Uganda is ranked among Africa’s top birding destinations as it shares more than half of the continent’s bird list. This country not only has 10% of the global population of birds but also the highest list of birds per square kilometre one could ever find anywhere on Earth. Some of the outstanding habitats in this country include the Lake Victoria basin, Albertine rift mountains, the Sudan-Masai semi-arid ecosystem and the eastern part of the central African Ituri forest in Semuliki and Budongo forests. All these habitats boast of a list of close to 1100 bird species and this tour will give you a rightful share of this long list. It will pass through major destinations like Kidepo Valley National Park and the rich Karamoja region, the home of Uganda’s only bird species, Lowland species in Semuliki, Albertine rift endemics and many others including the prehistoric Shoebill.
Day 1: Arrival and visit the Botanical Gardens
Pick up from Entebbe International Airport by our guide, check-in and head straight to the botanical gardens in Entebbe for birding. The botanical gardens located just 5 minutes away from the airport are a great spot for birding enthusiasts with a list of over 200 recorded species. They cover great areas of habitats like rainforest, water, gardens and cultivated land. Birds to expect include the; Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, Malachite, Pygmy, Woodland and Pied Kingfishers, Green-throated, Scarlet-chested, Olive-bellied and Marico Sunbirds and African Wood Owl, Orange Weaver among others. Overnight at the Hotel
Day 2: Shoebill Tracking and evening Birding at Nkima Forest
Mabamba swamp is an important bird area and renowned wetland on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, it is an advanced ecosystem home to several bird species both resident and migratory. It’s the most popular destination for the Shoebill. We shall set off from our lodge in Entebbe and head to Mabamba Swamp early in the morning. Upon arrival, we shall meet our local guide and begin shoebill tracking by a motorized canoe through the swamp. The activity may take a few hours to half and birds to look out for include the Shoebill, African Jacana, Blue Swallow, Common Sandpiper, Striated, Squacco and Goliath Herons, Great Cormorant, Yellow-billed Duck, Ring-necked Dove, Blue-headed Coucal, Gray-headed Gull, African Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Malachite Kingfisher, Little Egret, Gray Crowned Crane, Winding Cisticola, Allen’s Gallinule among others. After the Shoebill tracking, we shall have lunch at Nkima Forest Lodge, after lunch we shall do evening birding in the forest which is very rich with bird life and birds to look out for including the Snowy and Red-capped Robinchats, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Toro Olive and Little Greenbuls, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Yellow-throated and rumped Tinkerbirds among many others. Overnight at Nkima Lodge.
Day 3: Birding to Lake Mburo
Lake Mburo is the smallest savanna park in Uganda located in the Southwestern region of the country; it is about 5 hours from Kampala and is an important area for birdwatching enthusiasts. It harbours a list of over 350 bird species because of its rich ecosystem which includes savanna grassland, woodland, water, swamps and forests. We shall set off from Kampala and travel to the park making a few stops on the roadside to record birds in places like gardens and electric poles. We expect to record birds like Long-crested Eagles, Lizard Buzzard, Pied crows, Village weavers, Broad-billed and Lilac-breasted Rollers, Dark-capped Bulbul, Bronze Mannikin, Black-headed Gonolek, Gray-backed Fiscal and others. Check-in at Rwakobo Rock
Day 4: Full-Day Birding in Lake Mburo
We shall wake up and have our breakfast early in the morning and set out for morning birding in the savanna areas, birds to expect include Ring-necked, Red-eyed and Laughing Doves, Emerald and Blue-spotted Wood-Doves, Spot-flanked, Crested, Red-faced and Black-collared Barbets, Red-headed Lovebird, African Green-pigeon, African Emerald Cuckoo, Wattled Lapwing, Splendid, Ruppell’s, Wattled and Greater Blue-eared Starlings, Bateleur, Striped Kingfisher, Meyer’s Parrot, Tropical Boubou, Little Bee-eater, Greater Honeyguide among others before we break off to enjoy our packed lunch. After lunch we shall head for a boat cruise on Lake Mburo, birds expected to see include; the African Fish Eagle, Papyrus Gonolek, African Finfoot, Pied Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher and Malachite Kingfisher, Water Thick-knee, Black Crake, Wattled Lapwing, White-backed Night and Purple Herons, Greater Swamp Warbler, Marsh Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper, Yellow-billed Duck, and Palm-nut Vulture among others. Retire back at the lodge.
