20 Days Uganda Bird Watching Safari

At TaskVD Uganda Travels, we specialise in: Honeymoon Packages, Gorilla Tracking, Primates Viewing, Game drive Safaris, Personalized safaris, Bird Watching, Urban and Nature Based Safaris, Adventure tourism, School Trips, Car Hire, Airport Transfers, and Travel consultancy as well as hotel bookings. Name it and we’ll make it happen.

Day 1: Drive To Kampala / City Tour

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport. You will be met by our Company Guide /Representative who will transfer you to the proposed accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe. Early arrivals may enable you to visit some of the attractions in Kampala like the Kasubi Royal Tombs, the Uganda Museum, The Bahai Temple, for an introduction to Uganda. Dinner and overnight at your choice of accommodation.

Day 2: Mabamba swamp Birding Tour.

50 km west of Kampala, lies the Mabamba Wetland, a newly discovered home for the most sought after bird, the Shoebill. Birding is done on canoes in marsh channels. Special birds to expect include: Yellow Backed Weaver, Northern Brown Throated Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal, Papyrus Gonolek, African Purple Swamp Hen, African Water Rail, Lesser Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling Duck, Squacco Heron, Blue Breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron and many more. Dinner and overnight in Kampala.

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park Birding And Wildlife Tour .

After breakfast you will drive off to Murchison Falls National park, Uganda’s largest National park that protects a chunk of untamed African Savannah and bisected by the mighty River Nile. You will reach the park in the afternoon and drive to the top of the falls where the park’s name was derived. At the falls, the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43 m below. You will then be transferred to the landing site for a boat cruise to cross to the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari lodge.

Day 4: Wildlife Tour, Nile Boat Ride And Birding Safaris

Have breakfast then take a boat along the Victoria Nile to the Delta at the Lake Albert. This is home to Hippos and many enormous Nile Crocodiles as well as special birds which include the famous Shoebill, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller and the Ground Hornbill, Pied Kingfishers, Red Throated Bee-eaters lining the water banks; Goliath Heron, Sacred Ibis, Saddle-billed Stork, Senegal and Water Thick-Knee, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Vinaceous Dove and Fulvous Whistling- Duck.
Retire for lunch at the lodge and then in the afternoon you will go birding at the top of the Falls. Look out for birds like the Grey Woodpecker, Darter and Giant Kingfisher, Western Violet Sunbird, Brown Twinspot, Red-Winged Pytilia, Bruce’s Pigeon, Red Shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike and others. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 5: Game Drive Safari

Go for a whole day game drive with packed lunch to the northern bank of the Victoria Nile. Expect birds like Red Winged grey Warbler, Rock Pranticole, Pat Hawk, Denham’s Bustard, Pels Fishing Owl, Vinaceous Dove, Carmine Bee-eater, White Rumped Canary and others. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge

Day 6 Budongo forest Birding Tours

This morning you will start very early in Budongo forest through the escarpment looking for Fox’s Cisticola,Northern Combrec, Grey Headed Bush Shrike, Madagascar Heron, Lesser Masked Weaver and Shikra. You will spend the whole day in Budongo which is one of the largest and most beautiful forests in Uganda. The forest is also know to be home to birds like Yellow and Grey Long Bills, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Ituris Batis, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Red Tailed Ant-thrush to mention but a few. Dinner and overnight at Forestry College.

Day 7: Royal Mile And Busingiro Bird Watching Tour

Yu will have breakfast then spend the whole day birding in the Royal Mile and Busingiro. Expect species like African Dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Long Bills, Yellow-browned Camaroptera and Cabanis Bunting, Brown-backed Scrub-Robin, Narina Trogon, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Crested Malimbe and Red-headed bluebill. Dinner and overnight at Forestry College

Day 8 Kibale Forest National Park Primates And Birding Tour.

Depart early for Kibale Forest National Park. The forest is known to be home to over 13 primate species. The forest is also a home to plenty of birds such as Black billed Turaco, White-naped Pigeon, African Pitta, Joyful Greenbul, White Collard Olive Back, Grey-winged Robin, Nahan’s Francolin, Tiny Sunbird, Masked Apalis, and many more. You will reach in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kanyankyu centre.

