-associated birds red-rumped swallows black-bellied bustard, Ruppell’s long-tailed sterling and spot-flanked barbet. Also of special interest to birders are the papyrus swamp endemics that occur here. These include Papyrus Gonolek and the highly localized Papyrus Yellow Warbler. We will drive the Lakeside Track and Kigambira Loop to look for savanna and Acacia woodland species including Blue-naped Mouse bird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Northern Black Tit, Red-headed Lovebird, Green-capped Eremomela, Ross’ Touraco and the highly sought-after Red-faced Barbet. Relax for a little while before going in a motor boat on the lake or going for an early evening game drive. Overnight at Mihingo Lodge Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
DAY 3: Rubongo Forest – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, we will take a forest walk in Rubango forest. This offers a variety of habitats, favorable for birds thereby making it a very beautiful place for bird watchers. There are over 40 species of birds recorded in
Rubanga, 5 of which are forest specialist’. Some of the common species are the harrier hawk, green pigeon, Narina’s Trogon, Grey-backed Camaroptera and Double-toothed Barbet. The forest, though small is a real high forest with closed canopy.
Return to the lodge for Lunch which after we will depart Lake Mburo for Ruhija Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Overnight at Ruhija Safari Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 4: Birding in Ruhija-Bwindi the Southern Sector
After early breakfast with packed lunch head out for birding along mubwindi swamp trail and the swamp itself. Birdlife and primate life in Bwindi is wonderful, and there is an incredible variety of flora. Bwindi is a bird watchers sanctuary! It holds 348 species of birds seven are on the redlist species. In the afternoon we will depart for Buhoma Bwindi the northern sector from the other side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We will be stopping en-route to the productive sites for watching birds including “The Neck”. We will be arriving to Buhoma in the evening. Overnight at Buhoma Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 5: Birding Along the Forest Trail
This morning you will discover the forest trails; The River Ivy trail is by far the longest in the park and will inhabit you for a full day. It is highly optional for bird watchers.
The Munyaga river trail is ideal for a short walk. Here you can see birds and primates of the forest edge. The popular waterfall trail provides an attractive feature of the forest with a profusion of tree ferns, orchids and Bwindi’s colorful array of butterflies. This trail which leads to three delightful crystal clear waterfalls typifies your impression of a tropical rainforest.
The Rushura trail commands expansive views across the Western Rift Valley floor. To the west, Congo’s Park Nationale des Virungus provides a spectacular backdrop, and on a clear day Lake Edward and the Rwenzori Mountains are visible.
The 5.2km Muzabajiro Loop trail offers breath taking views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the Western Rift Valley and the Virungas. On the way, you witness hundreds of pre-historic tree ferns. The top of the trail is a great place for a picnic lunch. Overnight at Buhoma Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 6: Nature Walk in Bwindi Forest
Rise early for another short walk along the Impressive diversity of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, return to the Lodge for a luxurious breakfast which after you will depart to Queen Elizabeth National park. We will drive direct to Mweya Lodge, stopping birding along the way. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular park and host to a large variety and volume of wildlife. There are over 600 species of bird found here including the martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, Verreaux’s eagle owl and African skimmer.
We will arrive to the Mweya Safari Lodge in afternoon and have a relaxed evening watching the beautiful sunset. Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 7: Game view in Queen Elizabeth National Park
An early morning game drive will provide the best chance to see a wealth of animals such as elephant, warthog, lion, hyena, Uganda Kob, waterbuck and bushbuck. Later, a boat trip will allow you to experience wildlife up close where hippos huff and spray mere feet away, buffalo linger in the shallows and a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the river’s edge. Amongst those you will see are the malachite and pied kingfishers, great white and pink-backed pelicans and the open-billed stork. There is also a Bird Observatory here which was set up with the aim of studying both migratory and resident birds – February and March offer spectacular sightings of migrants. Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 8: Leave Queen Elizabeth for Kibale Forest
Another early start with a packed lunch – we depart for Kibale National Park. This is a large protected block of rainforest which offers a very different variety of birds to those already seen. Take a forest walk and find the fruiting trees which attract Narina’s trogon, pied hornbill, yellow-spotted, hairy-breasted and yellow-billed barbets.
Kibale also has the Joyful Greenbul, which is quite rare to other Ugandan parks. The dominant vegetation type of the park is rainforest, interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp. Roughly 355 bird species have been recorded in Kibale Forest, including Prigogine’s ground thrush and four other species not recorded in any other national park: Nahan’s francolin, Cassin’s Spinetail, Blue-headed Bee-eater and the Masked Apalis. Kibale Forest bird checklist is similar to that of Semliki National park, but also includes a greater variety of water and grassland species.
Should there be some time in the afternoon, we will visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This guided 4.5km circular trail through this small sanctuary is a must for birders, but can be muddy and it is advisable to wear hiking boots. Some of the birds you are likely to see are: – the Great Blue Turaco, Papyrus Gonolek, and a variety of barbets, Woodpeckers, Blue-throated Roller, Grey parrot, Bronze sunbird, Black-crowned Waxbill, Grey-backed Black finch and Swamp Flycatcher the list goes on. Birders who have the time will undoubtedly find this a worthwhile trail. We will continue on to Kibale forest area for dinner. Overnight at Primate Lodge Kibale Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 9: Leave for Murchison Falls
After a comfortable morning in the delightful surrounding we will depart with a packed lunch to Murchison Falls National Park; this beautiful drive takes approximately 8 hours and will give you a good insight to the Ugandan way of life. We will continue on, taking a ferry across to the far bank, to Paraa Safari Lodge. This lodge is a comfortable, and overlooks the Victoria Nile with a large swimming pool and all the amenities you would expect. It is also well situated on the North Bank of the Nile close to wildlife observations. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 10: Launch trip, explore the Murchison Falls
This morning we will take a boat trip downstream to the delta where abundant water birds can be viewed on the way. We will return to the lodge for lunch and have some time to relax before going out for a game drive exploring the many tracks and trails around Murchison Falls Park. The park Headquarters at Paraa holds some excellent species including the Blue-naped bird headed Gonolek, Silver bird, Buff-bellied Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver and the highly localized White-rumped Seedeater. The riverine thickets hold Yellow-throated Leaf-love, Red-winged Grey, Double-toothed Barbet, Warbler, White-crested Turaco, Grey Kestrel, Heuglin’s Francolin and many others. Crossing the Victoria Nile of the ferry, one might encounter Stanley’s Bustard and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 11: Birding along the Victoria Nile to bottom of falls – Kampala
After breakfast transfer back to Kampala via the top of Murchison Falls here you will appreciate the tremendous power of the Nile as it rumbles through a small 8 meter gap, dropping 40metres to the bottom. Once out of the park this drive will take you approximately 5 hours. Leave for Kampala. Overnight at Kampala Serena Lodge Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 12: Transfer to Entebbe Airport
After breakfast, prepare for the transfer back to airport with brief shopping in Kampala. It will depend on the flight time.
- Transportation by a 4 x 4 Station wagon.
- Driver guide
- Specialized birding guide
- Birding watching feesPark entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals as per the Itinerary
- Wildlife viewing
- Enroute lunches
- Ranger guide fees
- Airport transfers
- 1 bottle of water per day while on the safari
The package to exclude:
Expenses of personal nature like: drinks, One gorilla permit per person, domestic flight, International flight from and back home, laundry, tips, telephone, cigars, etc.