Day 1: Birding in Mabamba Wetland Swamp & Transfer to Murchison

After an early breakfast, we drive to Mabamba Swamp Wetland in Kasanje for our Birding Experience in Uganda which is located on the fringes of Lake Victoria – 2nd biggest freshwater body in the world. The drive can take about an hour or more depending on the Uganda birding Safari engagement en route which leads to several stopovers. In Mabamba swamp, you will take a motorized canoe with the area site guide in search of the incredible Shoebill which is often seen standing in the mashes waiting to hunt or flying in the air above the papyrus plants.

There is also another variety of water birds like; African Jacana, White-winged Terns, African Purple Swamphen, Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Pied Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Winding Cisticola, Red-billed Fire-finch, White-faced whistling duck, Long-toed Lapwing, African Pied Wagtail, Saddle-billed Stork, Cape wagtail, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-billed Duck Long-toed plover, African Fish Eagle and African Marsh Harrier, Swamp Flycatcher, etc.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Pakuba Safari Lodge
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Birding Murchison falls national park

We have an early morning breakfast and then go birding first while on the boat and later while in the car on a game drive. Spend the morning birding on the boat towards the Delta. Some of the birds we aim for in this area include; the Shoebill, Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Water Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, African Crake, Grey-crowned Crane, Southern Pochard, The Egyptian, African Pygmy, and the Spur-winged Goose, Saddle-billed stork, Open-billed stork, Yellow-billed stor kand Marabou stork. More birds include; the Little and Dwarf Bitterns, Night Heron, Black Heron, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Green Backed Heron, Little Grebe, Common Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, African and Eurasian Spoonbills, the Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Jacana, African Finfoot, Painted Snipe, Wattled Plover. After the experience on the boat, you transfer to the car and bird in the Savannah in search of; Secretary Bird, Northern Carmine and Red-throated Bee-eaters, Giant, Pied, Stripped, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, Woodland, and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, African Rock Martin; Lesser Stripped, Ethiopian, Angola, Red-rumped and Rufous-chested Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat. Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre and Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, Black-lored, and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, and many more.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Pakuba Safari Lodge
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3 of 10 Days Birding Uganda and Game drives: Birding the Escarpment and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Today morning after breakfast, we transfer to Kibale forest with a stopover birding the Butiaba Escarpment for some birds of interest. Look out for; Beautiful sunbird, Black-billed Barbet, Grey-winged Pythilia, Buff-bellied Warbler, Northern Crombec, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Whinchat, Flappet Lark, Little weaver, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Lesser blue-eared Starling, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Marsh Tchagra, Copper Sunbird, Green-backed Eremomela, Long crested eagle, Foxy Cisticola, etc. Kibale forest is home to 13 primate species with the highlight being the chimpanzees which are easily seen while on chimp trekking.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Turaco Tree Tops
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Kibale forest birding for Green-breasted Pitta

We will have an early morning breakfast and leave the lodge with our packed lunch so that we have maximum time in the forest. Our morning focus while birding will be to search for the elusive Green breasted pitta. This sought-after bird can also be rather difficult to sight in the forest but with the guidance of the site guide and rangers, we hope to increase our chances of sighting the Green-breasted Pitta. In the meantime, as we search for the Green-breasted Pitta we shall continue birding and equally search for many other bird species which include the Western bronze-napped Pigeon, Great blue Turaco, Yellow-throated Nicator, White-headed Wood hoopoe, Red Headed malimbe, Yellow-spotted barbet, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Grey-winged Robin, Blue shouldered Robin-Chat, Yellow-spotted Barbet, White-naped Pigeon, Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Flufftail, African Pitta, Joyful Greenbul, Cabanis Greenbul, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Masked Apalis, Nahan’s Francolin, Tiny Sunbird, White-collared Olive back and many more.

