Day 1: Arrival.
You will be met by our driver guide; who will welcome you to Uganda. Depending on the time of your arrival, you might go for birding at Entebbe or be transferred to the hotel for overnight stay.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Serena Lake Victoria Resort
Midrange: Cassia Lodge
Budget: Common Lens Inn hotel
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Wetland.
Have breakfast and proceed to Mabamba wetland. There you will encounter one of Uganda’s most famous birds, the Shoebill stork. Other birds include; African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, Black Crake and Malachite Kingfisher can also be found here.
After this birding expedition, proceed to Budongo Forest, and enjoy bird watching as you travel, the birds will include; African Penduline Tit, White-shouldered Black Tit, Spot-flanked Barbet, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike, Black Scimitar bill, Rattling Cisticola, Black-faced Waxbill, shy Foxy Cisticola,and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. Then other raptors could include; Martial Eagle,Whalberg’s Eagle, Bateleur and this is a good area to search for the localized White-crested Turaco. Patches of marsh and scrub around Masindi could well produce Red-headed Lovebird, Grey-crowned Crane, Black-headed Oriole, White-browed Robin Chat, Ross’s Turacco, Grey-headed Olive-Tropical Boubou, Red-faced and Carruther’sCisticolas, Greater Swamp Warbler, Whitewinged Warbler, the colourful Papyrus Gonolek, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Grosbeak-Weaver and the Red-collared Widowbird.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Budongo Eco Lodge
Midrange: Masindi Hotel
Budget: New Court View Hotel
Day 3-5: Birding in Budongo Forest.
Early in the morning, you will embark on a short birding tour in the forest, where you will enjoy birding along the royal Mile. Here you will view different species of birds that include; Yellow-spotted, White-thighed, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills,Yellow-billed Barbets, Western Black-headed Oriole, along with Red and Blue – tailed monkeys. Overhead, Sabine’s and sometimes Cassin’s Spinetails soar over the clearings. Other birds which are found on this trail include; Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes skulk in the shadows, as well as Red-tailed Bristlebill, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Pale-breasted Illadopsis and Brown Illadopsis. The greenbuls are also a challenge to find and these include; Slender-billed Cameroon Sombre, spotted Honey guide, while other regular species include Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Green Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Buff-throated Apalis, and both White-breasted and Grey-headed Negrofinches and the Uganda Woodland Warbler; the check list is endless.
Then dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Budongo Eco Lodge
Midrange: Masindi Hotel
Budget: New Court View Hotel
Day 6-8: Birding in Kibale Forest.
You will leave for Kibale national park.It is somehow a long drive which takes between 6-7 hours and highly depends on the condition of the road. The birds in Kibale forest include; Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, Black-billed Turaco, African Pitta, Cabanis Greenbul, Grey-winged Robin, Yellow-spotted Barbet,White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, White-naped Pigeon, Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Flufftail, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Masked Apalis, Nahan’s Francolin, Tiny Sunbird, White collard Olive Back etc. Other birds include; Crowned Hornbill, Yellow bill, Narina Trogon, White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Honey guide Bulbuls, Streaky-throated Barbet, Wahlberg’s Honeybird, Cassin’s Honeybird, White-chinned Prinia, Pink-footed Puff back, Masked Apalis, Olive Sunbird, Mountain Wagtail, Joyful and and Banded Prinia, Black-and-White Flycatcher, Purple-headed Starling, Green Sunbird, Black-necked Weaver, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Dark-backed Weaver, and Red-headed Bluebill. There are a grand total of 13 species of primates known to be found here including; Chimpanzees, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon and Central African Red Colobus. Birding continues in the afternoon in the nearby Bigodi wetland.
Then dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Primate Lodge
Midrange: Kibale Forest Camp
Budget: Rwenzori View Guest house
Day 9-11: Bird watching and Gorilla tracking tour in Bwindi, Buhoma sector.
