Mabamba Wetland Birding Excursions: Uganda’s Mabamba Bay Birding Tours

The Mabamba Bay is one of Uganda’s premier Birding destinations, popular for its prehistoric Shoebill Stork – which is a rare bird species. The Mabamba Wetland is located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, about 50 Kilometers west of Entebbe. When crafting a Uganda Birding Safari Package/Uganda Bird watching Tours, the Mabamba Wetland/ Mabamba Bay is surely a must include. Uganda in General is one of the best Birding destinations in Africa, a mind-blowing bird-watching hub with flourishing Avi-tourism, Uganda hosts approximately 50% of the African continent’s bird count and 11% of the world’s bird species. Uganda is home to the endemic Fox’s Weaver and about 25-30 near-endemic birds also known as the Albertine Rift Endemics. The Mabamba Wetland or Mabamba Bay on the other hand is unique birding destination unlike most destination that can be explored on foot and safari vehicle, Birding in Mabamba can only be done on small canoe boat.

The Mabamba bay is a wetland on the shores of Lake Victoria in the northwest of the Entebbe peninsula covering 2424 ha with thick marshes of papyrus, water lilies, and wetland grasses. The Mabamba Wetland is one of Uganda’s 33 Important Birding Areas (IBA) and also listed as a Ramsar wetland of International Importance. Mabamba swamp is home to about 260 bird species. Birding in the swamp is amazing since the environment is beautiful with papyrus plants and lilies. Discover the bird array in Uganda on your Uganda Holiday tour, book a Uganda Birding Safari/Uganda Bird watching tour with Acacia Safaris and have a chance to visit the Mabamba Bay. Grab a chance to spot the iconic shoebill Stork and other 260 different bird species on a short day excursion while in Uganda.

Top 10 Bird Species in Mabamba Swamp: The must see Bird species during Safaris at Mabamba Wetland

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

The Shoebill also known as the Shoe-billed stork is the highlight of Mabamba Bay Birding safaris and Uganda Birding safari/Birdwatching Tours in Uganda in general. This bird is a whale-headed stork is a large long-legged warding bird that inhabits the Mabamba Wetland.

This bird derives its name from the from its enormous shoe-shaped bill, once catigorised as a stork in the order Ciconiformes however its genetic evidence places it within the pelicans and the herons in the Pelecaniformes.

The Shoebill is a big bird measuring up to 1.5 meters, one of the prehistoric-looking bird with striking features including its massive shoe-shaped bill that it uses to catch lungfish, catfish, and frogs. Watching this bird on Safaris or Birding tours to Mabamba is one of the highlights of safaris here. It is globally Vulnerable, with fewer than 5,000 individuals left and Mabamba Bay is one of the few places you can witness this stunning bird on African Birding tour/Uganda Bird Watching Safaris.

Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri)

The Papyrus Gonolek is a striking bird, that falls in the family of Malaconotidae and is one of the top bird species to look out for during birding safaris to Mabamba Wetland Bay on Uganda Birding Adventures. This bird is adorned in vivid red and black plumage, a papyrus specialist and loves the swampy areas like the Mabamba Bay on the shores of Lake Victoria and a few other East African wetlands located in different countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. To spot this bird requires high levels of attention despite its bright colors suggesting easy visibility. The Papyrus Gonolek is notoriously shy, and stay deep within papyrus thickets. Thanks to its melodious duet calls that usually guide guides on their location, allowing you to spot then during safaris in the Mabamba Bay/Uganda Birding Safaris.

Bird Species in Mabamba Swamp – Mabamba Wetland Birding Excursions

Mabamba Wetland Birding Excursions

The major Uganda safari activity at the wetland is birding or bird watching. The key protected bird species at Mabamba are the Shoebill Stork, blue swallow, and the papyrus gonolek.

Seeing the shoebill is a major highlight for any bird watcher on safari being the fact that it is rare all through Africa. The shoebill is found hiding in the papyrus and feeding on lungfish.

Some of the migrant birds that can be seen at the wetland include the Blue Swallow, White-winged Terns, and Gull-billed Terns.

Other bird species in the wetland include the African, pigmy goose, black crake, black-crowned waxbill, black heron, African fish eagle, African Firefinch, African green pigeon, black-crowned night heron, and many more.

Best time for bird watching in Mabamba wetland

The time from September to March is a good time for birding since many migrant birds are in the wetland during this period.

Mabamba wetland bird watching excursions are available to all travelers that come for birding in Uganda. Birding excursions last about three hours are undertaken on a boat canoe. However, it is also possible to have a full day birding excursion.

To get to the Mabamba swamp, one can use several kinds of routes either from Entebbe or Kampala. If you go through Entebbe, expect to take a ferry from the Nakiwogo landing site for 10 minutes to the Kasanje landing site. From Kasanje, you are driven for about 20 minutes till Mabamba.

At Mabamba the search for the shoebill and other birds is done on a motorized boat that is rented from the fishermen. With the conservation of the area, the shoebill was protected from being killed by fishermen and now they contribute to the protection.

Are you planning to have Uganda birding safari? Choose to take a 1-day Mabamba tour if it’s a short trip or tailor in bird watching at the wetland on a long bird watching tour.

If you have a long Uganda tour, spare a day to visit the wetland before or after taking a tour. Other Uganda safaris packages include Uganda gorilla safaris, wildlife safaris, white water rafting, cultural tours, city tour, and any others.