15 Days Birding Safari in Uganda

The 15 days Birding Safari in Uganda Introduces Uganda as one of the richest African Birding Destinations with over 1090 bird species. 50% of all Africa’s bird species are found in Uganda, therefore, making Uganda a birding paradise. Uganda has 25 Albertine Endemics with only 1 Endemic Bird Species Fox’s Weaver.

The 25 Albertine Endemic birds include the Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Nightjar, Dwarf Honeyguide, African Green Broadbill, Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Collared Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Strip-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, and Shelley’s Crimsonwing.

Birding Safari in Uganda

Day 1: Arrival

Upon your arrival in Entebbe, you will be picked up by a company representative and transferred to your hotel at the start of your Birding Safari in Uganda Tour  Accommodation and Meals  at Papyrus Guest House B

Day 2: Kampala – Murchison Falls Park

Today we will depart for the most beautiful protected area in Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park. We will make a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for lunch and a rhino trekking session. 

In the afternoon arrive in Budongo Forest the southern part of the national park. Here you will take a guided forest walk for a first introduction to the rich birdlife in Uganda. Accommodation and Meals at Budongo Eco Lodge.

Day 3: Birding in Budongo Forest and the Royal Mile

This day will be fully dedicated to birding in Budongo Forest Reserve. With 360 different species, Budongo is famous for its biodiversity in birds and is home to the rare Puvel’s illadopsis which is an endemic species to this area.

Other species include the Yellow-footed Flycatcher,  Chocolate-backed Kingfishers, Chestnut Crowned Eremomela, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Little Green Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Slender-billed Greenbul, Green Crombec, and Forest Robin. 

Birding at the Royal Mile offers chances to spot the Ituri species like the African Pygmy, Ituri Batis, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Blue-breasted, and African Dwarf among others. Accommodation and Meals at Budongo Eco Lodge.

Day 4: Murchison Falls – Fortportal

Set off to Fort Portal with stopovers at Papyrus Swamps for some birding session along the way, look out for Red-necked Falcon, Marsh Tchagra, Thick-billed and Slender-billed, Weavers, Black-crowned and Fawn-breasted Waxbills, Yellow-mantled Widowbird and Black Bishop.

You may spot black-and-white colobus monkeys, baboons, and more primates hiding in trees along the road. You will have lunch in Fort Portal Town, this area is famed for the fabled mountains of the moon and many tea plantations.

Accommodation and meals at Turaco Treetops

Day 5: SemuIiki Park  Sempaya & Ntandi Area 

Start the day in the lowland rainforest heading to the hot springs area where the patch of forest is home to White-crested Hornbill, White-spotted Flufftails, Black-casqued Hornbills, African Green Pigeons, Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, White-naped Pigeon among others.

There are more than 441 species of birds recorded in this protected area, including many West African forest species and 9 hornbill species. As you proceed deeper into the forest, Look out for the Red Rumped Tinkerbird and Palm Greenbul which are endemics.

Other species include the Yellow-throated Cuckoo Yellow-footed Flycatchers, Chestnut-breasted Nigrita, Red-tailed Leaflove and Banded Prinia, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Shining-blue Kingfisher, and Hartlaub’s Duck among others.

Accommodation and meals at Turaco Treetops.

Day 6: Kirumia River Trail -Birding

Kirumia River is another top birding spot, along the 13 km walking trail,  Look out for the White-bellied Kingfisher, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Congo Serpent Eagle, Grey-throated Rail, Nkulengu Rail, Long-tailed Hawk, Spot-breasted Ibis, Yellow-throated Nicator, Northern Red-chested Owlet, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Black-collared Lovebird, Zenker’s Honeyguide, White-throated Blue Swallow, Bate’s Nightjar, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, and Orange-tufted Sunbird. 