Day 5: Birding to Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
We shall wake up early in the morning and begin the journey to the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park while birding right from the lodge in Lake Mburo to Ruhija. This will be through making a few stops along the way at water holes, cultivated areas and farmlands. Birds to expect include; the Grey-crowned Crane, Village, Black-headed, Spectacled, Lesser-masked Weavers, Blue-napped and Speckled Mousebirds, Bare-faced Go-away, Augur Buzzard, White-browed and Black Coucals mention a few.
Day 6: Birding in Mubwindi Swamp
This section of the park is a hot birding spot and it harbours rich biodiversity including many Albertine Rift endemics and some of the species to expect include; African Green Broadbill, Dusky Crimsonwing, Regal Sunbird, East African Swee, Rwenzori Batis, Collared Apalis, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Rwenzori and Bl;ack-billed Turacos, Dwarf and Thick-billed Honeyguides, Strange Weaver, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Waller’s and Sharpe’s Starlings, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Mountain Illadopsis and Greenbul, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher among many others. Check-in at the lodge.
Day 7: Gorilla Tracking and Evening Birding in the Forest
One must never miss the opportunity to do Gorilla tracking while in Uganda. This is indeed a lifetime experience that offers you a chance to interact with the endangered Mountain gorillas that are our close relatives. The activity could last anywhere from a few hours to a full day depending on many factors like the movement of the Gorillas, or the physical strength and speed of the visitors. After this rewarding activity, we can go for evening birding in the forest birds to expect include Strange Weaver, Black Bee-eater, Western Tinkerbird, Archer’s Ground Robin, Dusky Twinspot, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Mountain Illadopsis, Grauer’s Warbler, Red-throated Alethe, Olive Woodpecker, Crowned Eagle, African Goshawk, and Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle among many others. Return to the lodge.
Day 8: Birding to Buhoma through the Neck
On our way to the Northern sector of Bwindi, we shall make a couple of stops to scan through the forest for other birds leaving at the lower elevations and we shall pass through an exciting part of the forest known as the neck that connects the two sectors where we can look for species like the; Jameson’s Ant-pecker, Pink-footed Puffback, African Black Duck, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Ansorge’s and Kakamega Greenbul, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat among others.
Day 9: Birding the Main Trail in Buhoma
While in Buhoma we shall do birding on the main trail. This trail allows sighting the Neumann’s Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Willard’s Sooty Boubou, Slender-billed and Kakamega Greenbuls, Many-colored, Grey-Green, Ludher’s and Doherty’s Bushshrikes, Bartailed and Narina Trogons, Sooty Flycatcher, Red-tailed Greenbul, Grey-winged, Blueshouldered and Red-capped Robinchats, Olive and Northern-Double Collared Sunbirds, Tullberg’s and Elliot’s Woodpeckers, Oriole Finch, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, White-tailed Blue, Chapin’s, Cassin’s Dusky Brown and Blue Flycatchers among others. We shall later do evening birding to the lodge and call it a day.
