Day 1:

Day 1: Arrival

Meet our guide and transfer to your hotel but if you arrive early enough and you love the birds, he will take you for birding afternoon around Entebbe Botanical Gardens or in the Uganda wildlife education center and look out for the Slender-billed Weaver, Brown-throated Weaver¸ Golden-backed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Grey-headed Gull, Long-tailed Cormorant, ,Yellow-billed Duck, Pied Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, , Broad-billed Roller, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Orange Weaver, , Red-chested Sunbird, Ross’s Turaco, Pied Hornbill, , Open-billed Stork, Great Reed Warbler, Grey-capped Warbler, among others.

Day 2: bird watching

After break fast in the morning, you will go for birding in the Lincoln Trail which was established by some local bird guides in 2000 and has got more than 170 species and those serious birders may be able to see over 110 bird species in a day. This trail is currently suggested as the best birding site near to Kampala and Entebbe as you can see the White-headed Barbet, Red-headed Lovebird, Double-toothed Barbet, Brown Twin spot, Tambourine Dove, Black-headed Bush-shrike, Scaly Francolin, Tropical Boubou and many others.

Day 3: To Mamba swamp

You will drive to Mabamba Swamp 50km west of Kampala. You may stop at Mpigi Swamp for papyrus where you will see the White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal and other species in the swamp before you continue to Mabamba Swamp. It is import to note that mostly birding is done while on a canoe in Uganda as you look for the Shoebill both in the sky and down on the marsh. look out for Swamp Flycatcher, Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy-goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron and Black Crake to mention but a few. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 4 & 5: transfer to Queen Elizabeth

Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) birding en-route. Your lunch will be in Mbarara and proceed to Queen which is a home for over 600 bird species. Serious birders and if you are so keen, you have be able to see over 296 species. The species will include the pelicans, skimmers, kingfishers, thick-knees, storks, martins, swallows, weavers, raptors, canaries, kites, and many grassland specialties. Birding in the park begins early in the morning on the open savannah.  You will have to go to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon enjoy birding the Kazinga Channel on the boat. your dinner and night will be at either of the below lodges depending on your budget.

Budget – Institute of Ecology/simba

Mid range – Hippo Hill Camp or Ihamba Lodge

Luxury –Mweya safari lodge/ Jacana lodge / Katara Lodge or Kingfisher resort.

(Break fast Lunch and Dinner- BLD)

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi

After an early breakfast, you chose to check out some of the birds around the hotel before you check out and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will have picnic lunch kind of, enjoy bird en-route and your dinner will be at your lodge in the noiseless jungle except from the sound of the birds singing. You will wake to the morning songs of the Snowy-capped Robin-chat and the Grey-capped Warbler and you may also be luck and see the Grey-green Bush-shrike, Black Bee-eater and Narina’s Trogon around the lodge.

Budget- Buhoma Community bandas or Bwindi View bandas or Nkuringo campsite tents or Virunga Hotel or Nkuringo safari centre

Moderate- Lake Kitandara camp or Nkuringo camp site or Wagtail Eco lodge or similar

Up market – Engagi lodge or Buhoma lodge or Gorilla Resort camp or Traveler’s rest camp or Silver back lodge/ Gorilla safari lodge/clouds lodge

Luxury – Gorilla Forest Camp or Clouds Lodge or Gahinga Volcanoes Lodge, or Volcanoes Bwindi safari Lodge

Day 7: Birding

According to some of the birders that have visited Bwindi, it one of the best birding areas in the world as it begins right away from morning as you take breakfast to evening when you go to bed. You will carry packed lunch when you go for birding in the jungle which has over 300 species of bird species among which are the Red-throated Alethe, Equatorial Akalat, Forest Robin, Montane Oriole, Grey-throated Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, African Broadbill, Black Bee-eater, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Narina’s Trogon, Pettit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Shelley’s Greenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, White-bellied Robin-chat, Black-faced Rufous-warbler, Kivu Ground-thrush, Short-tailed Warbler, Red-fronted Antpecker, Oriole Finch, to mention but a few. Return for dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 8: Gorilla tracking

we do not ignore the fact that most of the birders that have visited Bwindi have done gorilla tracking but this is an optional activity which you may do if you are interested but the decision has to be made early enough so that you can get your gorilla tracking permit  early enough as they are bought from Kampala. Your lunch will be packed and dinner will be when you come back to the lodge.  Otherwise you can go for a nature and community walk instead.

Day9,10 &11: drive to Ruhija side

You will leave very early in the morning to start on the 50km journey heading to the highest peak of the forest Ruhiija. There are several good birding sites which may include those rare species like the White-starred Robin, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Strange Weaver, Banded Prinia, Brown-chested Alethe, Slender-billed Greenbul, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, White-browed Crombec, Mountain Illadopsis, Luehder’s Bush-shrike, Grey-green Bush-shrike. You ill enjoy birding on the way to and at the Mubwindi Swamp and having a walk on Steep Mountain tracks will give you higher chances of seeing African Green Broadbill. Birding in the bamboo zone is good for the Handsome Francolin, Archer’s Robin-chat, Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Mountain Greenbul, Grauer’s Warbler, Rwenzori Batis, Waller’s Chestnut-winged Starling, Dusky Crimsonwing, Mountain Illadopsis, Mountain Yellow Warbler to mention a just a few.  For those who want to camp at Ruhiija campground, you have got to have your own camping facilities.  You may also sleep at Ruhija gorilla safari lodge/ trekkers’ tavern cottages

Day 12: transfer to Lake Mburo national park

From here you will travel eastwards through the terraced mountains of Kigezi to the open plains and rocky hillsides of Ankole. You may have to stop at some points to see Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Wattled Lapwing, Southern Red Bishop, Variable Sunbird, African Harrier, hawks, larks, and many others. You will see those Long-horned Ankole cattle during your birding and then later on proceed to the park region. you will have the birds wake you up in the morning, enjoy the songs of Morning Dove, Dideric Cuckoo, Grey-capped Warbler, Black-headed Weaver and Ring-necked Dove.

Dinner and overnight will be at either;

Budget; Rwonyo.

Midrange; Arcadia cottages

Luxury; Mihingo/ Mantana luxury

Day 13: Birding

You will have to wake up early to go see the African Fin foot at Lake Mburo as it usually hides into the papyrus which is floating on the lake. You will search for the Brown-chested Lapwing, Lilac-breasted Roller, Black-bellied Bustard, Helmeted Guinea fowl, Coqui Francolin, Rufous-napped Lark plus many raptors and this is the only park where you can find the Eland, Burch ell’s Zebra and Impala in the whole of this region. After this you will go back to the lodge for lunch and you may chose to rest at the lodge in the afternoon.

Day 14:  game drive and nature walk

After a cup of coffee, you will go for a morning game drive, later at mid morning return for breakfast and relax at the lodge and after your lunch, you will go for a nature walk and so you will have a chance to see the different tree species and wildlife. Dinner will be back at your lodge. Day

15: travel back to Kampala.

After your breakfast, you will drive back to Kampala. You may stop at the equator in Masaka if you did not stop there on your first day. The guide will drop your to your hotel in Kampala if you still have some time in Uganda otherwise  he will have to drop you at the airport to catch your plain back home.

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