One-Day Mabamba Wetland and Entebbe Botanical Gardens Birding Tour is a rewarding birding experience where you explores the vast marshes of Mabamba known for its high chances of Shoebill sightings and Entebbe Botanical gardens for a variety of species. These two birding hotspots are often tailored onto major Uganda birding tours due to their proximity to Kampala or Entebbe.
Birding at Mabamba for Shoebill
Mabamba wetland extends some 100km2 from the shallow marshy bay on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. Birding experience takes 2-4hour using a motorized local canoe to access to this expansive wetland’s interior through a maze of papyrus edged water channels. These low-oxygenated waters of this marsh are stocked with mud fish, catfish and several fish species that are primary prey for the Shoebill.
Other highlights include; Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Swamp Warbler, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Lesser Jacana, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Black-crowned Night Heron among others. Swamp Flycatcher, Marsh Tchagra, Straited Heron, Pygmy and Spur-winged Goose, White-faced Whistling Duck, Black Stilt, Purple and Grey Herons, Malachite Kingfisher, Black Crake, Pied Kingfisher, Winding Cisticola and more.
Seasonal congregations include Gull billed Terns, White-winged Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt and several Sandpipers species. Little Stint, Yellow Wagtail, Eurasian Marsh Harriers and Osprey are migrants seen in the marsh. Residents species include; Grey-headed Gulls, African Marsh Harrier, African Fish Eagle and Palm-nut Vulture.
The marsh edges and cultivation host Long-crested Eagle, Scarlet-chested and Marico Sunbirds, Western-Banded Snake Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Red-eyed Dove, Speckled Mousebird, Black-headed Weaver, African Pied Wagtail, Yellow-fronted Canary, Spectacled Weaver, Hamerkop, Open- billed Stork and many others.
Birding at Entebbe Botanical Gardens – Highlights
From Mabamba marsh, we will head back to Entebbe for a hot lunch thereafter we bird the Entebbe Botanical gardens. These century old gardens sit on the shores along L. Victoria and represent all the major vegetational types across Uganda, characterized by wetlands, bamboo sections, tropical rain forests and patches of woodland. The gardens boast of a total checklist of 150 species.
Top bird highlights include; Orange Weaver, Green Hylia, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, White-throated Bee-eater, Grey Parrot, Pink-backed Pelican, Green-headed Sunbird, Common Sandpiper, Striated Heron and occasional Black Egret.
More highlights include; Yellow-billed Kite, Intermediate and Little Egrets, Purple, Black-headed and Grey Herons, Lizard Buzzard, Shikra, Scarlet-chested and Red-chested Sunbirds. Grey Parrot, Grey Woodpecker, Crowned and gigantic Black and White Casqued Hornbills, Ross’s Turaco, African Emerald and Klass’s Cuckoo, Yellow-throated and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbirds and African Thrush make up the list. The tropical rainforest section hosts resident pairs of Wood Owl while African Fish Eagle, Egyptian Goose, Woodland, Malachite and African Pygmy Kingfishers, Black-headed, Little and Slender-billed Weavers, Reed and Great Cormorant, Snow-headed and White-browed Robin Chats occur.
One-Day Mabamba and Entebbe Botanical Gardens Birding Tour Includes
- Customized Tour car
- A Bird Guide/Driver
- Bottled drinking water in the Car
- Community Boat Fees and Entry Fees
- Lunch
One-Day Mabamba and Entebbe Botanical Gardens Birding Tour Excludes
- Tips to guides and drivers