19 days birding holiday in uganda

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport – Kampala.

Upon arrival you will meet by our driver/guide at Entebbe airport, depending on the time of arrival, evening birding at Botanical gardens in Entebbe, then later transfer to Entebbe for overnight stay and dinner.
Accommodation at Viavia Guest House (Comfort)
Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Swamp.

Early morning after breakfast, continue with a birding safari to Mabamba swamp for shoebill stork. Birding in the evening & stay at the lodge.
Accommodation at Viavia Guest House (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Kampala – Jinja

Early morning after breakfast, go for Birding in Mabira Forest and afternoon visit the source of the Nile in Jinja.
Accommodation at Jinja Nile resort (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 Day 4: Jinja – White water rafting on river Nile

Today you will spend the whole day white water rafting on the Nile waterfalls in Jinja.
Accommodation at Cassia Lodge (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Drive to Murchison falls National Park

After breakfast, we drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest National Park (3893sq.km) and it protects a huge chunk of untamed savannah bisected by the mighty River Nile. Today it is part of the even much larger Murchison Falls Protected Area (5072sq.km) which includes the adjoining Karuma and Bugungu Wildlife Reserves. It is named for the dramatic Murchison Falls where by the World’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge in a frothing pool 43 m below. It is one of Uganda’s oldest conservation areas; it was initially gazetted as a game reserve in 1926 to protect a savannah that Winston Churchill described in 1907 as ‘Kew Gardens and the Zoo combined on an unlimited scale. The park has 76 mammal species including; the lion, elephant, leopard, hippopotamus, Rothschild giraffe, Cape buffalo, hartebeest, oribi, warthog, and the Uganda Kob. The park also hosts over 550 bird species including the rare Shoebill Stork.
Accommodation at Pakuba Safari Lodge (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Murchison falls national park.

After breakfast, we have a game drive to the rolling plains where you will have chances of viewing; Hartebeest, Lions, Buffalo, Primates, Mongoose, Giraffe and Elephants. After lunch, we will have an afternoon launch cruise where you have chances to view huge Nile Crocodiles, big Pods of Hippos, and other wildlife. You will also be able to see a wide variety of water birds like; the Shoebill, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, Pied Kingfishers and many more.
Accommodation at Pakuba Safari Lodge (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Budongo royal miles.

Game drive to Budongo royal miles for the first forest birds in the Budongo Forest. We bird Budongo’s famous Royal Mile in the early morning. It is a wide forestry track considered by many to be the country’s premier forest birding locality. This is the best place in Uganda for Nahan’s Francolin, Cassin’s Spinetail, and Chestnut-capped Flycatcher. There are many confusing forest Greenbuls to test us including; Spotted, Xavier’s, White-throated, Red-tailed and Honeyguide Greenbuls. Canopy flocks support Yellow-mantled Weaver, Rufous Thrush and Uganda Woodland Warbler. The undergrowth along the track holds numerous skulkers including; Scaly-breasted, Brown and Pale-breasted Illadopses, Fire-crested Alethe, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Yellow Long-bill, and Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher. We will keep an eye on any openings in the forest canopy such as; Cassin’s and Crowned Hawk Eagles, Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetails, and White-throated Bee-eaters are all possible. The area around the Park Headquarters is the only site in East Africa for the elusive canopy dwelling Ituri Batis.
Accommodation at the Masindi Hotel
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Masindi – Semuliki

Drive to Semuliki national park while birding on the way and Lunch we have a stopover at a restaurant en-route to the park.
Accommodation at the Semiliki Safari Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Semuliki national park.

The whole day birding in Semuliki to look for endemic birds. Semliki Forest represents the only example of Congo-Basin vegetation in Uganda. A large number of Guinea-Congo biome species reach their eastern limits here, which is one of the richest for forest birds in the country. No less than 131 of the 144 Guinea -Congo forest Biome species have been recorded in Semliki Forest, as well as 31 Guinea Congo Biome species, and 39 others that are only known from Semliki antional park in Uganda. Other species such as White-tailed/Piping Hornbill (also recorded in Budongo forest reserve), Capuchin Babbler and Blue-headed, Crested flycatcher are now known from Mabira forest reserve, the Orange weaver is common along the northern shores of Lake Victoria and the Red-billed Malimbe has been recorded from Kibale National Park.
Accommodation at the Semiliki Safari Lodge (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Semuliki forest – Kibale

After breakfast, we drive to Kibale forest National park, with a Community visit and birding in Bigodi Swamp in the evening.
Accommodation at the Kibale Forest Camp (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 11: Kibale forest national park

