$3,850 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateArrival
Arrival
Day 1
Pick in Kigali and transfer to Nyungwe forest, afternoon to dark roadside birding nyungwe forest
Pick in Kigali and transfer to Nyungwe forest, afternoon to dark roadside birding nyungwe forest
Transfer birding to Nyungwe Forest and add afternoon to dark roadside birding in the forest as we connect to the lodge.
Nyungwe forest is situated in south-west Rwanda between Lake Kivu and the international border with Burundi. This beautiful birding area lies west of Butare, with the Butare-Cyangugu road passing straight through the middle, providing excellent roadside birding.
About 270 species have been recorded in Nyungwe, reflecting the wide habitat diversity and altitudinal range. These include all the 25 species of the Albertine Rift mountains Endemic Bird Area that occur in Rwanda, Chapin’s Flycatcher and Rockefellers’ Sunbird (both globally threatened, restricted-range and biome-restricted). Also, 11 of the 23 species of Guinea–Congo Forests biome and 71 of the 74 species of this biome of Afrotropical Highlands that occur in Rwanda have been recorded at this site!
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
-
EAR Ken Barham Guest House
Wildlife in Nyungwe NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Whole day in the forest birding
Whole day in the forest birding
Whole day birding in the park-Uwinka trail for albertine endemics, lookout for; Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Ruwenzori Turaco, Great Blue Turaco, Handsome Francolin, Rockefeller’s Sunbird, Miombo Rock-Thrush, Mountain Masked Apalis, Black-faced Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Collared Apalis, Grauer’s Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Kivu Ground-Thrush, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Red-chested, SunbirdRegal Sunbird, Olive Woodpecker, Mountain Greenbul, Rwenzori Hill-babbler, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Northern Puffback, White-starred Robin, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Dusky Crimsonwing, Thick-billed Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo etc.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- EAR Ken Barham Guest House
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Drive and cross to kisoro town in Uganda for mgahinga national park
Drive and cross to kisoro town in Uganda for mgahinga national park
Transfer while birding to Uganda-Mgahinga National Park via Cyanika border. Mgahinga boasts birding with a list of over 180 species of birds and at least 14 Albertine endemics can be seen here. Reach here, early arrival gives a chance to do evening birding around.
- Main Destination:
- Kisoro (Town, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Birding in Mgahinga National Park
Birding in Mgahinga National Park
Whole day birding in Mgahinga gorilla national park in search for Rwenzori Turaco, Crowned Hornbill, Black Kite and Crowned Crane, Handsome Francolin, Dusky Turtle Dove, Alpine Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Montane Double-collared Sunbird.
Farmland along the Northern edge of the Park is guarded by a dry stone wall that keeps Buffalo in the Park and out of crops. The trail along the wall is ideal for birding. Along this trail look out for Chubb’s Cisticola, Banded Prinia and Doherty’s Bush Shrike are vocal yet inconspicuous in habitats of tangles at the forest edge whilst Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher and Mackinnons’s Fiscal favors more exposed perches.
Common Stonechat is abundant but here shares the habitat with many of the typical African open-country species: including Wing Snapping Cisticola, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Grassland Pipit, and Yellow Crowned Canary.
- Main Destination:
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp
Wildlife in Mgahinga Gorilla NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Transfer while birding on the roadside to bwindi national park-Ruhija sector
Transfer while birding on the roadside to bwindi national park-Ruhija sector
Bird watching transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park-Ruhijja Sector. Forest birding in Bwindi ranks the best in Uganda with the best sight guides who use their mouth whistles to mimic the birds. A zigzag drive from the main gate to the lodge through the forest gives a chance to spot a handsome francolin on the roadside plus other birds.
- Main Destination:
- Ruhija Sector (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Trekker's Tavern Cottages
Wildlife in Bwindi Impenetrable NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Birding in bwindi forest (Ruhija sector) at Mubwindi swamp trail
Birding in bwindi forest (Ruhija sector) at Mubwindi swamp trail
Whole day birding in bwindi impenetrable national park-Ruhijja sector.
Today early after our break first, start our day birding the mail trail to mubwindi swamp.
The main highlights of this trail is the African Green Broadbill and the Grauer’s Warbler and other birds/or endemics like Chapin’s Flycatcher, Blue-Headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Rockeffeller’s Sunbird, Purple-Breasted Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimson-Wing, Red-Collard Mountain Babbler, Chapin’s Mountain Babbler, Neumann’s’ Warbler, Prigogine’s Greenbul, Black-Faced Apalis, Collard Apalis, Stripe-Breasted Tit, Grauer’s Cukooshrike, Yellow-Crested Helmetshrike, Ruwenzori Batis, Dwarf Honeyguide etc.
- Main Destination:
- Ruhija Sector (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Trekker's Tavern Cottages
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Birding in the community gardens for a few specialties and connect buhoma sector through the NECK
Birding in the community gardens for a few specialties and connect buhoma sector through the NECK
Morning birding in the community to try species that we could have missed I the previous day of birding and proceed with our transfer to Buhoma sector of bwindi via the “NECK” several stops will be made on this journey to try several spots for a couple specialties.
Even further down on our road, cultivated areas provide feeding opportunities for many seedeaters. Our main targets here will be the highly sought-after Dusky Twinspot and Yellow-Bellied, Black-Headed and Black-Crowned Waxbills. African Stonechat, Streaky and Thick-Billed Seedeaters, African Citril and Cape Canary may also be found here.
