Detailed 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari

Day 1: Arrival

On the arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will meet our representative who will take you for dinner and overnight at Lake Victoria Windsor Hotel or Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe.

Day 2: Botanical Gardens and Mabamba Swamp

After breakfast, you will start birding around the botanical gardens. Look out for Slender-billed Weaver, Brown-throated Weaver Golden-backed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Grey-headed Gull, Long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Pied Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher, Broad-billed Roller, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling, Black-headed Gonolek, Orange Weaver, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Red-chested Sunbird, Ross’s Turaco, Pied Hornbill, Crowned Hornbill, Open-billed Stork, Great Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Grey-capped Warbler, and many others.

After lunch at the hotel proceed to Mabamba Swamp and board the canoe for the best tour of the swamp. You can find the Shoebill stork, Swamp Flycatcher, Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy-goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco Heron, Goliath Heron, Black Crake, and many more birds. Return to Lake Victoria Laico Hotel or Botanical Beach Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 and 4: Budongo Forest

After breakfast drive to Budongo Forest one of the main birding sanctuaries in Uganda. After lunch in Masindi Hotel, go for afternoon and evening birding and look out for the White-crested Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Bat Hawk, Black-shouldered Nightjar, White-crested Turaco, Crowned Eagle, and African Wood-owl. Dinner and overnight at Budongo Eco Lodge.

On the second day after an early breakfast start birding at the Royal Mile. You will look for the rare Nahan’s Francolin, Banded Snake-eagle, African Pied Hornbill, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Black Bishop, Brown Twinsport, Black-bellied Firefinch, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, White-thighed Hornbill, Yellow-billed Barbet, Spotted Greenbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Slender-billed Greenbul, Black-capped Apalis, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Green Hylia, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Forest Flycatcher, Fire-crested Alethe, Yellow Longbill, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Crowned Eagle, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, African Dwarf Kingfisher. Packed lunch and dinner overnight at Budongo Eco Lodge.

Day 5 and Day 6 of the 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Kibale National Park

Early morning departure for the chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, before leaving for Kibale National Park. This is a rainforest that hosts over 9 species of primates, including chimpanzees, red colobus, black and white colobus, grey-cheeked Mangabey, and red-tailed monkeys. Among other birds, you find here are Scaly Francolin, Marsh Tchagra, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Green-backed Twinspot, Bicoloured Mannikin, White-naped Pigeon, Afep Pigeon, Narina’s Trogon, Joyful Greenbul, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black Bee-eater and many others. A nature walk at the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary ecotourist site is rewarding. This is home to Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, and Black-faced Rufous Warbler. Lunch is included. Dinner and overnight at Rujuna Hilltop Guest House.

Day 7 and 8 of 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Semliki National Park

From Fort Portal drive to Semuliki National Park, one of the top destinations for birding in Uganda. The forest along river Semliki is home to Spot-breasted Ibis, Northern Bearded Scrub-robin, Capuchin Babbler, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Yellow-throated Green Cuckoo, White-bellied Kingfisher, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Black-winged Oriole, Red-eyed Puffback, Crested and Red-bellied Malimbe, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Zenker’s Honeyguide, and African Piculet. Dinner and first overnight at Semliki Lodge, second night back to Fort Portal at Rujuna Hilltop Guest House or proceed to Kasese.

Day 9 of the 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. This Park records over 550 bird species. The one-day record in this Park is 296, which is one of the highest in the world. After lunch go for the boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, where the concentration of water birds and photographs is extraordinary. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day 10: Game drive in the park and Ishasha sector – Uganda Birding Safari

After an early cup of coffee, you start birding early morning in the open savannah for birds like the Temminck’s Courser, Martial Eagle, and Rupell’s Griffon Vulture, then return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through Maramagambo Forest and Ishasha sector. Dinner and overnight in Silverback Lodge.

Day 11 of the 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Bwindi Forest – Uganda Birding Safari

In the early morning, you can hear the songs of the Snowy-capped Robin-chat, Luehder’s Bush-shrike, and the Grey-capped Warbler while having breakfast. You will spend the whole day birding in Bwindi Forest, one of the most interesting ecosystems in Africa for the concentration of biodiversity.

Over 350 bird species are recorded. These include Red-throated Alethe, Equatorial Akalat, Grey-throated Barbet, Black Bee-eater, Forest Robin, Montane Oriole, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Pettit’s Cuckooshrike, Black-faced Rufous Warbler and many more. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 12, 13, and 14 of the 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Ruhija in southern Bwindi – Uganda Birding Safari

Early morning gorilla tracking in the forest sanctuary starting from Buhoma. Depart to reach Ruhiija in the south of the forest and spend two nights at the camping site.

On the second day after breakfast, you go birding in this prolific area. Birding in the Mubwindi Swamp is very productive. One has to be prepared to walk on steep mountain tracks.

You drop from about 2400m to 2050m above sea level. Birding in the bamboo zone is good for the Handsome Francolin, Archer’s Robin-chat, Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Mountain Greenbul, Waller’s Chestnut-winged Starling, Dusky Crimsonwing, Mountain Illadopsis, and Mountain Yellow Warbler.

On the third day proceed for dinner and overnight in Mburo National Park, Mantana Tented Camp.

Day 15: Lake Mburo National Park – Uganda Birding Safari

After breakfast, enjoy birding in the swampy area and Lake Mburo. You will hear the songs of the Mourning Dove, Dideric Cuckoo, Grey-capped Warbler, Black-headed Weaver, and Ring-necked Dove.

Among others, you will go searching for Brown-chested Lapwing, Lilac-breasted Roller, Black-bellied Bustard, Helmeted Guineafowl, Coqui Francolin, Rufous-napped Lark plus many raptors. In the evening transfer to Kampala for dinner and overnight.

Day 16 of the 16 Days Best Uganda Birding Safari: Reserved to the airport transfer or extensions – Uganda Birding Safari

Safari Inclusions and Exclusions

The safari package includes

• Park Entrance fees
• 4×4 Land Cruiser or Safari Van for ground travel
• Service of professional English-speaking guide
• Boat ride
• Game viewing
• Bottled water on tour

The safari package excludes

• Tips
• Laundry
• Visa fees
• Optional Activities
• Air tickets
• Shopping
• Cigarettes
• Telephone bills