15 days birding safari

DAY 1: Birding the botanical gardens

We shall bird around the botanical gardens in the Entebbe. The gardens provide different habitat hence different birds species.

Day 2: Birding Mabamba swamp

This morning, we bird Mabamba swamp for the elusive Shoebill, most of the birding here is done on a motorized canoe. Other birds to see include; White-faced Whistling Duck, Purple Heron, Common Squacco Heron, African Jacana, Striated Heron, Lesser Jacana, Allen’s Gallinule, Swamp Flycatcher. Osprey and so much more, we return to Entebbe for the evening.

Day 3: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

The drive to Murchison Falls N.P is between 4hrs to 5hrs, but we shall drive for more time since we will do different stops along the way. Murchison falls National Park is Uganda’s Largest National Park.

Day 4: Morning Bird watching in the Park and afternoon boat ride on the mighty Nile River.

We have an early morning breakfast then go birding on a game drive, we take the best trucks and to the delta. Among the many species you should expect include; The Giant, Pied, Malachite, Stripped, Woodland and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Lesser Striped Swallow, Ethiopian Swallow, Angola Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Common Bulbul, the Black, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Rock Pranticole among others. In the evening, you will enjoy the boat trip to the bottom of the falls and this will bring in more waders.

Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park.

From Murchison falls to Kibale will be the longest drive you will have on the entire trip, the journey takes about 7 hours, but it’s a very rewarding drive, you will stop at a few spots for birds.

Day 6: Birding Kibale Forest National Park and transfer to Queen Elizabth National Park

Kibale National Park is the best travel destination for chimpanzee tracking in East Africa. It is christened the primate capital of the world because it hosts 13 species of primates including the chimpanzee (Man’s closest relatives- sharing over 98% DNA). It has 1450 chimpanzees, and these represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate species.

In this forest, we will do an early start search for the Green-breasted Pitta. This Pitta is one of Africa’s most difficult birds to find! The time we should spend in the forest looking for the Pitta, we will also look for White-throated Greenbul, Crowned Eagle, Thick-billed Honeyguide, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethe, Crested Guineafowl, Western Black-headed Oriole, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Blue Malkhoa, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Western Nicator, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Bronze-napped Pigeon, Lesser Honeyguide, Red-chested Owlet and African Wood-owl among others. After the morning, you will be you bird to the lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive here is 2-3hours on direct drive.

Day 7: Morning Game drive and boat in the afternoon

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest National park in the country with a diversity of wildlife. Birds expected to see in this Park include; Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Rufous-napped, White-tailed, Red-capped Lark are a significant target when starting this morning ‘s drive. We should see Temminck’s Courser, Black-crowned, Senegal and Wattled Lapwings, Kittlitz’s Plover, Yellow-throated Longclaw, White-backed Vultures, Ruppell’s Griffon and others soring the sky, Black-chinned and Black-faced Quail-finches, and also observe Kob lekking ground activity, In the afternoon we shall do boat trip on the Kazinga channel for more Waders.

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park.

After an early breakfast, we shall head out to Buhoma a sector in Bwindi. The drive will go through the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, this will give us more chances of seeing Savannah Birds like; Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed Weaver, Little Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Grey-headed Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Spur-winged Lapwing, Red-eyed and African Morning Doves, the Winding, Croaking and Zitting Cisticolas

As we reach Buhoma, we shall do afternoon Birding to the Secondary Forest.

Day 9: Birding Buhoma Main Trail.

This trail has lots of birds to see which include: Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller’s Starling, Strange Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver.

Day 10: Gorilla Tracking

After an early breakfast, you will report to the park headquarters for briefing prior to the gorilla-tracking excursion. This activity may take anywhere between 1 hour and 8 hours so a reasonable degree of fitness is required. It is a wonderful experience to stare in to the eyes of these gentle giants

Day 11: Transfer to Ruhija Sector through the Famous Neck

The drive is short, it takes between 2 to 3hrs, we shall carry packed Lunch and will be much more to see such as; Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Elliot’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Archer’s Ground Robin, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Antthrush, Grauer’s Rush-warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Neumann’s Warbler and Red-faced Woodland Warbler.

Day 12: Birding to Mubwindi Swamp

This area is Africa’s number one birding spot according to the African Bird Club. It is generally at a higher altitude and therefore is cooler. Temperatures range between 10 and 18 degrees centigrade. Forest birding at Bwindi ranks the best in Uganda. It is home to over 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics. Specialty birds include; African Green Broadbill and Grauer’s Rush Warbler Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Banded Prinia, Blackfaced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Whitebellied Crested-flycatcher.

Day 13: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.

We bird to Uganda’s Smallest National Park, this will bring us more Savannah Birds. Lake Mburo is a good birding spot, birds from Far South have been recorded here. Upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge and then we go to the park for birding drive.

Day 14: Birding in the Park with a morning Boat ride.

Have an early morning breakfast and do a morning boat ride on Lake Mburo with African Finfoot as the highlight. After the boat we bird to the Camp for lunch and after lunch, we do a birding game drive in search for Scally, Red-necked, Coqui, and the Red-winged Francolins, Blue-spotted and Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves, Brown Parrot, Barefaced Go-away bird, Harlequin and Blue Quails, Common Button Quail, White-headed and Black-billed Barbet, Greenwood Hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, Blue-napped Mousebird, Blue-breasted and Shining-blue Kingfishers, Lilac-breasted Roller, African-grey Hornbill and much more.

Day 15: Transfer to Entebbe

The drive is between 4hrs to 5hours, we shall have a stop at the equator and then proceed to Entebbe while birding at some spots. The birding stop can bring in birds like the Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Shikra, Lizard Buzzard, Rufous-bellied Heron, Brown-backed and Red-backed Scrub-Robin,Northern Puffback and so much More.

And this day will mark the end of the the 15 days birding in Uganda safari.