9 days birding & Wildlife Safari
Trip Overview
Destination: Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Lake Mburo National Park, Maramagambo Forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National park, Bigodi Swamp and Semuliki National Park.
Activities: Specifically Birding and other additional activities including Game Drives and Boat Cruises, Forest & Nature Walks among others.
Safari Overview:
This is specially a packaged trip itinerary for the true bird lovers. This birding adventure trip takes you to areas where you can spot a variety of Bird species including a number of endemics to respective areas.
Looking to explore more about the Forest birds, Aquatic birds and Savanna birds, this is the best trip you should consider while within the Pearl of Africa.
TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1: Birding at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) and Botanical Gardens
After breakfast at your Hotel in Kampala/ Entebbe, you will transfer to Uganda Wildlife Education center (UWEC) which is a home to the captive animals and more than 170 species of birds both forest loving and water loving.
You will go birding with in the center in the forests and also at the lake shores to look out for bird species such as the pelicans, ostriches, parrots and crowned cranes. There are also water birds like the Shoe Bill Stork, northern masked weaver, the orange weaver, and the black necked baglafect.
After lunch, you will transfer to Entebbe Botanical Gardens that is just a few meters from UWEC for more birding. Get back to the lodge or Hotel in Kampala/ Entebbe for dinner and overnight. Accommodation alternatives may include or any other of your choice.
- Sheraton Hotel/Kampala Serena Hotel for up market
- Imperial royale/Cassia Lodge for mid-range
- Holiday Express Hotel/Excellent Hotel for budget.
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
After Breakfast in the Morning, start on your journey to Kibale National Park. Enroute, you will see beautiful tea plantations and Mountain Rwenzori ranges on a clear day. You can have lunch in Mubende before getting to the park in the afternoon for checking and getting to your Lodge for relaxation, dinner and accommodation ranging from Budget, midrange to upmarket such as;
- Primate Lodge
- Crater Safari Lodge
- Kibale Forest Camp
- Kanyanchu Rest Camp
Day 3: Forest Walk and Birding in Bigodi
Early in the Morning after breakfast, you will go to Bigodi Swamp to see a variety of water birds including the Shoe bill stork for about 3 – 4 hours. You will break off for lunch and later in the afternoon embark on a nature walk through Kibale Forest to spot a variety of Forest birds. This trail also ensures sightings of common primates such as the L’Hoest monkeys, Black and white Colobus among others.
In the evening, you will get back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and accommodation;
- Primate Lodge
- Crater Safari Lodge
- Kibale Forest Camp
- Kanyanchu Rest Camp
Day 4: Transfer to Semliki National Park
After breakfast, you will set off to Semuliki Game Reserve. This is about a 2 – 3 hours distance. Upon reaching the park, you will check in to the accommodation facility as you wait for lunch. In the Afternoon, you will go for a game drive to see a variety of grazers including elephants, different kinds of antelopes among others before getting back to the lodge for relaxation.
If you feel like exploring more, you can have a simple rest and then embark on a night game drive between 7pm to 10pm to spot a number of nocturnal animals and birds such as pottos, bush babies among others.
Dinner and Overnight at;
- Ntoroko Game Lodge – Mid-Range
- Semliki Safari Lodge – Luxury
Day 5: Birding and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth
Early in the morning after getting breakfast, you will go for a forest walk through the forests within Semuliki National Park, the number one birding spot in Uganda.
Your walk will be rewarded with sightings of some of Africa’s best forest birds including the white chested horn-bills, Red billed dwarf hornbill, Piping Hornbill, Yellow throated Nicator, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco’s among others alongside common primates such as Black and White Colobus.
Towards noon, you will get back to the accommodation facility to start on your transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park in time with getting your lunch in Fort Portal town.
Reaching in time will offer you an opportunity to embark on a boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel where you could spot a number of water birds such as Great Snipe, Papyrus Gonolek, fish Eagles, Pallid Harrier, Gull Billed Tern, Lesser Kestrel and the rare shoebill stork.