Later to Fort Portal and continue to the dense forest of Kibale National Park. Accommodation and Meals at Turaco Treetops 

Day 7:  Kibale Forest and Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

After breakfast set off for a birding session in the forest, look out for the  Green Breasted Pitta African Broadbill, African pied wagtail · Great blue turaco, Pin-tailed whydah, and Slender-billed Weaver, Kibale Ground Trush, Blue-headed Sunbird, Black-capped Apalis, Collared Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Purple breasted sunbird and Red-faced woodland warbler among others.

After lunch, you will transfer to the Bigodi Sanctuary at the Magombe Swamp for a 2 hours nature walk.

The sanctuary is home to 200 bird species including the Papyrus Gonolek and the Great Blue Turaco. Look out for the Swamp Flycatcher, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, yellow bill, White-spotted Flufftail, Western Nicator, White-tailed, and Ant-thrush.

Other Bird Species include Grey-winged Robin-chat, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Grey parrot, Bronze Sunbird, Black-crowned waxbill, and Blue-throated roller, Black Bishop, White-breasted Negro finch among others. Accommodation and Meals at Turaco Treetops

Day 8: Kibale Forest – Queen Elizabeth Park

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park arriving in time for lunch at the camp. Later in the evening, you will have an evening game drive in the park in search of the first wildlife, including warthogs, buffaloes, waterbucks, and elephants.  Classified as an Important Birding Area (IBA) by Birding International, Queen Elizabeth NP is home to over 600 species.

This is the greatest of any East African national park and a phenomenal number for such a small area. The park’s confluence of savanna and forest, linking to the expansive forests of DR Congo allows visitors to spot East as well as Central African species. Accommodation and Meals at Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge.

Day 9:Maramagambo Forest & Boat Cruise

After breakfast, we start early for a birding session in Maramagambo Forest. We will have birding from the lodge towards the Maramagambo forest.

Look out for the Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes.

The Black and Penduline Tits, Nubian Woodpecker, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-thrushes, Brown Illadopsis,  Shining-blue Kingfisher, Brown-eared Woodpeckers, Least Honeyguide, Grey Greenbul, Brown-chested Alethe, and many others.

After lunch, take on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural channel between Lake Edward and Lake George.

This cruise is a birders’ paradise, the shores of the channel offer a variety of habitats, each appealing to different species of bird species Greenshank, Common Ringed Plover, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, and Grey (Black-bellied) Plover, African Skimmers, Yellow-Billed Stork,  Accommodation and Meals at Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge.

Day 10: Queen Elizabeth – Bwindi – Buhoma Sector

We drive through verdant countryside, you will pass traditional homesteads and enjoy panoramic views with picnic lunch/lunch en-route arriving in Bwindi National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorillas.

Bwindi offers some of the finest montane forest bird watching in Africa and is an unmissable destination for any birder visiting Uganda. There are an estimated 350 bird species with 23 endemics to the Albertine Rift and 14 recorded nowhere else in Uganda.

Globally threatened species such as African Green Broadbill and Shelley’s Crimsonwing are also found here. 

Other birds include the Handsome Francolin; Black-billed Turaco; African Broadbill; Black and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters; Western Green Tinkerbird; Purple-breasted, Blue-headed, and Regal Sunbirds; Short-tailed and Black-faced Rufous Warblers; Mountain-masked and Collared Apalis; Mountain and Yellow-streaked Greenbul; and Many-colored Bush-Shrike, among others. Accommodation and meals at Haven Lodge B-L-D

Day 11:  Munyanga  Waterfall Trail  – Ruhija Sector

After breakfast, head for a 3-hour birding session at the Munyaga Waterfall Trail. Look out for 40-50 bird species including, Bee-Eater, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black, White-headed, Tinker birds Wood-hoop, and Barbets, Woodpeckers, African Broadbill, assorted Greenbuls, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Brown-capped Weaver Chapin’s Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Pink-footed Puffback Grauer’s Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Oberlander’s Ground Thrush.

