Day 1: Arrival
Upon arrival in Entebbe you will be met by your driver guide and transferred to the Boma Guest House for your overnight stay. If you arrive early a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the Zoo can be arranged.
Day 2: Mabira Forest
Early morning, breakfast before setting off for a Safari birding in Mabira forest. Mabira Forest is the largest remaining tropical rain forest near central Uganda. Mabira ranks as one of the most important ornithological sites in Uganda with more than 300 species recorded. Bird the whole day looking out for the Grey and Yellow Longbill, Olive Green Cameroptera, Tit Hylia, Yellow Billed, Yellow Spotted, Speckled, and Hairy Breasted Barbet, African pitta, Soty Fly Catcher, Fire Crested Allethe, Nahan’s Francolin, Weyn’s weaver, purple-throated cuckoo-shrike and many more. Later transfer to Cassia Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch
Day 3: Birding to Masindi
Early morning breakfast then transfer to Masindi with birding stops en-route and a picnic lunch. Be on the look out for grassland and open woodland species. Birds like the White Crested Turaco, Lesser and Greater Blue Eared Starling, African Moustached Wabler, Yellow Bellied Hyliota and many more can be sighted. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 4: Birding to Kaniyo Pabidi
Drive early to the southern part of Murchison Falls to Kaniyo Pabidi for the best Forest birding Safari looking out mostly for the Puvel’s Illadopsis, Narina Tragon, Fire Crested Allethe, Red Tailed Ant Thrush, Xavier’s, Ictrine, Plain and Little Greenbul, Ducky Longtailed Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey and Yellow Longbill, Collard, Olive, Olive Bellied and Green Sunbird, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, Crested Guinea Fowl, Yellow Billed Barbet and many other forest species. Return to Masindi Hotel for the overnight.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 5: Birding to the Royal Mile and Busingiro
As usual start the day with an early breakfast before driving to today’s birding destination, there will be stop overs looking out for grassland birds like the Black Bellied Firefinch,
Brown Twinspot, Caban’s Bunting, Dark Capped Yellow Wabler, Fawn Breasted Waxbill, White Thighed Hornbill then continue for birding at the Royal Mile. Birding here always produces some of the rare Ituri species like the African Pygmy, and Chocolate-backed kingfishers, Ituri Batis, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Blue-breasted and African Dwarf Kingfishers which are remarkably common. Others include; Western Black-headed Oriole and Purple-headed Starling, Yellow spotted, Yellow Billed and Grey Throated barbet, Brown crowned Eremomela, Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetail, and many more. This birding will be done at two site i.e the Royal mile and Busingiro, later in the evening we drive back to Masindi Hotel for dinner and over night.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 6: Drive to Kibaale Forest
Today’s birding will be done at a few spots since the drive is long, the main specials being the Dusky long Tailed Cuckoo, Joyful, Greenbul among others, we shall reach in the late evening where we check in at Chimpanzee Forest guest house.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 7: Whole day birding in the forest
Start early after breakfast and go for a whole day Birding Safari through Kibaale forest in search for special birds most especially the Green Breasted Pitta African Broadbill an other species of birds. In the afternoon there will be birding in the Kihingamy Wetland Expect birds like Abyssinian Ground Thrush, African pitta, Joyful Greenbul, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Masked Apalis, White headed wood hoopoe and many more. Dinner and overnight Chimpanzee Guest House.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 8: Semliki Wildlife Reserve
Have breakfast then transfer to Semliki Wildlife Reserve, lunch will be at Semliki Safari Lodge, later in the evening embark on a birding and wildlife safari drive providing chances of seeing nocturnal birds like African Scops Owl, Pearl spotted Owlet, Slender Tailed, Pennant winged and White Tailed nightjars.
Overnight Semliki Lodge
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 9: Birding Semliki Wildlife Reserve
Breakfast very early in the morning and proceed for birding the whole day. Semliki is one of the best birding spots in Uganda as it habours birds from the west African forest that are found no where else in East Africa, birding here always produces the Lyre Tailed Honey Guide, Red Billed, Black Dwarf, Piping, Black Watltled Casqued and white Crested Hornbills, Grey crowned, Pale Fronted and Chestnut Bellied Negrofinch, Red Bellied, Blue Billed, Crested and Red Headed Malimbe, Yellow Throated Nicator, Fiery Breasted Bushshrike, African Piculet, Maxwell’s weaver, Black Throated Coucal, Yellow Throated Cuckoo, Western Bronze Naped and Olive pigeon, Red Tailed and Green Tailed Bristlebill, Eastern Bearded, Red Tailed, Ictrine and Xavier’s Greenbull, Palm Swamp Bulbul and the Leaf Love among others including the much sought after Shoebill . Back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 10: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have breakfast and depart for Queen Elizabeth park the second largest National Park in Uganda and home to 612 species of birds making it the biggest list for any national park in Africa and perhaps the whole world. The park has a variety of woodland birds, forest birds and water birds coupled with many northern Europe and transafrican migrant species. Dinner and overnight Mweya Safari Lodge
Day 11: Whole day Birding and game viewing
Go for an early morning drive in the Kasenyi area in search for Game while birding. Early
starts always produce views of the Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, other species expected on this birding day include the Brown, Short Toed and Brown snake eagle, Bateleur, African Harrier hawk, Martial and Tawny Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Grey Kestrel, Crowned, Senegal and African wattled Plovers, Harlequin Quail, Common Buttonquail among others. In the afternoon there will be a launch cruise along the Kazinga channel which connects lakes George and Edward birding. On the cruise there chances of spotting the Great White and Pink-backed pelicans, African Spoonbill, Lesser Flamingo, African Jacana, Common Squacco Heron, African Open-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, Grey Headed, Malachite and pied Kingfisher and many more. Dinner and Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge,
Meal Plan: all meals included
Day 12: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast you will transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable forest birding enroute. If road conditions allow the drive will be through Ishasha sector which provides chances of viewing the tree climbing lions and other game, lookout for grassland birds including the pipits Larks, African Cuckoo Hawk, Black Cuckoo, White Winged Tit, Ovambo Sparrow Hawk. Continue to Buhoma for dinner and overnight Engagi Lodge
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 13 & 14: Birding or Gorilla Tracking
Today you have a chance to trek Mountain Gorillas. Be on the look out for Waller’s, Stulman’s, narrow tailed starling, warblers, Illadopses, Hopoes, Tragons, Sunbirds and many more. Dinner and overnight Engagi Lodge.
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 15: Birding to Ruhija
After breakfast transfer to Ruhija birding en route through the neck. Dinner and overnight at Trekker’s Tavern
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 16: Birding Ruhija
After breakfast you will go birding looking out for the Black-billed and Rwenzori Turaco, Western Green Tinkerbird, Olive, Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpecker, African Green-Broadbill, Mountain, Yellow whiskered and 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, Regal Sunbird. Return to the lodge. Overnight Trekker’s Tavern
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 17: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park
After an early transfer to Lake Mburo NP birding along the way arriving late in the afternoon. Overnight Mantana Tented camp
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 18: Lake Mburo Birding
Have breakfast very early in the morning to go for more birding in the park along the Kigambira loop, which traverses a variety of productive habitats. Expect birds like African Marsh Harriers, Banded Snake Eagles, Shikra, Goshawks, Augur Buzzard, African fish, Twany, Steppe, and African Hawk Eagles and many more. Overnight Mantana Tented Camp
Meal Plan: All meals included
Day 19: Safari Walk and Boat Ride/Kampala
Early morning Safari walk before returning to the camp for breakfast. Later a boat ride on Lake Mburo to check out some of the water bird species such as Papyrus Gonolek, Malachite Kingfishers, African finfoot, giant Kingfisher. Transfer to Kampala to Cassia Lodge for overnight.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch
Day 20: Birding to Mabamba
After breakfast depart for Mabamba swamp with packed lunch, proceed for birding in Mabamba Wetlands where you will be paddled in a canoe while birding through the swamp, look out for birds like the mighty Shoebill and other species like Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Long toed Plover, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater among other birds. Drive to Entebbe Boma guest House for an overnight stay.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch
Day 21: Departure.
After breakfast you will transfer to the Airport to connect with your international flight out.
End of services
The Safari includes; transfers to and from the Airport, transportation in a 4 wheel drive vehicle with opening roof including fuel, services of a professional bird driver guide, accommodation as stated, park entrance fees, boat cruises where mentioned, ferry crossing where mentioned, scheduled boat trip to the delta where mentioned, meals as indicated, bottled water in the vehicle.
The cost does not include; international flights to and from Uganda, Visas, and items of a personal nature e.g laundry, tips, drinks and insurance of any kind
