14 Days Forest birding safari in Uganda

Africa Adventure Vacation takes you on a great 14 days forest birding Safari in Uganda. We expect to see as many species as possible given the first that was shall visit some of the best forest birding areas and some of the largest in the Uganda. We have Mabira forest, Kibaale forest national park, Budongo forest, Semuliki National Park and the royal mile among the highlights of this safari. Some of the other highlights include the chimpanzee tracking, Gorilla Tracking and the boat cruise on the Nile.

14 Days Forest birding safari in Uganda

Day One: Arrival
Day Two: Birding to Mabamba Swamp
Day Three: Birding to Masindi
Day Four: Birding the Royal Mile
Day Five: Birding to Kibale Forest National Park
Day Six: Birding Kibale National Park
Day Seven: Birding to Semuliki National Park
Day Eight: Whole day birding Kirumia Trail
Day Nine: Birding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day Ten: Birding Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day Eleven: Optional Gorilla Tracking and Birding to Ruhija via the Neck
Day Twelve: Birding Mubwindi Swamp
Day Thirteen: Birding to Entebbe
Day Fourteen: Birding Mabira and Departure

Day One: Arrival

You will be met by our guide and he will brief you about your 14 Days Forest birding safari in Uganda

Stay at Papyrus Guest House or Via Via Guest House. BB

Day Two: Birding to Mabamba Swamp

We shall have our breakfast early and we head to Mabamba Wetland. It houses the Shoebill stork. Other birds to expect here;  Spur-winged Geese,  Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Glossy Ibis, African Pygmy-Goose, Slender-billed Weaver, Purple and Allen’s Galinule, Common and Lesser Moorhen, White Faced and Fulvous Whistling duck, Blue-breasted Bee-eater,  Gray-rumped Swallow, Lizard Buzzard, African Pygmy and Malachite Kingfisher, Blue Swallow, Northern Brown Throated Weaver Long-toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted and Madagascar Bee-eaters, African Reed Warbler, Greater Swamp-Warbler, White Winged Tern, Grey Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Ruff, Three Banded Plover, African Wattled Plover and  Lesser Jacana.
Stay at Papyrus guesthouse or Via Via Guest House.BB

Day Three: Birding to Masindi

We shall have an early morning breakfast and head out to Masindi. We shall however first go to the Mabamba swamp to bird looking for the special shoe bill stork. On this birding trail we shall also see other birds like; Spur-winged Geese,  Blue Swallow, Northern Brown Throated Weaver Long-toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted and Madagascar Bee-eaters, African Reed Warbler, Greater Swamp-Warbler, White Faced and Fulvous Whistling duck, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Glossy Ibis, African Pygmy-Goose, Slender-billed Weaver, Purple and Allen’s Galinule, Common and Lesser Moorhen,  Blue-breasted Bee-eater,  Gray-rumped Swallow, Lizard Buzzard, African Pygmy and Malachite Kingfisher, White Winged Tern, Grey Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Ruff, Three Banded Plover, African Wattled Plover and  Lesser Jacana.Stay at Masindi Hotel or New Court View. HB

Day Four: Birding the Royal Mile

We shall start our birding at 6.30am to increase our chances of seeing more skulking birds. The birds we are likely to see on these two days are: Blue Breasted, African Dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Brown-eared and Yellow Crested Woodpecker, Dusky long-tailed Cuckoo, Crowned Eagle, Forest and Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, White-Breasted Negrofinch, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Narina Trogon, , Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Green Sunbird, Chestnut-crowned Eremomera, Yellow and Grey Longbill, Forest Robin, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Crested Malimbe and Red-headed Bluebill, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Little Green Sunbird, Spotted, Plain Greenbul, Western Black-headed Oriole, Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Tit Hylia, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Olive-bellied Crombec, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Green Crombec,  Xavier’s, Ictrine, Slender-billed, White-throated and Toro Olive Greenbul. Stay at Masindi Hotel or New Court View. HB

Day Five: Birding to Kibale Forest National Park

Today we shall have a really long drive from Murchison Falls National Park. We shall keep stopping in various wetlands to check out several wetland species like the; White-winged Warbler and Papyrus Gonolek can be found, Double-toothed Barbet, Black-bellied Seed cracker and Gray-headed Olive back. Stay at Primate Lodge Kibaale or Chimpanzee Guesthouse.FB

Day Six: Birding Kibale National Park

We shall do early morning birding in search for the Green Breasted Pitta, Masked Apalis, Purple-headed, Glossy-Starling, Brown, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Black-billed Turacco, White-naped and Olive Pigeon, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, White and Red tailed Ant-Thrushes, Pale and Scaly Breasted Illadopsis  and Green Crombec.

