13 Day Best of Uganda Birding Safaris; we will explore Uganda’s best birding circuit covering diverse habitats including expansive wetlands stocked with L. Victoria biome specialists, savanna woodlands, ancient tropical rainforests that lie within the Albertine endemic zone, lowland forests and open water.
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 forest 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.
Detailed 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. This community ran is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area and a Ramsar site for the diverse biodiversity it protects. Notably these wetlands are the breeding grounds and provide the best chances to see the iconic Shoebill up close where it’s found stalking these less-oxygenated waters for Mud and Catfish that are abundant here. We will be led by an experienced community guide to a 2-3hour activity done from motorized local canoe to explore a maze of water channels of this vast swamp. Often encountered are individual Shoebill and sometimes in pairs with threesome being exceptional and luckily the local canoes are able to get very close.
The marsh also hosts other L. Victoria biome species including 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. The skies are patrolled by African Harrier Hawk, African Fish Eagle and seasonal Osprey and Eurasian Marsh Harrier. Seasonal Palearctic Congregations of Black-winged Black terns, Slender-billed Gulls, Yellow wagtails, Great snipe, and several sandpipers. After the swamp birding, we will drive on to have lunch and hot coffee at Equator crossing also photo sessions, there after we will continue on to L. Mburo NP reaching late afternoon.
On birding on our way to our lodge that evening, we will tick off a variety of woodland species across the cattle ranches including 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 cruise on L. Mburo specifically for the elusive shy African Finfoot which is often found feeding in calm water edges. A host of species on this stretch seen here include Straited, Grey, Purple, Rufous-bellied Heron, Wood Sandpiper, Lesser-masked, Holub’s Golden, Speckled and Little Weavers, Slender-billed Weaver and Pied Kingfishers, Water Thickknee, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Shikra and Lizard Buzzard, Palm-nut and White-headed Vultures among others. The acacia woodlands host 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, Mountain Buzzard and Africa Hawk-Eagle through many diverse habitats including cultivation areas, farmlands, patches of wetlands and swamps on our route. As we enter the Bwindi Forest, the bamboo zone is a good place to look out for Handsome Francolin feeding out on forest trail, White-headed Wood-Hoppoe, Stulhamm’s and Narrow-tailed Starling occur, also Western Green Tinkerbird, Ludher’s Bush-shrike, Stripe-breasted Tit, Blue-headed Sunbird, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Mountain Black Boubou, Grey and Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Buzzard, Bar-tailed Trogon, Collared Sunbird among others. Accommodation. Broadbill camp Mid-range FB. Drive time: 6hours
Day 3-4: Birding Ruhija in Bwindi NP
Ruhija sector is the highest point of the Bwindi Forests and hides several altitude restricted range species many of Albertine rift endemics. This morning at Ruhija, on the trail to the Mubwindi swamp is the best place to look out for the 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, Mountain Greenbul, Montane Oriole, Brown-capped, Strange Weaver and Black-billed Weavers, Mountain Buzzard, Red-headed Bluebill, Black-headed Waxbill, Mountain-masked Apalis, White-Collared Olive back, 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, Red-tailed Greenbuls, Grey and Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrikes 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
On transfer to Buhoma, we will take a while along “Neck”, a small river line forest along our route to look out for the colorful Black Bee-eaters, Joyful, Icterine, Xavier’s and Cabani’s Greenbuls, here Mountain Wagtail and Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher stalk the river edges, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Grey-throated Barbet, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher while the luxuriant vegetation along the stream Banded, and White-chinned Prinia, Chubb’s Cisticola, Kandt’s and Black-crowned Waxbill are often seen skulking. 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.
At Buhoma we will focus on several 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, 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, African Pied Hornbill, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Little Sparrow-hawk, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Bar-tailed and Narina Trogons, Yellow-spotted Barbets, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Mottled Spinetail, African Wood Owl, Great Blue Turaco, African Green Pigeon, Green-throated, Bronze and Olive-bellied Sunbird, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Slate-eyed Flycatcher, Streaky Seedeater, Baglafetch Weaver, 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 lowland Semuliki forest is an easterly extension of the great Congo forests hosting several Congo-Guinea biome specialists on their eastern range limits. Several are only known from here whereas some have limited distribution elsewhere in Ugandan forests and East Africa. Specialists here include African Piculate, Spotted and Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Red-tailed Leaflove, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Rofous-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