Day 1 Arrival and have optional birding at Botanical gardens in the afternoon
Stay at Boma Hotel Entebbe
Day 2 Travel to Mabamba swamp for the Shoebill and proceed to Lake Mburo
After an early breakfast, proceed to Mabamba for the Shoebill. Other special birds on this trail include Lesser Jacana, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Tit Hylia, African Pygmy-Goose, Spur-winged Goose, Long- toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted and Madagascar Bee-eaters, Greater Swamp
Warbler, Slender-billed Weaver, Lizard Buzzard, African Pygmy Kingfisher and Plain-backed Pipit. Spot-necked Otter can occasionally be seen in the water. Mabamba swamp is a labyrinth of channels and lagoons. The road to Mabamba winds its way through areas of secondary forest and agricultural land Attracting Red-headed Lovebird, Crowned-Hornbills, Green-headed, Red-chested, Collared, Marico and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds. The road ultimately ends at a papyrus reedbed Adjoining Lake Victoria, where we will explore by canoe a maze of channels and mudflats for a reliable resident, the majestic Shoebill.
In the afternoon, we shall continue west and have a stop at the Equator before proceeding to Lake Mburo National Park.
Stay at Rwakobo Rock Lodge
Day 3 Whole day birding and game drive in the park and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo
There are chances of viewing mammals such as Zebra, Topi, Elephant, Eland, Impala, Buffalo, Water Buck, etc. Birds you have chances of viewing include Black- headed Oriole, White-backed Scrub Robin, Bateleur, Ruppel's Starling, Common Bulbul, Brown Parrot, Ruppel's Griffon, African Grey Hornbill, White-browed Coucal, Lesser Masked, Weaver, Water Thick-knee, Wood Hoopoe, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Woodland Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Little Bee-eater, Chinspot, Tawny Eagle, Senegal Lapwing, Plain-backed Pipit, Greater Honeyguide,
Sooty Chat, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-faced Crombec, Brown-tailed, Bronze- tailed Starlings, Brubru, Grey Kestrel, Coqui Francolin, Broad-billed Roller, Grassland Pipit, and Golden-breasted Bunting White backed Night Heron, Shinning blue Kingfisher, Papyrus Gonolek, Carruthers’ cisticola, Giant Kingfisher etc.
Stay at Rwakobo Rock Lodge
Day 4 Travel to Bwindi National Park
Start early after breakfast, and continue to Bwindi
Bwindi National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world endangered population of Mountain Gorillas. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda's 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighbouring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and therefore of big conservation
importance.
Stay Buhoma Haven Lodge
Day 5 Tracking Gorillas
After an early breakfast, you will report to the park headquarters for briefing prior to the gorilla tracking excursion. This activity may take anywhere between 1 hour and 8 hours so a reasonable degree of fitness is required. It is a wonderful experience to stare in to the eyes of these gentle giants; watch them in awe as they play and go about their daily activities. It is indeed a “once in a lifetime” experience that you must never miss. Each encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful
display.
Stay at Buhoma Haven lodge
Day 6 Birding Main Trail
Forest birding at Bwindi ranks the best birdwatching in Uganda and Africa as well, as having been voted as number one hot spot in Africa. It is home to over 23 highly-localized Albertine Rift endemics.
Special birds include Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer's Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-faced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red- throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin's Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon's Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty's Bush-shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann's Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller's Starling, Strange Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Magpie Mannikin, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick- billed Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly's Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre's Hawk-eagle, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Rwenzori Nightjar, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, (Western) Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg's Woodpecker, Elliot's Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Lagdens Bush
Shrike, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Archer's Ground Robin, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Ansorge's Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Grauer's Rush-warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Neumann's Warbler and Red faced Woodland-Warbler.
Stay at Buhoma Haven lodge
Day 7 Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector
Today we shall start early and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector of queen Elizabeth National Park (popularly known for its tree climbing lions) while birding on the way. Birding on the way may produce species such as Grey capped Warbler, African Long Crested Eagle, Augur Buzzard, Mackinnon's Fiscal, Black headed waxbill, Black and white Manikin, Senegal Coucal, Red Chested Cuckoo, and others.
The Park which is named after the Queen of England who visited it in 1954 is the second largest national park in Uganda. In terms of diversity this park ranks among the best birding destinations in Uganda with over 610 species recorded, and a one-day record of 296 species. Hard-core birders will be treated to special birds of this park that include Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, African Crake, White winged Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, Papyrus Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Black Bee- eater, Caruthers's Cisticola, Terek Sandpiper, Secretary Bird, and Temminck's Courser. Mammals include African Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Ugandan Kob, Side-striped Jackal, Baboons, Chimpanzees, Bush and Water Bucks, Warthogs, Giant Forest Hogs to mention but a few. Stay Enganzi Lodge
Day 8 Whole day birding and game drive with in the park and afternoon boat on
the Kazinga Channel
After breakfast we set out for a whole day game and birdwatching drive in the park. Later in the afternoon you have an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. The launch is one of the most exciting water activities in Uganda. The channel is a narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for waterside birds and abundant Hippopotamus. Amongst the birds you are likely to encounter include African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin Lesser Swamp-Warbler and Yellow-billed Oxpecker.
Stay Enganzi Lodge
Day 9 Drive to Kibale
After breakfast, we will drive to Kibale forest. Kibale forest national park is the best safari destination for chimpanzee tracking in East Africa. It contains one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of all tropical forests in Uganda. It hosts 13 species of primates including the chimpanzee. It has 1450 chimpanzees and these represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate. It is also home to the rare L’hoest’s monkey and East Africa’s largest population of the threatened red colobus monkey. Other primates that you may see include the black and white colobus, blue monkey, grey cheeked Mangabey, red tailed monkey, olive baboon, bush baby and pottos. Kibale forest cover predominates in the northern and central parts of the park. Kibale is highest at the park’s northern tip which stands at 1590m above sea level. The Park also boasts 325 bird species, including 6 that are endemic to the Albertine rift region. If you are lucky you may also see the African pitta, Green-breasted pitta, black bee-eater, yellow spotted Nicator, yellow rumped tinker bird, little Greenbul, , brown-chested Alethe, blue-breasted kingfisher, and the crowned eagle.
Stay at Chimpanzee Guest House.
Day 10 Chimpanzee tracking, afternoon birding at Bigodi wetland
After an early breakfast we drive to Kibale National Park visitor center for briefing and chimp tracking. The activity may last from a few hours to several hours. Kibale forest is home to 13 primates of Uganda. Birding in the afternoon along the main road may be productive. Depending on the weather predictions, birding Bigodi wetland is also productive with riverine forest birds. Kibale National Park is a good site for a number of birds that are hard to find elsewhere including Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis's Greenbul and Joyful Greenbul as well as White-spotted Fluff tail, Dusky and Olive Long tailed Cuckoo, Lesser Honey guide, Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, White-chinned Prinia, Grey Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera and White-collared Olive back.Stay at Chimpanzee Guest House
Day 11 Birding to Entebbe
Stay at Boma Hotel