12 Days Birding Tour Uganda
Day 1: Airport Arrival .
You will be met by our driver /guide at Entebbe International Airport on arrival at 19.10 hrs on flight SA0160 who will drive you to Central Inn Entebbe .
Day 2: Mabamba Birding sanctuary
Will have an excursion to Mabamba birding sanctuary for shoe bill viewing and other popular birds. If the arrangement continues then this morning will carryout birding at Mabamba swamp sanctuary near lake Victoria looking for the elusive and famous shoe bill plus many more species of water logged Mabamba Wetland and other avian species Yellow-backed Weaver, Grey-headed Gull, Long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco Heron,Yellow-billed Duck, Pied Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher, Broad-billed Roller, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling, Black-headed Gonolek, Orange Weave plus migratory birds..
Apart from Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba bay is the only place and site (so far rated as the best in Africa and/or the whole world) where the elusive Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) can be spotted at any one time of the day, approximately 38% of the global population of the Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea), and the globally-threatened Papyrus Yellow Warbler plus other birds of global conservation concern. It is also a habitat to rare plant species like Scadoxus species. Recently, Mabamba has become one of the strong holds for the migrant Blue Swallow with over 100 individuals recorded every year. Mabamba has been surveyed in recent years and now boosts of over 260 species with one day’s record of 157 species (Bird Life International) After birding will be driven back to Entebbe/Kampala
Day 3: Kibale Forest National Park.
Driven to Kibale for chimpanzee tracking. Morning take a natural walk birding in the Kibale forest national park. Afternoon take nature walk in Bigodi swamp exploring different community projects, birding and seeing other primates. The day will be spent birding in the forest and the environs , specialties include white tailed Ant-thrushes, purple headed glossy starling, brown Illadopsis, green Breasted pitta, white napped pigeon, Mashed Apalis, Toro olive greenbul, blacked billed turaco, buff spotted woodpecker and green crombec dinner and overnight. ( Here there is community project of Bigodi Swamp an eco tourism project that involve communities when they were persuaded to leave the forest , they are involved in income generating project crafts making, environment protection and do birding training guides to sensitize the importance of birds in their environment).
Other species to be seen Red-winged Francolin , red-chested Fluftail , Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Grey throated flycatcher, white –bellied crested flycatcher, Masked and Black capped Apalises , Uganda woodland warbler , Chestnut- winged starling, Orange-tufted and tiny sunbirds, Grey-headed olive-back.
Overnight will be at Crater Valley Resort Kibale.
Day 4: Kibale Forest National Park- Queen Elizabeth .
Drive southwards to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is the second largest park in Uganda. Serious birders may be interested in knowing that the one day record of Queen Elizabeth national park is 296 species out of the 610 bird species recorded in this park. An excellent variety of birds can be seen and these include the pelicans, skimmers, kingfishers, think knees, storks, martins, swallows, weavers, canaries, kits, and many grassland specialties. Evening birding is usually productive. Dinner and overnight Simba camp
Day 5:Queen Elizabeth National Park.
This whole day birding will be done in Queen Elizabeth National Park. An early morning game drive in the open savannah makes very ideal for savannah birds. In the afternoon, a launch cruise will be taken on the Kazinga Channel that connects lakes of George and Edward, is among the best known regions for its high diversity of bird species. Special birds include African skimmer. You can even have an evening game drive for special species seen at night and some nocturnal species. Overnight.
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park .
After early game drive, while birding continue to Bwindi. Overnight Community Bandas
Day 7 : Bwindi National Park.
This day whole birding will be done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Buhoma sector. this park boosts a number of special bird species such as Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Montane Masked Apalis, Neumann’s Warbler and Rwenzori Batis. Other non-endemic specials include Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Dusky Tit, Black Bee-eater, White-bellied Robin-chat and Sooty Flycatcher as well as hole-nesting Waller’s and Narrow-tailed Starlings in the dead tree snags. The Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-necked Weaver, Lühder’s Bush-shrike and Bar-tailed Trogon will be spotted, Toro-Olive Greenbul, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher and Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Collared Apalis, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Dinner and overnight Buhoma.
Day 8 :Bwindi National Park -Buhoma- Ruhija.
Morning birding in the surrounding and later proceed to Ruhija birding will be at Ruhiija sector. The star attractions here are Collared Apalis, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Dusky Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin-chat, Regal Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Dwarf Honeyguide and many others. The trail to Mubwindi Swamp promises to reveal some of the most difficult of all rift-endemics including the mythical African Green Broadbill. Mubwindi Swamp holds Graur’s Rush Warbler and Carruther’s Cisticola. Dinner and overnight Ruhiija Gorilla Lodge.
Day 9 :Bwindi National Park – Ruhija – Lake Mburo National Park
This morning will carryout birding in the 4km trial to Mubwindi Swamp drops from 2350m to 2050m and is the best place for some of the most difficult birds to find, all rift endemics including Grauer’s (African Green), Broadbill the beautiful regal sunbird and Archers Robin Chat. Mubwindi swamp at an elevated of 2050m/6725ft holds Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe breasted Tit, Rwenzori Apalis and African Hill Babbler sometimes treated as a separate species, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, the rare and localized Grauer’s scrub warbler and carruthers’ Cisticola, including very difficult to see species Fraser’s
Afternoon drive to Lake Mburo National park. Overnight at Rwonyo Camp bandas
Day 10 : Lake Mburo National Park
This Park contains extensive area of wetlands. Lake Mburo National park harbours several species of mammals including Zebras, Impalas, elands, topi and buffaloes. Track at kigambira Loop to look for savanna and Acacia woodland species including Blue-naped Mousebird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Northern Black Tit, Red-headed Lovebird, Green-capped Eremomela, Ross’ Turaco and the highly sought-after Red-faced Barbet. Overnight at Rwonyo Camp Bandas/tents
Day 11: Lake Mburo National Park- Kampala
Morning will choose what to do either game drive , taking boat ride on lake Mburo or taking guided walk while looking for different species white winged warbler, Papyrus yellow warbler, Caruthers, Cisticola, Papyrus Gonoleka, Yellow Billed Oxpecker and Northern Brown throated weaver .Afternoon will be driven to Kampala stop at the Equator for Dinner and overnight Kampala at Tal Cottages Rubaga
Day 12 : Mabira Forest Sanctuary
Morning will be driven to Mabira following the eastern side of Kampala to Mabira the only remaining Forest Reserve in Central Uganda. On arrival will use local guides to look for the Wev’s weaver Naha’s francolin, great blue Turaco, pretty Tit hylia, leaf love African grey parrot and many more. After lunch will drive back to Kampala and continue to Entebbe .
