12 Days Uganda Birding Trip & Chimpanzees

This tour is to give a chance to spot about more than 400 species of Birds and the Mammal experience will be rewarding.

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Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and you will be picked by Harriet and transfer to Lake Victoria View Guest House for an overnight stay.

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Day 2: Mabamba Swamp for the Shoebill

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Start early in the morning,drive to Mabamba wetland and in the afternoon continue to Lake Mburo in the Afternoon. While at the swamp we shall take a hand paddled boat through a channel of lagoons into the Mash to look out for the Shoebill.

Besides the Shoebill , there is a selection  of  common wetland species that we are likely to see here including Lesser Jacana, African  Jacana , Malachite and Pied King Fishers ,Papyrus Gonolek , Gull-billed Terns, white –winged black Terns, Whiskered Terns , Common Moorhen , Swamp Flycatcher  ,Goliath and Purple Herons, Spur –winged and Pygmy Goose, African snipe, Blue headed Coucal, Caruthers’s Cisticola   Winding and red face Cisticola,Nothern brown Throated Weaver, Orange Weavers,  Golden Backed , Village, Black headed and Slender Billed weavers, Purple headed, Splendid , Ruppelle`s and Purple headed Starlings, Red shouldered Cuckoo-Shrike ,Grey rumped Swallow, African Mash Harrier, African Harrier Hawk , Western Banded Snake Eagle, Lizard Buzzard,  Red headed Lovebirds, African grey Parrots, Red Rumped and Mosque Swallows, Sooty chat and Rufous naped Lark, Red Chested , Scarlet Chested, Superb, Olive Bellied Sunbirds, Great blue and Ross`s, Turacos, Eastern Grey Plantine Eater,Diedric , Klass`s and Red Chested Cuckoo, Yellow-Throated Tinkerbird, Blue breasted bee-Eater, Grey Crowned  Crane ,Saddle-Billed Stork and Open Bill Stork. Yellow billed Ducks, Spur Winged Lapwing. We Shall leave this area around mid Morning and head to Lake Mburo stopping at the Equator for Lunch and we shall enter the park in the evening and birding to the Lake where we shall take a boat to look for African Fin foot, White backed night Heron and along the lake holds the Papyrus yellow

Warbler, White-winged Warbler, you will also encounter pools of hippos, Crocodiles, buffalos,  and at night if the weather is good we shall look out for African Scops Owl, Black Shouldered ,Swamp, Pennant-winged Night Jars.

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Day 3: Game drive and Boat cruise

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We shall start early after breakfast we shall go for the a walk in the wooded savannah in search of Red Faced Barbet, white headed Barbet, Tabora and Trilling Cisticola ,white –winged Tit, Surlphur breasted Bushrike ,common Scimmitabill  and Green wood-hoopoe, Emerald sported wood dove, Lilac breasted Roller, Rufous bellied Heron, African water Rail etc. This is the best place in the country to see antelopes such as Eland, Zebras, Topi,, Impala, and more acacia associated birds.  

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Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi-Ruhija

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On this day as we transfer we may spot Papyrus Gonelek, White-winged and Papyrus  yellow Warblers, Papyrus Canary, Carruthers’s  and Chubb’s  Cisticola, Augar Buzzard, African Stone Chat.

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Day 5:  Birding in Ruhija

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After Breakfast we shall carry our picnic Lunch and head for the whole day birding in following the famous trail through the forest to Mubwindi swamp .Ruhija is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all the Albertine Rift Endemics including the rare and Localized Grauer`s Rush Warbler, African green Broadbill , Archer`s Robin Chat, Dwarf Honryguide,Yellow-eyed  black flycatcher, Regal , Purple breasted, and Blue headed sunbirds, Stripe Breasted Tit , Strange Weaver, Ruwenzori  and Mountain  masked Apalis, Ruwenzori  Batis, Ruwenzori Hill Barbler, Doherty`s Bushrike , Black headed waxbill , Bar tailed and Narina trogon, Handsome Francolin , Red faced woodland Warbler, White headed  Wood hoopoe , Eastern Mountain Greenbul , Stuhlmann`s and Waller`s Starlings, Tullberg`s Woodpecker, Evergreen forest Warbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Chestnut throated Apalis, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Streaky seed eater , Yellow crowned Canary, yellow whiskered Greenbul , White naped Raven , White stared Robin, Barred long-tailed Cuckoo, Banded Prinnia , Dusky and red faced Crimsonwing , Mountain Buzzard and African Crowned Eagle, Red throated Alethe , and Ruwenzori Night Jar.

In addition to birds, other likely encounters include Ruwenzori and Yellow backed Duikers and the beautiful L`Hoest and Blue Monkeys.

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Day 6: Gorilla Trekking

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Trekking uphill to see the families of Gorillas nestled in a casual flocking play is a fascicinating once in life time experience. You will have an opportunity to enjoy close views of adults feeding and grooming, resting as young stars swing from vines in a delightfully gentle display.

Besides Gorillas you have a chance to see other forest antelopes like Ruwenzori and Yellow-backed Duikers, Guereza Colobus Monkey, Blue Monkey, and L, Hoest monkey.

