Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arrival at Entebbe airport
Arrival at Entebbe airport
Upon arrival, you will be met by legit Holidays Safari guide who will transfer you to your overnight Guest house. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to take a boat excursion to Ngamba Island (optional and not included), visit the nearby Botanical gardens or Uganda Wildlife Education center for a short excursion tour and birding.
- Main Destination:
- Entebbe (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Boma Entebbe
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Drive to Mabamba Swamp for Birding
Drive to Mabamba Swamp for Birding
After an early breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Mabamba swamp, which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, traditionally one of the few and best places to spot the rare and elusive shoebill stock in central Uganda.
The bird species that we expect to encounter here include the Goliath Herons, White faced whistling Duck, White-winged Warbler, Lesser Jacana, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Yellow-backed, Golden-backed, Vieillot’s Black, Weyns’s and Orange weaver and Red-headed Lovebird among others. The birding at mabamba swamp, we normally use a canoe to maneuver through the thin pass in the swamp until we find the mabamba shoebill stock as well identify other bird species, which makes the whole activity exciting. After we will latter drive back to the guest house while birding on the way, arriving the hotel in the evening.
- Main Destination:
- Entebbe (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Boma Entebbe
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Drive to Lake Mburo National Park, Birding along en-route
Drive to Lake Mburo National Park, Birding along en-route
After breakfast, you will check out of the guest house and we will drive to Lake Mburo national park while birdingen-route, with stopovers at the Equator for photographs and equator experience and en-route lunch. We will proceed and make another stopover at Kaku swamp where we sometimes encounter species like the Black kite, the White-faced and Fulvous, whistling ducks, Common and Purple Swamphen, Lesser Moorhen, Hottentot Teals, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Grey-crowned Cranes and Saddle-billed Storks, Grey wood Pecker, Dusky Blue, African Dusky, African Paradise, Red-bellied Paradise, Brown-throated Wattle-Eye, Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Lesser and Scaly-throated Honeyguide among others. You will then proceed on to Lake Mburo national park for overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Mburo National Park
- Accommodation:
- Rwakobo Rock Lodge
Wildlife in Lake Mburo NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Birding in Lake Mburo National Park and a Boat cruise on Lake Mburo
Birding in Lake Mburo National Park and a Boat cruise on Lake Mburo
After your breakfast, with our parked lunch, we shall start our game drive/birding in Lake Mburo national park. This is one of the IBAs in Uganda, protecting more than 350 bird species, with specialties that includes the Spot-franked, Double-toothed, Red-faced and Crested Barbets, Western-banded and Brown Snake-eagles, Trilling, Red-faced and TaboraCisticolas, Crested and Coqui Francolins, and Emerald-spotted wood dove among others. We latter drive towards Rwonyo, and the lake side for our picnic lunch and later go for the boat cruise on lake Mburo. Here we expect species like; the White-faced and Fulvous whistling ducks, White-backed and Black-crowned Night Herons, African Finfoot, African Darter, Rufous-bellied Heron, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Greater and Lesser Swamp Warbler, Common and Purple Swamphen, Lesser Moorhen, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, African Water Rail and Allen’s Gallinule among others. We later drive back to our lodge while birding on the way.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Mburo National Park
- Accommodation:
- Rwakobo Rock Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Northen part of the park, birding along en-route
Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Northen part of the park, birding along en-route
After breakfast at the lodge, you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park, you will have opportunities to stop along the way the way to spot some bird species as well as sightseeing, this journey takes you through the beautiful green rolling hills of southern Uganda with banana and tea plantations and good scenic views. Lunch will be served en route and you will arrive in Bwindi in the evening.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Haven Lodge
Wildlife in Bwindi NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Gorilla tracking experience
Gorilla tracking experience
After your early morning breakfast, your guide will drive you to Buhoma Park headquarters for briefing and joining others for gorilla trekking. You will start your trek which can take from 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of mountain gorillas on that particular day. Once you have found them, you will be around one hour of observation and photography before returning back to the park headquarters for your certificate and back to the lodge for relaxation and an overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Haven Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Birding in Mubwindi Swamp
Birding in Mubwindi Swamp
