17 DAYS UGANDA EPIC BIRDING SAFARI

Day 01: Birding in Mabamba Swamp

Our RAK safaris driver will pick you up after breakfast at your hotel in Entebbe; and will drive to Mabamba bay on Lake Victoria. The swamp will offer you opportunities to see lots of swamp specialists and rarities like the shoebill. The swamp also protects other good bird species that includes the swamp fly catcher, African marsh harrier, papyrus Gonolek, African Pygmy Goose, White-backed Duck, black headed weaver, Long Toed plover, whistling duck, gross beak weaver, blue swallow, Lesser Jacana, black kite, Blue Swallow, Fan Tailed Widow Bird, Red Chested Sunbird, Yellow Billed Duck and Hottentot Teal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater and many more.  After lunch drive to Lake Mburo with a lunch stop over enroute.

Mihingo lodge (high end)

Rwakobo rock (mid range)

Eagle’s nest (budget)

 

Day 02: Salt lick + Birding in Rubanga forest 

The day begins early with early morning breakfast and then start our birding/ game drive in the saltlick are of the Park and later a guided walk in Rubanga forest in  search  of the red faced barbet  which is an endemic to this park, the grey crowned crane,  African Fin foot, Spot-flanked barbet, Brown Chested Plover, White Winged Warbler, brown chested lap wing, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Nubian wood pecker, and Crested Barbet, Red shouldered cuckoo shrike, Carruthers’ and Tabora Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, Northern Brown Throated Weaver, brown parrot, Scaly-throated Honey guide, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Coqui Francolin, green wood hoopoe  and many more

Mihingo lodge (high end)

Rwakobo rock (mid range)

Eagle’s nest (budget)

 

Day 03 &04: Transfer to Mgahinga National Park + Birding on the gorge and farm trails

After breakfast you will leave for Mgahinga national park via Kabale while birding en-route. On arrival, check into your lodge. During the time spent here  be on the lookout for Albertine rift endemics.  Go birding on the farm trail and the gorge trails of Mgahinga national park and look out for birds like; Archer’s Robin chat, Handsome Francolin, scarlet tufted sunbirds, Dusky Turtle Dove, Rwenzori Turaco, western green tinker bird, Kivu Ground Thrush, olive pigeon, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, stripe breasted tit, Malachite Sunbird, Rwenzori Nightjar, Rwenzori Double Collared Sunbird, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Dusky and Shelley’s Crimsonwing, dusky turtle dove, cape Robin and many more.

Ruhija Gorilla safari lodge (high end)

Haven lodge (midrange)

Trekkers Tavern (budget)

 

Day 05: Echuya Forest

The forest hosts over 150 bird species with 18 of these being endemic to the reserve. Set off for Echuya forest with your picnic lunch after breakfast at your lodge. Look out for species like; the mountain masked Apalis, Grauer’s warbler, Many-coloured bush shrike, Mountain Hill Babbler, Dwarf honey guide, Doherty’s, and Ludher’s Bush-Shrike, Northern Double Collared Sunbird,  Lagden’s bush shrike Black Faced Rufous Warbler among others.

Ruhija Gorilla safari lodge (high end)

Haven lodge (midrange)

Trekkers Tavern (budget)

 

Day 06&07: Mubwindi Swamp and School Trail

On these two days you will be birding in Bwindi impenetrable forest specifically the Mubwindi swamp and the school trail. It’s advisable that you wear light rain gear and sturdy walking shoes because Bwindi is a rain forest and can have a slippery terrain sometimes. Look out for species like; fine banded wood pecker, chest nut throated Apalis, the African Green Broadbill, bar tailed trogon, Strange Weaver, Yellow- Eyed Black Flycatcher, white bellied Robin chat, Purple Breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Olive Pigeon, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Nightjar and Grauer’s Warbler among others.

Ruhija Gorilla safari lodge (high end)

Haven lodge (midrange)

Trekkers Tavern (budget)

 

Day 08, 09&10: Water fall trail, camp area & Munyaga Trail

Leave the Ruhija sector of Bwindi and transfer to Buhoma sector of Bwindi forest. You will spend three days birding along the water fall trail, munyaga trail and camp area. Look out for the Bronze napped pigeon, Chapin’s fly catcher, , Mountain Illadopses, black billed weaver, dusky tit, strange weaver, Stripe Breasted Tit, Bronze Napped Pigeon, Black Bee-eater, White Bellied Robin Chat,  Brown Caped Weaver, Willcock’s honey guide, dwarf Honeyguide  Kivu ground thrush, Dusky cuckoo, read throated alethe, Forest Ground Thrush,  Red Fronted Antpecker,; the Short Tailed Warbler, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Kivu Ground Thrush, Many-Coloured Bush Shrike, White Collared Olive Back and Black Faced Rufous Warbler among others.

