22 Days birding Uganda-Rwanda safari

Travel schedule

Day 1: Arrival

Day 2: Birding Mabamba & Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Day 3: Birding in Murchison Falls

Day 4: Birding Northern Murchison Falls & Boat ride to the bottom of the falls

Day 5: Birding in Budongo forest

Day 6: Birding in the Royal Mile and Busingiro Forest

Day 7: Transfer to Kibale Forest

Day 8: Birding and optional chimp Tracking in Kibale Forest

Day 9: Birding in Semuliki National Park

Day 10: Bird watching Semuliki

Day 11: Birding in Semuliki- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 12: Early birding-Afternoon launch Cruise 

Day 13: Birding in Bwindi

Day 14 & 15: Bird watching Buhoma and Optional Gorilla Tracking

Day 16: Birding in Ruhija

Day 17:  Birding in Mubwindi swamp

Day 18 & 19: Bird Watching in Mgahinga Park Uganda

Day 20, 21 & 22: Birding in Nyungwe

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at the Airport and check in at your respective lodge/hotel. Depending on the time of tour arrival, you can decided to have a walk around the town, visit some craft shops or local markets.

Accommodation

• Innophine Hotel (full board)

Day 2: Birding Mabamba & Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Today you will have a very good introduction to the birds of Uganda. The main search today will be focusing on the shoebill stork, one of the threatened species in Africa. Other birds to watch out for while in the swamp include the Purple Swamp hen, pygmy and spur winged Goose, Lesser Jacana, African Marsh Harrier and the Eurasian depending on the month you visit. Later in the afternoon depending on your wish and choice of birding time, you will be driven to Entebbe and visit the Botanical gardens with about three habitats, namely the grassland, water and Forest. While here, you will look out for birds like the African Grey chested cuckoo, Superb starling, Red chested sunbird, Scarlet chested sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Orange waxbill, Black headed gonolek,  Golden backed Weaver among others. The Giant kingfisher is one of the biggest sightings you look forward to here. You will later be driven to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Innophine Hotel (full board)

Day 3: Birding in Murchison Falls

You will drive north to see the beauty of Uganda. No wonder Uganda the Eden of African Birding, here the ecosystem completely changes and you will get exposed to different bird species like the Lesser and Greater Blue-Eared starlings which are very difficult to identify. Black winged-bishop, white crested Turaco, Blue spotted wood-dove, the seasonal Lesser Grey shrike, Brown parrot, Little sparrow-hawk, African harrier hawk, Grey and Nubian woodpecker, Grey headed olive among others.

Accommodation:

• Sambiya River Lodge (full board)

Day 4: Birding Northern Murchison Falls & Boat ride to the bottom of the falls

After breakfast, you will do birding on the northern part of  Murchison falls, here look out for both game and birds, expect to see the Grey headed gonolek, striped and Woodland Kingfisher, Red shouldered cuckoos, Beautiful sunbird, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Black billed stork, Stanley’s bustard, Sooty Chat, Yellow billed stork, wood chat, Grey backed shrike, Spotted morning thrush, African quail finch, Northern carmine bee-eater, Blue cheeked cordon-bleu, Olive bee-eater, White headed buffalo weaver, Speckle fronted Weaver, superb Starling and many more bird species. This morning, some of the mammals to be seen alongside your birding will be the Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, African Elephant, Jackson’s Harte beast, Reedbuck, Bush and Water Buck, Jackal, Lion, Hyena and with big luck the leopard. In the afternoon the cruise to the bottom of the falls exposes you to lots of water birds like the Saddle billed stork, Yellow billed stork, African open billed stork and lots of different Kingfishers. You will later get back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Sambiya River Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 5: Birding in Budongo forest

You will set off very early in the morning and bird in Masindi via Kaniyo Pabid which is part of the Budongo Forest Reserve an area with mammoth diversity of flora and fauna. The forest is crossed with a well maintained network of forest trails making it doable to explore the dense forest with its beautiful biodiversity in different ways and this gives you the best sighting for the Puvel’s Illadopsis a shy and secretive dull brown bird, other species here will include the Blue breasted and Pygmy kingfisher, we also have good views of the shaggy-crested Guinea fowl, Narina trogon, Yellow billed stork, Yellow Spotted Barbet among other species. Later you will head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Hot View Hotel (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 6: Birding in the Royal Mile and Busingiro Forest

