15 Days Uganda Birding Safari

DAY 1: ARRIVAL AND BIRDING THE ENTEBBE ENVIRONS.
Our arrival is at Entebbe International Airport followed by a transfer to Lindsay Cottages or Cassia Lodge. Depending on the arrival time, we can have optional birding in Entebbe, especially on the lush grounds of the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where we’ll see both forest and lakeshore birds. Our first birds could include Palm-nut Vulture, Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Gray Plantain-eater, African Pied Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling and Orange and Slender-billed Weavers, Golden Backed, orange weaver or the other birding option will be around the Lindsay Cottages along the Lweza Lincoln trail.

DAY 2: BIRDING TO MASINDI
After breakfast in the morning we start birding either at the Botanical gardens or the Lutembe bay then transfer to Masindi via the Luwero triangle passing through undulating grasslands and mosaic woodland where we drive watching out for the White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, lesser Blue and Great Blue Eared Starlings, Black, Yellow Mantled and Black Winged Bishops, White Headed Barbet, Cardinal and Nubian Woodpecker, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel or New Court View for two nights.

DAYS 3: BIRDING BUDONGO- ROYAL MILE AND BUSINGIRO
Depart early for the nearby Budongo Forest, birding along the Royal Mile, a truly spectacular road with forest canopy towering far overhead. There is a good system of trails in the forest, today we expect skulking birds like the Nahan’s Francolin, excessively noisy White-thighed Hornbill, graceful Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetail, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Forest Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Tit Hylia, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Forest Robin, Yellow Billed, Grey Throated, Hairy Breasted and Yellow Spotted Barbet, Great Blue and Black Billed Turaco, Dusy Long Tailed Cuckoo, Spotted, Plain, Slender Billed, White Throated, Little Grey and Little Greeenbul, Red Tailed Bristlebill and Black-capped Apalis among others.

DAYS 4: BIRDING TO THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Today we start early and drive through Budongo Kaniyo Pabid area in search for the Puvel’s Illadopsis, after this we bird to the top of the falls as we time our ferry to Paraa Safari Lodge where we shall have our overnight stay. A night drive today is very advisable looking out for nocturnal mammals and birds.

DAYS 5: BIRDING MURCHISON FALLS TOUR
A highlight of the visit will undoubtedly be the boat trips to the bottom of the falls and to the delta area, and of course the one bird that will be on everyone’s mind is the Shoebill while at the delta. Superb views can be had of this wonderful bird. There will be other birds including the Red-throated and Norhtern Carmine Bee-eater mammals such as Rothschild’s Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Waterbuck and many others will be viewed. Other birds to look out for include the Saddle-billed, Yellow Billed and African Open Billed Stork, African Finfoot, Red-necked Falcon, Senegal Thick-knee, Rock Pratincole, Giant, Woodland, Grey Headed, Malchite, Pygmy and striped Kingfishers. On the game drive we look out for Heuglin’s Francolins Black Billed Barbet, Northern and Red Faced Barbet, Swallow-tailed and Blue-breasted and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Rollers, the giant Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Black Winged and Northern Red Bishops. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

DAY 6: BIRDING MURCHISON FALLS – KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
The drive today is long, we shall only have a few birding stops, we drive via Hoima there are a few papyrus swamps where specialties such as White-winged Warbler and Papyrus Gonolek can be found, while the surrounding scrub may harbor, Double-toothed Barbet, Black-bellied Seed cracker and Gray-headed Olive back. Dinner and overnight at Primate Lodge of Nature Lodges for two nights.

DAY 7: KIBALE NATIONAL PARK – CHIMP TRACKING AND BIRDING
Kibale is home to 13 species of primates and there. This is where we have bigger chances of Chimpanzee tracking. Birding in the forest is also very rewarding and you could encounter White-naped Pigeon, African Gray Parrot, Black Bee-eater, Hairy-breasted, Yellow Spotted and Yellow Billed Barbet, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed, Waller’s and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds, White-collared Olive back among others.

