19 Day – Uganda Birding Tour

 We like to take it easy on the arrival day. When you arrive at Entebbe, our guide meets you, and you transfer to the accommodation facility. Our choice accommodations are notoriously birder friendly, and this, we have put into consideration when scouting. We like serene places that are also bird-friendly…

The hotel has a well-maintained garden filled with native plant species that attract regionally restricted bird species like the shiny Red-chested, Scarlet-chested and the Olive-bellied Sunbirds.

Meals and overnight at Airport Guest House.

This morning we visit the world-famous Mabamba wetlands and look for Africa’s most desired bird species; the Shoebill. This monotypic genus and bird family is very habitat restricted; therefore, we have to be in the perfect marshes that favour its prime diet the lungfish. We will do very minimal birding on the way in the interest of time, and that will be mainly for bird species we may not see again on the trip. Such birds include the OvamboSparrow-hawk the crepuscular Bat-hawk.

At Mabamba we will take a boat ride for a minimum of two hours and explore the sedge and reed marshes in search for the Shoebill, and we also hope to catch up with typical African water birds like the Yellow-billed Duck, African Jacana…We will return to Entebbe and have a short break before heading to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens for afternoon birding.

Entebbe Botanical Gardens is a great way to be introduced to birding this bird richened country. It hosts a couple of families endemic to the continent. The unmissable species that always wow our groups include Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco and the Eastern Plantain Eater. We also get introduced to mystery Weaver family, here. We will scan the woods and lakeshore vegetation for the Orange, Northern Brown-throated, Village, Black-headed, Slender-billed and Thick-billed among other Weaver Species. This is so much for just the first day of the tour.

In the evening, retire to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

We will plan accordingly and drive past Kampala without getting stuck in crazy traffic. The tour will head north to Masindi one of Uganda first vibrant towns. We take it slow-scanning some very productive roadside spots search for the White Crested Turaco, White-headed Barbet, Yellow-billed Shrike and Yellow-bellied Hyliota.

The Masindi Hotel gardens never disappoint for late birding walks, and after those, we will enjoy the hospitality of Uganda’s oldest hotel.

Stay at the Masindi Hotel on Bed and Breakfast basis.

This morning, we leave Masindi early and head to the magical Royal Mile. This one-milewalk is honestly one of the most excellent birding spots in the country. Here is the easiest forest birding one will encounter in the country. It is the only birding trail that is as wide as twelve meters and with over seven wide clearances on either side. Such great openings offer the most comfortable environment for looking out for canopy dwelling birds. We will scan those canopies, and the research paths for Nahan’s Francolin, Black-capped Apalis, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Cassin’s and Sabines-spinetails, Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted and Dwarf kingfishers, among others.

Overnight at Budongo Eco-Lodge.

This morning we proceed to Murchison Falls National Park and take a birding stop at Kaniyo Pabidi. This is the only place in East Africa where the Puvel’s Illadopsis occurs. We will look for it and also catch up with the possibly missed birds of the previous day. The forest here stretches to the Royal Mile. We hope to find both Yellow and Grey Longbills, Blue-breasted Kingfisher and White Spotted Flufftail. A healthy population of Common Chimpanzee, Mantled Guereza, Blue and Red-tailed Monkeys live here and typically, they are easy to encounter on a birding walk.

After lunch, we will proceed deep into the park via the top of Murchison Falls. These are the world’s most powerful and most dramatic at the top. Driving to the tops until the time to our accommodation facility, we will look for Green-backed Eremomela, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, White-fronted Black-chat among others and the Rock Pratincole at the top of the falls.

Overnight at Murchison River Lodge in Thatched Cottages.

This morning we take a boat ride downstream. The going session is slower than when returning, and this is because we make it slow along the riverine forest. We scan the thickets and large trees overhanging the rive for the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Silverbird, White-rumped seed eater, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Beautiful Sunbird and the Grey-capped Warbler among others.

The marshes at the Delta are also famous for the Shoebill, and this will be our second and very reliable chance to first them.

When it starts cooling in the afternoon, we head back to the game drive tracks and look for…

Early morning start of birding in the renowned haven of birdlife; Kibale forest and wander the forest as you benefit from excellent views of the bird species that nestle in Africa’s largest hardwood forest. Keep watch for the Green-breasted Pitta, Masked and Black-capped Apalis, and White-naped Pigeon, African Crowned Eagle, Scally-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethes among others.

