19 Days Uganda Birding Safari

The luxury/mid-range birding trip takes you to Birding areas in the eastern and northern parts of the pearl of Africa which include Mabira forest Reserve, Mt. Elgon National Park, Pian Upe Game Reserve, Amudat, Kidepo Valley and Murchison Falls National Parks, Budongo Forest Reserve and Entebbe Botanical gardens.

Safari Highlights
All birding Safaris including game drives, nature walks and boat cruise,

Equipment to bring
Pair of Binoculars, Telescope, Camera, 300+ mm lens, Tripod/Monopod, water proof protection for your equipment, spare batteries and a charger.

Snap Uganda gives one set of complimentary photographic accessories that include a trip/monopod, gimbal, cotton carrier and beanbag for each trip.

Safari overview
Eastern Uganda is widely known as magnet for adventurers not only in Uganda but East Africa. It takes up the wide plains down from Mt Elgon to the plains of Karamoja. This trip also takes you through Uganda’s urban rain forest- Mabira where you will do zip lining. Mabira Forest is a biodiversity store.

It has 315 bird 312 tree and 40 small mammal species. As you move north east, the region lies between the Albertine Rift and the Eastern arm of the great Rift Valley. ( Gregory Rift). This lowalnd region has huge plains covered by large expanses of Savanna and woodland which contain the bird species of the Somali- Masai biome in Karamoja region where Kidepo is found down to Murchison Falls National Park.

Safari Summary
Day 1- Arrival
Day 2- Birding in Mabira Forest
Day 3- Transfer to Mount Elgon National Park (Kapkwai)
Day 4- Whole day Birding in Kapkwai
Day 5- Transfer to Pian Upe Game reserve
Day 6- Birding in Pian Upe
Day 7- Transfer to Amudat
Day 8- Whole day birding in Amudat
Day 9- Transfer to Kidepo Valley national park
Day 10- Birding in Kidepo Valley national Park
Day 11- Birding in Kidepo Valley National Park
Day 12- Transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 13- Birding in Murchison falls (Morning game drive and after noon boat trip to the bottom of the falls)
Day 14 Morning boat trip to the Nile Delta and evening game drive
Day 15-Transfer to Budongo Forest reserve
Day 16- Birding in Budongo (Royal Mile)
Day 17- Transfer to Kampala
Day 18- Birding at Mabamba Swamp
Day 19- Birding at Botanical gardens and Departure

Detailed Programme

Day 1 – Arrival
You arrive at Entebbe International Airport and a representative from Snap Uganda Tours will meet you and drive you to Sheraton Kampala Hotel (luxury) {1hr} or to Kaazi Beach Resort (mid-range). Please feel free to ask questions about Uganda along the way.

Meal Plan. D, B
Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Kampala Hotel- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Kaazi Beach Resort – Mid-range

Day 2 – Birding in Mabira Forest
Mabira Forest is Uganda’s only urban jungle. The forest is located between two major urban centers, on the main Kampala-Jinja highway about 54 km, an hour’s drive from Kampala and 20 km from Jinja. The forest centre is on the edge of Najjembe Trading Centre, whose roadside market is famous for roast chicken and gonja (plantain).

The forest is home to 312 tree and 218 butterfly species. Some of the tropical tree species reach up to 60 feet in height. Some have protruding buttressed roots along with an abundance of lianas and vines. Some are estimated to be 80 to 100 years old. Some of the important tree species in Mabira are: Diphasia angolensis which is not known to occur elsewhere in Uganda.

Other species of international conservation concern are: Cordia Millenii, Militia Excelsa, Irvingia gabonensis, Entandrophragma angolense, and Lovoa swynnertonii, Warbhugia Ugandenesis ( known to cure over forty ailments) and the vulnerable Prunus. For birders the forest boasts of a 315 bird record with 74 of the 144 species of Guinea-Congo Forests biome that occurs in Uganda. The hottest item in the birding menu is the Nahan’s Francolin which is on the IUCN Red list of endangered species.