The launch will also reward you with views of the most famous water loving animals like crocodile along the river banks, buffaloes and elephants taking water, hippos among others.
- Dinner and Overnight at Jacana Safari Lodge
Day 6: Birding in Maramagambo Forest
After breakfast, you will transfer to Maramagambo forest to search for more bird species such as the brown eared Wood pecker, fawn breasted Waxbill, Sulphur breasted bush shrike, and dark capped yellow warbler, bat hawks, the red headed blue bill, the African Fin foot and Eurasian golden oriole among others.
You birding experience will also be spiced up with sightings of primates such as Black and White Colobus Monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, Chimpanzees, Baboons, Red Tailed Monkeys, Blue Monkeys, as well as the Vervet Monkeys among others.
Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight. You can change accommodation to;
- Mweya Safari Lodge for up market
- Hippo hill camp or Ihamba for mid-range
- Simba Safari camp for budget
Day 7: Game drive and Launch cruise
You will set out for the early morning game drive with in the park to search for the early risers. You will drive through the Kasenyi track and the Kikorongo crater area to search for bird species such as the Great White Pelican, the lesser flamingo, the African skimmer, Pallid Harrier, Black winged Pratincole, the Martial Eagle, Rupell’s Griffon vulture and weavers.
If you did a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel on day 5, you can continue with another game drive after lunch.
Else, you will go for the afternoon launch cruise along the Kazinga channel that connects two lakes (Albert and George).
Return to the lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
- Mweya Safari Lodge for up market
- Hippo hill camp or Ihamba for mid-range
- Simba Safari camp for budget
Day 8: Birding in Lake Katwe and transfer Lake Mburo
After breakfast, you will go for a short birding tour in Lake Katwe area and search for birds like swallows, warblers and wagtails. Later, transfer back to Lake Mburo National Park.
The transfer is about 3 – 4 hrs. You will have lunch in Mbarara at Igongo Cultural Center if you are enthusiastic at getting a taste of some local food or at else at Agip Motel.
In the evening, you will go an afternoon game drive to search for game animals like Zebras, buffaloes, warthogs, bush pigs, Oribis, Defassa waterbucks, Bohor reedbuck, impalas, elands and many more.
You will also rewarded with sightings of bird species like Helmeted Guinea fowl, lilac-breasted roller, red faced barbet, Rufuos bellied heron, Francolin, Pink baked Pelican, Bee-eaters, green capped Eremomela, long tailed Cisticola, the Malachite and Pied King fisher among others.
Dinner and overnight stay at;
- Mihingo Lodge for up market
- Kimbala Mantana Luxury camp and Acadia cottages for mid-range
- Rwonyo campsite for total Budget
Day 9: Birding and Boat Ride
After breakfast, you will set out for a full day birding experience with in the Park. Look out for different bird species you missed out in the previous game drive. You will take forest walks in the morning and in the afternoon, you will go for the afternoon boat ride on the Lake.
The lake is also rich with a variety of bird species like the rare shoe bill stork, the red headed love bird, greater and lesser swamp warbler, handsome Francolin, rare shoe bill stork, Little Egret, water thick knee, papyrus gonolek, and the white winged warbler, green capped Eremomela, carmine bee eaters, Malachite and Pied Pink backed Pelican.
Return to the Lodge for Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Transfer to Kampala
After a fully served breakfast, you will set out for a transfer back to Kampala. En route to the Park, you will have brief stopovers at the Equator for water experiments and also get a chance to stand at a point where the two hemispheres start from as well as at the Mpambire drum village, basically known as the drum making village.
Drop off will be at your Hotel in Kampala or at Entebbe International Airport depending the time of your departure flight.
END OF TRIP
This Trip Includes;
- Transfer Fees
- Full Board Accommodation
- Park Entrance Fees
- Boat trips
- Services of the driver and Guide
It Excludes;
- Extra drinks at the Hotel
- Tip to Guides & Porters
- Air Ticket & Visa