This park also prides in the most significant number of species and the undisputed home to Common Chimpanzee. Kibale has the highest number of Common Chimpanzee for any protected area in the world. After the birding session, we will track for the chimps but should also find Red-tailed, Blue and L’Hoest’s Monkeys, Mantled Guereza, Uganda Red Colobus and Uganda Mangabey.

Afternoon walk in Bigodi wetland for an occasion to see papyrus species like the Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus canary, White-spotted fluff tail, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, brown Illadopsis, and others can be seen in this tropical swamp.

Retire to Turaco Treetops in Kibale for your accommodation and meals.

The Pitta is a very shy and elusive bird; we give it two trial days. Depending on the previous day’s results, we will return to the forest or bird around the forest for other restricted-range species. We hope to find, Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s and Ayer’s Hawk-Eagles, White-tailed Anti-thrush, Red-chested owlet, Black-capped Apalis, Green-throated and Green-headed sunbirds, Black bee-eater, Scarce Swift, Cassin’s Flycatcher, and Mountain wagtail and many others.

In the afternoon, we will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Meals and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Follow your earnest desire to explore more of Uganda’s birdlife by enduring a morning transfer to Bwindi National park. The drive traverses Ishasha; a sector of Queen Elizabeth National park that is famous for the Tree Climbing Lions. Amidst the search for the tree-climbing lions and other mammals, we will focus birds. The open country here is excellent for a couple of birds of prey which we are most likely to spot soaring overhead, and this might include, the Long-crested, Wahlberg’s and Tawny Eagles, Banded, Brown and Black-chested Snake-Eagles. Palm-nut, Hooded, White-backed, Ruppel’s Griffon, White-headed and Lapped-faced Vultures are also common in the skies here. The bushes are fantastic, for African Pygmy, Stripped and Woodland Kingfishers, Marsh, Black and Brown-crowned Tchagras, Moustached Grass Warbler…

Meals and Overnight at Silverback Lodge.

Gorilla Tracking (optional, requires prior arrangements, possession of a gorilla permit and usually takes a full day)

Refresh and unwind at Silverback Lodge.

This part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is unique for its set of individual birds, and this is because it is a mid-elevation forest hence an overlapping zone. This is where birds of the lowland and montane forests overlap. We make good use of our time by spending the day in the forest. We will enjoy the goodness of a less humid forest while scanning its impenetrable undergrowth for some of the continent’s most famous skulkers. We will look for Kivu Ground thrush, Neumann’s Warbler, Red-faced woodland warbler, Willard’s Sooty Boubou.

Meals and overnight at the lodge.

Get pleasure from the freshness of the Buhoma ambience as you transfer to the Ruhija area of Bwindi National park. Before we get to the mountains, we stop at the “neck” which is also a magnet of mid-elevation birds. Its streams are great Mountain Wagtail, African Black Duck, and Cassin’s Flycatcher. Still, we will also look in the undergrowth and canopy for Chapin’s Flycatcher, Many coloured –bush shrike, Luhder’s Bush-Shrike and Pettit’s Cuckoo-shrike, among others.

Later in the afternoon and after checking in to our accommodation facility, we will do a walk along the community trail and catch up with a few high-quality birds that only occur this high.

Settle in at the lodge.

Ruhija is a higher elevated part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with cooler and very comfortable birding weather. We will take on the forests early and keep in there for the rest of the day. This is where the Albertine Rift endemics are plenty, and we want to get a good number of them.

The major Mubwindi trail ends at the bottom of Mubwindi swamp, and that is where the highly desired Grauer’s Broadbill and Grauer’s Rush Warbler. However, on our way to this swamp, we will take it slowly checking out the impenetrable bits of this part of the park. We hope to find Regal, Grauer’s Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Black-faced Apalis, Blue-headed and Purple-breasted Sunbirds, Strange Weaver, Red-throated Alethe, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Apalis among other Albertine rift endemics. The list of restricted-range species will also be worth to brag about, should see Bar-tailed Trogon, Mountain and Augur Buzzard, African Hill Babbler…

The uniquely scenic drive is on this morning as you transfer to L. Mburo National park. En route birding is a must and stops to have brilliant views of birds are part of the adventure along the way. Sail on the calm waters of L. Mburo as you spend your evening watching bird species like the African finfoot, Green Backed Heron, Roufus Bellied Heron, Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher and Africa Fish Eagle among others.

Let the nightfall under the comfortable shelter of Rwakobo Rock.