Day 9: Uganda Birding Tour

You will spend the whole day birding in the forest. Other birds to look out for include, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Buff-spotted Woodpecker. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kanyankyu centre.

Day 10: Queen Elizabeth National park Tour

After breakfast, proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, the second largest park in Uganda. The park is known to harbour over 600 species of birds with a one-day record of 296 birds out of the 610 species recorded. The park offers an excellent variety of bird species which include Pelicans, Skimmers, Kingfishers, Thick-knees, Storks, Martins, Swallows, Weavers, Canaries, Kites, and several grassland species. You will arrive in the afternoon to go for an evening birding which is usually productive. Dinner and overnight at Mweya safari Lodge/Jacana Lodge/Budget Institute of Ecology.

Day 11: Game Drive And Birding Tours

Have breakfast then off for a game drive birding in the morning and then later in the afternoon you go for a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel for waterbirds. The Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes Edward and George is known to be one of the best regions in the park for birds. Expect specials like African Skimmer, Water thick-knee, Grey headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-warbler, Yellow Billed Oxpecker, African Spoonbill and others.

Day 12: Drive To Bwindi Gorilla National Park

Have breakfast and transfer to Bwindi, the home of Gorillas. Although it is most known for gorillas, the park is also home to over 300 bird species. The drive will take you through the Ishasha Sector to get to Bwindi in the late afternoon. Special birds include Red Throated Alethe, Banded Prinia, Yellow Eyed Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-naped Raven, Magpie Mannikin, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Ayre’s Hawk-eagle, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Robin-chat, Neumann’s Warbler, Equator Akalat, Handsome Francolin, Mackinnon’s Fiscal , Narrow tailed Starling, Rwenzori batis, Pink-footed Puffback, African Golden Oriole, Brown capped Weaver, Grauer’s Warbler. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Forest Camp/Gorilla resort/Volcanoes Exclusive Camp/Buhoma Homestead/Buhoma community Bandas.

DAY 13: Gorilla Tracking Tour

Have breakfast to transfer to the Park Headquarters for briefing before setting off to the forest to track for gorillas. The guide will brief you at 9:00 am after which you will set off to discover these giant gorillas. The time you will take tracking these humble apes in unpredictable however it ranges between 2-9 hours depending on their movement. The activity requires you to go through steep rocks climbing up and down making it tiresome. The thrill of encountering these giant primates however, erases the poor memories you went through trying to find them. Dinner and over night at your preferred lodge.

Day 14, 15, 16 & 17: Do Birding Tours

The first day you will do birding in the Buhoma sector the whole day and then in Ruhija the next day. You will then go from Ruhija to Mubwindi on the eighteenth day and then back to Ruhija the last day. The 4 km trail to Mubwindi Swamp is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all the Rift-endemics. The Mubwindi Swamp hold specials like the Dwarf Honeyguide, Rwenzori Apalis, Fraser’s eagle-Owl, White headed Wood Hoopoe, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Montane Nightjars, and others. Dinner and overnight at your preferred accommodation..

Day 18: Drive To Lake Mburo National Park

Have breakfast and set off to Lake Mburo National park, a special park with every hint of being alive with variety, interest and colour. The park contains an extensive wetland and harbours several species of mammals and birds. You will arrive in the afternoon to go for a canoe ride on the lake searching for birds like, Papyrus Gonolek, Black-collared Barbets, Ground Hornbill, White-winged Warbler, Brown-chested Plover and others. Dinner and overnight at Mantana tented Camp/Mihingo Lodge/ Rwonyo Camp.

Day 19: Game Drive, Birding Tour And Return

Have breakfast to go for a game drive in the morning in search of more game and birds. Retire from the game drive for lunch and then in the afternoon you will transfer to Kampala. Dinner and overnight at a hotel of your choice in the City.

Day 20: Departure

Departure

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