Other birds in the forest are: Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, White-spotted Flufftail, Afep Pigeon, Grey Parrot, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-shouldered Nightjar, Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s Spinetail, Blue-throated Roller, African Dwarf-kingfisher, White-bellied Kingfisher, Forest Woodhoopoe, African Pied Hornbill, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, Green-breasted Pitta, African Shrike-flycatcher, Jameson’s and Chestnut Wattle-eyes, the Forest Robin, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-capped Robin-Chat, the Speckle-breasted, Yellow-crested, Brown-eared, Grey and the Buff-spotted Woodpeckers, Cassin’s Honeyguide, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Little Greenbul, Honeyguide Greenbul, Sooty Boubou, Grey-green Bush-shrike, just to mention but a few.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Rainforest Lodge -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at- Mid-range

Day 3 – Transfer to Mount Elgon National Park (Kapkwai)
Wake Up in the morning have breakfast and drive to Mount Elgon National Park. Mt Elgon National Park is located on the Uganda-Kenya border. The mountain is the oldest and largest solitary, volcanic mountain in East Africa with the largest volcanic base in the world (50 km by 80 km).

It is an extinct volcano that first erupted around 24 million years ago. Mt Elgon National Park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer. The higher slopes are protected by national parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating an extensive trans-boundary conservation area which has been declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Noah’s Ark- Mid-range

Day 4 – Whole day Birding in Kapkwai
Wake up at 6:00 am have a quick cup of team and move with packed breakfast and lunch. You will then embark on the hike for birding a session in Kapkwai in Mt Elgon National Park. Excellent birding opportunities exist around Kapkwai Forest Exploration Centre, in particular in the secondary forest and thick shrub. Some of the birds to watch out for are: the African Goshawk; Chubb’s Cisticola, White-chinned Prinia, African Blue Fly-catcher, Chinspot Batis, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Doherty’s and Ludher’s Bush-shrikes, Baglafecht Weaver, Cinnamon Bee Eater, Mustached Tinkerbird, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Tacazze Sunbird, Olive- and Bronze-naped Pigeons and many more.

The park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer. Out of the 300 birds, 40 are restricted range species while 56 of the 87 Afro tropical highland biome species live here, notably the Moorland Francolin, Mustached Green Tinkerbird and Alpine Chat. Birds whose Ugandan range is limited to Mount Elgon include the Jackson’s Francolin and Black-collared Apalis. Among those limited to just a few mountains in eastern Uganda are the Black-shouldered Kite and Tacazze Sunbird. Mount Elgon is one of the few places in Uganda where the endangered Lammergeyer can be seen, soaring above the caldera and Suam Gorge if you climb at higher altitudes.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mbale Resort Hotel-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Noah’s Ark- Mid-range

Day 5 – Transfer to Pian Upe Game reserve
After the morning breakfast, drive to Pian Upe game reserve. Pian Upe Wildlife reserve is located in the northeastern semi-arid part of Uganda, spanning a land area of 2043 sqkm. It is undisputedly the largest wildlife reserve in the country and the second largest protected area in Uganda after Murchison Falls National Park and also one of the most picturesque points in the country. This game reserve comprises of untouched grassland and wooded grassland. There is also a section of riverine woodland, kopjes and others.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at UWA Bandas – Mid-range

Day 6 – Birding in Pian Upe
In the morning after breakfast embark on a game drive in the reserve in the search of the northern Somali-Masai species that the area offers. Pian Upe’s ecosystems attract unique bird species that make it an endeared birding hotspot. Birds in the area include: the Karamoja Apalis, which is endemic to northeastern Uganda. Ostriches (both wild and domesticated), Green Bitta, Abyssinian ground Hornbills, Superb Sterlings, and the Secretary birds. The Shoebill can be sighted on the park’s stretch of land. The reserve’s boundary is broken by the extension of Lake Opeta, one in two places in Uganda and the entire world where the Fox’s Weaver bird can be sighted.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at – Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at UWA Bandas- Mid-range

Day 7 – Transfer to Amudat
In the morning, have early breakfast and transfer to Amudat for the Somali- Masai biomes birds that are endemic to the region. Amudat has a variety of endemic bird species from the Somali-Masai and Sudan–Guinea Savanna biomes that are easy to see and photograph. Birding is done in the community lands. Accommodation facilities in Amudat are basic with a few hotels with self-contained rooms.

