14 days of birding safari in Uganda, birding allows tour Uganda and enjoys birding watching in all major birding destinations in Uganda in detail. Standing with 1057 bird species, Uganda features 11% of the word’s bird species and 50% of Africa’s bird count
14 days Uganda birding safari takes you to Mabira virgin forest with 312 species, ziwa Rhino sanctuary with 250 bird species, Budongo forest with over 360 bird species including the endemic yellow tooted flycatcher and Illadopsis Puvelli, Murchison falls national park with 451 species of birds with the sight of the rare shoebill stork, Kibale national park with 375 species of birds with the endemic Kibale ground Trush, Bigodi wetland sanctuary with 138 species of birds including the famous great blue Turacco, queen Elizabeth national park with over 600 species of birds making the habitant with many bird species in east Africa and second in Africa, Bwindi forest national park with 360 species of birds including the endemic red faced barbet, Entebbe botanical garden, Lutembe bay and the famous Mabamba swamp. It is an adventure birding encounters for all seasoned worlds birders
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: arrival at Entebbe international airport
Today on arrival at Entebbe international airport our guide from African skimmer tours will be eagerly waiting to pick you and transfer you at booked hotel for dinner and overnight
Day 2: Drive to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and birding Budongo forest
In the morning after early breakfast, drive northwest to Budongo forest reserve with in Masindi town. This route offers you impressive views of the flat landscape of central Uganda before making a stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary to view white rhinos and birds
The savannah thickets also features counts of birds over 250 species of birds and expert guides will enable you spot range of birds including broad billed, blue spotted dove, booted eagale,abyssinial ground hornbill, African blue flycatcher
Have lunch at the sanctuary and transfer to Masindi and Budongo forest in the evening
Day 3: morning in Budongo forest and later transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast at exactly 06:30 am, you will start your full day birding in Uganda in the forest starting with the royal mile area of the forest.
This royal mile is referred to as the country’s premier forest birding locality home and number of species such as western black headed oriole and purple headed starling bandes, snake eagle, crowned and African pied hornbill and bat howl seen at dust, white tingled hornbill, yellow billed barbets, the chocolate baked blue Beasted and Africa dwarf kingfisher and the green bulls. You will have picnic lunch in the forest and then evening transfer to Murchison falls national park a home to over 455 bird species.
Day 4: morning birding and afternoon boat cruise
After breakfast you will be transferred to the northern game viewing circuit traversing the whistling thorn acacia where you have possibilities of encountering birds like speckle fronted weaker, crested francolin, scaly francolin, raptors, sunbirds among others
In the afternoon go for birding along the Nile with the boat cruise where you will have chance to view a lot of fish eating birds like Egyptian geese, goliath heron, pied king fisher African Bart weavers, African skimmer and return to the lodge for lunch and then afternoon boat ride at the delta area of the sunset with possibilities of viewing the rare shoebill and other bird species seen
Day 5: transfer to Semuliki national park
Semuliki national park is one of the best birding spots in Uganda and it is known for central African species which cannot be seen anywhere else in east Africa yet their some continents most specular and most sought after birds such as long tailed hawk, Congo serpent eagle, lyre- tailed honeyguide, black-casqued wattled hornbill, Nkulengu rail, and other species like swamp palm bulbul, spotted Greenbul, white-starred robin, lowland akalat, red throated alethea among others
Day 6: full day birding in semuliki and later transfer to kibale forest national park
Early morning after breakfast we drive to the briefing point, we will go to the forest and take on the Kirumi trail for our whole day birding experience. The alluring bird listwith albertine rift valley endemic, Semliki specials and other restricted bird guides specials, makes Semliki an essential destination for serious birders. We look out for a number of predominantly Central African species which cannot be found anywhere else in East Africa yet are some of the continent’s most spectacular and sought-after birds such as; Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Black and White casqued Hornbill, the Nkulengu Rail, and other species; Blue Swallow, White-throated Swallow, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Spotted Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Lowland Akalat, Red-throated Alethe, Fire-crested Alethe, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Red-eyed Puff back, White-tailed Robin-Chat, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Capped Wheatear, Common Stonechat, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Oberlaender’s Ground-Thrush, Grey Ground-Thrush, Little Grey Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul, Mountain Greenbul, (African Piculet, Great Snipe, Sassi’sGreenbull, and White-throated Blue Swallow) Yellow-throated Nicator, Western Nicator, just to mention but a few. There is a single, unconfirmed report of the globally threatened Lesser Kestrel.