Engagi lodge (high end)

Silver back lodge (midrange)

Buhoma community rest camp (budget)

 

Day 11: Birding in Ishasha sector

Leave Bwindi after breakfast and transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park.
You will arrive at lunchtime, check into your lodge and have lunch then enjoy an afternoon birding drive looking out for Brown Chested Plover, Wattled starling, Diederick’s Cuckoo, Ruppel’s Griffon vulture,  Bateluer, White Backed vulture, Black Rumped Buttonquail, and Lappet Faced Vultures, and Violet Backed Starlings  and lots of wildlife like the tree climbing lion, elephants, warthogs and many more

Ishasha wilderness camp (high end)

Savanna Hotel (midrange)

Enjojo lodge (budget)

 

Day 12&13: Ishasha plains, Mweya peninsular, Kasenyi plains, birding boat ride Kazinga channel

On Day 12, you will have a morning drive in the Ishasha plains after breakfast, we go for another birding drive in the Ishasha plains with possible sightings of Western-banded eagle, White-back vulture, Martial Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Lappet-faced eagle, Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture then transfer to Mweya after lunch. Go birding in the Kasenyi plains on Day 16 followed by a boat ride on Kazinga channel. Expect to see species like Vereaux’s Eagle-Owl, African fish eagle, Plain-backed and Grassland Pipit, African Reed, Wing-snapping cisticola, Temminck’s Courser, Eurasian Reed and Sedge Warblers, Broad-tailed Warblers, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged butter quail,  African Skimmer, Greater Swamp, Lesser Swamp, Common Button-quail, Black-crowned Tchagra, Winding, Stout, Croaking and Zitting Cisticola, African Crake, Collared Pratincole, Grey-headed gull, Common Black-headed Gull, African Moustached and among others.

Mweya Safari lodge (high end)

Ihamba Safari Camp (midrange)

Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge (budget)

 

Day 14&15:  Spot lit night drive +Shoe bill boat ride on Lake Albert +hot spring visit

You will drive to Semliki national park after breakfast. Check into your lodge on arrival and relax and freshen up. At night enjoy a guided spot lit drive to view night bird and wildlife. Visit the sempaya hot springs and enjoy an egg boiled in the hot springs. Enjoy a boat ride on Lake Albert to view the shoe bill and lots of other birds. Capuchin Babbler, White-thighed horn bill, and White-bellied Kingfisher, Black Dwarf, Black-casqued Wattled hornbill, and Zenker’s Honey guide, African Piculet, , Spotted honey guide, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Nicatoer, Red-billed Dwarf hornbill, Long-tailed Hawk, Lyre-tailed honey guide, Icterine Greenbul, Forest Scrub Robin, Nkurengu Rail, Shining-blue king fisher, Oberlaender’s Ground Thrush, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Swamp-palm Bulbul, Orange-tufted Sunbird, White-crested, and Piping Hornbills and lots more

Semliki Safari lodge (high end)

Kanyanchu bandas (budget)

 

Day 16&17: Kibale forest and Bigodi wetland

Check out of your lodge in Semliki national park and drive to Fortportal home of Kibale forest national park. The park has over 335 bird species with lots of swamp and forest specialists. With forest walks and guided walks in Bigodi swamp expect possible viewings of African Crowned Eagle, Mountain Wagtail Purple-headed Starling, Scaly Illadopsis, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Toro Olive,  White-spotted Flufftail, Afep Pigeon, Gross- Splendid starling, Cardinal Woodpecker, Green-breasted Pitta, Buff-spotted woodpecker, Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Woodhouse’s Antpecker, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Green-backed Twinspot, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Grey-winged and Red-caped Robin Chat, African Broadbill, Lesser, Willcock’s honeyguide,  Chestnut-winged, Dark-backed Weaver, Red-headed Bluebill, Red-chested Owlet, Thick-billed Honeyguide,  Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Booted Eagle, Claas’s Cuckoo, Pale-fronted negrofinch, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Diederik cuckoo, Lead-coloured, Cassins and, Cabanis’s, Litlle Grey and Xavier’s Greenbul Chestnut-breasted Nigrofinch and lots more.

Primate lodge (high end)

Kluge’s guest farm (midrange)

Kibale forest camp (budget)

 

Day 17: Transfer to Kampala