15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda

Activities of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda

• Boat cruises
• Bird watching
• Visiting Hot springs
• Nature Walks in the Forests
• Game Viewing
• Safari Photography

Detailed itinerary of 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda

Day 1 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Birding in Mabamba Swamp
RAK safaris driver will pick you up after breakfast at your hotel in Entebbe; and will drive to Mabamba bay on Lake Victoria. The swamp will offer you opportunities to see lots of swamp specialists and rarities like the shoebill. The swamp also protects other good bird species that includes the swamp fly catcher, African marsh harrier, papyrus Gonolek, African Pygmy Goose, White-backed Duck, black headed weaver, Long Toed plover, whistling duck, gross beak weaver, blue swallow, Lesser Jacana, black kite, Blue Swallow, Fan Tailed Widow Bird, Red Chested Sunbird, Yellow Billed Duck and Hottentot Teal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater and many more.  After lunch drive to Lake Mburo with a lunch stop over enroute.

Day 2 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Salt lick + birding in Rubanga forest 
The day begins early with early morning breakfast and then start our birding/ game drive in the saltlick are of the Park and later a guided walk in Rubanga forest in  search  of the red faced barbet  which is an endemic to this park, the grey crowned crane,  African Fin foot, Spot-flanked barbet, Brown Chested Plover, White Winged Warbler, brown chested lap wing, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Nubian wood pecker, and Crested Barbet, Red shouldered cuckoo shrike, Carruthers’ and Tabora Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, Northern Brown Throated Weaver, brown parrot, Scaly-throated Honey guide, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Coqui Francolin, green wood hoopoe  and many more

Day 3 & 4 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Transfer to Mgahinga National Park + birding on the gorge and farm trails.
After breakfast you will leave for Mgahinga national park via Kabale while birding en-route. On arrival, check into your lodge. During the time spent here be on the lookout for Albertine rift endemics.  Go birding on the farm trail and the gorge trails of Mgahinga national park and look out for birds like; Archer’s Robin chat, Handsome Francolin, scarlet tufted sunbirds, Dusky Turtle Dove, Rwenzori Turaco, western green tinker bird, Kivu Ground Thrush, olive pigeon, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, stripe breasted tit, Malachite Sunbird, Rwenzori Nightjar, Rwenzori Double Collared Sunbird, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Dusky and Shelley’s Crimsonwing, dusky turtle dove, cape Robin and many more.

Day 5 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Echuya Forest.
The forest hosts over 150 bird species with 18 of these being endemic to the reserve. Set off for Echuya forest with your picnic lunch after breakfast at your lodge. Look out for species like; the mountain masked Apalis, Grauer’s warbler, Many-coloured bush shrike, Mountain Hill Babbler, Dwarf honey guide, Doherty’s, and Ludher’s Bush-Shrike, Northern Double Collared Sunbird,  Lagden’s bush shrike Black Faced Rufous Warbler among others.

Day 6 & 7 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Mubwindi swamp and school trail
On these two days you will be birding in Bwindi impenetrable forest specifically the Mubwindi swamp and the school trail. It’s advisable that you wear light rain gear and sturdy walking shoes because Bwindi is a rain forest and can have a slippery terrain sometimes. Look out for species like; fine banded wood pecker, chest nut throated Apalis, the African Green Broadbill, bar tailed trogon, Strange Weaver, Yellow- Eyed Black Flycatcher, white bellied Robin chat, Purple Breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Olive Pigeon, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Nightjar and Grauer’s Warbler among others.

Day 8 & 9 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Water fall trail, camp area and Munyaga trail
Leave the Ruhija sector of Bwindi and transfer to Buhoma sector of Bwindi forest. You will spend three days birding along the water fall trail, munyaga trail and camp area. Look out for the Bronze napped pigeon, Chapin’s fly catcher, , Mountain Illadopses, black billed weaver, dusky tit, strange weaver, Stripe Breasted Tit, Bronze Napped Pigeon, Black Bee-eater, White Bellied Robin Chat,  Brown Caped Weaver, Willcock’s honey guide, dwarf Honeyguide  Kivu ground thrush, Dusky cuckoo, read throated alethe, Forest Ground Thrush,  Red Fronted Antpecker,; the Short Tailed Warbler, Red Faced Woodland Warbler, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Kivu Ground Thrush, Many-Coloured Bush Shrike, White Collared Olive Back and Black Faced Rufous Warbler among others.

Day 10 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Birding in Ishasha sector
Leave Bwindi after breakfast and transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park.
You will arrive at lunchtime, check into your lodge and have lunch then enjoy an afternoon birding drive looking out for Brown Chested Plover, Wattled starling, Diederick’s Cuckoo, Ruppel’s Griffon vulture,  Bateluer, White Backed vulture, Black Rumped Buttonquail, and Lappet Faced Vultures, and Violet Backed Starlings  and lots of wildlife like the tree climbing lion, elephants, warthogs and many more

Day 11 & 12 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Ishasha plains, Mweya peninsular, Kasenyi plains, birding boat ride Kazinga channel
On Day 12, you will have a morning drive in the Ishasha plains after breakfast, we go for another birding drive in the Ishasha plains with possible sightings of Western-banded eagle, White-back vulture, Martial Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Lappet-faced eagle, Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture then transfer to Mweya after lunch. Go birding in the Kasenyi plains on Day 16 followed by a boat ride on Kazinga channel. Expect to see species like Vereaux’s Eagle-Owl, African fish eagle, Plain-backed and Grassland Pipit, African Reed, Wing-snapping cisticola, Temminck’s Courser, Eurasian Reed and Sedge Warblers, Broad-tailed Warblers, Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged butter quail,  African Skimmer, Greater Swamp, Lesser Swamp, Common Button-quail, Black-crowned Tchagra, Winding, Stout, Croaking and Zitting Cisticola, African Crake, Collared Pratincole, Grey-headed gull, Common Black-headed Gull, African Moustached and among others.

Day 13 & 14 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda:  Spot lit night drive +shoe bill boat ride on Lake Albert +hot spring visit
You will drive to Semliki national park after breakfast. Check into your lodge on arrival and relax and freshen up. At night enjoy a guided spot lit drive to view night bird and wildlife. Visit the sempaya hot springs and enjoy an egg boiled in the hot springs. Enjoy a boat ride on Lake Albert to view the shoe bill and lots of other birds. Capuchin Babbler, White-thighed horn bill, and White-bellied Kingfisher, Black Dwarf, Black-casqued Wattled hornbill, and Zenker’s Honey guide, African Piculet, , Spotted honey guide, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Nicatoer, Red-billed Dwarf hornbill, Long-tailed Hawk, Lyre-tailed honey guide, Icterine Greenbul, Forest Scrub Robin, Nkurengu Rail, Shining-blue king fisher, Oberlaender’s Ground Thrush, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Swamp-palm Bulbul, Orange-tufted Sunbird, White-crested, and Piping Hornbills and lots more

Day 15 of the 15 Days Classic Birding Tour in Uganda: Transfer to Kampala
Your birding adventure tour in Uganda has come to its end and today we drive back to Kampala city for optional shopping then head on to Entebbe Airport to catch your home flight.

Trip is inclusive of
• Accommodation & Meals (even Soft drinks)
• Airport Transfers
• Boat rides
• Nature walks
• Park entrance fees
Exclusive of:
• Visas & Air tickets
• Any Personal Shopping
• Alcoholic Drinks
• Any Optional Activities; safari filming, night clubs, Casinos, & more in the like. They can be organized for you at an extra cost.