Day 10: Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park
We shall then head to Uganda’s second largest National Park-Queen Elizabeth. It is one of the most visited parks in Uganda and harbours a very long bird list of over 600 different species. The different habitats in this park like the dry plains in Kasenyi, fault lakes, explosion craters, and wetlands among others favour a diversity of wildlife which includes large herds of Elephants, big schools of hippos, different ungulates like the Uganda Kob, big cats like the lion and leopard among others. This park is also home to the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha in its southern sector. We shall pick up a few species along the way some of which include the Black Kite, Long-crested Eagle, Sooty Chat, Palm-nut Vulture, Red-necked and Crested Francolins, Bateleur, Banded and Brown Snake-eagles, Black Bee-eater, Crested and Helmeted Guineafowl to mention a few. Overnight at Bush Lodge
Day 11: Morning birding in the savannas and an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel in Mweya
After breakfast, we shall be out birding in the savanna, have a lunch break in the afternoon and head for an evening boat cruise and birds that we could encounter include the Martial Eagle, Bateleur, African Harrier-Hawk, Long-crested Eagle, Lappet-faced, White-backed and Rüppell’s Griffon Vultures, Senegal Lapwing, Collared Pratincole, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Rufousnaped Lark, Southern Red Bishop, Plain-backed Pipit, Three-banded Plover, Grey Crowned Crane, African Fish Eagle, Helmeted Guineafowl, African Wattled, Senegal and Crowned Lapwings, Broad-billed and European Rollers, Red-throated, Madagascar, White-throated and Little Bee-eaters, Black-headed Gonolek, African Grey Hornbill, Black-winged Red Bishop, Village Weavers, Red-billed Firefinch, Woodland, Pied, Malachite and Grey-headed Kingfishers, Common Bulbul, African Paradise Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Drongo, Yellow-billed Oxpecker among others. Overnight at the lodge
Day 12: Birding to Kibale and evening Bigodi Swamp Walk
We shall wake up early in the morning and head out for our journey to Kibale National Park known as the primate capital, while we do birding along the way from Queen Elizabeth National Park. When we get to Kibale, we shall then do an evening walk in Bigodi Swamp which is a rich ecosystem located outside the park, the park accommodates an array of fauna and flora ranging from insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. Birds to expect include Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, African Green Pigeon, Tambourine and Red-eyed Doves, Red-headed Bluebill, Yellow-breasted, Hairy-breasted and Double-toothed Barbets, African Openbill, Magpie Mannikin, Klass’s and Red-chested Cuckoos, Blue-breasted, Pygmy, Shining Blue and Woodland Kingfishers, Toro Olive and Plain Greenbuls, Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Sulphur breasted Bush-shrike, Western Nicator, White-winged Swamp Warbler, Black-necked and Violet Weavers, White-spotted Flufftail, Papyrus Gonolek to mention a few. The swamp also boasts about 7 primate species including the endangered Red Colobus Monkey. Overnight at KFC
Day 13: Chimpanzee Tracking and Afternoon Bird Watching in the Forest
We shall wake up early in the morning for another life experience Chimpanzee tracking which takes about 1- 3 hours, you get to spend time with these primates observing how they relate with each other, grooming each other, feeding and hunting. After the chimps, we shall go birding in the Kibale forest and birds to look out for include the; Black-billed Turaco, Yellow-mantled and Black-necked Weavers, Joyful and White-throated Greenbuls, African Black Duck, Narina Trogon, Chestnut and Jameson’s Wattle-eyes, Speckled, Yellow-throated, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Western Black-headed Oriole, Buff-throated Apalis, Red-tailed and White-tailed Ant-Thrushes, Green-breasted Pitta, Afep, Remeron and White-naped Pigeons, Red-headed Malimbe, Fraser’s Flycatcher-Thrush, Blue-breasted and Shining Blue Kingfishers, Fire-crested Alethe, Little Green Sunbird, Black Bee-eater and White-spotted Flufftail among others. We shall later return to the lodge.
Day 14: Pitta Tracking and Birding to Semuliki National Park.
Wake up very early in the morning to see the Pitta. This is a must-see bird for most birders as this rare resident of dense lowland forest is usually elusively skulking on the ground in pairs. While we are pitta tracking, we shall also do birding in the forest and after a few hours depending on how the activity goes, we shall retire and head out for Semuliki National Park. Some of the possible sightings include the; Green-breasted Pitta, White-collared Oliveback, Blue-breasted, African Pygmy and Shining-blue Kingfishers, Masked Apalis, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Golden-crowned Woodpecker, Honeyguide greenbul, White-spotted Flufftail, White-breasted and Grey-headed Nigritas, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Dark-capped Bulbul, Speckled Mousebird, Village and Vieillot’s Black Weaver, House and Northern Grey-headed Sparrows, Pied crow, Village Indigobird, Bronze, Black and White and Magpie Mannikins among others. Check-in at the lodge
Day 15: Full-day Birding in Semuliki.
