23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure

The 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure will start with a pick up from Entebbe International Airport by our Professional driver guide from Paradise Adventure Vacations who will meet and greet you, he will then brief you about the entire journey and thereafter drive you to your Hotel where you will have rest and relaxation from your long trip. In case you arrive early, we shall visit Entebbe Botanical gardens located West of Entebbe for an introduction to Birding in Uganda.  It has a variety of bird species like Orange Weavers, Violets black Weavers, red chested sunbirds, marabou stork, hammerkops, African open billed stork, pied Kingfishers, giant king fishers, black headed heron, yellow billed duck, long tailed Cormorant, swamp fly catcher, black headed gull, common squaco, black headed Gonolek among others.

Wake up early morning for a heavy breakfast and start your Day 2 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure with a drive to Mabamba swamp which is West of Entebbe. It is home to over 500 bird species including the renowned Shoebill Stork which is Uganda’s most recognizable bird. Here, you will see several endangered species, like Blue Swallow, Papyrus Yellow Warbler and White-winged Warbler. We will also sight other species like Greater Swamp-Warblers, Papyrus gonolek, Blue-chested Bee-eaters, Malachite kingfisher and Swamp Flycatchers etc. Later, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park for dinner and overnight with a stopover at Equator line at Kayabwe for the famous water experience.

The wide savanna and wetlands of Lake Mburo National Park will be explored on a guided nature walk in the morning after a delicious breakfast on Day 3 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure. These habitats resemble the savanna environment of Kenya’s Maasai Mara, but with a lot more prickly acacia thickets. In Uganda, quite a few species are much specialized and are found nowhere else.

Our top target will be the Red faced barbet which has a small range in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania to the west of Lake Victoria. Other targets include African grey hornbill, African wood owl, Tabora Cisticola, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Green-capped Eremomela, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, African scops owl, African stonechat and Spot-flanked Barbet. The well-known Uganda safari mammals including warthogs, elands, common zebras, and impalas, may be seen at Lake Mburo which will give you unforgettable wildlife experiences. This birding safari is not limited to safari vehicles so we will also use a boat to look for the uncommon and elusive African Fin foot and also a White-backed Night-Heron, African darter, African spoonbill and African fish eagle.

After an early morning breakfast on Day 4 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, we will head out for a game drive and also boat cruise for 2 hours on Lake Mburo. Birding whilst on a game drive in the park and a boat ride on Lake Mburo will increase our chances to see animals like buffalos, water and bush bucks, zebras, leopard, mongoose, Topi, warthogs and Impalas. Birds include African Fin foot, white-backed night heron, Giant Kingfisher, Black Collard Barbet, Malachite Kingfisher etc. Thereafter, move to the open grassland north of the camp, particularly along the Zebra Track, it’s worth exploring species such as Coqui Francolin, Red-necked Spur fowl, Black-bellied Bustard, Temminck’s Courser, African Wattled Plover, Rufous-Naped and lapped Larks, Rufous-chested Swallow, Yellow-throated Long claw and Southern Red Bishop. Thereafter, you will have lunch and then transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

After an early hot breakfast on Day 5 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, drive to Ntebeko Camp from where we shall start our birding as we trek to one of the most scenic areas in Uganda. We take the gorge trail that loops half way up Mt. Sabinyo, through a variety of montane habitats harboring the Dusky Turtle Dove, Rwenzori Turaco, Cape Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-eyed Slaty and White Tailed Blue Flycatcher, Olive Wood-pecker, White-starred Robin, Mountain Yellow Warbler, White-napped Raven, Lagden’s Bush-Shrike, Yellow-crowned Canary, Streaky and Thick Billed Seedeater on our birding today we shall have a bigger focus on the shy Shelly’s Crimson-wing among other birds. Dinner and overnight stay.

Mgahinga gorilla national park has about 180 bird species which include Albertine rift endemics. Today we traverse a variety of montane habitats along the Gorge trail seeking out the different bird species unique to this region. The species to search for include; The Dusky Turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater. While on your day 6 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, we may encounter the Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrush and Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, White Starred Robin, Greater Double collard Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Archer’s Robin Chat, Olive Pigeon, and Black headed waxbill, Western Green Tinker bird, Malachite Sunbird, Cape Robin.  We shall then drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for dinner and overnight.

Upon waking up by the beautiful sounds of the birds singing in the sky, you will start your day 7 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure with an early morning breakfast. If you opt for the trek, you will then wear appropriate clothing for the day like a long sleeved shirt, a pair of karky or jean trousers, a round cap, water proof boots to protect you against the falling tree branches of the Impenetrable forest and also in case of bad weather.

Optional Gorilla Trekking

Pack some snacks and water to help in keeping you hydrated during the trek. Proceed to the park’s headquarters for a briefing on the Do’s and the Don’ts while you are with the mountain gorillas, you will also be assigned a park ranger who will guide you during the trek and also a gorilla family to look out for and then start the search for the mountain gorillas which will take about 1 to 5 hours depending on their location.

