12 Days Albertine Rift Endemics Birding Safari

Day 1: Arrival for our Uganda Albertine rift birding safari where we spend a night in Entebbe.

Day 2: Today you will start early and transfer to Kisoro, there will be many birding stretches much as the birding is focused on the endemics, stopping to find some waders along the numerous swamps will be rewarding, of lucky days, we at times find the shoebill in the swamps towards the Uganda Equator near Kayabwe, Rufous Bellied Heron, Saddle Billed Stork, Grey Crowned Crane, today the sky will be a great habitat as well mostly for Eagles like the Banded, Brown and Black Chested Snake Eagles, as we advance further, birding Echuya forest at a later point in the day towards Kisoro which will give us a great introduction to some of the Albertine Rift Endemics like the Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Collared Apalis among others and some high altitude species like the reasonably common but shy and hard to observe Doherty’s Bush-shrike Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Mountain Buzzard, Rwenzori Hill Babbler among others.

Day 3: Birding Mgahinga National Park
We start early after breakfast and with a picnic lunch, drive to Ntebeko Camp from where we shall start our birding as we trek to one of the most scenic areas in Uganda. We take the gorge trail that loops half way up Mt. Sabinyo, through a variety of montane and bamboo habitats habouring the Dusky Turtle Dove, Rwenzori Turaco, Cape Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-eyed Slaty and White Tailed Blue Flycatcher, Olive Wood-pecker, White-starred Robin, Mountain Yellow Warbler, White-napped Raven, Lagden’s Bush-Shrike, Yellow-crowned Canary, Streaky and Thick Billed Seedeater on our birding today we shall have a bigger focus on the shy Shelly’s Crimson-wing among other birds. Dinner and overnight stay at Travelers Rest Hotel

Day 4: Birding to Ruhizha  
After breakfast, we start our birding in the Rift Valley Area. We will have a stopover in a near by Swamp towards Echuya forest mostly to look out for the Little Rush Warbler plus the Grauer’s Rush Warbler one of the rare Bradypterus Warblers within the Albertine rift zones also, continue birding to Ruhizha with numerous stopovers expecting birds like the Augur and Mountain Buzzard, Yellow Bellied Waxbill, Dusky Crimsonwing, Dusky Twinspot, Common Stonechat among others birds. Towards the camp headquarters we look out for the Handsome Francolin, Olive Pigeon, Western Green Tinkerbird, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Chestnut Throated Apalis, White-browed Crombec, Stripe-breasted and Dusky Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Black-headed Waxbill and much more. We stay at Trekker’s Tavern for two nights. FB

Day 5: Birding to Mubwindi Swamp  
Today our birding will start early and our main focus will the beautiful leafy looking broadbill, Black-billed Turaco, Olive, Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpecker, African Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Mountain Greenbul, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Red-faced Woodland and Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Collard and Black Throated Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, African Green-Broadbill, Mountain, Shelley’s and Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Rwenzori Batis, Regal Sunbird among other birds. We later get back to our place of stay. FB

Day 6: Birding to Buhoma via the Neck
After breakfast, start the drive to Buhoma in the southern part of Bwindi birding en-route. On our drive and the stopovers we make, expect to see the Black Bee-eater, calling out the Red-throated Wryneck and finding it would be a great addition, Mountain Wagtail and the Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, Olive Thrush, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Collared, Mountain Masked, Chestnut-throated, and Grey Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Sharpe’s Starling, the elusive Regal and Purple-breasted Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Twinspot etc. Dinner and Overnight at Buhoma Community Homestay or equivalent for two nights. FB

Day 7: Birding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today we explore the Bwindi Buhoma area looking out for birds like the Pink-footed Puffbuck, Yellow Billed Barbet, Bocage’s Bush-Shrike, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black Bee-Eater, Cassin’s and Scaly throated Honey Guide, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Western Green Tinkerbird, Short Tailed Warbler, African Broadbill, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Mountain Illadopsis, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Equatorial Akalat, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Black Faced Rufous Warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Dusky Tit, Many Coloured and Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Black Billed Turaco, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Blue Throated Brown, Blue-headed, Northern Double Collard and Green Sunbird, Black-billed Weaver,   Red-fronted Antpecker, Magpie Mannikin among others. FB

Day 8: Birding to Kasese
After breakfast, with packed lunch, leave for Rwenzori National Park. While there we look out for special birds like the purple breasted sunbird, Abyssinian, Red faced, Shelly’s and Dusky Crimson-wing, Red-bellied seed cracker, Woodhouse Antipecker, Stripe-breasted Tit, Forest Flycatcher, Grey Apalis, Ayres and Cassin’s Hawk-eagle and many others. We stay at the basement of Mount Rwenzori.

Day 9 Birding the Rwenzori then transfer to Fort Portal  
We have another day of birding in the morning before we transfer to Fort Portal where a number of rare and highly localized birds may be found. African Long-eared Owl, sometimes considered nonspecific with the Holarctic Long-eared Owl. This is one of only two sites in East Africa [the other being Mt. Kenya] where this bird has been recorded. Similarly the Greater Double-collared Sunbird [sometimes considered a separate species, Stuhlmann’s Double-collared Sunbird] is endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains and is reportedly fairly common in areas of bamboo and heath. Rwenzori Turaco another common and easily seen here than elsewhere. There are recent sight records of the rare Grauer’s Cuckoo-shrike we keep fingers crossed for these amazing species. Dinner and Overnight at the Mountains of the Moon Hotel. Full board

Day 10: Birding to Semliki
After an early breakfast, bird to Semuliki National Park getting there in time to bird the trails around the hot springs. This gives us a great introduction to the Semliki birds like the Hornbills, Chestnut Breasted Negro Finch, Black Bellied Seed Cracker and others then transfer to Bundibugyo. Overnight at the Rainbow or Vanilla Hotel. FB

Day 11: Whole day birding Kirumia Trail
After breakfast, proceed for a whole day birding on the Kirumia trail. Depending on the weather condition today we have some of the best birding within the East African region as many species are of west African Origin. Look out for birds like Black-casqued wattled, White thighed, Piping, Red-billed dwarf, White crested and Black dwarf Hornbill, Rufaous Sided Broadbill, Blue Billed and Crested Malimbe, Blue-headed Crested-flycatcher, Leaf Love, Swamp palm Bulbul, rarely seen are the Capuchin Babbler and African Piculet small bird of its own related to the woodpeckers and the Lyre Tailed Honey Guides among other birds. Dinner and overnight as before. FB

Day 12: Birding to Entebbe
After breakfast, bird your way to Entebbe . end of our Albertine Rift Birding safari

End of Safari