The NECK another well-known birding locality. Here we will search for species such as Black Goshawk; Bronze-Napped Pigeon; Cinnamon-Chested, Black Bee-Eater; Cassin’s Honeyguide; Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrike; White-Chinned Prinia; the enigmatic Chapin’s Flycatcher; Mountain Wagtail; Pink-Footed Puffback; the rare Tiny Sunbird and the attractive Brown-capped Weaver.
- Main Destination:
- Buhoma Sector (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Whole day birdwatching at Buhoma main trail
Whole day birdwatching at Buhoma main trail
Whole day birding in Buhoma sector of bwindi impenetrable national park in search for; Cabanis’sGreenbul, Narrow-Tailed Starling, Grey-Winged Robin Chart, Eliots Woodpecker, Northern Double-Collard Sunbird, Black-Billed Weaver, Bocage’sBushshrike, Pink-Footed Puffback, Petit’sCukooshrike, White-Bellied Nigrafinch, Cameroon SombreGreenbul, African Broadbill, Buff-Throated Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Yellow Bill, Black-Faced Rufous Warbler, Little Grey Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, Short-Tailed Warbler, Red-Headed Malimbe, White Browed Crombec, Mountain Black Boubou, Jameson’s Anti-Peckeretc.
- Main Destination:
- Buhoma Sector (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Buhoma Community Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9-10
Lake Mburo National Park add afternoon game drive and optional boat tour at lake mburo
Lake Mburo National Park add afternoon game drive and optional boat tour at lake mburo
While in the park we shall look out for birds like; African-Grey Hornbill, Black-Loward Babbler, Red-Headed Weaver, Greater Blue-Eared Starling, Trilling Cisticola, Green-Wood Hoopoe, Brown-Chested Lapwing, Scaly-Throated Honeyguide, Lesser-Masked Weaver, White-Backed Vulture, Tabora Cisticola, Crestd-Spurfowl, Red-Faced Barbet, Little Bee-Eater Etc.
And Mammals Like the Zebra, Eland, Topi, Impala, Cape Buffalo, Warthog etc. today we target the boat ride along lake Mburo where we hardly miss African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher. A night drive always produces good views of Black Shouldered, Northern Tanzania Fiery Necked Nightjar, Nocturnal Mammals and Bush Babies.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Eagle's Nest Camp
Wildlife in Lake Mburo NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 11-12
Queen Elizabeth national park birding and game coupled with boat adventure at Kazinga Channel
Queen Elizabeth national park birding and game coupled with boat adventure at Kazinga Channel
Whole day venturing queens park for birds and mammals. Look out for Common Scimitarbill, Whinchat, Spurb, Bronzy, Olive-Bellied, Marico, Purple-Banded, Orange-Tufted, Scarlet-Chested, Beautiful, Red-Chested Sunbirds, Three-Banded Plover, Caspian Plover, Kittlitz’s Plover, Red-Caped Lark, Brown Babbler, Temminck’s Courser, Northern Wheatear, Black-Winged Pratincole, White-Tailed Lark, Mosque Swallow, Black-Bellied Bustard, Little Swift, Harliquin Quail, Button Quail, White-Winged Warbler, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Secretarybird, Caruther’s Cisticola, African Skimmers, Black-Headed Gonolek, Papyrus Gonolek, Red-Faced Cisticola, Red-Chested Cukoo, Northern Puffback, Tropica Boubou, Diederik, Klaas’s, African-Emerald Cukoos, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint, African-Wood Owl, Black-Shouldered Night-Jar, Yellow-Throated Long-Claw, East-African Swee, Common Waxbill, Crimson-Rumped Waxbill, Fawn-Brested Waxbill, Zebra Waxbill, Village Indigobird etc..
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
-
The Bush Lodge (Tent)
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 13
Birding at Semuliki Valley National park, DR Congo biome species
Birding at Semuliki Valley National park, DR Congo biome species
Birding in Semliki National Park along the famous Kirumia trail. If we slept in fort portal town, we drive for about 1.5 hours to the park. Semliki forest is one of the richest for lowland forest birds in Uganda and marks the eastern extension of the great Ituri Forest. A large number of reach their eastern limits here.
We spend 6– 7hours birding along the Kirumia trail. Key species include Red-billed, Black-wattled, Black-billed and White-crested Hornbills, African Piculet, Zenkel Honey-guide, Black-chested Cuckoo, Red-rumpedTinkerbird, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Nkurengu Rail, White-bellied, Dwarf, and Pygmy Kingfishers, Piping, White-thighed, and African Pied Hornbills, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-bellied and Blue-billed Malimbe, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Lowland Akalat, Forest Scrub Robin, GreentailedBristlebill, Leaf Love, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinches, Black-winged Oriole, etc.
- Main Destination:
- Semuliki National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- UWA Bumaga Camp Bandas
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 14
Transfer back to Entebbe for night return flight, detour at mabamba swamp shoebill site
Transfer back to Entebbe for night return flight, detour at mabamba swamp shoebill site
Last day of the tour, quite long journey to entebbe. Approximately 6-7hour drive. We relax eying at the shoebill at Mabamba swamp.
- Main Destination:
- Mabamba Swamp (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