Amudat District is in Karamoja region. It is bordered by Moroto District to the north, the Republic of Kenya to the east, Bukwa District and Kween District to the south and Nakapiripirit District to the west. Amudat lies approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi), by road off Moroto Road, northeast of Nakapiripirit, the nearest large town and about 400 kilometres (250 mi), by road, northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at- Mid-range

Day 8 – Whole day birding in Amudat
Amudat has a variety of semi-arid birds only found in Karamoja region. The Pokot tribe who live in the area have a tradition of not cutting trees. As a result, the area is forested with a variety of easy to see and photograph birds. The list of the birds in the area is still its infancy but you will not be disappointed. Key among the special birds in Amudat include, Purple Grenadier, Black-cheeked Waxbill, Red- billed Hornbill, Karamoja Apalis, Straw-tailed Whydah, Eastern Paradise – Whydah, Grey-headed Silver bill, Red-pate Cisticola, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Beautiful sunbird among others

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at – Mid-range

Day 9 – Transfer to Kidepo Valley national park
After an early breakfast, you do a game drive through the reserve as you continue to Kidepo Valley national park. Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with Sudan and Kenya. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species as well as around 480 bird species.

In the morning after breakfast you will transfer to Kidepo Valley national Park. Then drive to the 480 species search adventure in the only IBA located entirely within the Somali– Masai biological region. The park has the second-highest bird record of the protected areas in the country, after Queen Elizabeth National Park and supports some of the rarest species in Uganda, such as Black-breasted Barbet and Karamoja Apalis.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Apoka Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kidepo Savanna Lodge- Mid-range

Day 10 – Birding in Kidepo Valley national Park (Apoka and Kidepo River)
Wake up early have breakfast or go with packed breakfast and drive in Kidepo Valley for special species. Other wildlife will be encountered on the drive. The search will be on for two days and this will help to at least exhaust half or even more of the parks bird population. During the search expect to see the African Swallow-tailed Kite, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon, Fox Kestrel, Stone Partridge, Clapperton’s and Heuglin’s Francolins, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Kori, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Violet-tipped Courser, Black-headed Plover, Four-banded Sand Grouse, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-crested Turaco, White-bellied Go-away-bird, White-faced Scops Owl and Ostriches.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Apoka Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kidepo Savanna Lodge- Mid-range

Day 11 – Birding in Kidepo Valley National Park
Wake up early have breakfast or go with packed breakfast and do a morning game drive. Kidepo Valley has a very impressive list of birds with about 60 of the species in the park not recorded in any other Ugandan national park or Important Birding Area (IBA). Today we will do birding in the Narus and Namamukweny valleys. Among the birds seen are the Abyssinian Roller, Purple Heron, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and Clapperton’s Francolin, which is found only in Kidepo.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Apoka Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kidepo Savanna Lodge- Mid-range

Day 12 – Transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast we transfer as you bird to Murchison Falls National Park via, Kitgum and Gulu. Murchison Falls along the River Nile is the main attraction of the park from which it is named. The park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. The park hosts 76 mammal and 451 bird species respectively and is the largest conservation area in the country. We will drive looking out for birds like African open Bill , Grey Kestrel, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Red-headed Lovebird, Swifts, Sunbirds, Weavers, Finches among others. Arrive in Murchison falls check in at the lodge for an overnight and dinner.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Chobe Safari Lodge.
Dinner and Overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 13 – Birding in Murchison falls (Morning game drive and after noon boat trip to the bottom of the falls)
Wake up at 6:00 am have a quick cup of tea and move with packed breakfast. If you have stayed at Chobe Sfari Lodge, you will check out and later chek in at Paraa Safari Lodge. The morning birding drive will take you to the northern bank of the park. The park is divided into two by the Victoria Nile. During the game drives, expect a variety of savanna species while on the game drive which include: House Martins, African Rock Martin, Lesser Striped Swallow, Ethiopian Swallow, Angola Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-chested Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Black Scimitar bill, Green Wood Hoopoe, a number of Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Bee eaters and Eagles.

After lunch, we will do a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls along River Nile. A boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison Falls is another rewarding experience to view wildlife and birds. Hippos, waterbucks, crocodiles, buffaloes and elephants can be seen along the banks of the Nile. Birds usually seen during the cruise include: Cormorants, African fish Eagles, Spur-winged goose, African darter, Giant Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-eater, Water thick knee among the many. At night, we will do a night drive in search of birds that are active at night like Night Jars etc

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 14 Morning boat cruise to the delta and evening game drive
Wake up at 6:00 am have a quick cup of tea and move with packed lunch. and move by boat to the delta. The boat ride is about 22 km along a placid river whose banks are rich with a variety of water birds. The delta is rich with birds like Grey crowned Crane and the famous Shoebill. In the evening we will do game drive and later a night hunt.