Day 7: full day birding kibale forest national park and afternoon birding Bigodi swamp
Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast and after you will meet your guide you will driving you at the briefing center. After you will led by ranger guides into the forest the forest for birding and primate tracking experience. Common bird species found include white colored olive back, red tailed bristle bill, yellow billed barbet, white bellied fly catcher, and joyful green bull, black billed Turaco, blue shouldered robin chat, green breasted pitta, white spotted fluff tail. Common primates like chimpanzees are seen here. In the afternoon we go for swamp walk in Bigodi wetland.
Day 8: transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Today we shall have early morning breakfast and check out of the lodge to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park birding along the way and make different stopovers en-route for birding and taking photos of moments of the beautiful sceneries in this part of western Uganda reaching your booked hotel by lunch time and relax for the rest of the day at the lodge
Day 9: morning birding and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Today we shall wake up early in the morning with warm cup of coffee/tea and meet our safari bird guide to take us to the savannah part of this park for early morning birding and expect to see sopecies like swamp flycatcher, scaly francolin, red-necked spurfowl, martial eagles, banded snake eagles, fish eagles, African morning doves, red necked doves, black headed gonelek, African pied wagtail, yellow wagtail, common house sparrow, hammerkop among others and then return to the lodge for full breakfast and relax until lunch.
In the afternoon we shall embark on birding along the Kazinga channel with the boat cruise home to over 58 species of water birds like African pied kingfisher, African skimmer birds, open, yellow and saddle billed stork, hammerkop, spoon billed stork, spur winged plover, black winged stilt, cormorants, cattle egrets, little egrets, Egyptian geese among others and later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Day 10: transfer to Buhoma through Ishasha
Today you will have relaxed breakfast and check out of the lodge to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest and do En-route birding through Ishasha sector having chances to see species like honey guides, Apalises, starlings, raptors, tinker birds, barbets, pipits, chats among others and have an opportunity to see rare tree climbing lions reaching in Bwindi later afternoon and check in relax until dinner and overnight
Day 11: full day birding in Buhoma
Today we have our early morning breakfast and meet our guide to transfer to the starting point of our birding trail lead by the ranger guides and the site guides that help us to locate different unique birds in the different trails as we look for species like thick-billed seedeater, African green broadbill, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Brown capped weaver, Strange weaver, Montane Oriole, Narrow-tailed starling, western green tinker bird, Toro Olive- greenbul, white bellied robin chat, Olive thrush, red chested owlet , Red faced woodland , Grey cuckoo among others
Day 12: optional gorilla and transfer to Lake Mburo
Today we shall have to option chosen while booking your safari with us either do gorilla trekking or to check out of the lodge and transfer to Lake Mburo national park for more birding
Day 13: morning birding and transfer to Entebbe
An early morning game drive in Lake Mburo national park to see zebras, elands, topi, waterbuck, and many more. common conspicuous birds seen include; crested francolin, emerald spotted wood dove , brown parrot, bare face go away bird, African grey hornbill, spot flanked barbet, Nubian woodpecker, trilling cisticola. African finfoot and many others. The woodland in the immediate vicinity of Rwonyo also supports many of these widespread species and then afternoon transfer to Kampala.
Day 14: morning Mabamba swamp and evening drive to the airport for departure flight
Your tour guide will transfer you to Mamba swamp in Entebbe and have the a mazing birding experience sighting the elusive shoebill stork and later return to Entebbe for lunch and wait for your departure flight
End of your safari
Thanks for traveling with African skimmer tours