We shall later proceed to Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable National park birding in the Neck. The Neck is a relatively narrow stretch separating the two sections of Bwindi impenetrable forest and it characterized by riverine forest vegetation. Some of the species we are likely to see at the Neck include , Mountain Wagtail Red tailed and  Kakamega Greenbull, Toro olive , little grey, little, White throated,  Slender billed, and Cameroon somber Greenbuls, Dusky blue and Cassin`s Flycatcher, African black Duck, Grey throted,Yellow billed and Yellow spotted Barbets, Olive Long-tailed, Dusky Long-tailed, and African Emerald Cuckoo,  It is also the best place in Uganda for the Black Bee eater, African Shrike and Vanga Flycatchers, Many colored Bushrike, Red headed Malimbe, Gray Apalis , Buff-throated Apalis, Western bronze naped Pegion, Tambourine Doves, Mountain oriole.

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Day 7: Birding in Buhoma main trail.

Here werely aiming at sighting Neumann`s Warbler, African Broadbill, Chapin`s Flycatchers,  Oroile Finch, Arsornge`s Greenbul , Equatorial Akalat , White bellied Robinchat, White bellied crested flycatcher, Blue throated brown Sunbird, Scally breasted, Pale breasted, and Mountain Illadopsis , Dusky Tit ,Grey headed, Northern double colored ,Olive, Bronze , Green headed, Green throated, Scarlet chested sunbird, Black Billed, brown capped, Thick billed Seedeater, Mackinnon`s  Fiscal, Black billed and Great Blue Turacos , Ayres’s Hawk Eagle, Little Sparrow hawk , Elliot`s Woodpecker, Black Faced rufous  warbler , Pink Footed Puff back , Grey throated Tit Flycatcher, Olive Green camaroptera , Yellow rumped  tinker bird ,White chinned Prinia , Boscages’ Bush shrike, Blue shouldered , Grey winged and Red capped Robinchat , Brown throated wattle eye .

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Day 8: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Start off early after breakfast and continue birding to Queen Elizabeth National park, We shall have several stops in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth birding on the way to Ishasha section famous for its tree-climbing Lions.  

Queen Elizabeth is yet another area with some of the highest biodiversity ratings than any other national game reserve in the world. Its varied habitats of open Savannah , acacia woodlands, tropical rain forest, dense papyrus swamps, and Lakes, makes it one of the richest park in Africa. Game in the park include Elephants, Buffalo, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, a profusion of Hippos, the elusive Giant Forest Hog, Lion and Leopard and the Beautiful Uganda Kob  The park boasts of over 612 bird species recorded, and one day record of 296 species.  

 

Day 9: Game drive and Boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel

Today we shall go for a game drive in the Northern part of the park following one of the numerous trails of the park on a game drive will produce special sightings of such species as Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, African Crake, Martial Eagle, Stout and Zitting Cisticola, Black Crowned and Marsh Tchagra, Red-necked  Francolin, White-browed and black Coucal, Arrow Marked and Black lored Babblers, Grey-backed  Shrike, Amur falcon, Ovambo sparrow hawk, Nubian and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Blue Spotted wood dove, Green-winged Italia , Red-capped lark, Grassland and Plain Backed Pipit. This is will give us another chance to look for the Brown-chested Lapwing and crowned Lapwing.

Later in the afternoon, we shall take the luxurious launch cruise along the Kazinga channel where we shall have a chance to see the African Skimmers, Kittliz Plover, the new record for Uganda Grey Pratincole,  Snowy headed Robin-chat, Saddle bill stork, Yellow-billed stork, Goliath and Grey Herons, Black Crakes and many other shorebirds both migratory and residents.

 

Day 10: Transfer to Kibale National Park

Stay at Kibale Forest Lodge

 

Day 11: Chimpanzee Trekking and birding

Kibale National Park is a tropical rainforest known for its high concentration of primates and the only reliable place to see the habituated Chimpanzees in Africa. Other primate species in this rainforest are; Olive Baboons, Gray-cheeked Mangbay, Red-tailed Monkey, Localized Central African red Colobus Monkey, Guereza Colobus, Vervet, L, Hoest, Blue Monkey.

Kibale national park is also the only place reliable to see the Green Breasted Pitta in Africa. other key species here include Shining blue Kingfisher, Narina Trogon, Ashy, Grey-throated Tit, Cassin’s grey, Sooty and African shrike Flycatchers,  Hairy breasted, Yellow Spotted and Yellow-billed Barbets, Yellow-rumped, Speckled and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds., African emerald, Dusky long-tailed, Red-chested, Black and Klass’s Cuckoos.

More species here include Scally, breasted and Brown Illadopsis, White-Throated, Little, Toro olive, Plain and Slender-billed Greenbuls, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes, Olive belied, Superb, olive, and Collard Sunbird, Purple-headed, Splendid, Narrow-tailed  and Chestnut-winged Starlings. Red-eyed Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Tamborine Dove, Afep Pegion and White Naped pigeon.

 

Day 12: Drive back to Entebbe and Fly back home.