Other bird species include Mountain Masked Apalis, Bocage’s Bush-shrike, Luhder’s Bush-shrike,  Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Starlings, and Black-billed Weaver, among other birds.  Have lunch and head to the Ruhija Sector part of Bwindi National Park.

Accommodation and Meals at Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp

Day 12:  Bwindi Park – Ruhija Sector

Head for the Mubwindi swamp trail, birds in Ruhija include Regal Sunbird, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, African green broadbill, Caruthers cisticola, Handsome francolin, African Hill babbler, Banded Prinia, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Dohertys Bushrike, Collared Apalis, Rwenzori Turaco, Western Green Tinkerbird, Olive, Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpecker, African Green-Broadbill, Mountain, Yellow whiskered.

Other species include Yellow-streaked Greenbul, African Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Grey Cuckoo Shrike Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Collared Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Montane Sooty Boubou, Blue-Headed Sunbird.

Accommodation and Meals at Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp

Day 13: Bwindi -Lake Mburo Park – Boat Cruise

After breakfast, we depart the impenetrable forest of Bwindi and head to Lake Mburo National Park.

Lake Mburo alone is home to 350 species of birds and some of the spots where you can find the birds include swampy valleys, the forest, along the boat cruise, and the viewing platform near the salt licks.

After checking in head for a boat ride on Lake Mburo in the afternoon to check out some of the water bird species such as African Finfoot, Saddle-billed Stork, Long-toed Lapwing, Papyrus Gonolek, Rufous-bellied Herons, Papyrus yellow warbler, Malachite Kingfishers, and Giant Kingfisher among others.

Later return to the lodge and as you head back you will have some birding as well, look out for the Long Willow Warbler and European Bee-eater.

Accommodation and Meals at Rwakobo Rock

Day 14: Kigambira Loop Birding – Entebbe

After breakfast, you will have a game drive while birding along the Kigambira loop. Looking out for the savanna and Acacia woodland species that include the Blue-naped Mousebird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-Faced Barbet, Read Headed Lovebird, Lead Colored Flycatcher, African marsh Harriers, Banded snake Eagles, African Hawk Eagles, and many more. Return to the lodge for breakfast and depart the protected area and drive back to Entebbe.

. Accommodation and Meals at Papyrus Guest House.

Day 15:  Mabamba Swamp- Departure

After breakfast head to Mabamba Swamp taking a canoe ride in search of the rare Shoebill Stork. The Mabamba Swamp is more renowned for its amazing bird record of about 260 bird species and it’s a sanctuary to four threatened species including the Papyrus Gonolek, Blue Swallow, Pallid Harrier, and White-Winged Warbler.

Look out for other bird species such as the Yellow-throated Greenbul, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Yellow-billed Tinkerbird, Yellow-billed Ducks, Yellow-backed Weaver, Yellow warble, Yellow Wagtail, Yellow-Billed Stork, Yellow-billed duck, Yellow-billed Kite, Woodland Kingfisher, Wood Sandpiper, Winding Cisticola, White-winged Warbler, White-winged Black Terns among others.

Depending on your flight departure, you will have lunch and continue to Entebbe airport for your international flight at the end of the 15-day birding safari in Uganda tour.

Included in the Birding Safari in Uganda Tour

Ground transportation in a safari customized 4WD Toyota Landcruiser with gasoline/fuel,  All birding excursions, Mineral water in the vehicle, services of an English-speaking driver/guide, Accommodation mentioned in the itinerary, Meals as shown (B-breakfast, L-lunch, D-dinner), all Park Entrance Fees.

Excluded in the Birding Safari in Uganda Tour

International Airfares; Excess baggage charges; Ugandan Entry Visa Fees; Beverages, Tips, and Gratuities for your Driver/guide and hotel staff, International Airport Departure Taxes, Optional activities unless specified as included, Any other services not expressly shown in the itinerary or indicated as included.