Today you have a birding excursion to the above two unique sites within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. You will start early and head to the Royal Mile where many ceremonies of the Bunyoro Kingdom took place before this was a conservation area and you will have some birding stopovers to look out for bird species like the singing Cisiticola, Cabanis’s bunting, Dark capped yellow warbler, Brown twin spot, Black bellied fire finch and many more. Then carry on to the Mile and Birding here is excellent with an open interior and gives you unique bird species like the Ituri Batis, Lemon bellied crombec, Dusky long tailed cuckoo, Dwarf kingfisher, blue breasted kingfisher, Pygmy and Chocolate backed kingfisher, Western Black Headed Oriole, Blue throated roller, White spotted greenbul, Rufous crowned eremomela, Chestnut capped and Forest flycatcher, Yellow Crested Woodpecker and many more. You will head to Busingiro looking out for bird species which you might have been missed at the mile then later back to Masindi for dinner and overnight Stay.

Accommodation:

• Hot View Hotel (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 7: Transfer to Kibale Forest

You will have a long drive today; so birding will be minimized with a few stops enroute. You will  leave Masindi with a picnic lunch which you will enjoy on the way. Some bird species you can expect today on your stopovers include; the Brown and western banded snake eagle, Little sparrow hawk, Wahlberg’s eagle, Grey throated barbet, Olive long-tailed cuckoo, African emerald spotted cuckoo and many more. We later continue  and check in  your lodge.

Accommodation:

• Chimpungu safari lodge (full board)

Day 9: Birding in Semuliki National Park

You will transfer to semuliki National Park. Interesting bird species await you mostly the brightly colored waxbills enroute and at the park edges. You will look out for the Golden backed pytilia, Melba finch, Orange cheeked waxbill, Marsh tchagra, Brown backed Scrub Robin and at the park edges; birds like the Red billed dwarf, Black dwarf, Piping and Black wattled Casqued hornbill are easily sighted. You will continue and spend your night in Bundibugyo.

Accommodation:

• Ntoroko Game Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 10 Bird Watching Semuliki

Today you will start early and visit the Kirumia trail, coming across different bird species like Guinea- congolian biome species,  African piculet, Grants bluebill, blue billed malimbe, Green throated cuckoo, Black billed dwarf, Black casqued wattled-hornbill, Maxwell’s weaver and African broadbill, Eastern bearded greenbul, Black billed turaco, African pitta, Blue throated roller, Yellow throated Nicater, Chestnut bellied Negro finch, Western bronze napped pigeon, Orange cheeked waxbill and many more.

Day 11: Birding in Semuliki- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

On this day, you can do a mix of some culture and birding. You will visit the female and male hot springs in the Sempaya areas of semuliki. Looking out for birds and the unique Debrazza monkey which inhabits this low and tropical rainforest, you will have more chances of catching up with more Guinea- Congolian biome bird species which might have been missed on the kirumia Trail. We then continue and check in at the lodge of your choice in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation:

• Mweya safari lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 12: Early birding- Afternoon launch Cruise

This is Uganda’s second largest National Park recorded with bird species of about 451 and on a wonderful day, you have records of over 150 bird species. You will start your early bird activity driving through the vast grassland looking out for species like the warblers, Golden Weaver, Southern Red Bishop, Black chinned Quail Finch, Black Headed Gonolek, Common and Blue Quail, African crake and many more other grassland birds. You will also have a boat ride along the natural Kazinga channel which takes you close to lots of water birds among which you will see like the Goliath Heron, Black crake, African spoonbill, African jacana, Great white and yellow billed Egret and many more. You will then go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Mweya Safari Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 13: Birding in Bwindi

The birding tour gets you to close to Rwanda and today you get to head towards the Gorilla Sanctuary in Bwindi. This is home to half of the remaining population of the World’s endangered Mountain Gorillas. There are two optional routes that can lead you to Bwindi; through the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park called Ishasha which is very popular for the tree climbing lions. It’s a unique encounter finding these predators in the trees, this sector is also great for savannah birding and always provides good sittings for the African cuckoo-hawk,  Black bellied bustard, Red Faced crombec, Rupell’s grifon, Lappet faced and white backed vulture. You will enjoy your picnic lunch at the Ishasha River where at times you’re able to view the Black bee-eater then continue to Bwindi.

