Birding Kyambura Gorge
Are you looking for Birding Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth national park? The Kyambura Gorge is referred to as the valley of Apes. This valley has stunning features. It is located in the eastern part of the great Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is about 30 kilometers east of the park. The Gorge stretches about 1km and it’s the longest in East Africa and it connects to the Kazinga channel. It is home to the famous apes, the chimpanzees that you can track here if you miss them in Budongo and kibale. The gorge is mainly covered by tropical rain forests and savannah grasslands.
Birding in the Kyambura Gorge
The Kyambura Gorge is a host to a range of bird species both forest and avian. Some of the birds to expect here are; Chapin’s flycatcher, white tailed lark, corncrake, pink backed pelican, Martial Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-rumped Buttonquail, verreaux’s eagle owl, black bee-eater, papyrus gonolek, African broadbill, papyrus canary, African Finfoot, blue headed bee-eater, African skimmer, lesser and greater flamingoes, white-winged warbler and white-winged warbler.
Other Attractions in Kyambura gorge
The Gorge
At the largest point, the Kyambura gorge stretches about 1km and it’s about 100 meters deep. The deepest point is at the Kichwamba Escarpment. The gorge has one of the best landscapes in Queen Elizabeth National if not the entire Uganda. The gorge has beautiful ecosystems with magnificent undergrowth and the best canopy. Kyambura Gorge is also occupied by the Kyambura River and the gorge derives its names from this river. This river is covered by riverine forests on its banks which are home to chimpanzees, baboons, monkeys and many other primates and birds.
Primates
The chimpanzees are the most dominant and famous animals here due to the tropical and riverine ecosystems here. The chimpanzees enjoy the thick canopies that offer them shade. African Birding Trips/Africa Adventure Vacations can book for you a permit and you track the habituated chimpanzees. Other primates you will see here are the black and white Colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys and vervet monkeys.
Nature walks
You can do nature walks in the gorge since it has a good ecosystem and a beautiful canopy. The forests in the gorge are full of adventurous scenery that will offer you the best photography opportunities. There are several trails in the gorge and here is some of the wild life to expect; a lot of tree species, primates listed above, a lot of birds listed above like the blue-headed bee-eater, Chapin’s flycatcher, white tailed lark, corncrake, verreaux’s eagle owl, pink backed pelican, Martial Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African skimmer, lesser and greater flamingoes, black bee-eater.
Where to stay in Kyambura gorge
The Kyambura Gorge is decorated with several accommodation options with very good services to give you the best safari experience. Some of the accommodation options to look out for are, Enganzi lodge, Park View safari Lodge, Katala Lodge and many more from Luxury to mid Range and standard accommodation options.
How to access Kyambura gorge for birding
Kyambura Gorge is located in Queen Elizabeth National Park and to access it by road; you will drive about 415km from the city Kampala. It will take about 6 hours. You can charter a flight from Kajjansi or Entebbe Airport to the Mweya Airstrip and then a 5 minute drive to the gorge.
A birding trip to Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park can be extended to other bird watching destinations such as Murchison falls, Kidepo valley national park, Bwindi, Lake mburo among other.
