15 days birding safari in Uganda

Africa Adventure Vacation takes you on a great 15 days birding Safari in Uganda. We expect to see as many species as possible given the first that was shall visit some of the best birding spot and some of the largest in the land. We have Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Budongo forest, Kibaale Forest 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 and Kazinga Channel.

15 days birding safari in Uganda Highlight

• Day One: Arrival And Birding The Entebbe Environs.
• Day Two: Birding To Masindi
• Days Three: Birding Budongo- Royal Mile And Busingiro
• Days Four: Birding To The Northern Sector Of Murchison Falls National Park
• Days Five: Birding Murchison Falls Tour
• Day Six: Birding Murchison Falls – Kibale Forest National Park
• Day Seven: Kibale National Park – Chimp Tracking And Birding
• Day Eight: Birding To Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Day Nine: Whole Day Birding Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Day Ten: Queen Elizabeth To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Days Eleven: Optional Gorilla Trekking Or Birding Buhoma
• Day Twelve: Birding From Bwindi To Lake Mburo National Park
• Day Thirteen: Birding Lake Mburo To Kampala
• Day Fourteen: Biring Kampala- Mabamba Islands- Mabira Forest
• Day Fifteen: Departure

Day One: Arrival

On arrival you will be met with our guide who will brief you about your 15 days birding safari in Uganda. Depending on the time of your arrival, we may do some evening birding around Entebbe if you arrive early. Stay at Papyrus Guesthouse or Vitoria View Guesthouse.BB

Day Two: 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,  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.
On our way to Masindi we shall bird on the way and these are some of the species to expect; White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, lesser Blue and Cardinal and Nubian Woodpecker, Great Blue Eared Starlings, Black, Yellow Mantled and Black Winged Bishops, White Headed Barbet, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide. Stay at Masindi Hotel or New Court View. HB

Days Three: Birding Budongo- Royal Mile And Busingiro

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, Yellow and Grey Longbill, Forest Robin, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Crested Malimbe and Red-headed Bluebill, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Little Green Sunbird, Green Sunbird, White-Breasted Negrofinch, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Narina Trogon, , Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Chestnut-crowned Eremomera, Tit Hylia, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Olive-bellied Crombec, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Green Crombec, Spotted, Plain Greenbul, Western Black-headed Oriole, Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Xavier’s, Ictrine, Slender-billed, White-throated and Toro Olive Greenbul.

Days Four: Birding To The Northern Sector Of Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Fall is one of the best if not the best birding Spot in Uganda. On this day we shall transfer to the park and check into a lodge of our choice where we shall stay for two nights. Special birds recorded here include; Grey-headed Oliveback, Red Winged Pytilia, Black-bellied Firefinch, Lesser-masked Weaver, Fox’s Cisticola, White-headed and black billed Barbet, Northern Crombec, Singing Cisticola and Grey-headed Bush Shrike. Stay at Paara Safari lodge or Hornbill Bush Lodge. FB

Days Five: Birding Murchison Falls Tour

We shall do a morning game drive to see other wildlife as we do birding as well. We are likely to see lions, antelopes, giraffes, leopards and Hippos. In the afternoon we shall do a boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison Falls. This whole day may reward us with species like; Shoebill, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Marabou Stork, Red-throated Bee-eater, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver and White-rumped Seedeater, Rock Pratincole, African Darter, Silver Bird, Beautiful Sunbird, Saddle-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Senegal and Water Thick-knees, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, Pied Kingfishers, Red-throated Bee-eaters, Goliath Heron, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Vinaceous Dove and Grosbeak Weaver, Buff-bellied Warbler and Giant Kingfisher. FB

Day Six: Birding Murchison Falls – 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 Seven: Kibale National Park – Chimp Tracking And Birding

We shall do early morning birding in search for the Green Breasted Pitta, White and Red tailed Ant-Thrushes, Masked Apalis, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Black-billed Turacco, White-naped and Olive Pigeon, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Purple-headed, Glossy-Starling, Brown, 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. Stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse or Primate Lodge.FB

Day Eight: Birding To Queen Elizabeth National Park

If we missed some of the special birds here like the Green Breasted Pitta, we shall do some morning birding around kibaale to try and get the missed species before we head out to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We hope to see species like; the African Hopoe, Green Winged Pytilia, African Golden Breasted Bunting and the Black Shouldered, Swamp, Square Tailed and Pennant-winged Nightjars. Stay at Elephant Plains lodge or Pumba Safari Cottages.FB

Day Nine: Whole Day Birding Queen Elizabeth National Park

We shall start our day at around 6.15am and spend the whole day in the grasslands of this park. Later in the afternoon we shall do a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. This channel connects Lakes George and Edward. You will have a chance to see a lot of other wildlife other than birds like the Hippos. The bird to expect here are; the African Skimmer, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black Backed and Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Grey Plover, Lesser Swamp-Warbler Terek Sandpiper most of which visit during the winter. Stay at Elephant Plains lodge or Pumba Safari Cottages.FB

Day Ten: Queen Elizabeth To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today we head to the Gorilla Land, Bwindi Impenetrable national Park. The gorillas are special species and highly sought after. They are few of them left in the world and can only be seen in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Uganda we can track the gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable National park and Mgahinga mountain National Park. Stay at Buhoma Community home stay or Haven lodge.FB

Days Eleven: Optional Gorilla Trekking Or Birding Buhoma

If you choose to do Gorilla tracking during your 15 days birding safari in Uganda, this is the 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. Stay at Buhoma Community home stay or Haven lodge.FB

Day Twelve: Birding From Bwindi To Lake Mburo National Park

We shell check out of the lodge after our breakfast and head to Lake Mburo National Park. We do birding enroute. There are lots of interesting spots to do birding. Here are some of the birds to expect; African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher, northern Tanzania Fiery Necked Nightjar, nocturnal mammals and Bush Babies. Stay at Acardia or Rwakobo Rock.FB

Day Thirteen: Birding Lake Mburo

On this day, we shall do a morning walk birding along the trails of the park escorted by a ranger. We shall see a lot of other wildlife like Zebras, topis, elands, buffaloes and many others. Other birds to look out for on this trail are; the Red Faced Barbet, Coqui Francolin, Tabora Cisticola, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, Buff Bellied Warbler, Red Headed Weaver, Black Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Sulpher Breasted Bush-shrike, Green Capped Eremomela,  Brown Chested Plover, Bare faced Go-away-bird, Red Billed Wood Hope and many other  acacia associated birds.

Later in the day after our lunch, we shall do afternoon birding looking for the Black Crowned Night Herons, Giant Kingfisher , African Finfoot and White Backed. Stay at Acardia or Rwakobo Rock.FB

Day Fourteen: Birding To Kampala

We shall bird Lake Mburo national park on way out of the park to check out any of the birds we could missed. We shall bird enroute and stop on several swamps to look out for special species. Stay at Papyrus Gueshouse or Victoria view Guesthouse. BB

Day Fifteen: Departure