23 Days Albertine Rift and Central Uganda Birding Tour

The luxury/ mid-range birding trip takes you to Mabamba Swamp, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Budongo Forest, Lutembe Ramsar site, Entebbe Botanical gardens, Murchison falls, Kibale Forest, Semliki, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable, Mgahinga Gorilla, and Lake Mburo national parks.

Safari Highlights
All birding activities for the trip, Boat cruise, game drives, nature walks

Equipment to bring
Pair of Binoculars, Field Guides, 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.

Overview
The Albertine Rift or Africa’s Western Rift Valley is one of the most bio diverse regions of the African continent. With more than half of Africa’s birds, 40% of Africa’s mammals and about 20% of its amphibians and plants, it contains more vertebrate species than anywhere else on the continent. It also conserves more threatened and endemic species than any other region of Africa, and as a result is a Biodiversity Hotspot, a Global 200 Eco region and an Endemic Bird Area.

This 23 day birding tour explores key birding spots in the Albertine rift. It starts from Lake Mburo which is Uganda’s smallest savanna parks and famous for the African Finfoot and traverses the Kigezi highlands of Bwindi impenetrable for the Specials in Ruhija and ends at Entebbe botanical gardens.

Safari Summary
Day 1 – Arrival and pick up
Day 2- Birding at Mabamba
Day 3- Birding at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and transfer To Budongo Forest
Day 4- Birding in Budongo Forest (Royal Mile)
Day 5- Birding in Murchison Falls National park (Morning game drive and afternoon boat ride to the bottom of the falls)
Day 6- Birding in Murchison falls national park (Morning boat ride to the delta and Evening birding game drive)
Day 7 – Transfer to Kibale forest National park
Day 8- Birding in Kibale Forest national park
Day 9 –Birding in Bigodi wetland and transfer to Semliki national park
Day 10- Birding in Semuliki national park
Day 11- Birding in Semliki national park (Sempaya and Ntandi)
Day 12- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 13- Birding in Queen Elizabeth (Game drive and boat cruise in Kazinga Channel)
Day 14- Birding in Maramagambo Forest
Day 15-Birding in Kyambura gorge and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national Park
Day 16- Birding in Buhoma (Buhoma main trail and the falls)
Day 17- Birding to Ruhija
Day 18-Birding in Ruhija and optional gorilla tracking
Day 19- Transfer to Mgahinga national park
Day 20- Birding in Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Day 21- Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
Day 22- Whole day birding in Lake Mburo
Day 23- Birding in Lutembe (Morning) and Entebbe Botanical gardens in the evening
Day 24 Departure

Detailed Programme

Day 1 – Arrival and pick up
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 at Mabamba
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 3 – Birding at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and transfer To Budongo Forest
In the morning, wake up early at 6am have a quick breakfast and drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola 176km from Kampala about 2 and 30hr drive. The sanctuary contains over 300 bird species! There are four bird trails within the sanctuary which cover woodlands, swamp and savannah.

The bird guides are excellent and this is an activity that cannot be missed by bird lovers! You will probably get to see some of the other game on the sanctuary while doing your bird walk. One of the most sought after birds to be seen in Uganda is the shoebill stork. This is one of the only places that you are almost always guaranteed to see the storks. The best sighting has been 11 in one trip! Within our swamps, these prehistoric-looking birds are nesting.

The species to expect include the Nubian Wood pecker, Abdim’s Stork, Blue spotted dove, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Booted eagle, African Black Crake, Broad billed Roller, African Black-headed Oriole, Bronze Manikin, African Blue Flycatcher, Brown-backed Srub Robin, African Broad Bill, Brown-crowned Tchagra, African Citril, Brown Parrot, African Crowned Eagle, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, African Darter, Buff-spotted Flufftail, African Fish Eagle, Cardinal Woodpecker, African Golden-breasted Bunting, Cattle Egret, African Golden Oriole, Chinspot Batis, African Goshawk, Common Bulbul, African Green Pigeon, Common Chat, Common Fiscal Shrike, African Grey Hornbill among others.

