3-weeks Uganda custom birding trip

itinerary details

Day 1               

Arrival at Entebbe international Airport

Pick up and transfer to a nearby Lodge for refreshment, dinner and overnight stay. Early arrivals will give a chance for a leisurely birding walk at the archetypal tropical rainforest of National Botanical Gardens of Uganda along Victoria shores in Entebbe as we get over jetlag. Likely encounters: Bat-hawk, Southern White-faced Scops-Owl, African Cuckoo-hawk, Orange Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver, Black & White Casqued Hornbill, African Pied and Crowned Hornbills

Overnight: Papyrus Guest House/Jet Villas Entebbe for 1 night

Day 2                

Mabamba wetland in the morning, drive to Mbale Town later

Start very early in the morning and drive to Mabamba marsh along the shores of Lake Victoria We look for the shoebill along the channels and lagoons in the marsh. After we drive to Kampala, have lunch and later drive to Mbale town.

Stay at Mt. Elgon Hotel

Day 3               

Pian Upe Game Reserve for the whole day

We drive to this second largest protected area in Uganda which is home to the gigantic Roan Antelope, cheetahs and the Uganda Endemics; Fox’s Weaver and the Karamoja Apalis. We spend the whole day here in search of the Karamoja Apalis, Fox’s Weaver, Bronze-tailed Starling, black-breasted barbet, stone partridges etc. the Roan Antelope is a specialty of this reserve. A Cheetah is an occasional encounter and extremely rare.

Overnight: Karatunga Safari camp, Moroto for 1night

Day 4              

Drive to Kidepo Valley NP

Long and birdy drive all the way. Arrivals at our lodge in the park will be late in the afternoon – may have a late lunch there. Birding around the lodge this afternoon/evening – always very productive.

Overnight: Kidepo Zebra Safari Lodge/Mara Safari Lodge for 2nights

Day 5               

Kidepo Valley NP

Spend the whole day in the park – white-crested Turaco black-breasted barbet, Red pate Cisticola, Rose-ringed Parakeet numerous species of mammals…. Large Herds African Buffalo, Lions, Elephant etc.

Day 6                

Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

It a long journey, and may likely take us most of the day. A few stops on the way to stretch and look at birds. Lunch break will be in Gulu town. Arrival in the park will be late this afternoon.

Overnight: Fort Murchison/Elephant Plains River Safari Lodge for 1night

Day 7              

Murchison Falls NP

Spend the whole morning in the northern sector of the park. Afternoon boat cruise along the Nile to the Bottom of the falls. Highlights of the day: Lions, Leopard, Hyena, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Nile Crocodiles, plus a diverse array of birds found in this park. We drive to Masindi town after here.

Overnight: Masindi Hotel for 2nights

Day 8               

Budongo Forest Reserve

Drive to Budongo forest and spend the day birding along the Royale Mile. Drive time is just an hour. Special Species: Ituri batis, Uganda Woodland Warbler, brown twinspot, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela etc. There occasional encounters are chimps. Black-and White Colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkey, blue monkey etc are also present

Day 9              

Drive to Kibale National Park

Birding to Kibale forest with a few stops along the way to look at some specials. Late lunch in Fort Portal town. Spend the rest of the afternoon along the main road in the forest or around the lodge gardens.

Overnight: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Day 10            

Kibale Forest National Park

Start very early for the special bird of this forest – the green-breasted Pitta, plus several other encounters with occasional chimpanzees. Afternoon drive Chimp tracking in the forest.

Day 11              

Bigodi Wetland and travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Start early for birding in the forest later drive to Fort Portal Town for lunch and later drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Highlights at the famous Bigodi Community wetland include white-spotted flufftail, white-tailed anti-thrush, great blue turaco, red colobus monkey, black and white colobus monkey, white-nosed monkey, Uganda Mangbey etc.

Stay at Bush Lodge/Twin Lakes Safari Lodge

Day 12             

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Morning game drive along the Kasenyi plains and spend this afternoon at Kazinga Channel on a birding and mammal watching cruise.

Overnight: Bush Lodge

Day 13                          

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Do another birding stroll in the morning along the Kasenyi plains where African crake, small button quails, temminck’s coursers, collared pratincoles etc are normally encountered before transferring to Ishasha sector of the park that is mostly famous for tree climbing Lions. Early morning of this day, we look for the papyrus gonolek at the Katunguru Bridge.

Overnight: Topi Lodge 1night

Day 14             

Queen Elizabeth NP Ishasha- Bwindi Impenetrable NP

Birding here the whole morning is always very productive: Fan-tailed grass warbler, dwarf-bittern, Black coucal, re-collared widowbird, blue-cheeked bee-eaters etc are possible encounters. In the afternoon we drive to Bwindi Impenetrable NP – spend the last couple of hours at the forest edge birding.

Overnight: Ride for a Woman for 1night

Day 15                          

Bwindi Impenetrable NP- Buhoma Sector

Bwindi Impenetrable NP – Birding along the main trail at Buhoma. Specials: Neumann’s Warbler, Kivu ground Thrush, Red-throated Alethe, and Jameson’s Ant-pecker, Many-coloured Bushshrike, African Broadbill and many other Albertine rift endemics.

Transfer to Ruhiija late in the afternoon.

Overnight: Bakiga Lodge 3nights

Day 16

Bwindi Impenetrable NP – Ruhiija Sector

Bird to the Mubwindi Swamp – the Green broadbill trail. The yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Lagden’s Bushshrike, Grauer’s rush warbler, the African green broadbill, Grey-chested Babbler, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Archer’s Robin Chat and may others, are some of the targets here.

Day 17

Gorilla tracking at Ruhiija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Day 18         

Drive to Lake Mburo National Park

Drive to lake Mburo NP. Afternoon/evening birding around the lodge, or depending on the time we arrive here, we may do a short stroll in the park.

Overnight: Hyena hill Lodge for two nights

Day 19              

Lake Mburo National Park

Early Morning walk in the woods looking at animals and birds as they graze along, is a fascinating experience. Zebras, Impala, Giraffe, Bufalo can’t be missed here. There are chances of African water rail, shoebill, Greencap eremomela, Tabora Cisticola, Black-collared barbet etc. we shall also do a boat ride to look for African finfoot, giant kingfisher plus may others.

Day 20                          

Lake Mburo to Entebbe

Check out the hotel and drive straight to Entebbe for your flight back home. Lunch in Entebbe