Overview
The 14-day birding tour in Uganda takes you to notable birding destinations such as Mabamba Swamp, Bigodi Swamp, Kibale National Park, Semliki, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo. This tour will include gorilla trekking in Bwindi a chance to witness the rare endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
On this tour, expect to meet rare bird species, migratory birds such as Rwenzori batis, shoebill stork, green-breasted pitta, pelicans, the great blue Turacos, long-tailed cisticola, papyrus gonolek, Red-faced Barbet, giant kingfisher, palm nut vultures and more.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1. Arrival and head to the hotel in Entebbe
Be picked up from the airport by the driver bird guide who will take you to the hotel while birding as you spot birds like Pink-backed Pelicans, Yellow-billed Stork, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Yellow White-eye, Purple-banded Sunbird, African Jacana and more.
Day 2. Birding in Mabamba Swamp
Head to Mabamba Swamp for birding where you begin your day with breakfast with your packed lunch.
Begin with a speed boat and then meet a canoe which is a local boat that helps in navigating through the swamp.
There are a lot of birds that will be spotted such as Lesser Jacana, Papyrus Gonolek, Orange weaver, Black Egret, Black Crake, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Goliath Heron and then the rare shoebill stork and many more others.
Day 3. Head to Kibale NP and Crater Lakes birding
Leave your hotel and head to Kibale National Park home to 13 primates and again, homes of over 350 bird species. The journey to this park is amazing since you pass through different communities, roadside markets, forests and plantations of bananas and tea. Arrive and enjoy lunch which will be followed by Crater Lake birding where you expect to meet birds like the hamerkop, egrets, fish eagles, ibis, vultures, Turacos and more. Head to the lodge and this will be the end of the day.
Day 4. Birding in Kibale forest and Bigodi Swamp
Wake up early with your packed lunch and head to Kibale forest for a birding day.
Here you will spot birds like green breastfed pitta, black Bee-eater, Afeb pigeons, western nicator, the great blue Turacos, the Ross’s Turaco, pin-tailed wander, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Dendrocygna bicolour, Knob-billed Duck, Sarkidiornis melanotos, Egyptian Goose, Black-winged Kite, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, European Honey-buzzard, African Cuckoo-Hawk and many more others.
In the evening, head to Bigodi Swamp where you get to spot different birds like Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, White-collared Olive back, Papyrus Canary and many more others. Have a chase to meet primates like Olive baboons, Black and white Colobus monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, red colobus monkeys and many more others. Return to the lodge for your dinner.
Day 5. Birding in Semulik National Park
Wake up early and head to Semliki National Park for a big birding day. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Rwenzori mountain ranges and the Rift Valley.
Today, expect to meet birds like Spot-breasted Ibis, Long-tailed Hawk, Nkulengu Rail, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Black-throated Coucal, White-bellied Kingfisher, Piping Hornbill and many more others while enjoying animals like baboons, red-tailed monkeys, varvet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many more others. Return to the Kibale/Fort portal for a night.
Day 6. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP and birding on a boat cruise.
Leave Kibale National Park/Fort portal and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park for another birding experience on the Kazinga channel.
After lunch, take an afternoon boat cruise where you expect to meet birds including migratory birds such as napped mouse bird, little bee-eater, grey-capped warbler, yellow-backed weaver, pin-tailed whydah, slender-billed weaver, Pink-backed pelican, Yellow-billed stork, Malachite kingfisher, Fish eagle, Pied kingfisher, Papyrus gonolek and many more others. While birding, meet some mammals such as elephants, buffalo, hippos and many more others.
Day 7. Full-day birding in the park
Take a full day birding in different areas of the park as you spot birds like Lesser Flamingos, Eurasian Mash Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Avocet, Montagu’s Harrier, Common Greenshank, Little Stint, Gull-billed tern, Red-capped lark, fawn-breasted wax-bill, dark-caped yellow warbler, black-headed batis, bat hawk, red-tailed bristle bill, and sulfur-breasted bush shrike and many more others.
Day 8. Head to Bwindi National Park and evening birding.
Head to Bwindi National Park while passing through the Ishasha sector where you trek the rare tree-climbing lions.
Proceed as you meet animals like elephants, antelopes and more birds like palm but culture, shoebill, grey kestrel, African wattled plover, African green pigeon, cisticola, martial eagle and more.
Arrive in Bwindi National Park and head for an evening birding experience where you expect to see birds like Red Headed Bluebill, African Blue and African Emerald cuckoo, White Tailed Blue Fly Catchers and many more. Head to the lodge for dinner
Day 9. Gorilla trekking and birding
Have a unique activity on this day where you get to treat the endangered mountain gorillas in the jungle.
This experience will begin with a briefing at the park office led by the park guide ranger and here be told about the rules and regulations, dress code and more. Begin the search as you encounter a gorilla family, spend an hour in their presence taking photos.
Also, enjoy the different bird species while on the trek such as White Tailed Blue Fly Catchers, African blue emerald cuckoo, red-headed bluebill, handsome Francoline, Kivu ground thrush and many more others. Have an evening birding in the park to enjoy more of the missed birds.
Day 10. Head to Lake Bunyonyi
Leave Bwindi National Park and head to Lake Bunyonyi a place known to have small birds hence the name of the Lake. This area is occupied by the Bakiga people who are believed to be the strongest in Uganda pearl of Africa.
This is the second deepest lake in Africa after Lake Tanganyika.
Arrive and head for a birding tour where you expect to meet birds like the herons, the African Harrier Hawk, the egrets, the slender-billed ball fetch, the levelling cuckoo, the levelling cuckoo, the cardinal woodpecker and many more. This will be through a boat cruise which helps you to discover different islands.
Day 11. Birding on Lake Bunyonyi
Spend a day birding on Lake Bunyonyi where you encounter different birds like grey crowned cranes, levillant cuckoos, white-tailed monad, slender-billed baglafetch, weavers, Malachite kingfisher, Cinnamon chested bee-eater, Bronzy sunbird and many more others.
This will be through a boat tour and hiking to view some of the islands.
Day 12. To Lake Mburo National Park
Leave Lake Bunyonyi with its stunning scenery where you journey to Lake the smallest savannah national park in Uganda.
Arrive and head for a birding adventure in the park where you expect to spot birds like Pelicans, Black Crake, Common Squacco, Striated, Goliath, Purple, Black-headed, Grey, Black-headed Herons and many more others. In the evening, head to the lodge booked for your dinner.
Day 13. Birding in the park
Have a full day birding in the park where you have a chance to spot animals like zebras, impalas, warthogs, heynas and more but keep your eyes on birds like Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Saddle-billed Stork, Brown-chested Lapwing, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Nubian Nightjar, African Swift, Greater cormorant, Egyptian Goose, African paradise flycatcher, long tailed cisticola, black crake, pelicans, fish eagles, palm nut vultures, hornbills and more others.
Day 14. Head back to Kampala
Leave the park after checking out and head back to Kampala where you have a chance to encounter the Uganda equator line at Kayabwe. Have a stopover here for photos, souvenir buying and experiments. Be dropped at the airport after an optional birding in Entebbe Botanical Gardens.