After breakfast at the Lodge, we will go for birding at Mubwindi swamp, we will spend the entire day birding at this area. The 4km trail to Mubwindi Swamp is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all rift endemics including Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill, the beautiful Regal Sunbird, and Archer’s Robin-Chat. Mubwindi Swamp is also home to Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Ruwenzori Apalis, African Hill Babbler (sometimes treated as a separate species from Ruwenzori Hill Babbler), the rare and localized Grauer’s Scrub-Warbler. Some of the many species we have a chance of seeing here include Black Goshawk, Augur Buzzard, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Tullberg’s, Speckle-breasted, Elliot’s, and Olive Woodpeckers, African Broadbill, Sooty Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, White-bellied and Archer’s Robin-Chats, Ruwenzori Batis, Strange, and Brown-capped Weavers, Jameson’s and Woodhouse’s Ant-peckers, and Red-faced and Dusky Crimson-wings.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Haven Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Birding to Buhoma through “The Neck”
Birding to Buhoma through “The Neck”
Today we will go for birding to Buhoma section through “The Neck”. The Neck (where the forest narrows) offers excellent forest birding. Key species that we will look for these include many of the Albertine Rift Endemics that we may not have seen earlier. These are Handsome Francolin, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, DuskyCrimsonwing. A few other species we may encounter as well include Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Fine-banded and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Willcocks’s Honeyguide, Kakamega Greenbul, Red-tailed Greenbul, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Mountain Wagtail, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Equatorial Akalat, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Dusky Tit, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-headed Malimbe, Dusky Twinspot, Cape Wagtail, Brown-backed Scrub Robin, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, and Western Citril. African Green Broadbill, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Collared Apalis.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Haven Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Drive to Queen Elizabeth National park, en-route birding
Drive to Queen Elizabeth National park, en-route birding
This morning you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, be prepared for some incredible scenery along the way as well as spotting some birds. You will arrive in time for Lunch at the lodge and game drive in the plains of Kasenyi in search for savannah wildlife including spotting bird different birds like the Red Chested, Diederik, and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Short-toed, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagles, African white-backed, among others and savannah animals that may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, elephants and if lucky, some wild cats such as lions and leopard.
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Accommodation:
- Marafiki Safari Lodge
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 10
Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Boat cruise
Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Boat cruise
The day begins early with an early morning breakfast, then with our parked lunch, we start our birding/game drive through the kasenyi plains. The park has more than 612 bird species recorded, and this is said to be the highest concentration of bird life as compared to any nature reserve in the World. Here we expect sightings of bird species like; the Red Chested, Diederik, and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Short-toed, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagles, African white-backed, Ruppel’s Griffon, Lappet-faced and Hooded Vultures, African Marsh, Eurasian Marsh, Wahlberg’s, African Crake, Harlequin and Blue Quail, Common Buttonquail, Trilling and Stout Cisticola, Temminck’s Courser, Vereaux’s Eagle-owl, Black-crowned Tchagra and Collared Pratincole among others. We drive towards Mweya peninsular, have our picnic lunch and then go for a boat cruise on Kazinga channel for yet another but deferent view of wildlife and birds. We then drive back to our lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Accommodation:
- Marafiki Safari Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 11
Drive to Kibale forest National park, en-route birding at Maramagambo Forest
Drive to Kibale forest National park, en-route birding at Maramagambo Forest
After breakfast, with our packed lunch, we check out of the lodge and drive to Maramagambo Forest for birding/nature walk in the forest. During the walk, we expect to encounter different bird species that includes; the Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Chestnut Wattle Eye, African Dusky, African Paradise, Red-bellied Paradise and Bedford’s Flycatchers, African Golden oriole, Red headed blue bill, Bat hawks, Sulphur-breasted bush shrike, Brown-eared woodpecker, Fawn breasted Waxbill, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-fronted and Speckled Tinkerbirds, African Moustached, Garden, Willow and Dark-caped Yellow Warbler among others. We also expect to encounter different primate species like the Black and white Colobus monkey. Later in the afternoon we drive to Kibale Forest National Park, arriving in the evening and check in to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Kibale National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Isunga Lodge
Wildlife in Kibale NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 12
Birding in Kibale Forest National Park /Bigodi swampb
Birding in Kibale Forest National Park /Bigodi swampb