Meal plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 15 – Transfer to Budongo Forest reserve
Birding in Budongo (Royal Mile)
After breakfast, we travel to Budongo in search of Forest birds. Budongo Forest Reserve is one of the most important birding areas in Uganda. It lies on the escarpment North-East of Lake Albert. It consists of a medium-altitude moist semi-deciduous forest (covering 42,800ha), with areas of Savanna and Woodland.

The forest has a prolific bird life of about 360 species with two species not found anywhere else in Uganda. Expect species like Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s Spinetail (rare), Pygmy Crakes, Kingfishers( Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted, Dwarf), White-spotted Flufftail, Ituri Batis, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Brown Twinspot, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Crowned Eagle, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Forest Robin, Little Green Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Olive Green Carmaroptera, Blue-throated Roller, African Pied , Piping, Black and White Casqued Hornbills, Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Cassin’s Honeyguide, African Shrike Flycatcher, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Carmaroptera and many others.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Budongo Eco Lodge.
Dinner and Overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 16 – Birding in Budongo (Royal Mile)
After breakfast, we travel to Budongo in search of Forest birds. Budongo Forest Reserve is one of the most important birding areas in Uganda. It lies on the escarpment North-East of Lake Albert. It consists of a medium-altitude moist semi-deciduous forest (covering 42,800ha), with areas of Savanna and Woodland.

Meal Plan. D, B
Dinner and overnight at – Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Budongo Eco lodge – Mid-range

Day 17 – Transfer to Kampala
Wake up early in the morning have a cup of tea, do morning birding and transfer to Kampala after lunch. We shall have lunch en route. There are variety of birds to check out on the way back like the Long- crested Eagle, Black Kite, Village weavers, Bronze manikins, Red billed Firefinch, Gray-backed fiscals among others. We reach Kampala late afternoon and have time to relax at the hotel as we tick the checklists.

Meal Plan. (B, L, D)
Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Kampala Hotel- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Kaazi Beach Resort – Mid-range

Day 18- Birding at Mabamba Swamp
Wake Up in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea and pack breakfast and drive to Mabamba swamp. Mabamba Bay is a unique extensive marsh stretching along a narrow bay, fringed with papyrus towards the main body of Lake Victoria. It lies between Busi Island and Buwaya/Zziba village on the mainland. The marshland forms part of Buwaya Bay, South-west of Nakiwogo Bay both of which are located west of Entebbe International Airport. The swamp is about 50 Km from Kampala on the north edge of Lake Victoria. The swamp is one of Uganda’s 33 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance. It hosts key protected bird species.

Of the 200 species in the area, the Shoebill is the most popular attraction. Other birds are: the Blue Swallow, Papyrus Gonolek, Malachite Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White- faced whistling Duck, Common Squacco Heron, Blue- breasted Bee-eater, Saddle billed Stork, and Grey-headed Gulls and more.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Sheraton Kampala Hotel-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kaazi Beach Resort- Mid-range

Day 19- Birding at Botanical gardens and Departure
Wake up early in the morning have breakfast and drive to Entebbe Botanical gardens for birding. This is the only National Botanical Garden in Uganda. It was established in 1901 and is strategically located on the shores of Africa’s greatest Lake – Victoria.

The place is just 34 km’s from Kampala. The gardens host a variety of water, open country and woodland bird species among which include: the Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, Eastern plantain-eater, Yellow White-eye, Purple-banded Sunbird, African Jacana, Lesser Jacana, Yellow-billed Duck, Glossy Ibis, African Open-bill, Malachite Kingfisher, Blue-checked Bee-eater, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Black Crake, Long-tailed Cormorant, Crowned Hornbill, Vieillot’ Black Weaver, Woodland Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, the Africa and Red-billed Firefinch, Black-and-white-Casqued Hornbill, Senegal Coucal, Little Stint, Little Weaver, Striated Heron, Ruff, Gull-billed Tern, White-winged Tern, Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoos, Green Crombec, Tambourine Dove, Little and Tooro Olive Greenbuls, Water Thick-knee, Madagascar Bee-eater, Egyptian Goose, Black-headed Weaver, Slender-billed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, Long-tailed Sterling, Grey-Headed Sparrow, Spur-winged Lapwing, Orange weaver and a variety of primates.

Depending on your flight time, this will mark the end of the 19 days birding tour in Uganda. From the Botanical Gardens we drive you to the airport to catch your flight.

Meal Plan (B, L)

Tour Prices
This is a private Safari and can be booked by an individual or a group.

Cost Includes