Accommodation:

• Ishasha Wilderness Camp (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 14 & 15: Bird Watching Buhoma and optional Gorilla Tracking

You have two days here and you have got two options; one option is the visit to the endangered Mountain Gorillas. Trekking them always starts where they were left the previous day and may take 30 minutes to reach them or the whole day. This is conducted by patient, qualified and knowledgeable ranger guides with wide experience in the natural history with particular attention to gorilla behavior. Finding them and watching them play is quite amazing. The second optional of the birding day takes you to watch out for the merry making Greenbuls such as the  Cabanis’s, Shelly’s crimsonwing, Grey throated barbet, Red faced woodland, Wabler one of the Albertine rift endemics is easily seen here. Dusky long tailed cuckoo, Red throated alethe,  blue Shouldered robin chat, African shrike, Vanga flycatcher, Black faced rufous warbler, Red- fronted ant-pecker, Northern puff buck, black throated apalis, Elliot’s and Buff bellied woodpecker, Cassin’s and honey guide are among the other bird species in this area. Later you retreat to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Gorilla Mist Camp (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 16: Birding in Ruhija

Depending on the results of the past days while here, you might start with a morning birding walk to try and find out what might have been missed, then transfer  to Ruhija while birding enroute. Some of the bird species you expect here include the Macknon’s Fiscal, Mountain Buzzard, wagtails, Cassin’s grey flycatcher, Western bronze napped pigeon, Dusky long tailed cuckoo, white Headed wood hopoe, Grey cuckoo shrike, Ducky tit, Grey-green bush shrike, Chestnut throated apalis, White eyed slaty flycatcher, Streaky seed-eater, Stripe breasted tit, White starred robin and many more. Later you will go to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp (Bed and Breakfast)

Day 17: Birding to Mubwindi Swamp

This morning, you will bird in one of Africa’s birding spot according to the African Bird Club. This is the birding spot where you find the African green broadbill and the sight to look out for the Grauer’s rush warbler, most Albertine rift endemics here include the Handsome francolin, Blue throated brown sunbird, Red throated alethe, Mountain Illadopsis, Mountain masked apalis, Yellow eyed black flycatcher plus more. Other high altitude bird species here will be the Bar tailed trogon, white tailed crested flycatcher, Abyssinian hill babbler, Stripe breasted tit and others. Later you will get back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

• Ruhija Gorilla Camp (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 18 & 19: Bird watching in Mgahinga Park 

You will head to the south Western corner of Uganda in kisoro district where Uganda’s smallest forest park Mgahinga lies. The bird species to watch out for in these two days will be the White-starred robin, white eyed slaty flycatcher, Olive thrush, Mountain yellow warbler, White tailed blue flycatcher, White napped raven, Olive woodpecker, Lagden’s bush shrike, Cape robin, Grey caped warbler, Bronze sunbird, Yellow-crowned canary, Rwenzori turaco, Streaky seed-eater and later take a rest at the hotel.

Accommodation:

• Mount Gahinga Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 20, 21, & 22: Birding in Nyungwe

Early in the morning, you will transfer to Rwanda where you will do your birding in Nyungwe forest national park. Nyungwe is at present the best site in the world to see the thrilling and localized Red-collared mountain-babbler and this peculiar and active flock species is a stellar attraction. This park gives you chances of seeing endemics like the Rwenzori apalis and Turaco, the Red-faced woodland, Red throated alethe,  Archer’s Robin-chat, Doherty’s and many more. This is another good spot for handsome francolin, sooty Boubou, Yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Rwenzori hill Babbler, Grauer’s warblers, Black-faced apalis, Regal sunbirds, stripe-breasted tit, Dusky crimson-wing and strange Weaver. Other species include kivu ground-thrush, White-bellied robin-chat and White-tailed blue flycatcher. While birding here, you will also keep your eyes out in the canopies to find primates like the chimpanzee, Angola pied colobus a species known in the West African countries, as well as Blue, Red-tailed.

Accommodation:

• Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)

End of Safari