After an early breakfast, we drive to Kibale National Park visitor center for briefing and chimp tracking. The activity may last from a few hours to several hours. Kibale forest is home to 13 primates of Uganda. Birding in the afternoon along the main road may be productive. Kibale National Park is a good site for a number of birds that are hard to find elsewhere including; the Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis’s Greenbul and Joyful Greenbul as well as White-spotted Flufftail, Dusky and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos, Lesser Honey guide, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, White-chinned Prinia, Grey Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera, White-collared Oliveback and Blue Breasted Piffa.
Accommodation at the Kibale Forest Camp (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 12: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park

After Breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth national park while having an amazing view of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. This park was named after the Queen of England who visited it in 1954 & is the second largest national park in Uganda. It boasts the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. This is evidenced by the presence of open Savannah, rain-forest, dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes, and the vast Lake Edward. Evening Game drive at leisure with advise from your guide and time available.
Accommodation at Kasenyi Safari Camp (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 13: Queen Elizabeth national park

There will be a morning game drive searching for; Lions, Elephants, Buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Waterbucks, Warthorgs and many more. After lunch, you have an exotic and exciting launch trip on the Kazinga Channel. The launch trip is one of the most exciting water activities in Uganda. The Kazinga channel is a narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for waterside birds and abundant Hippopotamus, huge families of buffalos, and elephants. And you are likely to encounter some bird species as well.
Accommodation at Kasenyi Safari Camp (Comfort) or Mweya Safari lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 14: Transfer to Bwindi.

You start early after breakfast, We will also drive through the Ishasha section where, if lucky, you may be able to view tree climbing lions and continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world endangered population of Mountain Gorillas. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighbouring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and therefore of big conservation importance. Forest birding in Bwindi ranks the best in Uganda. It is home to 23 highly localized Albertine Rift Endemics. Special birds include; Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white-Shrike-flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Magpie Mannikin, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed Seed-eater, Streaky Seedeater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood Owl, Rwenzori Nightjar, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Elliot’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Petit’s Cuckoo Shrike, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Archer’s Ground Robin, Toro Olive Greenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Ant Thrush, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Neumann’s Warbler, and Red-faced Woodland Warbler to mention but a few.
Accommodation at  Bwindi Gorilla haven (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 15: Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park.

After breakfast, we shall assemble at the Park Offices for the briefing prior to this historic event. Gorilla tracking is a very captivating activity; It might take 1-8 hours which involves walking in the wilderness in search of these gentle giants. Gorilla Tracking can be a challenging activity, therefore ensure physical fitness. Eight people are permitted per group per day. On occasions the Gorillas prove elusive but often can be found within an hour by the tracker guides. It is a wonderful experience to stare in to the eyes of these gentle giants; watch them in awe as they play and go about their daily activities. Gorilla Tracking is indeed a “once in a lifetime” experience that you must never miss. Each encounter with the gorillas is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters’ frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Accommodation at Bwindi Gorilla haven (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 16: Birding in Ruhija

After Breakfast, head out to the Ruhija section of Bwindi Forest which is a key birding area on the Albertine region. Some of the key birds sighted here include; the African Green Broodbill, Dusky Twine Sport, Mountain Yellow Warble, Colored Apatis, Narina Erogon, Strange Weaver and Broadbill Camp.
Accommodation at Bwindi Gorilla haven (Comfort)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 17: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo is the only park in Uganda to contain Impala and the only one in the rift region to host Burchell’s Zebra and Eland. In Uganda, Topi are only found in Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth national parks. Common wildlife species include; warthog, buffalo, oribi, Deffassa Water buck and reedbuck. Leopard and hyena are also present while hippo and crocodile are found in the lake. Common conspicuous birds we will encounter on our journey to Lake Mburo include; Crested Francolin, Emerald Spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Blue-napped Mousebird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Green Wood hoopoe, Common Scimitar Bill, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Greate Blue-eared Starling, and Marico Sunbird. The woodland in the immediate vicinity of Rwonyo also supports many of these widespread species.
Accommodation at Rwakobo Rock Lodge (Comfort).
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 18: Whole day Birding and game drive in the Park

After breakfast, we will have a morning game drive in the Park looking for mammals including; Zebras, Impalas, Elands, Topi and Buffaloes. In the afternoon, we will have a boat trip looking for bird specialties and other mammals in the Park.
Accommodation at  Rwakobo Rock Lodge (Comfort).
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 Day 19: Transfer to Kampala

After an early breakfast, we drive out of the park having our lunch on the way. We stop en route to visit the Mpambire Royal Drum makers. We also stop over at the Equator for photographs and continue to Kampala or Entebbe in time for your flight back home.
Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch