Day 1 – Mabamba Swamp & Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Early morning pick up and transfer to Mabamba swamp, a Ramsar Site situated on the edges of Lake Victoria, hidden but with many unique and special birds on offer.
Afternoon lunch at the equator (as you do) and we’ll be transferring to Lake Mburo National Park with many birding stopovers along the way!
Day 2 – Lake Mburo National Park
The early morning will be spent bird watching in the park for special species such as the Wattled Starling, Northern Crombec, Lilac-breasted Roller, Red-necked Francolin, Bare-faced Go-away-bird among many more.
Day 3 & 4 – Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
On your third day of the tour you’ll get to go to Uganda’s smallest national park. It may be a small park but it sure does pack a punch! The park, as the name suggests was established to protect the Critically Endangered Mountain Gorilla and is situated in the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests and of the Virunga Volcanoes making it one of the best places to witness Albertine endemics such as Rwenzori Turaco, Dwarf Honeyguide, Kivu Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Archer’s Robin-chat, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Dusky Crimsonwing and the much Sought after Shelley’s Crimsonwing to name a few! We promise you an unforgettable time in this magical park!
Day 5, 6 & 7 – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Over the next three days of the tour you’ll be treated to arguably the best national park in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a haven for birdlife and primates alike with a impressive list of 350 bird species, 310 butterfly species, 130 mammal species and several primate species – all of which are very rare. The wildlife list is endless and this park deserves 3 days! We’ll be searching for rare and beautiful forest species such as Regal Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Ludhers Bush-shrike, Petits cuckoo-shrike, Bar-tailed Trogon, White-tailed crested-flycatcher, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Collared Apalis, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Willcock’s Honeyguide, Xavier’s Greenbul, Kivu Ground Thrush, Grauer’s Broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Dusky Crimsonwing, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, White-browed Crombec, White-naped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Sharpe’s Starling, Mountain Masked Apalis and Rwenzori Apalis among many many more!
* On Day 6 there is the option of going Gorilla Trekking so please do let us know if this is something you would be interested in
Day 8, 9 & 10 – Queen Elizabeth National Park
For the next three days you’ll kick back and relax at Uganda’s most popular national park. There’s a reason why it’s so popular – Queen Elizabeth boasts lots of different habitats which in turn allows for not only an incredible birding experience but for amazing game viewing experience. Get ready to witness crater lakes, forested gorges, savannah plains, swamps, rivers and the beautiful Kazinga Channel – home to an abundance of wildlife – a highlight being the population of tree-climbing Lions. The park also has the most amount of bird species in Uganda! Be sure to get your binoculars polished – you’re gonna need it!
We promise you an unforgettable three days in Uganda’s most popular park!
Day 11, 12 & 13 – Semuliki National Park
On these days of the tour you’ll be heading deep into Africa’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforest, Semuliki National Park aka ‘The True Birders’ Haven’. Semuliki has an astonishing 441 bird species recorded where you’ll also be rewarded with crossover species from the Congo’s and Africa’s first national park, Virunga – one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet and home to the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas. Species to look forward to are Black-Casqued Wattled, Piping, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Nkulengu Rail, Blue Swallow, White-throated Blue 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 Puffback, White-tailed Robin-chat, Northern Bearded Scrub Robin, Capped Wheatear, Common Stonechat, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Oberlaender Ground Thrush, Grey Ground Thrush, Little Grey Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul, Mountain Greenbul, Yellow-throated Nicator, Western Nicator among so much more!!
Day 14 & 15 – Kibale National Park
We kick off the 14th Day of the tour en route to Kibale Forest National Park making a short stop over at Sebitoli Forest Camp to look for some special sightings such as the Black Bee-Eater, Blue Malkoha, White-chinned Prinia, Speckled Pigeon among many more. We’ll then head deep into Kibale for a short birding session and head back to the lodge to get some well earned rest.
On your second day you’ll enjoy a morning birding session looking for as many birds the park has to offer. In the afternoon we’ll head to Bigodi Swamp – one of the most rewarding places within the park offering beautifully colourful and responding birds such as the Shining Blue Kingfisher, White-browed Robin-chat, Red-chested Sunbird, White-Headed Saw-wing, Tawny-flanked Prinia.
Day 16 – Budongo Forest Reserve
We’ll be spending our 16th day in the stunning Budongo Forest birding along the spectacular Royal Mile Trail. We’ll be searching for three of the forest’s most sought-after species: the African Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher! We’ll also be looking for any interesting forest species we may have missed previously on the tour.
Day 17, 18, 19 & 20 – Murchison Falls National Park
On last days of the our we’ll be visiting to Murchison Falls National Park. It’s the largest national park in Uganda and boy does it pack a punch! It’s very existence is determined by the famous Murchison Falls – the rushing waters of the River Nile forced through a narrow gorge is spectacle to behold and has been fascinating the world for centuries The park holds all of Africa’s Big Five – Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino and of course the Elephant which large herds gather together at the river to quench their thirst and to also take a well earned bath. It’s a fantastic spot to see the formidable Nile Crocodile too, where they wait to ambush an unsuspecting character. The park is also well endowed in bird species too holding a whopping 460 bird species! With some of the highlights including the Red-throated Bee-eater, Eurasian Curlew, Black-billed Barbet, White-headed Barbet, Denham’s Bustard, Black-billed Barbet Southern and Northern Carmine Bee-Eater, Rüppell’s Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Silverbird, Black-billed Wood Dove. This park truly has it all!
On our last day we’ll be heading back to Kampala where this epic 20 Day Uganda Birding Tour will come to an end. However, chin up your now huge list will be something to marvel at – bragging rights are in order!