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

Day 4 – Birding in Budongo Forest (Royal Mile)
After breakfast, we drive 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 at – Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Budongo Eco lodge – Mid-range

Day 5 – Birding in Murchison Falls National park (Morning game drive and afternoon boat ride to the bottom of the falls)
Wake up at 6:00 am have a quick cup of team and move with packed breakfast. 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 Martin, 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 6 – Birding in Murchison falls national park (Morning boat ride to the delta and Evening birding 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 7 – Transfer to Kibale forest National park
Early breakfast then you check out and drive to Kyaninga Lodge in Fort Portal via Masindi with a lunch stop in Hoima. {5hrs} At Kyaninga Lodge, check in (Luxury) or proceed to Primates Lodge in Kibale Forest (Mid-range) Kibale National Park has one of the most stunning and varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp that dominates the northern and central parts of the park.

The Park is famous for Chimpanzee tracking. With 13 primates species, Kibale National Park in western Uganda, measuring 795 sqkm is known is the Primates Capital of the world. The park hosts about 1500 chimpanzees out of the 5000 recorded in the country and has 375 and 250 bird and butterfly species respectively in addition to 70 mammal species.

Along the way, you might see these birds: Yellow-rumped and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Foxy Cisticola, Black Bishop, the Northern and Black-winged Red Bishops, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Tropical Boubou, the Grey-crowned and Black-crowned Tchagra, Striped Kingfisher, White-headed Barbet, and many more

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge -Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Primate Lodge- Mid-range

Day 8 – Birding in Kibale Forest national park
Wake up early, have breakfast and drive for one hour from Kyaninga to Kibale Forest National Park visitors’ center at Kanyanchu. If you stay at Primates Lodge, it’s just a stone throw away. The start your first day of the thrilling two day birding experience in Kibale Forest and Bigodi wetland. Bigodi is a wetland next to the park run by the community. It is rich in birds.

The birds in the forest include: Green-breasted Pitta and more forest species like the Brown Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Brown-capped Weaver, Brown-chested Alethe, Black-headed Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Green-pigeon, Black-crowned Tchagra, African Wood Owl, African/Rwenzori/Abyssinian Hill-Babbler, Alpine Swift, Ashy Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Black Bee-eater, Black Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Black-and-white Manikin, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Black-billed Turaco, Black-billed Weaver, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, African Dusky Flycatcher, Black-headed Weaver, Black-necked Weaver, African Citril (Western Citril),Black-throated Apalis, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Blue-throated Roller, African Blue Flycatcher, Bocage’ Bush-shrike, Bronze Manikin among others

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Primate lodge- Mid-range

Day 9 – Birding in Bigodi wetland and transfer to Semliki national park
Wake up early, have breakfast and drive from the lodge to Bigodi wetland. Located just 6 kilometers from the Kanyanchu information center, Bigodi wetland sanctuary is a fascinating area sheltering over 200 bird species and various primates and mammals all which make a visit there surely interesting. The wetland is a community-based project managed by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED).

The great Blue Turaco also known as a loyal lover is one of the unique birds with an intriguing story. The bird is believed to remain single for life after the loss of a loved one. The other birds residing in the wetland include purple breasted sunbird, African pitta, Abyssinian ground thrush, Collared Apalis, Black capped apalis, Crowned eagle, Green breasted pitta, Kingfishers, Weavers, Cuckoos, Hornbills, Papyrus Gonolek, Flycatchers, Black Bee eater, Little Greenbul, Brown chested Alethe, Blue breasted kingfisher, Yellow rumpled tinker bird, Dusky crimson wing, Black bishop, Western nictor, Spotted barbet, Brown throated wattle eye, white-spotted fluff tail, weaver birds and purple breasted sunbird. Later after lunch we drive to Semliki national park. Semuliki National Park is about 2 hour drive from Kibale. It sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin and is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests that survived the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Semliki Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Ntoroko Game Lodge- Mid-range

Day 10 – Birding in Semuliki national park
In the morning we pack our breakfast and lunch and take on the Kirumia trail for our whole day birding experience. Semuliki National Park is known for its endemic bird species, unmatched butterfly life and hot springs. It has 441 recorded bird species, representing 40% of Uganda’s total bird species and 66% (216) of the country’s forest bird species. Birders who make it to Semuliki are always rewarded with some of Africa’s best forest birding experience. Sempaya and Ntandi areas provide excellent viewing of the birds. The area around Kirumia River is another top birding spot. The shoebill stork is regularly seen at close quarters on Lake Albert and forest walks are good for tracking water birds.

