Mabamba Wetland Birding Excursions

Mabamba Wetland Birding Excursions center in Uganda is a mind-blowing bird-watching hub with flourishing Avi-tourism as the country is hosts approximately 50% of the African continent’s bird count and 11% of the world’s bird species.

Uganda is home to several bird species that live in various habitats ranging from forest, savanna, water, air, swamps, and wetlands. The Mabamba wetland is one of the closest places to have a bird watching tour in Uganda from the capital Kampala.

The Mabamba bay is a wetland on the shores of Lake Victoria in the northwest of the Entebbe peninsula. It covers 2424 ha with thick marshes of papyrus, water lilies, and wetland grasses.

It 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.

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.