13 Days Uganda Birding Tour

Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Today after breakfast in your Kampala hotel, drive along the Kampala - Gulu highway. With the help of your knowledgeable safari go birding enroute to the park. Possible sightings may include: Cliff Chat, Yellow-fronted Tinker bird, Grey headed Bush Shrike, Singing Cisticola, African Moustached Warbler, Namaqua Dove, Green-winged Pytilia, Red-backed Shrike, Crested and Scaly Francolin, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Northern and Black-winged Red Bishops, Black Bellied Fire finch, Black-faced Waxbill and Marsh Tchagra. Dinner and overnight stay at Red Chill Camp/ Sambiya River Lodge /Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 2: Birding on the Northern Banks and Launch trip to the Bottom of the Falls
After an early breakfast, you will go for the game drive to the delta. Possible sightings may include silver bird, beautiful sunbird, speckle-fronted and golden-backed weavers, white crested Turaco, Bruce’s green pigeon, chestnut-crowned sparrow weaver, pennant-winged night jars, white-rumped seed eater, Buff-bellied warbler, yellow-flanked barbet and black billed barbet, bar-breasted fire finch, red-winged grey warbler and spotted morning-thrush. Looking out for the Shoebill Stork along the Delta is many a times rewarding. Abyssinian and Ruffaus crowned roller, Abyssinian  ground hornbill, grey headed and striped kingfisher, red-throated and northern carmine bee-eater, goliath heron, saddle-billed stork, sacred ibis, fulvous and white faced whistling-duck, Senegal thick-knee, water and spotted thick-knee, black-headed lapwing, long-toed lapwing, little bittern, osprey, red-necked falcon, blue-breasted bee-eater, Vinaceous dove may also be seen. In the afternoon, go for the launch cruise to the Bottom of the falls to search for waders and other marine birds on the water banks. Dinner and overnight stay at Red Chill Camp/ Sambiya River Lodge /Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 3: Birding in Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi
This morning after an early breakfast, you will bird through Budongo Forest at Kaniyo Pabidi. Equipped with your picnic lunch have opportunities to view forest birds. Birding in this forest offers views of birds like African broadbill, the Puvell’s illadopsis, Xavier’s and Icterine little greenbul, slender-billed greenbul, Cameroon somber greenbul, forest robin, African and red bellied paradise flycatcher, African emerald cuckoo, hairy-breasted barbet, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, red-tailed ant-thrush, fire crested alethe, yellow and grey long bills, blue-throated roller, chocolate backed and blue breasted kingfisher, on the road bird species like the whistling Cisticola, black bishop, red-headed and red-billed quelleas, magpie manikin, yellow-billed shrike, pigmy sunbird, African harrier hawk, olive-bellied sunbird, chestnut wattle-eye, brown-eared woodpecker. After the birding, drive back to Red Chill Camp/ Sambiya River Lodge /Paraa Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: 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.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking/ Birding

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.

Day 6: 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 7: 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 camp

Day 8: 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/Gorilla resort/lake Kitandara camp

Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
After breakfast transfer to Lake Mburo national park in Kiruhura district. Have enroute stop overs at different swamps to 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. Dinner and Overnight at Rwonyo Camp site/Mihingo lodge/Arcadia Cottages.

Day 10: Game drive, Boat ride and transfer back 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. Return midmorning for lunch and proceed for a boat ride on the lake in search for species you missed earlier like: Hippos and Crocodiles. Dinner and overnight at Rwonyo Campsite/Mihingo lodge/Arcadia cottages

Day 11: Transfer to Kampala
Transfer back to Kampala after breakfast. You will go birding enroute. Have a short city tour visiting Uganda Martyrs’ shrine Namugongo and the Uganda Museum. Dinner and overnight at the Excellent Hotel/Serena hotel/

Day 12 : Transfer to Entebbe
Today morning after breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up at your hotel in 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 the Excellent Hotel.

Day 13: 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 back to Kampala or Entebbe  reaching in time for dinner and Overnight stay at your lodge/Hotel