12 Days Uganda Bird & Wildlife Safari

TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1: Transfer to Entebbe
Today morning after breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala and transfer you to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) for birding.  With over 170 species of birds, UWEC has rescued these birds from poachers, kidnappers and has even taken up a few orphaned birds. These include 7 species of weavers: the rare Northern Masked and Orange Weavers, Kingfishers, Sunbirds, parrots, African fish eagle, ostrich, crested crane and many others. After lunch go experience superb Ugandan bird species in Entebbe Botanical Gardens. Over 150 bird species are resident here in the remnant patch of rain forest, trees, gardens and the nearby shores of Lake Victoria. The rocky headland makes an ideal observation point for pair of Verreaux’s eagle owls, orange tufted and red chested Sunbirds; orange weaver,  with slender-billed, Northern Brown –throated, yellow backed, Jackson’s Golden backed, Black-headed and Vieillot’s black weavers.  The lake shores are habitat to long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco and black-headed herons; hamerkop, African Open-billed Stork, yellow billed duck, Grey headed gull, various terns, giant and pied Kingfishers, swamp Flycatcher, Pratincoles. Black headed Gonolek and Red- chested Sunbird occur in the dense scrub covering the headland. Great Blue and Ross’s turacos, Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoos, Woodland Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Black and white casqued horn bill and splendid starling are resident in the small rain forest. In the gardens you should find two highly vocal and conspicuous species; the African Fish eagle and eastern Grey Plantain-eater, the latter constantly uttering their strange, chimp-like calls. Watch out for Hadada Ibis , palm nut and Hooded Vultures, Shikra, Lizard buzzard , Long-crested eagle , Grey kestrel, Black Crake, Blue-cheeked Bee eater, Angola swallow, winding and red faced cisticolas, Grey capped warbler, common wattle-eye and Green throated and scarlet-chested Sunbirds. Dinner and overnight at Excellent Hotel/Serena hotel/Cassia lodge, Kampala.

Day 2: Transfer to Mabamba Swamp
Early morning after breakfast, transfer to Mabamba Swamp. This wetland is one of the most spectacular bird watching sites in Uganda. Take a canoe ride for better bird viewing. Spot the rare shoebill and other birds like the Papyrus Gonolek, White Shouldered Tit, Red Cap, Western Banded Snake Eagle, White Winged Warbler, White Spotted Fluff tail and Weyns’ Weaver. Other resident bird species include: the Allen’s and Purple Gallinule, Grey herons, Jacanas, Ruffaus’ Bellied Heron, Squacco, Purple and Goliath Heron, the globally threatened Pallid Harrier. Migrant waders from Europe include the Blue Swallow egrets; ducks etc. have lunch on site ending your birding adventure in the evening. Transfer to Excellent Hotel/Serena hotel/Cassia lodge, Kampala for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Murchison falls
After breakfast in your Kampala hotel, drive along the Kampala-Gulu highway. Journey past the famous Luweero triangle which was once a notorious battle ground in the 1980s. Have lunch at the Masindi Hotel. Continue to the Murchison falls national park and on arrival hike to the top of the falls. Dinner and overnight at Red Chilli Camp/Mweya Safari Lodge/Sambiya River Lodge

Day 4: Game drive and Launch Cruise
After breakfast have a game drive on the northern banks of the park. You may encounter buffalo, kob, Jackson’s Hartebeest, waterbuck, baboon, lion and oribi. After lunch enjoy a launch cruise to the base of the falls. View hundreds of hippos, Nile crocodiles and other wildlife that come to the river to drink. Birds are in plenty and include: the African Jacana, piac piac, rock pranticole, shoe bill and many more. Dinner and overnight at Red Chilli camp/Sambiya River lodge/Paraa Safari lodge

Day 5: Transfer to Kibale Forest national park
After breakfast leave Murchison falls national park. Transfer to fort portal having lunch enroute. Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Guest House/Chimp’s Nest/Primates’ Lodge

Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking
Report to the park headquarters for chimpanzee briefing by a forest guide after breakfast. You will locate the chimps by listening for their pant-hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. You will also see the Black and White Colobus Monkeys; Black faced Red Colobus, Red Tailed Monkeys, Olive Baboons and an incredible array of bird life, including the Great Blue Turaco. Take a guided nature walk in Bigodi swamp after lunch. Enjoy this birdwatcher’s haven where you may see: woodpeckers, barbets, tinker-barbets, papyrus Gonolek, swamp fly catcher, horn bills, grey parrot and many more.   Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Guest House/Chimp’s Nest/Primates Lodge

Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park after breakfast. Have a game drive as you enter the park. You may view, buffalo, wildebeest, Lion, topi and Uganda kob. After lunch have a launch cruise on the Kazinga channel. Amongst the birds you are likely to encounter include African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler and much more. You will see hippos, crocodiles and wildlife on this trip. Dinner and overnight at Simba safari Camp/Mweya safari lodge/Hippo Hill Camp

Day 8: transfer to Bwindi
After breakfast transfer to Bwindi national park. Check in at your lodge and have lunch. In the evening you will have a village walk. This tour takes a maximum of 3 hours and exposes visitors to the cultural practices and ways of the Bakiga and Batwa people. Encounter activities like farming, brewing local beer, Batwa cultural shows and dances. Learn the use of traditional herbs and medicine to cure ailments on this stroll. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Bandas/Gorilla Resort/Lake Kitandara

Day 9: Gorilla Tracking / Birding
Early in the morning after breakfast and briefing by a ranger guide, enter into the Gorilla Sanctuary for your adventure. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. Mammals in the forest include the endangered mountain gorilla, rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephant, black fronted duiker, bushbuck, leopard, giant forest hog and many others. The park is known for its fascinating gorillas. The time taken and the terrain vary according to the movements of these marvelous primates. The thrill of spending time and observing the gorillas is a rare moving, awesome and exciting adventure. After lunch go birding in the Buhoma area. Possible sightings may include: the Rufus-chested fluff tail, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, pink footed and northern puff back, red tailed, honey guide, Toro olive, Cameroon somber, slender billed, little, little grey, Shelley’s, Cabani’s white throated and yellow whiskered greenbul, Elliots, yellow crested, fine banded woodpeckers, red throated alethe, red faced woodland warbler, black faced woodland warbler, white headed wood hoopoe, Waller’s, Stulman’s and narrow tailed Starlings, Black Bee Eater, banded and white chinned prinia, blue throated brown, blue headed, northern double collard, collard, green, olive, olive bellied, Rwenzori double collard and green headed sunbirds, bar tailed trogon, Kivu ground thrush, African broadbill, red-chested owlet, Neumann’s warbler, pale-breasted illadopsis, white-tailed blue flycatcher. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma community Bandas/Lake Kitandara camp/ Gorilla Resort

Day 10: Birding in Bwindi
After breakfast, spend the entire day birding along the trails of Bwindi national park. Go in search of Albertine rift endemics with a lunch break in between. . Over 350 bird species have been recorded in Bwindi; 23 of these being Albertine Rift endemics. Of these endemics 4 are globally threatened species; namely: African Green Broadbill Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Chaplin’s Flycatcher and Shelley’s Crimson- wing. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma community Bandas/Gorilla Resort/Lake Kitandara Camp

 Day 11: Game drive and Boat ride
After breakfast transfer to Lake Mburo national park in Kiruhura district. Have enroute stop overs at different swamps in search for the bird species such as Senegal and Brown-chested Plovers, Brown Parrot, White winged Black Tit and Yellow-throated Leaf love. Encounter wildlife like e Impala, Topi, Oribi and Burchell’s Zebra. In the afternoon have a boat ride on the lake in search of species you missed earlier like: Hippos and Crocodiles. Dinner and overnight at Rwonyo Campsite/Arcadia cottages/Mihingo lodge

Day 12: Transfer to Kampala
After breakfast, you will go for an early morning game drive along the Lakeside Track. You may be able to see bird species like White Winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Lesser and Greater Swamp Warbler and also the Shoebill, the Blue headed Coucal, African Darter, African Water Rail, African Fin foot, Spur winged plovers, and many others. Exit the park and transfer back to Kampala. You will go birding enroute. Have a short city tour if time allows visiting Uganda Martyrs’ shrine Namugongo and the Uganda Museum. Dinner and overnight at the Excellent Hotel.

END OF SAFARI