We shall be up early, have our breakfast and carry our packed lunches to do birding in the birders’ haven. This lowland forest is one of the most sought-after birding destinations for birders in East Africa. Known for the Congo biome rare species but also Albertine Rift Endemics, Semuliki is truly a birder’s haven and some of the birds expected to include the Rufous-sided Broadbill, Leaf-love, Gabon Woodpecker, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Gray, Icterine, Red-tailed, Simple, Honeyguide, Cabanis’s and Xavier’s Greenbul, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Piping, White-thighed, Black-casqued Wattled, Red-billed Dwarf, and White-crested Hornbills, African Piculet, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Blue-billed Malimbe, Congo Serpent Eagle, Rameron Pigeon, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Wood Warbler, Hartlaub’s Duck, Spot-breasted Ibis, Long-tailed Hawk, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Bates’s Nightjar, Forest Robin, Nkulengu Rail, among others. Return to Fort Portal.
Day 16: Transfer to Masindi
After our morning breakfast, we shall travel northwards to Masindi in Bunyoro kingdom. We shall do birding on the way stopping at a few areas of interest along the way to our destination. This is one of the longest journeys to make and we shall majorly focus on transferring to the northern western part of Uganda where Masindi is found. Some of the possible birds here include the; Great Blue Turaco, African paradise flycatcher, Banded and Brown snake eagles, Grey-crowned Crane, Black-headed Heron, Lizard Buzzard, Piapiac, African Blue Flycatcher, Green-backed Camaroptera, Palm-nut Vulture, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Eastern Plantain-eater, African Harrier Hawk, Gray Kestrel among others. Overnight at Masindi Hotel
Day 17: Birding the Royal Mile and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Set off early in the morning after breakfast to the famous Royal Mile with our packed lunch boxes. This is one beautiful trail to bird watch from as it is short but wide with an assorted list of lowland and mid-altitude species. Some of the culprits on the list include the; Uganda Woodland Warbler, African Dwarf, Chocolate-backed and Blue-breasted Kingfishers, Yellow-whiskered, Red-tailed, Spotted, Slender-billed, Gray, and White-throated Greenbuls, Brown, Scaly-breasted, Puvell’s and Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Yellow-crested and Brown-eared Woodpeckers, Blue-throated Roller, African Forest Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Forest Robin, Nahan’s Partridge, Willcock’s Honeyguide, Jameson’s and Chestnut Wattle-eyes, Purple-headed Starling, Superb Sunbird, Red-headed and Crested Malimbe, Sabine’s and Cabanis’s Spinetail, Narina Trogon, Cassin’s and Ayres’s Hawk Eagles, Fraser’s Flycatcher-Thrush, Black and White Shrike, African Shrike, and Sooty Flycatchers, White-spotted Flufftail and Crested Guineafowl many among others. In the afternoon, we shall set off for Murchison Falls through the escarpments and birds that we expect to include the following; Chestnut-breasted Rock Bunting, Cut-throat Finch, Silverbird, Namaqua Dove, Black-billed Wood-Dove, Black-billed Barbet, Northern Red and Yellow Bishops, Dark-chanting Goshawk, Blue-naped Mousebird, Mocking Cliff chat and Spotted mourning Thrush to mention a few. We shall later check in at the lodge in Murchison.
Day 18: Full Day Birding Murchison Falls National Park
We shall wake up and have an early morning breakfast from which we shall head out to bird this expansive park for the whole day. This will be in the Borassus Savanna areas but also on a boat to the bottom of Murchison on the Nile. Birds we hope to encounter include the Denham’s and Black-bellied Bustard, Temminck’s Courser, Abyssinian Ground and African Gray Hornbills, Red-necked Falcon, Heuglin’s Spurfowl and masked Weaver, Speckle-fronted, Red-headed, Lesser Masked and Black-headed Weavers, Northern Red and Black-winged Bishops, Lappet-faced, Hooded, White-backed and Ruppell’s Griffon Vultures, Banded, Black-chested and Brown Snake-Eagles, Martial and Tawny Eagles, Northern and Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, Osprey, African Darter, Black-crowned Night-Heron Giant, Pied, Woodland, Malachite and Gray-headed Kingfishers, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Vinaceous, Mourning-Collared and Red-eyed Doves, Senegal and White-browed Coucals, Chestnut-crowned and White-browed Sparrow-Weavers, Gull-billed Tern, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Rock Pratincole, Pel’s Fishing-Owl, Goliath Heron, Senegal and Water Thick-knees, Egyptian Plover, among others. We shall retire back to the lodge.
