9 Days Easy Birding Safari

Day 1: Birding in Entebbe and the environs.
Our easy birding begins from UWEC which originally started as an animal orphanage in the 1920s but gradually grew to be a show place of various flora and fauna. Birds to look out for here include Crowned cranes, Parrots, Pelicans, ostrich, Crowned cranes, weaver birds like the orange weaver, black necked baglafecht, the northern masked weaver, shoebill stork, African Fish Eagle, small banded snake Eagle, African Goshawk and the swamp flycatcher. Lunch break and then transfer to the botanical gardens where you will most likely be able to enjoy more prolific bird life. A. Whyte the first curator of Uganda’s Museum started these gardens as a natural forest for use as research grounds for the introduction of various ornamental plants and exotic fruits to Uganda. Uganda Safari 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, and great reed warbler, sedge warbler and the fish eagle. Dinner and over night at Lindsay Cottages or Cassia Lodge.

Day 2: Bird watching Mabira Central Forest Reserve
Birding to Mabira forest reserve which is the largest block of moist semi deciduous forest remaining near Kampala in Uganda. On our birding today we look out for the Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Nahans Francolin, Leaf love, Yellow Spotted, Grey Throated and Yellow Billed Barbet, Buff Spotted and Yellow Crested Wood Pecker, , violet backed starling, Yellow Rumped, Yellow Throated and Speckled Tinkerbird, Grey and Yellow Long bill, Olive Green cameroptera. Return to Lindsay Cottages or Cassia Lodge for dinner & overnight.

Day 3: birding to Mabamba Swamp
After an early breakfast drive to Mabamba Swamps. Mabamba is an extensive marsh stretching through a long narrow bay, fringed with papyrus towards the main body of Lake Victoria and is 50km west of Kampala. Most of the birding is done by canoe. While Birding here we look out for species like the rare shoebill, Blue Breasted Bee-eater, white faced whistling duck, African water rail, Goliath and Purple herons, spur winged and Pygmy Geese we continue to Lake Mburo National Park with a brief stop at the Equator. The park encompasses not only Lake Mburo but also four other small lakes. Birding to the park begins as you turn off to Nshara gate. Look out for the Coqui Francolin, lilac-breasted roller, red faced barbet, Rufous bellied heron, green capped Eremomela, Tabora Cisticola, the Malachite, Giant, Striped, Woodland and Pied King fishers. 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 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 & overnight at Mihingo lodge or Arcadia Cottages for two nights.

Day 4: Birding In Uganda Safari. Lake Mburo- western Uganda
After an early breakfast, embark on a foot safari (Nature Walk). While on the walk look out for the Red faced Barbet, Bare faced go away bird, Varreaux’s Eagle Owl, Pearl Spotted Owlet, Yellew Bellied Apalis, Green Backed, Nubian and Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, Brown Chested and African Wattled Plover, Yellow billed ox pecker, Pale and lead coloured flycatcher. After lunch Proceed with a late afternoon game drive along the Zebra track. The African Wattled Plover, Black bellied bustard, and Temmricks Courser may be sighted. Also look out for other animal species such as Burchell’s Zebra, Eland, Impala and the Comical Warthogs.

Day 5: Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning our birding safari takes us to Queen Elizabeth the second largest National Park in Uganda. This park boasts of over 610 bird species recorded so far thus 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 hope to reach Mweya in time for Lunch then embark on an afternoon launch cruise along the 40 km natural channel joining lakes Edward and George. This waterway is a birding haven, this is both a mammal and birding highlight in Africa with the biggest concentration of Hippos and many migratory species of 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 stay at Mweya safari lodge/ Mweya Hostel.

Day 6: Birding Immaramagambo forest
After an 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 blue bill, African Finfoot and the Eurasian golden oriole. On a good day the black and white colobus monkeys may also be spotted. Dinner and overnight Mweya Safari Lodge/ Mweya Hostel.

Day 7: Birding Queen Elizabeth National Park then transfer to Kibale Forest
Rise early before the sun and embark on an early morning game drive to catch up with early risers. The drive takes you through the Kasenyi track and Kikorongo Crater area. The drive will enable you sight various bird species like the Great White Pelican, Lesser Flamingo, Martial Eagle, Rupell’s Griffon vulture and weavers. Late breakfast, then 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 which Uganda and Africa at large has to offer most important are the Chimps as well as the rare I’hoesti and Colobus monkeys. Over 325 bird species have been recorded in this park among which the special ones include the African broadbill, Green Breasted Pitta, white winged warbler and the blue headed Coucal.

Day 8: Birding Kibale Forest
After an early breakfast, go 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, Yellow rumped tinker bird and Western nicator. Butterflies, Olive Baboons, Mangabey, bush pig and the giant forest hog may also be spotted.

Day 9: Birding as we transfer to Kampala
We will start early with birding stopovers enroute to look out for special species like the Joyful Greenbul, Dusky Longtailed Cuckoo, Bush Shrikes, Valvet Mantled Drongo and other bird species which might be grabbed enroute.

End of Safari