Chimpanzee tracking has three sessions, morning, midday and afternoon at 3pm. We shall do the 3pm tracking session after our lunch. On this trail we shall definitely see more birds and a lot more primates other than just the chimpanzees.the Chimp tracking is optional and if we choose not to do it, we shall do birding around the Bigodi swamp Stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse or Primate Lodge.FB

Day Seven: Birding to Semuliki National Park

Today we shall do birding to the semuliki national park.  Stay At the UWA Bandas or Semliki River Lodge. FB

Day Eight: Whole day birding Kirumia Trail

We shall have early morning breakfast and head to the Semliki Valley Forest for whole day birding. We shall carry our packed lunch. This national Park is an extension of the Ituri forest, it is home to the Guinea Congo biome endemics. This day will gives us birds like; the Congo Serpent Eagle, African Piculet, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Black-winged Oriole Black-throated Coucal, Nkulengu Rail, Blue-billed Malimbe, Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike,  Black-collared Lovebird, White-bellied Kingfisher, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Piping, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Black Dwarf,  White Crested, Black-casqued Wattled, and White-thighed Hornbill, Zenker’s Honeyguide, Long-tailed Hawk, Pale Fronted, Chestnut Breasted and White Breasted Negrofinch, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Maxwell’s Weaver, Lemon-bellied Crombec, African and Rufous-sided Broadbill, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Crested Malimbe, Capuchin Babbler, Yellow-throated Nicator, Yellow Throated Cuckoo, Eastern Bearded Greenbul ,Fiery Breasted Bush Shrike and Red-billed Helmet Shrike. At the UWA Bandas or Semliki River Lodge. FB

Day Nine: Birding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast with your picnic lunch, leave Semuliki National Park and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest birding en-route arriving in the late afternoon. Look out for birds like Martial Eagle, Larks, Pipits, Francolins, Barbets, Chats, Cuckooshrikes, Sunbirds, Fork tailed Drongo, Weavers, Widowbirds among other birds. You will look out for mammals like Topi, Uganda Kob, Water Buck, Buffaloes, Elephants, Baboons and others.
Stay at Buhoma Community homestay or Haven lodge.FB

Day Ten: Birding Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today we do birding in search of the following species;  the Bar-tailed Trogon, Equatorial Akalat, Short Tailed Warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Bocage’s and Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Red-throated Alethe, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, African Broadbill, Fine Banded, Elliot’s and Buff Spotted Woodpecker, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Pink-footed Puffback, Petit’s Cuckooshrike,  Waller’s, Stulman’s and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Blue Headed, Blue Throated, Little Green and Blue Throated Brown Sunbird, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Black Bee-Eater, Black-billed, Brown-capped and Black Necked weaver. Stay at Buhoma Community home stay or Haven lodge.FB

Day Eleven: Optional Gorilla Tracking and Birding to Ruhija via the Neck

If you choose to do Gorilla tracking on this day, you will go the park headquarters for briefing before you do the Gorilla Tracking. The Mountain gorillas are endangered species and they are very few left in the world and can only be seen in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. You will get a tour hours experience with these gorillas on this day. After Gorilla Tracking we shall do biridng to Ruhija Via the Neck.

Some of the species we expect to see on this day are; Mountain Wagtail, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Dwarf Honeyguide, Black-billed Turacco, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Ayres’s Hawk-eagle, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Black Bee-eater and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Bronze-naped Pigeon,  Red-tailed Greenbul, Chin-spot Batis, Narina Trogon, Honeyguide Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Gray Apalis, African Shrike-flycatcher and Red-headed Malimbe and the Dusky Twinspot.

Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Black Saw-wing, Chubbs’ Cisticola, Grey Apalis, Augur Buzzard, Petit’s Cuckoo Shrike, Pink-footed, Northern Puffbacks, Red-tailed, Little Grey Greenbuls, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, East African Swee (Yellow-bellied Waxbill), Yellow White-eye, Dark-capped Bulbul, Yellow-bellied Kite, Yellow-rumped, Regal Sunbird, Speckled-rumped Tinker birds, African Stonechat,  Lead-colored Flycatcher, Black-necked Weaver, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Red-throated Martin, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Yellow-throated Leaf Love, Crested Guinea Fowl, African Crowned Hornbill, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Stripe-breasted Tit, Montane-masked Apalis, Red-faced Woodland, Montane Yellow Warbler,  African Harrier Hawk. Stay at BroadBill or Bakiga Lodge.FB

Day Twelve: Birding Mubwindi Swamp

We shall carry our packed lunch on this day and spend the whole day birding Mubwindi Swamp. Some of the species to expect are; The African Green Broadbill, the beautiful Regal Sunbird, Fraser’s Eagle-Owl, Dwarf Honeyguide, Grauer’s Scrub-warbler, Rwenzori Batis Black Headed Waxbill, and African Hill Babbler, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Stripe-breasted Tit, Regal Sunbird and Strange Weaver .
Stay at BroadBill or Bakiga Lodge.FB

Day Thirteen: Birding to Entebbe

After breakfast with your luggage, proceed for a whole day drive for the return journey to Entebbe birding en-route arriving in the late afternoon. Stay at Papyrus guesthouse or Via Via Guest House.BB

Day Fourteen: Birding Mabira and Departure

Today we shall do early morning Birding in Mabira forest. We shall leave for Mabira at 6am to beat the Kampala metropolitan traffic. We shall expect the following species; Forest Wood Hoop, Yellow White ‐ eye, Chestnut Wattle ‐ eye, Superb Sunbird, African Grey Parrot, Jameson’s Wattle ‐ eye, Hairy Breasted Barbet, Bock ages Shrike, Tambourine Dove, Red‐bellied Paradise Flycatcher, African Harrier Hawk, Speckled Tinkerbird, Great Blue Turaco, Black and white Mannikin,  African Shrike Flycatcher and Red ‐ headed Malibu. Later we shall transfer back to Entebbe to end 14 Days Forest birding safari in Uganda