Uganda Birding Safari (9 days) – With 1065 species, Uganda offers the highest concentration of birds in Africa and is the most accessible place to see the mythical Shoebill.
This 9 Days Uganda birding safari takes you through prime birding spots in Central and Western Uganda. The safari takes you through Entebbe, Mabira Forest, Mabamba Wetland, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Maramagambo Forest, Lake Mburo National Park. On this tour, you will also bird through different habitats that include the shores of Lake Victoria, wetlands, swamps, savanna grasslands, forests etc.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Entebbe
We begin our day birding at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) or the Entebbe zoo. UWEC originally started as an animal orphanage in the 1920s but gradually grew to be a showplace of various flora and fauna. Birds to look out for here include Crowned cranes, Parrots, Pelicans, Ostrich, weaver birds, the northern masked weaver, Shoebill stork, African Fish Eagle, small banded snake Eagle, African Goshawk and the swamp flycatcher. After lunch, we transfer to the nearby botanical gardens where you will enjoy a diversity of bird life. Birds to look out for here include the yellow-throated leaf love, the great blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, the black and white casqued hornbill, the pied hornbill. Yellow-backed Weaver, orange weaver, brown-throated weaver, the great reed warbler, sedge warbler and the fish eagle.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Your guide will also join you at dinner and explain the plan of action for tomorrows’ assault on Mabira Forest as well as day 2’s search for the mythical shoebill in Mabamba.
Day 2: Mabira Forest
Mabira Central Forest Reserve is the largest block of natural forest that survives to this day near the capital, Kampala and the former industrial hub, Jinja town. Today, we look out for Grey Throated and Yellow-Billed Barbet, Buff Spotted and Yellow Crested Wood Pecker, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Nahan’s Francolin, Leaf love, Violet-backed Starling, Yellow-Rumped, Yellow Throated and Speckled Tinkerbird, Grey and Yellow Long bill, Olive Green Cameroptera.
Accommodation: Kampala
Day 3: Mabamba Swamp
After breakfast in the morning, you’ll head to Mabamba, 50 Km west of Kampala, where most of the birding tour will be done by canoe. Mabamba swamp which is a marsh-fringed with papyrus stretching through a long narrow bay is located along the shores of Lake Victoria. You’ll get to see numerous bird species with the likes of rare Shoebill, Spur-winged geese, Goliath and Purple Herons, White-faced Whistling Duck, Blue Breasted Bee-eater, African-water Rail. After this, you’ll continue on to Lake Mburo National Park which not only encompasses Lake Mburo, but also four other small lakes.
You’ll start your journey from Nshara gate and look out for Tabora Cisticola, Pied Kingfishers, The Malachite, The Coqui Francolin, lilac-breasted roller, Red-faced Barbet, Rufous Bellied Heron, Green-capped Eremomela., the Coqui Francolin, lilac-breasted roller, red-faced barbet, Rufous-bellied Heron, green-capped Eremomela. Transfer to the lakeside for a boat ride. The boat ride may yield sightings of the African Finfoot before it disappears into papyrus floating on the lake. Other birds to look out for are the Little Grebe, Greater, and Lesser Swamp Warbler; White-winged Warbler, Red Headed lovebird, Green-capped Eremomela in the night we can look out for Nightjars.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 4: Lake Mburo
After an early breakfast, embark on a foot safari (Nature Walk). While on the walk, look out for the Pale and Lead colored Flycatcher, Yellow-billed oxpecker, Brown Chested and African Wattled Plover, Green Backed Nubian and Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, Red-faced Barbet, Barefaced go away bird, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Pearl Spotted Owlet, Yellow Bellied Apalis. After lunch, proceed with a late afternoon game drive along the Zebra track. The African Wattled Plover, Black-bellied Bustard, and Temminck’s Courser also can be seen with little effort. You also stand a chance of spotting other animal species like Impala, Burchell’s Zebra, Eland, and Warthogs Eland, Impala and the sturdy warthogs.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning, we transfer to Queen Elizabeth, the second largest National Park in Uganda. The park boasts of over 610 bird species on record so far, making the park a birding paradise. It is one of the richest parks in Africa and supports an astounding density of flora and fauna. We get to Mweya in time for lunch after which we embark on an afternoon launch cruise along the 40-kilometer natural channel that links lakes, Edward and George. This waterway is both a mammal and birding haven in Africa with the biggest concentration of Hippopotamus and many migratory birds. Birds to look out for include the Great Snipe, African Fish Eagle, Grey Plover, Pallid Harrier, Gull-billed Tern, Lesser Black Backed Gull, African Skimmer, African Spoonbill, and many more.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 6: Immaramagambo forest
After your early breakfast, drive to Maramagambo for a foot safari through the forest. Bird species to look out for here include the Bat hawks, Brown-eared woodpecker, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Sulphur-breasted bush shrike, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, and dark capped Yellow warbler, Brown backed Scrub Robin, red-headed Bluebill, African Finfoot and the Eurasian golden oriole. On a good day, the black and white Colobus monkeys may also be spotted.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park > Kibale Forest
Today, you are up early for a morning Game drive. You’ll take a drive through the Kasenyi track in addition to Kikorongo Crater area where you can expect to see various bird species which include the Great White Pelican, Lesser Flamingo, Rupell’s Griffon vulture and weavers, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, White-winged Terns, Swamp Fly-catchers, Grey-capped Warbler, Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Jacana, Common Squacco Heron, brown snake Eagle, grey Kestrel, Red-necked Spurfowl, harlequin quail, Senegal and crowned lapwings, African Fish Eagle, Egyptian Goose, Papyrus Canary.
You will have late breakfast and then commence your transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. This park occupies undulating terrain on the main Uganda Plateau slightly tilted to the south and is drained by the Dura and Mpanga rivers that flow in a southerly direction into Lake George. This park has the highest concentration of primates in East Africa. Over 325 bird species have been recorded in this park including the African broadbill, Green Breasted Pitta, White-winged Warbler and the blue-headed Coucal.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 8: Kibale Forest
After an early breakfast, head out to the forest in search of the Leaf love, Will cocks honey guide, Joyful Greenbul, Superb Sunbird, Black Bee-eater, Black Bellied Seed Cracker, Bi-coloured Mannikin, Black-headed Owl, African/Rwenzori/Abyssinian Hill-Babbler, Alpine Swift, Ashy Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Black Bee-eater, Black Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Black and white Casqued Hornbill, Black and white Mannikin. Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird and Western Nicator. Olive Baboons, Mangabey, various species of butterflies, bush pig, and the giant forest hog are also there to be spotted.
Dinner and overnight at your booked accommodation.
Day 9: Kampala
We will start early with birding stopovers en-route to look out for special species like the Joyful Greenbul, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Bush-Shrikes, Velvet Mantled Drongoand other bird species which we might see en-route. On arrival back in Kampala, your guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home.