After an early breakfast, we start our day birding in Kibale forest. The forest protects more than 300 bird species, so we will expect to encounter specialties that includes; Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Owlet, Scally-breasted, Pale-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Fire-crested and Brown-chested Alethe, Forest Robin, Buff-spotted, Brown-eared and Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Red-winged Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, White-napped and Afep Pigeon, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-billed Barbet among others. We come back to the lodge, have lunch and latter go to Bigodi swamp for a nature walk/birding. This is located some 4kms from Kibale national park visitors’ center. Here we expect to see species like; the Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Great-blue Turaco, White-napped pigeon, White-tail Ant-Thrush, White spotted Flufftail, Cameroon Sambre, Joyful and Toro olive Greenbul among others. We go back to the Lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Kibale National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Isunga Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 13
Birding from Kibale Forest – Murchison Falls
Birding from Kibale Forest – Murchison Falls
After breakfast, with our packed lunch, we start birding as we transfer towards Murchison falls National Park, through the tea plantations for sightseeing of Fort portal and home steads of Kagadi and Hoima. We will make stopovers at some spots birding as we drive on, arriving at the park in the evening for overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Murchison Falls National Park
- Accommodation:
- Kabalega Wilderness Lodge
Wildlife in Murchison Falls NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 14
Birding towards the Delta, Murchison Falls NP
Birding towards the Delta, Murchison Falls NP
After an early morning breakfast, with our packed lunch, we will cross the Nile by the ferry to the northern sector of the park and start our game drive/ birding towards the Delta, in search for the specialties that include; Swallow-tailed, Madagascar, Northern Carmine, Blue-breasted and Red-throated Bee-eaters, Sooty and White-fronted black Chat, Crested and Heuglin’s Francolin, Silverbird, White-browed and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver, Black-backed, Croaking, Siffling, Whistling, Rattling and Foxy Cisticola, Double-toothed, White-headed and Black-billed Barbets, Northern, Black-winged and Black Bishop, Nubian, Cadinal and Grey Woodpecker, Black-bellied and Denham’s Bustard, Black-billed and Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Tambourine and Namaqua Dove, Yellow-billed Oxpecker and African Golden Oriole, Long-toed lapwing, Goliath Heron, Water thick-knee, Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, and the rare Shoebill among others. We go back to our camp/lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Murchison Falls National Park
- Accommodation:
- Kabalega Wilderness Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 15
Nile Delta & Top of the falls, Murchison Falls NP
Nile Delta & Top of the falls, Murchison Falls NP
After breakfast, we shall take a boat trip, birding towards the Delta and the specialities here include the Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, White rumped canary, Carmine Bee eater, Sacred Ibis, Pied Kingfisher, Red throated Bee eaters, Saddle billed stock, Red necked Falcon, Osprey, Bruce’s Green pigeon, Vinaceous dove, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Shoebill, Fulvous whistling Duck, White crested Turaco, Silver bird, Grosbeak Weaver, Goliath and Purple Heron among others. We also expect to encounter a variety of mammals including the Elephants, Buffaloes, Hartbeasts, Giraffe, Cobs, Oribis, Hyenas, Lions and Leopards among others. We go back to the camp, have lunch and later in the afternoon we go for a boat cruise upstream to the bottom of Murchison falls. We come back to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Murchison Falls National Park
- Accommodation:
- Kabalega Wilderness Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 16
Birding towards Budongo Forest
Birding towards Budongo Forest
After breakfast, with our packed lunch, we shall go and proceed on to Budongo forest for a half day Nature walk at Kaniyo-Pabidi. During the walk you will also be able to see different bird species like the Puvel’sIlladopsis, Sooty, Forest, African-shrike and Yellow footed flycatcher, White crested Turaco, African-crowned Eagle, Blue-breasted, African-dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher among others and later back to the lodge for relaxation and getting ready for our departure the following day.
- Main Destination:
- Budongo Forest (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Kabalega Wilderness Lodge
Wildlife in Budongo Forest
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 17
Transfer back to Entebbe International airport birding en-route
Transfer back to Entebbe International airport birding en-route
Drive back to Entebbe international Airport and depending on your flight time, via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino tracking as well during the walk you may also be able to see some other bird species including shoebill stork, Abdim’s Stork, Blue spotted dove, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Booted eagle, African Black Crake, Broad billed Roller, African Black-headed Oriole, Bronze Manikini. After you will proceed to Entebbe, you may decide to have dinner and relax at the Lodge in Entebbe depending on your flight departure time, marking the end of your 17 days Uganda Birding Safari.
- Main Destination:
- Entebbe International Airport (Entebbe)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