The bird checklist includes: Spot-breasted Ibis, Hartlaubs’s Duck, Chestnut-flanked Goshawk, Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Long-tailed Hawk, Forest Francolin, Nkulengu Rail, Western Bronze-napped Pigeon, Black-collared Lovebird, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Red-chested Owlet, Bates’ Nightjar, Chocolate-backed, White-bellied and African Dwarf Kingfishers, White-crested, Black Dwarf, Red-billed Dwarf, Piping and Black-wattled Hornbills, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Spotted, Lyre-tailed and Zenker’s Honeyguides, African Piculet, Gabon Woodpecker, Red-sided Broadbill, White-throated Blue Swallow, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Sassi’s Olive, Xavier’s, Swamp, Simple and Eastern Bearded Greenbuls, Yellow-throated Nicator, Capuchin Babbler, Northern Bearded Scrub Robin, Forest and Grey Ground Thrushes, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Red-billed Helmet -Shrike, Red-eyed Puff-back, Black-winged Starling, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Blue-billed, Crested and Red-bellied Malimbes, Pale-fronted and Chestnut-breasted Negro finches, Grant’s Bluebill.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Semliki safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Ntoroko Game lodge- Mid-range

Day 11 – Birding in Semliki national park (Sempaya and Ntandi)
In the morning we pack our breakfast and lunch and take on the trail for our other whole day birding experience in Semliki. We do birding at Sempaya and Ntandi as we look out for species that we might have missed the previous day. This day will end with a drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Semliki safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Ntoroko Game lodge- Mid-range

Day 12 – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
In the morning, have early breakfast and drive as we bird in Semliki as we drive to Queen Elizabeth National park. Queen Elizabeth in western Uganda is the country’s flagship national park gifted with diverse ecosystems. These include savanna, forests and sparkling lakes. The park is home to a variety of game, primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Enganzi Game Lodge- Mid-range

Day 13 – Birding in Queen Elizabeth (Game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel)
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea, pack breakfast and go on birding game drive up to lunch time. With over 600 bird species, the park has the biggest number of birds of any protected area in East Africa.

In the afternoon, go for a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel.
Kazinga Channel is a haven for water birds that are easily seen during a boat cruise. Some of them are: Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Common Squaco Heron, White-faced Whistling and Knob-billed Ducks, African Fish Eagle, Great-white and Pink-backed Pelicans, African open-billed Stork, Water Thick-knee, Malachite and Pied kingfishers, Swamp flycatchers and Yellow backed Weavers, Black Crake, African Jacana, Spur-winged and African Wattled Plovers.

Hundreds of African Skimmers may be seen roosting on sandbars near the entry to Lake Edward but are migrants from southern tropics and typically present only from December to May. Other birds to watch out for in the park are: Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Mourning Dove, Red-chested sunbird, Swamp Fly-catcher, Grey-capped Warbler, Slender-billed, Yellow-backed and Lesser Masked Weavers, Pin-tailed Whydah, Brimstone Canary, Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Enganzi Game Lodge- Mid-range

Day 14 – Birding in Maramagambo Forest
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea pack breakfast and go on birding expedition to Maramagambo Forest and have lunch at Jacana Safari Lodge. After lunch you continue the birding exercise and go back to the hotel in the evening. Maramagambo forest covers a part of queen Elizabeth National Park from the escarpment of Kichwamba and all through to Lake Edward At Maramagambo forest you will have a chance to watch a variety of forest birds. The list includes a number of uncommon bird species like; the Rwenzori Turaco, the White napped Pigeons, Pygmy Kingfisher, African skimmer, Martial Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Chapin’s Flycatcher, African Broadbill, Black – Bee eater, Papyrus Gonolek, White- tailed Lark, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Canary, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, Corncrake and African Finfoot among others.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Enganzi Game Lodge- Mid-range

Day 15 – Birding in Kyambura gorge and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national Park
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea and packed breakfast and drive to Kyambura for a morning forest birding experience and after lunch transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Kyambura gorge in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is one of the most popular tourist draw in the part of Queen Elizabeth National Park with habituated chimpanzees.