Accommodation: • Mid-range – Turaco TreeTops
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5 of 10 Days Birding Uganda and Game drives: Birding to Semuliki national park

Today after breakfast we bird our way to Semuliki national park for an experience searching for central African species found only here in East Africa. We shall have several stopovers birding nearby forest patches and swampy areas for different bird species. We shall spend the day birding in the Semuliki forest for central African species of Congo’s Ituri forest. Semuliki forest is a continuation of Congo’s Ituri forest. You have an opportunity of visiting both the ‘female’ and ‘male’ hot springs found within the park. Some of the species we will look out for include the; Congo Serpent Eagle, Grey-throated Rail, Nkulengu Rail, Long-tailed Hawk, Spot-breasted Ibis, Yellow-throated Nicator, Northern Redchested Owlet, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Black-collared Lovebird, White-bellied Kingfisher, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Zenker’s Honeyguide, Whitethroated Blue Swallow, Bate’s Nightjar, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Blackwinged Oriole, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Icterine Greenbul, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Crested and Blue-billed Malimbes, Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike, Pale-fronted Negrofinch, Piping, Red-billedWhite-crested, Black-casqued, Wattled, and White-thighed Hornbills.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Mountains of the Moon
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Birding Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today after an early breakfast we start the trip to Queen Elizabeth national park birding along the way. You will have stopovers for both birding and photography moments of the beautiful scenery in this part of the country. Drive past several crater lakes, homesteads, and farms and later with the Rwenzori mountains ahead as you drive.

The road through these crater lakes regions is not tarred therefore sometimes it is very difficult during the rainy season. In case it rains right before you set off, your guide may advise a different route on a more stable road. Because you will be having several stopovers for pictures and birding Safari, you can expect to arrive at your lodge later that afternoon. Have some rest and prepare to start the next day very early for a whole day of birding.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Parkview Safari Lodge-Kyambura
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7 of 10 Days Birding Uganda and Game drives: Birding at the Mweya Peninsular & Kazinga Channel then Transfer to Ishasha Sector

Birds and wildlife Kazinga channel Today we will bird the Mweya Peninsular and Kasenyi area where most of the game drives happen and end with a boat safari on the Kazinga channel in the afternoon. Look out for; African Skimmers, Malachite Kingfishers, White-winged Terns, Swamp Flycatcher, Grey-capped Warbler, Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Jacana, Pin-tailed Whydah, Martial Eagle, Gabon Nightjars. Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Common Squacco Heron, African Skimmer, African Fish Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Sedge Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Mourning Dove, African Openbill Stork, Yellow-billed, Egyptian Goose, a number of Gull species, to mention but a few.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Enjojo Lodge
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Birding in Ishasha while sighting the tree-climbing lions then after transfer to Bwindi’s Impenetrable forest

After having our early morning breakfast, we shall start our game drive in the Ishasha sector best commonly known for tree-climbing lions and a variety of birds then after we shall transfer to Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park, we have stopovers birding until we arrive at our lodge later that afternoon. You might have the opportunity to sight birds you could have missed the previous day. In addition to the birding Safari, there are opportunities of sighting the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha. After a short game drive you proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Accommodation: Mid-range – Buhoma Haven Lodge
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9 of 10 Days Birding Uganda and Game drives: Birding Buhoma Sector

Today after an early breakfast, we get back into the forest for birding taking different trails as advised by the site guide. The site guides usually help with the location of the different unique birds and they share information about where they last sighted them, therefore, increasing chances of locating them. Today you look out for; Stuhlmann’s Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller’s Starling, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Strange Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Magpie Mannikin, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, African Green Broadbill, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood Owl. More species; Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, (Western) Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Lagdens Bush-Shrike, Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Toro OliveGreenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed AntThrush, Grauer’s Rush-warbler, Neumann’s Warbler and Red-faced Woodland Warbler. Then after lunch, we shall have to transfer to Volcanoes national park

Accommodation: Mid-range – Enjojo Lodge
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Transfer back to Entebbe

After your morning breakfast, you will start your journey back to Entebbe. You will go cross the equator and experience in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere at the same time and also have time to take photos. Buy a few souvenirs in the craft shops and have a quick picnic lunch. Later you depart for the Airport and take your flight back home.

Main Destination: Entebbe
Accommodation: No accommodation
Meals & Drinks: Breakfast, Lunch, and drinking water