During your trek, you will encounter various primate species like the black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey mangabeys, and blue monkeys and also bird species like handsome francolin, red headed blue bill, regal sunbird, breasted sunbird, African blue cuckoo, Rwenzori turaco, Shelley’s crimson, purple sunbird among other bird species. On finding the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend only one hour with them as you learn about their ways of life, how they feed and take care of their young ones, how they communicate among others. Feel free to ask as many questions as possible about these gorillas and take memorable pictures and then you will return back to your accommodation for lunch.

Birding in Ruhija

If you opt for birding in Buhoma, you will proceed with the activity along the Buhoma Waterfall Trail which is a must – visit for bird lovers as you can spot the White-tailed Ant Thrush, splendid Black Bee-eater, dapper francolin, Yellow-eyed Black, and African Sooty Flycatchers along the green bamboo zone.  You will later return to your accommodation for lunch and later await dinner and an overnight.

Wake up early in the morning for a heavy breakfast on Day 8 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure with Gorilla Trekking and then embark on your full day adventurous bird watching through the park to search for the different bird species such as Jameson’s Antpecker, Pink-footed Puff back, Crested guinea fowl, Waller’s Starling, White headed saw-wing, yellow-rumped, tinker bird, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, have a short break for lunch and later continue with your day activity. You will then return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight

After a delicious breakfast on Day 9 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, we go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s lower-lying Buhoma area in the west. We will go through “The Neck” along the route, a brief section of forest that links the park’s southern and northern halves. This forest system is made up of a few Albertine Rift species with limited ranges and the eastern extension of the enormous Congo forests.

This location is ideal for birders to observe a variety of species like Cassin’s Flycatcher, Black Bee-eater, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Pettit’s Cuckoo shrike, Tiny Sunbird, and a large number of indistinguishable greenbul etc. We will arrive at Buhoma in the evening for an overnight.

Wake up early morning for a hot breakfast and start your Day 10 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, then you will proceed to the national park’s mid-elevation portion that has a significantly different feel from the upper Ruhija area. One of the best places to see the newly described Willard’s Sooty Boubou, which differs from the more widespread and frequently seen Mountain Sooty Boubou in having pale blue eyes.

The Bar-tailed Trogon, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Willcock’s Honey guide, Black-billed Weaver, African broadbill, Sooty Flycatcher, and several kinds of starlings, sunbirds, and greenbul are some of the species we want to see throughout our full day of birding on the park’s trail system. You will later have your dinner and Overnight.

As we travel north on day 11 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, the landscape rapidly changes from montane forest to a more open savanna. This savanna is different from the one in Lake Mburo National Park in that it resembles the flat-topped tree savannas of Kenya and Tanzania and is dominated by candaleras, which are euphorbias that resemble cacti. Seeing cactus-like trees surrounded by luxuriant meadows is an odd sight.

We will go through Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector, which is renowned for its tree-climbing lions. While here, our eyes will also be fed by a variety of bird species including the Blue-throated Roller, the Black-and-white Shrike Flycatcher, the Red-necked Francolin, and many more. We will get to our opulent lodge, which is situated on a peninsula between Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel by late afternoon. Birds like the Northern Black Flycatcher, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird, and Slender-billed Weaver are abundant in the lodge gardens.

You will wake up on day 12 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure and have a hot breakfast. You will go on an extended game drive through the park’s euphorbia-studded savanna to see birds like African crake, Flappet lark, African wattled lapwing, Temminck’s courser, martial eagle, moustached grass warbler among others. We shall have lunch at the lodge and then later proceed for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel which is a 32km long natural channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George. This cruise will give us an opportunity to see the Nile crocodiles, hippos and also elephants. We shall encounter a variety of bird species including the African Fish Eagle, the yellow-billed stork, and the African skimmer.

On waking up by the beautiful sounds of the birds, we shall have our delicious breakfast and then drive to Kibale National park which is the Primate Capital of the World. This drive will take about 3 hours as you will be welcomed by a variety of Vervet monkeys, black and white colobuses. You will check in for lunch and later head to Bigodi wetland for a swamp walk and during this walk you will spot some butterfly species and birds like the Black-crowned Waxbill, White-spotted Fluff tail, White-breasted Negrofinch, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Black Bishop, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Black & white Shrike-flycatcher, Western Nicator, Superb Sunbird, among others. You will then proceed for a community walk where you will taste the Gins brewed from bananas, craft making, coffee processing, among others and return for dinner and overnight.

We shall wake up for breakfast and embark on a fun filled Chimpanzee trekking activity. This activity will start with a briefing on the dos and Don’ts’s when you are with the chimpanzees. Upon finding them you will spend a full hour with them while learning their behaviors, how they feed and carry out their daily activity. You will also encounter primate species like the black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, Olive baboons, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Red colobuses, and Mantled guereza.