It is also called the valley of apes which is approximately 1km across its broadest point and about 100 meters deep. The landscape is the most impressive with a rich wildlife diversity with a tropical rain forest. Kyambura gorge is famed for its underground forest and birds like Northern Brown throated weaver, Carruther’s Cisticola, White-winged swamp Flycatcher, Lesser Flamingo, Red-chested sunbird and Black-Bee eaters among others.

After lunch break we transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National park about 62km away. Bwindi is a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site and a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas. The park is located in South Western Uganda on the edge of the western rift valley, covering 331 square kilometers. Bwindi is known to have a rich fauna community in East Africa with over 120 mammals, 11 primates, 200 butterflies and around 350 species of birds of which 23 are Albertine Rift endemics.

Along the way we hope to add Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed Weaver, Little Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Grey-headed Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Spur-winged Lapwing, the Ring-necked, Red-eyed and African Mourning Doves, the Winding, Croaking and Zitting Cisticola among others.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Clouds Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Silverback Lodge- Mid-range

Day 16 – Birding in Buhoma (Buhoma main trail and the falls)
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea and packed breakfast and drive to Buhoma as you bird through the park. The varied habitats of Uganda’s oldest forest mean it is the ideal habitat for a variety of birds, with 350 species recorded, including 23 endemics (90% of all Albertine Rift endemics) such as the Short-tailed Warbler and Blue-headed Sunbird as well as seven IUCN red data listed species. Easy to see are the African Emerald Cuckoo, Common Bulbul, African Blue and White-tailed Blue Flycatchers and Red-headed Bluebill. Birding takes place along the main trail, the Buhoma Waterfall Trail and along the bamboo zone.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Clouds Gorilla Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Silverback Lodge- Mid-range

Day 17 – Birding to Ruhija
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea and packed breakfast and drive to Ruhija through the park. Ruhija is the best birding spot in Uganda and Africa. Located in the eastern part of the park the sector harbors species like Rwenzori Batis, Double Collared Sunbird, Black Flycatcher, White-tailed blue flycatcher, Brown-capped warbler, Black Billed weaver, Black Necked weaver, Red Headed Malimbe, Grey-headed Sparrow, Waller’s Starling, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Montane Oriole, Many Coloured Bush Shrike, Bocage’s Bush Shrike, Brown Crowned Tchagra, Pink Footed Puffback, Ludher’s Bush Shrike, Doherty`s Bush-shrike, Mountain Illadopsis, Rwenzori Nightjar. Check in and have relaxed day at the lodge.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Gorilla Mist Camp- Mid-range

Day 18 – Birding in Ruhija and optional gorilla tracking
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea, packed breakfast and drive to Ruhija visitors center for the start of the birding day in Mubwindi Swamp. Here birds are very many and easy to spot; many species connecting in assorted feeding flocks that are all through the day. Starting early offers the finest opportunity of finding the remarkable Batis, Mountain plus yellow-streaked Greenbuls, handsome Francolin, white-tailed crested Flycatcher, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Rwenzori Batis, western Green Tinkerbird, red-faced woodland Warbler, as well as the Mountain marked plus chestnut-throated Apalises among many others.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Gorilla Mist Camp- Mid-range

Day 19 – Transfer to Mgahinga National Park via Echuya Forest
Wake up early in the morning have a cup of tea and packed breakfast and drive to Mgahinga National Park via Echuya forest along the Kabale- Kisoro as you bird along the way. Echuya Forest Reserve is a fantastic birding destination located in the southwestern part of the country near the Rwandan border. It is home to roughly 150 species of birds, eighteen of which are endemic to the reserve, including the elusive Grauer’s Swamp warbler.

The forest is ranked as Uganda’s most important forest habitat due to the rarity of its flora and fauna and has much potential for sustainable tourism initiatives due to the dense human population of the area and the growing interactions between these people and the forest. Some of the birds in Echuya are: African Green Broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson-wings, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, White-browed Crombec, White-napped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Sharp’s Starling, Mountain masked and Rwenzori Apalises.