DAY 8: BIRDING TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Today we have a very early start into the forest to try and find the Green Breasted Pitta before we drive off to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is Uganda’s second largest protected area on the shores of Lake Edward. We check in at Mweya Safari Lodge or Mweya Hostels then head for and early evening game drives looking for numerous birds that inhabit the surrounding scrub and lakeshore like the African Hopoe, Green Winged Pytilia, African Golden Breasted Bunting and later in this drive we look out for the Black Shouldered, Swamp, Square Tailed and Pennant-winged Nightjars back to the lodge or hostel for dinner and over night stay.

DAY 9: WHOLE DAY BIRDING QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Today we immensely explore Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birds on this drive are numerous and may include among others the Wahlberg’s, Brown Snake, Short Toed Snake and Martial Eagle, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, African Crake, Hollub’s Golden and Lesser Masked Weavers, Black Coucal, Black Lored and Arrow Marked Babbler, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl Copper, Scarlet Chested and Red-chested, Broad Tailed and African Moustached Warbler. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or the Mweya Hostel

DAY 10: QUEEN ELIZABETH TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
This morning after breakfast and transfer to the Gorilla haven, we do a morning boat ride along the Kazinga Channel looking out for water birds that roost in between the Edward and George lakes. Close encounters with the biggest schools of Hippos in Africa and some crocs many migrating species like the Gulls and Terns are here, after this ride we transfer to Bwindi and check in at Gorilla Resort or Buhoma Community Bandas for dinner and two over night stays.

DAYS 11: OPTIONAL GORILLA TREKKING OR BIRDING BUHOMA
If tracking we shall have early breakfast then assemble at the park headquarters for briefing about this breath taking activity. Time spent tracking depends on where the gorillas spent the night and their feeding range or encounter with other groups which might be wild forcing them to move long distances so be prepared for a whole day activity. Once found you spend an hour with them, seeing these gentle giants interact is awesome and the marvelous wildlife encounter on the African continent and an unforgettable. Birding the Buhoma side which is at lower altitude of Bwindi always as results like the Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Pink Footed Puffback, Cassin’s and Scaly-Throated Honeyguide, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Bar-tailed Trogon, Equatorial Akalat, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, African Broadbill White Headed Wood Hopoe, Red Throated Allethe, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Blue Throated Brown, Blue Headed, Northern Double Collard and Rwenzori Double Collard sunbird and White-bellied Robin to mention but a few.

DAY 12: BIRDING FROM BWINDI TO LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
Today birding will be done enroute, depending on the route we use either the Ishasha or the Rukungiri each has birds of interests and we shall stop at different interesting spots. While in the lake we shall look out for mammals like the Zebra, Eland, Topi, Impala, Cape Buffalo, Warthog etc, today we target the boat ride along lake Mburo where we hardly miss the African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher. A night drive always produces good views of the Black Shouldered, northern Tanzania Fiery Necked Nightjar, nocturnal mammals and Bush Babies

DAY 13: BIRDING LAKE MBURO TO KAMPALA
After breakfast we start early in search for special savannah birds like the Yellow Bellied Apalis, Green Capped Eremomela, Buff Bellied Warbler, White Winged Tit, Red Billed Wood Hopoe, the special birds for today’s drive will be the Tabora Cisticola, Red Faced Barbet and Coqui Francolin. Brubru, Sulpher Breasted Bush Shrike, Red Headed Weaver, Green Backed and Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, African Black Headed Oriole. Over night at Cassia Lodge or Lindsay Cottages

DAY 14: BIRING KAMPALA- MABAMBA ISLANDS- MABIRA FOREST
After an early breakfast we do birding to Mabamba in search for the Shoebill then later transfer to Mabira Forest where we have an over night stay at Mabira Rain Forest Lodge.

DAY 15: AIRPORT TRANSFER
After breakfast we start by looking out for the Red Caped Robin-chat around the Logde then hit the trail to try and find Weyn’s Weaver, Olive Green Cameroptera, Tit Hylia, African Pied Hornbill Grey and Yelloe Long Bill, Forest Wood-Hoopoe, Blue-breasted, White-bellied, Dwarf and Shining-blue Kingfishers, Soty Flycatcher, Yellow-throated, Yellow Rumped and Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow Crested Woodpecker, Toro Olive Greenbul and Green-tailed Bristle bill, Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Robin and Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat after this beautiful show we transfer to the airport for flight back home.

End of Safari