20 Days Uganda Bird watching Adventure
Destinations: Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Mabira Forest, Budoongo Forest, Busingiro, Murchison Falls, Bigodi Swamp, Kibale Forest, Maramagambo Forest, Semuliki National Park, Bwindi Forest, Lake Bunyonyi among others.
Activities: Exclusive bird watching with add-ons of a Kampala City Tour, Game Drives, Boat Launch, Optional Chimpanzee & Gorilla Tracking among others.
Overview
This is an exclusively Bird watching Adventure in Uganda. On this trip, you will visit a number of destinations as you look out for different kinds of Bird species of different habitants; Forests, Savannah Grassland and Water/ Swamps.
You will need special birding equipment such as the Binoculars for a better taste of this safari.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival and Brief Kampala City Tour
Meet up with the guide at the Entebbe International Airport, for a transfer to your assigned accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe for dinner and overnight stay i.e. if your arrival happens to be in the evening or at night.
Else, you will take on a short city tour around Kampala and Entebbe to visit places such as the Kasubi tombs, Namugongo Marty’s shrine, Lake Victoria shores, Uganda museum and so on.
Day 2: Birding at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) and Botanical Gardens
After breakfast, you will transfer to Entebbe at the Uganda Wildlife Education center (UWEC) which is a home to the captive animals and more than 170 species of birds both forest and water loving.
You will go birding with in the center in the forests and also at the lake shores. Look out for bird species like the pelicans, ostriches, parrots and crowned cranes. There are also weaver birds like the Shoe Bill Stork, northern masked weaver, the orange weaver, and the black necked baglafect.
After having lunch, you will transfer to Entebbe Botanical Gardens in the afternoon for more birding.
Later in the evening, return to the lodge or Hotel in Kampala for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Birding in Mabira forest.
You will transfer to Mabira forest for birding adventure. Here, you will search for bird species like the marabou stork, black kite, hooded vulture, the Nahans Francolin, the blue headed Crested Fly Catcher, leaf love, Grey spotted wood pecker, and Black shouldered Night Jar, Violet beaked starting, Capuchin Babbler, Yellow rumped Tinker bird and the Grey long bill among others.
You will spend the whole day birding in the forest. Your lunch will be served in the forest. Return in the evening for your transfer back to Kampala for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Transfer to Budongo Forest
After breakfast, your driver guide will transfer to Budongo Forest via Luweero-Nakasongola and Masindi. En route, you can have a stopover at the Luweero Triangle and also at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for Rhino tracking. You will have lunch in Masindi town.
Proceed to the Forest reserve that is well known for having various species of birds and Chimpanzees. You will go for an evening birding and look out for bird species like yellow-footed flycatcher, black shouldered nightjar, and African wood orol; the white crested Turacco, piping horn bill.
- Dinner and overnight at the Campsite with in the forest.
Day 5: Full day birding in Busingiro
After breakfast, you will set out for a full day birding adventure in Busingiro section. You will search for bird species like spotted greenbul, lemon-bellied crombec, banded snake eagle, black bishop, Ituri Batis, green-breasted pitta, chocolate backed kingfisher, cassins hawk eagle, black eared ground thrush, Grey headed oliveback, blue kingfishers and so on.
Also you will be able to spot other primate species such as the chimpanzees, baboons, potto, black fronted drinker, blue drinker, blue monkey, black and white colobus and the giant forest squirrel. Return for dinner and overnight stay at the campsite
Day 6: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, continue with your journey and enter the famous Murchison falls National Park. Upon arrival, you will go and visit the top of the falls to experience the beauty of the mighty river Nile where its waters squeezes its self into a 7 meter gorge deep down over 45metres and hence making a thunderous roar.
Also look out for the famous Rock Pratincole bird while at the falls. Later drive to Paraa for lunch and in the afternoon you will go for launch cruise along the Albert Nile to the bottom of the falls.
During the afternoon launch cruise, look out for water loving animals like crocodile along the river banks, elephants taking water, hippos and many bird species like the rare shoe bill stork, saddle bill stork, the hornbill, red throated bee –eater, the African skimmer, fulvous whistling ducks, wattled plover, Egyptian goose, Goliath heron, lesser Jacana and others.
Return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
- Paraa safari Lodge for up market
- Sambiya river lodge for mid-range
- Red chill camp for budget.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Early morning after breakfast, you will set out for Kibale Forest National Park that is home almost 13 primate species such as the red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more plus different bird species.
These include red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more. You will also look out for birds like White Browed and Senegal Coucals on your way to the Park. You will have lunch in lunch in Hoima town and later proceed to fort portal reaching in the evening. Transfer to the park for dinner and overnight.
- Kibale safari Lodge or Primates Lodge or Ndali Lodge for up market
- Chimps nest for mid-range
- Chimpanzee guest house for budget.
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk
After breakfast, you will set out into the forest after a short briefing for chimpanzee tracking. While looking out in the trees for chimpanzees, you will see other primates such as white colobus monkeys, grey-checked mangabey, red colobus, black-and-white colobus, Baboons and different bird species like the great blue turacco, Africa pied king fisher, malkites and so on.