In the afternoon after birding we drive to Mgahinga enjoying and photographing the beautiful cultivated landscapes of Kigezi, part of Lake Bunyonyi we drive on the winding road.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Gahinga lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Lake Chahafi Resort- Mid-range

Day 20 – Birding in Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Wake up early in the morning at 6am have a quick cup of tea and drive to the park for the morning birding session in Uganda’s smallest park. Mgahinga has a unique bird fauna with 115 bird species recorded including several species prevalent to the East Congo Montane region. For the Virunga Conservation Area as a whole, over 295 species are prevalent to the Albertine Rift Afromontane region representing 59% of the total of known endemic species. These include: the Rwenzori Turaco, Dwarf Honeyguide, Kivu ground Thrush, Rwenzori Double-collared, Regal and the Purple-breasted Sunbirds, Archer`s Robin-chat, the Cinnamon Bracken, Mountain Yellow Warblers, the Dusky Tit, the much sought after Shelley’s Crimson-wing and many more.

In the evening, we do birding around Lake Chahafi.
Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Gahinga lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Lake Chahafi Resort- Mid-range

Day 21 – Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
After breakfast in the morning we drive to Lake Mburo National Park enjoying the beautiful scenery and birding along the way. We will have lunch en route.

Lake Mburo is Uganda’s smallest savanna National Park. It is conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. The park is underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. Mburo is home to over 350 bird species with 90% chances of seeing the African Finfoot.

Lake Mburo National Park with 13 other lakes forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Rwakobo Rock – Mid-range

Day 22 – Whole day birding in Lake Mburo
We shall wake up 6am have a quick cup of tea and packed breakfast and go for a game drive in search of birds. The network of game tracks in the east of the park passes a variety of landscape features; acacia woodland, wetlands, grassy hillsides, rock outcrops and seasonally flooded valley floors. Lake Mburo has about 350 bird species including White-winged warbler, Shoebill stork, Crested Francolin, Brown parrot, Red-necked Spur, Common quails, African grey hornbill, Nubian woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola, Coqui Francolin, Long-tailed Cisticola, Southern red Bishop and so much more.

The best birding spots in the park include the swampy valleys of Warukiri and Miriti, and the roadsides between Rwonyo camp and the jetty. There are viewing platforms at the salt lick, in Miriti valley, and in Rubanga Forest. From the morning game drive we come back for lunch, have a rest and go for a boat cruise in the evening.

Boat cruise
The park is well-to-do with a variety of animal and plant species which can only be seen clearly if you take a boat trip. The Hippopotamuses, crocodiles and birds like Pelicans, Herons, African fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Finfoot and Cormorants. Lake Mburo also has stunning sunsets if it’s not cloudy.

Meal Plan (B, L, D)
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge-Luxury
Dinner and Overnight stay at Rwakobo Rock- Mid-range

Day 23 – Birding in Lutembe Ramsar site
Wake Up early morning at 6am have a quick breakfast and drive to Lutembe for the birding session. Lutembe Wetland is one of Uganda’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) and a wetland of international importance (Ramsar site) since 2006. It is a major bird migration stop-overs and interesting sites for bird watching around the Lake Victoria. With a total of 108 water bird species at the site, of which 26 are Palearctic migrants and its ability for regularly supporting thousands of roosting water birds, qualified it both an IBA and a Ramsar Site.

It has records of the Shoebill Stork, Tawny Pipit, and the Madagascar Squacco Heron also exist. The Purple Starling, House Sparrow, Brown Twinspot, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Black-necked Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Africa-Pygmy Kingfisher, Scaly Francolin, Black Kite, Grey-backed Fiscal, Black-headed Gonolek, Black-crowned Waxbill, Barn Swallow, Helmeted Guineafowl, Wire-tailed Swallow, Brimstone and the Yellow-fronted Canaries, Little Ringed Plover, Collared Pratincole, Splendid Sterling, Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow-browed Carmaroptera, Common Waxbill, Marico Sunbird, Tree Pipit, Grosbeak Weaver, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Cape Wagtail, Africa Wattled Lapwing, Senegal Lapwing, Yellow-throated Long claw, White-headed Saw-wing, Broad-billed Roller, White-browed among others.

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

Day 24 – Birding at Entebbe Botanical gardens (Morning) and Departure
Wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, check out of the hotel 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 23 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