For those who won’t go chimp trekking, you will be amazed on hearing the haunting wails and screams in the forest, you will encounter bird species like black-bellied seed cracker, black collard apalis, various vermilions and black malimbes among others.

Wake up early morning for a heavy breakfast and start your Day 15 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure. You will shortly be transferred to Semliki National Park. On arrival, you will go to the trails around the hot springs for birdlife. This gives us a great introduction to the Semliki birds like Hornbills, Chestnut Breasted Negro Finch, Black Bellied Seed Cracker and others. Dinner and overnight stay.

Today, you will bird the Semuliki forest which is the only connection to the great Ituri forest from Democratic Republic of Congo making it the spot where over 35 restricted-range specialists exist in East Africa. We shall spot birds like Spot-breasted Ibis, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, White-bellied Kingfisher, Nkulengu Rail, Piping Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Black-Casqued wattled Hornbill, Black-throated Coucal, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, African Piculet, Black Dwarf Hornbill, White-thighed Hornbill, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Red-rumped Tinker bird, Long-tailed Hawk, Gabon Woodpecker, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Northern Bearded Scrub Robin, Lyre-tailed Honey Guide, Icterine Greenbul, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Crested Malimbe, Xavier’s Greenbul, Fire-crested Alethe, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Blue-headed Crested-flycatcher, Red-bellied Malimbe, Swamp palm Bulbul, Orange-Cheeked Waxbill, Leaf-love, Blue-billed Malimbe, Grant’s Bluebill, Yellow-throated Nicator among others since the bird checklist in this park is over 400.

On waking up, you will have breakfast and then drive to Masindi which is about you will have your hearty breakfast and thereafter drive to Masindi which is the gateway to Budongo Forest. This drive will be more interesting as you will drive through the rural areas of Uganda. In case we arrive in time we will walk through the woodlands in town in search for the white-crested turaco and grey headed olive back.

On day 18 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, you will have a lovely breakfast and then explore the delights of the impressive Budongo forest. We shall spend time at the amazing Royal mile which is a public but lightly used road, your eyes will be fed by the Nahan’s francolin, Cassin’s spin tail, chestnut-capped flycatcher, and we shall also search for the chocolate-backed and African dwarf kingfisher. There are also plenty of colorful species like white-thighed hornbill and black bee-eater.

We shall wake up for breakfast on day 19 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure and thereafter drive to Murchison falls national park. Make a stopover at Butiaba Escarpment which holds completely different arid savannah landscapes and species like foxy cisticola, mocking cliff chart, and brown warbler. Then continue inside the park and be welcomed by the Abyssinian ground hornbill, white-rumped seedeater, weird piapiac, and the Senegal lapwing.

You will wake up early morning for your morning breakfast and then embark on a game drive to the different trails of the park, you will see not only bird species but also abundance of mammal species like warthogs, elephants, lions, giraffes, Bufaloes, among others as the mammal checklist in this park reaches 76.

You will return back for your delicious lunch and then later in the Afternoon, you will embark on an afternoon boat cruise upstream to the bottom of the falls and it will take about 3 hours, while on the cruise, you will see the Nile crocodiles resting under the shade, herds of hippos while in water, elephants swimming and drinking water at the water banks and also be on the lookout for the different bird species like the shoebill, the black bee eater, grey crowned crane, marabou stork, Malachite kingfisher, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Long-tailed nightjar, Senegal thick-knee, Black-headed lapwing, Long-toed lapwing , Black-billed barbet,  and many others, you will have a view of the magnificent Murchison falls as it roars and pours its waters through an 8m narrow gorge.

You will wake up early morning for a delicious breakfast on day 21 of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure and then proceed for a boat cruise downstream to the Delta point with tributaries and marshes. This point is where the Nile enters Lake Albert and it is a great habitat of Shoebill, it is also home to several water birds like Red-throated and Northern-Carmine bee eater, Papyrus Gonolek and the Grey Crowned Crane. While here, you will also feed your eyes with school of hippos drinking and playing in water. You will return back for your lunch and relaxation, later in the evening you will proceed for an evening game drive which will give you an opportunity to spot several mammal species like elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards if lucky enough, hippos among others.

On waking up today, you will have your last delicious jungle breakfast and thereafter drive to the top of the falls for an exclusive breathtaking moment. While here, you will see the magical strength of the World’s most powerful waterfall forcing itself out through a narrow 8m gorge and making a downfall of about 45m with enormous Nile crocodiles basking at the bottom. We shall see birds like the Pel’s fishing owl, chest-nut crowned and red-winged grey warbler. We shall then transfer to Kampala with a lunch stopover and proceed for dinner and an overnight.

On your final day of the 23 Days Uganda Birding Tour Adventure, you will have a hearty breakfast and then drive to Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight back.