The 13 Day Best of Uganda Birding Safaris explores Uganda’s best birding circuit covering a diverse bird-rich habitats. On this tour we will bird Uganda’s best birding hotspots across a diversity of habitats characterized wetlands, savanna woodlands, lowland forests and ancient tropical rainforests. Top of the highlights will be the prehistoric Shoebill, the Albertine Endemics and range-limited specialists. Read more on these spectacular highlights in our detailed itinerary section below.
Optional Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking Experience
We will be birding in the fragile habitats of these endangered apes giving us opportunities trekking experience along habituated families. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP host half of the world population and in-demand tracking permits ought to be booked well in advance. Kibale Forest NP with its highest concentration of primates, provides the richest chimp tracking experience anywhere in the region.
Wildlife and Photography Encounters
The selected savanna and woodland parks we visit, are fully stocked with incredible wildlife including; Nubian Giraffe, Plain’s Zebra, Impala, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Hippo, Kob, Lion and the shy Leopard among other small angulates. The tropical forests hide selected primates including; the L’hoest and Blue Monkeys, Uganda Red colobus, Topi, Grey-checked Mangabey, Red-tailed and Guereza Monkey.
Day to Day Itinerary of 13 Day Best of Uganda Birding Safari
Day 1: Shoebill Quest at Mabamba and transfer to L. Mburo NP
We kick off our birding quest this morning after your breakfast, with your bird Guide driving westwards from Entebbe to Mabamba Wetland on the northern shores of L. Victoria. Birding will be on motorized canoe that will offer us ample access to the marsh interior, where the iconic Shoebill occur. The Shoebill is a solitary species and a swamp resident preferring less-oxygenated waters where it hunts primarily mud and catfish that are abundant here.
While in these swamps we will look out for Lesser Jacana, Northern Brown-throated Weavers, Papyrus gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Caruthers and winding Cisticola, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-throated Bee-eaters, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers among others. Seasonal Palearctic congregations include the Black-winged Black terns, Slender-billed Gulls, Yellow Wagtails and several sandpipers.
After the swamp birding, we will drive on to have lunch and hot coffee at Equator crossing also photo sessions, birding on our way to the lodge set on the edges of L. Mburo NP. Highlights will include a variety of woodland species local here; Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Tabora Cisticola, Crested, Red-faced, and Black Corralled barbets, which are on their northern limit of their range. Others include African-wattled Lapwing, Great-blue eared and Rupell’s Starling, Spot-flanked barbet, streaked and Woodland Kingfisher, Red-faced Crombec, Black Cuckooshrike, Common Scimitarbill and Green Woodhoopoe, Bare-faced Go-away Bird and Africa Grey Hornbill among a great of list. Incredible wildlife such as Plain Zebra, Impala, Common Eland, Topi, Rothschild Giraffe and Cape Buffalo occur here. Accommodation. Rwakobo Rock, FB Mid-range. Drive Time: 5hrs
Day 2: Morning Boat Cruise on L. Mburo and Transfer to Bwindi NP
After an early breakfast, we will hurriedly go for an early morning birding on a boat cruise across Lake Mburo where we look out for the elusive shy African Finfoot often found feeding in calm water edges. But the papyrus edged shores host; Straited, Grey and Purple Herons, Rufous-bellied Heron, Wood Sandpiper, Lesser-masked, Holub’s Golden, Speckled and Weavers, Slender-billed Weaver and Pied Kingfishers. Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Shikra and Lizard Buzzard, Palm-nut and White-headed Vultures are common in the acacia woodlands. Other raptors include Bateleur, Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagles, Long-crested and Tawny Eagles.
After an early lunch from our hotel, we transfer to near Ruhija Sector of Bwindi NP but as we drive through the beautiful terraced Kigezi highlands we will scan out for White-naped Raven, Agur Buzzar, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Common Stone Chat, African Golden-breasted Bunting and Mountain Buzzard. As we enter the Bwindi Forest, the bamboo zone is a good place to look out for Handsome Francolin, White-headed Wood-Hoppoe, Stulhamm’s and Narrow-tailed Starling occur, also Western Green Tinkerbird, Stripe-breasted Tit, Collared Sunbird among others. Accommodation. Broadbill camp Mid-range FB. Drive time: 6hours
Day 3-4: Birding Ruhija in Bwindi NP
Ruhija sector is a top birding hotspots within the ancient rainforest Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP known for several altitude restricted range species many of which are Albertine rift Endemics. At Ruhija, we will bird the popular Mubwindi swamp trail for the elusive leaf-green African Green Broadbill, Red-faced, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimsonwings, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Willard’s Sooty Boubou, Neumann’s Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Banded Prinia, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, White-browed Crombec and Archer’s Robin Chat.
Down at the swamp Little Rush and Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Papyrus Canary, White-winged Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Yellow-bellied and Fawn-breasted Waxbills are likely to be seen. On the ascent we look out for Doherty’s Bushrike, Sharpe’s Starling, Dusky Twinspot, Cinnamon-bracken Warbler, Red-headed Bluebill, Mountain-masked Apalis, White-breasted Negro-finch, Red-headed Malimbe and many more.