Day 19: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
We woke up early in the morning and set off to Kidepo Valley National Park with our packed lunch. We shall make a few stops for birding on the way but also to stretch from the long drive. Birds to expect include, Northern and Gray-backed Fiscal, Namaqua Dove, Yellow-billed Shrike, Fork-tailed Drongo, Silverbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Black-crowned Tchagra, Piapiac, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Northern Black Flycatcher, Red-headed Buffalo-Weaver, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Helmeted Guineafowl, Ruppell’s and Superb Starlings, Northern Red Bishop, Vinaceous Dove, Black Kite, Fan-tailed Raven, Red-cheeked Cordon-Bleu, African Palm Swift, Brubru among others. Overnight at Kidepo Savanna Lodge
Day 20: Full-Day Birding in Kidepo Valley National Park
We shall wake up early morning, have breakfast and set off for our bird-watching adventure in Kidepo Valley National Park. This will take us a full day with a lunch break in the middle. Birds expected here include; Stone Patridge, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Eastern Chanting and Dark Chanting Goshawks, Pygmy Falcon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-crested Turaco, Secretary Bird, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Abyssinian and Rufous-crowned Rollers, Fox’s Kestrel, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Black-headed Lapwing, Clapperton’s, Yellow-necked and Heuglin’s Francolins, White-bellied Go-away bird, Violet-tipped Courser, Red-fronted, Black-breasted, Red and Yellow and D’Arnaud’s Barberts, Grayish Eagle-Owl, Pied, Heuglin’s and Isabelline Wheater’s, Foxy and Red Pate Cisticolas, Purple Grenadier, White-headed and Lappet-faced Vultures among others.
Day 21: Birding to Moroto through Matheniko-Bokora Wildlife Reserve
After our breakfast, we shall bird to Moroto through, Matheniko-Bokora which is diverse and rich in arid bird species. Some of the goodies here include the; White-headed, White-billed and Red-billed Buffalo Weavers, Superb Starling, Namaqua, Vinaceous, Laughing, and Ring-necked Doves, Eurasian Hoopoe, Slate-coloured Boubou, Rufous-naped and Red-winged Larks, Jackson’s and Northern Red-billed Hornbills, Northern Wheatear, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Pin-tailed, Eastern Paradise and Straw-tailed Whydahs, Croaking and Rattling Cisticolas, Vitelline Masked, Speckle-fronted, White-browed Sparrow and Heuglin’s Masked Weavers, Tawny Eagle, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, Bronze-tailed and Red-winged Starlings, Eastern Chanting-Goshawk, among others. Grey-headed Social-Weavers. Overnight at Karatunga
Day 22: Birding in Soroti for The Fox’s Weaver
After breakfast, we shall drive further south to the Teso region in the large marshes around lakes Bisina and Opeta, these plains are home to Uganda’s only endemic bird species-the Fox’s Weaver. We shall bird around this habitat and some of the other species expected include the; Karamoja Apalis, Fulvous and White-faced Whistling Ducks, Little Bittern, Lesser and African Jacanas, Striated Heron, Pygmy Falcon, Parasitic Weaver, Beautiful Sunbird and Red Pate Cisticola among others. Other species on the lakes include the Shoebill, White-throated and Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Cattle, Little and Great White Egrets, Black Crake, Knob-billed Duck, Saddle, Yellow-billed and Open-billed Storks. We shall later drive and overnight in Kumi.
Day 23: Transfer to Entebbe and Departure.
We shall have our breakfast and drive back to Entebbe after a long birding list throughout the country. This will mark the end of our tour and depending on our departure, we may revisit the botanical gardens as we wait for our late-night flights.