You will bird along the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park. You will also bird in the evening around the forest margins. This forest ranks among the best forest birding destinations in East Africa. It is also a home to over 23 localized Albertine Rift endemics. The special birds found here include; Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Black-faced Apalis, Banded Prinia, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Ashy Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Mountain Illadopsis, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler. More of the special birds. In addition to the above, they include; Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, MacKinnon’s Fiscal, Pink-footed Puffback,White-naped Raven, Doherty’s Bush-shrike,Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Strange Weaver, Waller’s Starling, Sooty Boubou, Grey-headed Sunbird, Dusky Tit, Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-bellied Waxbill and the Black-billed Weaver.
More of the special birds include; Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick- billed Seed eater, Magpie Mannikin, Streaky Seed eater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Brown-capped Weaver, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, African Wood-Owl, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Ayre’s Hawk-eagle, Cinnam Bar-tailed Trogon, on-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Rwenzori Nightjar, (Western) Bronze-naped Pigeon, African Green Broadbill, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Red-chested Owlet, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, Scarce Swift, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin Chat, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Archer’s Ground Robin Olive Thrush, , Grey Cuckoo-shrike, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Short-tailed Warbler, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Grauer’s Rush-warbler, Neumann’s Warbler and Red faced Woodland-Warbler. In addition to the many bird species, Bwindi is also a home to many primates which include; the mountain gorillas, Rwenzori and yellow backed duikers and the L’Hoest Monkeys.
Then dinner and overnight at the lodge in Buhoma sector.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Buhoma Lodge
Midrange: Engagi Lodge
Budget: Buhoma community campsite
Day 12: Bird watching tour in Ruhiija sector.
Ruhija is the place where the endemics of Albertine Rift in Uganda are found. This is what has made Bwindi one of the best birding spots in Uganda. You will enjoy many birding species which include; Augur Buzzard, Black Bee-eater, Red-throated Wryneck, Collared Apalis, Bronze Sunbird, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Toro Olive Greenbul, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Black Saw-wing, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Many-coloured Bush-Shrikes, Yellow Bishop, Archer’s Robin Chat, White-eyed Slaty Flycatchers, Cassin’s Grey and Doherty’s, Ruwenzori Batis, Collared Apalis, Handsome Francolin, Stripe-breasted Tit, White-naped Raven.Further more they include; Purple-breasted Sunbird, Scarce Swift, Yellow Bishop, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Baglafecht Weaver, Baglafecht Weaver, Lagden’s Bush-Shrike, Strange and Dusky Crimson-Wing, Black-and-White Mannikin, the rare Dusky Twin spot, and Streaky Seed eater. Archer’s Robin-Chat, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Dusky and Shelley’s Crimson wings. Other high elevation species occurring here are Olive Pigeon, White-starred Robin, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler and Mountain Illadopsis.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Gorilla Safari Lodge
Midrange: Bakiga Lodge
Budget: Broadbill Forest Camp
Day 13: Bird watching tour in the Mubwindi Swamp.
You will have breakfast and after, you will hike to the Mubwindi swamp for the whole day. This trail drops from 2,350 m to 2, 050 m. It’s the best place for some of the most elusive rift endemics including the Grauer’s Broadbill, regal sun bird and the Archer’s Robin Chat. Other important bird species in Mubwindi Swamp include; Stripe-breasted Tit, Dwarf Honey guide, Rwenzori Apalis and African hill Babbler, the rare and localized Grauer’s Scrub-warbler, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, and Carruthers’ Cisticola, including hard-to-see species like Fraser’s Eagle-Owl, African Green Broadbill, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Blue-headed, Purple-breasted and Regal Sunbirds, Archer’s Robin Chat, Eastern Mountain-Greenbul, Strange Weaver, Grauer’s Broad-bills, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-headed Waxbill, White-headed Wood hoopoe, Waller’s and Stallman’s starling, Handsome Francolin and Ludher’s Bush-shrike, and Montane Night jar.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Gorilla Safari Lodge
Midrange: Bakiga Lodge
Budget: Broadbill Forest Camp
Day 14: Travel to Entebbe via Kampala.
After breakfast, you will transfer back to Entebbe via Kampala. Do birding all through the main road in the Bamboo area and have a chance to view many birds, including both the Albertine and highland endemic species.
Day 15: Departure.
End of your 15 day birding safari Uganda and depart through Entebbe international airport.