Return to the lodge after the trek for lunch after which you will go for the Bigodi swamp walk to search for the water loving bird species. Return for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Transfer to Semuliki National Park
Early in the morning, you will depart for Semuliki National park. The Park is famous for its habitats such as the Riparian forests, rain forests and short/ high grass savannah which are a home to bird species like Dwarf Hornbill, Capuchin Babbler, Spot breasted Ibis, Blue Headed Crested fly catcher, Northern Bearded Scrub robin and the white thighed hornbill.
The park is also a home to nocturnal animals such as the white tailed mongoose and slender mongoose, winged nightjars, cats, hyenas, leopards and so on.
- Dinner and overnight at Semliki Safari Lodge or at the Campsite
Day 10: Full day birding in Semliki
After breakfast, you will depart with your packed lunch and spend the whole day birding with in the forest.
Look out for the bird species like Hartlaubs marsh widow bird, pied hornbill, wattled black hornbill, white-naped pigeon, banded harrier eagle, Papyrus gonolek, Orange weaver, African Giant Swallow tail Butterfly and primates such as baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and so on. Return for dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge.
Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, you will be driven to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is well known for having more species of birds among the Parks in Uganda. The park is believed to have more than 600 species of birds.
En route, the journey will provide with different scenic views of the great mountains of the moon and you will reach the park with a game drive en route which will offer you with sights of different animals such as Elephants, Leopards, Lions and Kobs among others.
You will have lunch at Mweya before going for the afternoon launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel where you will spot a number of bird species like the Great Snipe, Papyrus Gonolek, fish Eagles, Pallid Harrier, Gull Billed Tern, Lesser Kestrel and the rare shoebill stork.
You will have dinner and overnight at;
- Mweya Safari Lodge for up market
- Hippo hill camp or Ihamba for mid-range
- Simba Safari camp for budget.
Day 12: 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, dark capped yellow warbler, bat hawks, the red headed blue bill, the African Fin foot and Eurasian golden oriole.
Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Morning game drive and birding and transfer to Bwindi
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.
Later on have lunch and after transfer to Bwindi Park via the Ishasha sector commonly known for its rare tree climbing lions. As you pass the area, look out for the rare tree climbing lions in fig trees as you proceed. You will reach Buhoma in the evening where you will rest a bit, have dinner and an overnight stay;
- Gorilla Forest Camp/Gorilla resort for up market
- Buhoma lodge or Lake Kitandara camp for mid-range
- Buhoma community Bandas for budget.
Day 14: Gorilla experience in Bwindi
After breakfast at the lodge, you will set out into the thick impenetrable forest to start your search for the endangered rare species of Mountain Gorillas after a short briefing.
You will only be allowed to interact with the Gorillas for only one hour before returning late to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15: Birding in Bwindi
After breakfast, you will go for morning birding in the Buhoma main trail and search for bird species such as the African Green Broadbill, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Chestnut, Grey, Buff-Throated, Collard, Mountain Masked, Black Throated, Throated, Blue headed, Purple-breasted, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Grey Cuckoo shrike, Mountain Greenbul, and Regal Sunbirds.
Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 16: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will leave Bwindi and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay;
- Arcadia cottages for up Market
- Bushara Island camp for mid-range
- Bunyonyi overland camp for budget.
Day 17: Full day at Lake Bunyonyi
Breakfast will be served early morning and after you will go for the full day boat tour on the lake to different small islands. The lake has almost 38 small islands and each was named according to the bird species that reside on the island. You will have lunch on one of the Islands and later visit the Pygmy villages for entertainment.
Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 18: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. You will have lunch in Mbarara town and later enter into the park with a game drive en route through the Nshara gate. Look out for Zebras, Impalas, bush and water bucks, Kobs and so on. Among the bird species, look out for the Verreaux’s Eagle owl, Temmricks courser, Red-faced Barbet, African wattled plover, Blue eared glossy starling and the black bellied bustard among others.
Dinner and overnight at;
- Mihingo Lodge for up market
- Mantana Luxury camp and Acadia cottages for mid range
- Rwonyo campsite for total Budget.
Day 19, Game drive and boat ride
After breakfast early in the morning, set out for the game drive and search for early risers with in the park such as the Zebras, Elephants, impalas, bushbucks and bush duikers, waterbucks, warthogs, and the topis.
Return to the lodge for relaxation, and later go for the afternoon boat ride.
Day 20: Transfer back to Kampala
After breakfast, you set out for a morning nature walk in Rubanga forest after which you will transfer back to Kampala. Drop off will be at your Hotel in Kampala or you will be transferred to Entebbe Airport for your flight back home depending on your time of departure.
END OF TRIP
This Trip Includes;
- Transfer Fees
- Full Board Accommodation
- Par Entrance Fees
- Boat trips
- Gorillas and Chimpanzee tracking Permits
- Entrance to Historical sites
- Services of the driver and Guide
It Excludes;
- Extra drinks at the Hotel
- Tip to Guides & Porters
- Air Ticket & Visa