Further in the forest trails, we will scan out for Eliot’s and Tullberg’s Woodpeckers, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Turaco, Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill Babbler, African Crowned Eagle, Grey-winged Robin, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike, Bar-tailed Trogon, African Black Swift, Black-Saw-wing, Slender-billed, Little, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Grey Cuckoo-Shrike and more forest edge birds. Accommodation: Broadbill camp FB
Day 5 & 6: Birding the Neck and Buhoma trails, with Gorilla tracking experience at Bwindi Forest
From Ruhija, we will bird a riverine section of forest named the “Neck”, to look out for the colorful Black Bee-eaters, Joyful, Icterine, Xavier’s and Cabani’s Greenbuls, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Grey-throated Barbet, Mountain Wagtail and Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher. The luxuriant vegetation along the stream attract Banded and White-chinned Prinia, Chubb’s Cisticola and Black-crowned Waxbill. Barred Long-tailed and Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Olive Woodpecker, Collared, Green-headed and Blue-throated Brown Sunbirds, Dusky Tit, Brown Illadopsis, African Hill Babbler, White-tailed, White-bellied and Dusky Flycatchers (monarchs) are the main characters. The nearby pond is frequented by African Black Duck and African Finfoot.
Down at Buhoma, we work aong the main trail for more endemics and other species favoring the lower elevations including, Red-throated Alethe, Oberlaender’s and Kivu Ground Thrush, Short-tailed Warbler, Chapin’s Flycatchers, Dwarf, Cassin’s and Wilcock’s Honeyguide. The characterful Jameson’s Ant-pecker, the Blue-mantled Flycatcher, African Broadbill, Blue-shouldered, Pink-footed Puffback, White-bellied Robin, Equatorial Akalat, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Kakamega and Arsongie’s Greenbuls occur in the primary forest section.
Other quality highlights include; White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Little Sparrow-hawk, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Bar-tailed and Narina Trogons, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Mottled Spinetail, African Wood Owl, Great Blue Turaco, African Green Pigeon, Green-throated, Bronze Sunbird, Slate-eyed Flycatcher, Ayres’s and Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle among others. Accommodation: Bwindi Community Rest Camp FB
Day 7: Birding on transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
We bird on our transfer through the famous Ishasha grasslands famous for its tree-climbing Lion prides and other large game herds then head north at Mweya for a night rest. Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge FB
Day 8: Birding along Kazinga channel and transfer to Semuliki NP
Early today we head out to cruise on Kazinga Channel for a close birding to several waders like African Spoonbill, Grey Heron, African Skimmer and Darter. The channel attracts large herds Hippo, Elephant plus Nile Crocodile and Monitor. After an early lunch we drive to Semuliki NP. Accommodation: UWA Bandas FB
Day 9 & 10: Birding Semuliki National Park
The Semuliki forest is special birding hotspot known for a quality checklist restricted to the Congo-Guinea biome/habitat here. The lowland Semuliki forest is an easterly extension of the vast Congo’s Ituri forest fully stocked a wide range of specialists on their eastern range limit. Top of highlights include; African Piculate, Spotted and Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Red-tailed Leaflove, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Rufous-crowned Eromemela, Crested and Red-bellied Malimbe, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Black and Red-billed Dwarf Hornbills, White-crested, Black-casqued Wattled and Piping Hornbills, Lowland Akalat, Grant’s Bluebill, Yellow-throated Nicator, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, White-bellied and African Dwarf Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, White-naped and Rameron Pigeons, Icterine Greenbul, Red-tailed Rufous Ant-Thrush, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Swamp Bulbul, Forest Robin, Yellow and Grey Longbill, Ituri Batis and many others. Pale-fronted Negrofinch, Black-collared Lovebird, Capuchin’s Babbler, Hartlaub’s Duck, White-spotted Ibis and White-throated Blue Swallow are rare. Accommodation: UWA Bandas, FB
Day 11: Transfer and birding to Kibale Forest
This morning we bird along the scenic winding road towards the primate’s capital of Kibale Forest. After a hot lunch in the beautiful town of Fort portal, we bird our way to our accommodation late afternoon at the edge of Kibale Forest. Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge FB
Day 12: Birding for Pitta, Chimpanzee and more Primates
We set off early to hunt out the Green-breasted Pitta, an elusive colorful forest floor specialist known for splendid displays performed by males. Other specialists will include Dusky Tit, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Fraser’s Rufous Thrush Forest Robin, Spotted Greenbul, Red-headed Malimbe, Olive sunbird, Afep pigeon, Green Hylia, Lowland Masked Apalis, Green Crombec, Western Nicator, Toro-olive Greenbul, Pale-breasted 9Illadopsis, Lowland Akalat, Fire-crested Alethe, Uganda Spotted and Buff-spotted Woodpeckers, Plain Greenbul, Sooty Boubou, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Weyns’s and Yellow-mantled Weavers, Speckled Tinkerbird, Hairy-breasted and Double-toothed Barbets, Green-backed Twinspot. We will then continue on to visit a habituated community of Chimpanzee for a close-up experience with these incredible apes.
At the community swamp we look out for several species including Magpie Mannikin, White-spotted Flufftail, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Red-capped and Snow-headed Robin Chats, Yellow-billed Barbet, the colorful Great-blue and Ross’s Turaco, Red-eyed and Tambourine Doves, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey-green Bush-shrike, Western Black-headed Oriole, African Shrike-Flycatcher plus several encounters with Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Red-tailed, Uganda Red-Colobus, Guerrezza, Vervet and l’Hoest’s Monkeys while Olive Baboon troops patrols the forest edges. Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, FB
Day 13: Birding on transfer to Kampala
On our transfer we will have several stops on various interesting spots including swamps arriving Entebbe in the afternoon for lunch and later transfer to the airport.
13 Day Best of Uganda Birding Safari Included in this Tour
- A customized 4WD Tour vehicle with Bird Guide/driver
- Plenty of bottled drinking water in the car
- All park entrance fees and guide fees
- Accommodations as mentioned
- Meals as mentioned
13 Day Best of Uganda Birding Safari Excluded:
- Optional Activities Indicated (Gorilla and Golden monkey permits)
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal care
- Other drinks other than indicated
- Other meals other than indicated
- Frights to and from Uganda
- Travel insurance