30 Days Uganda Birding & Primates Safari

Activities of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari

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

Detailed itinerary of  the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari

Day 1 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Arrival
Meet our RAK Safaris driver guide on arrival at the airport and transfer to your chosen hotel in Entebbe.

Day 2 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Transfer to Mabira Forest + mangabey tracking
We will drive to Mabira forest with a brief glimpse of Kampala; after breakfast. On arrival, check into your lodge. Enjoy a guided birding walk near the lodge after which you will have a late lunch. After lunch you will go mangabey tracking and will also do lots of birding while at it. Possible sightings might be purple throated cuckoo shrikes, Jameson’s wattle eyes, tit Hylia, yellow and grey longbills, illadopsises and many more

Day 3 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Hunting for forest specialists in Mabira Forest
You will encounter lots of forest birds today after breakfast on your morning and evening birding guided walks in the forest.  Carry a picnic lunch and follow the forests well designated trails to search for birds like Narina Trogon, Yellow Billed Barbet, Scaly Francolin, Spot-flanked Barbet, Forest Robin and Red Headed Bluebill among others.  After the afternoon walk, you will transfer back to Entebbe for dinner and overnight

Day 4 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Birding in Mabamba Swamp.
After breakfast you 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 5 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: 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 6 &7 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: 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 8 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: 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 9&10 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: 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 11, 12&13 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Water fall trail, camp area & 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 14 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: 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 15&16 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Ishasha plains, Mweya peninsular, Kasenyi plains, birding boat ride Kazinga channel
On Day 15, 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 17&18 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari:  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 19&20 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Kibale forest and Bigodi wetland
Check out of your lodge in Semliki national park and drive to Fortportal home of Kibale forest national park. The park has over 335 bird species with lots of swamp and forest specialists. With forest walks and guided walks in Bigodi swamp expect possible viewings of African Crowned Eagle, Mountain Wagtail Purple-headed Starling, Scaly Illadopsis, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Toro Olive,  White-spotted Flufftail, Afep Pigeon, Gross- Splendid starling, Cardinal Woodpecker, Green-breasted Pitta, Buff-spotted woodpecker, Dusky Blue Flycatcher, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Woodhouse’s Antpecker, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Green-backed Twinspot, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Grey-winged and Red-caped Robin Chat, African Broadbill, Lesser, Willcock’s honeyguide,  Chestnut-winged, Dark-backed Weaver, Red-headed Bluebill, Red-chested Owlet, Thick-billed Honeyguide,  Red-thighed Sparrow hawk, Booted Eagle, Claas’s Cuckoo, Pale-fronted negrofinch, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Diederik cuckoo, Lead-coloured, Cassins and, Cabanis’s, Litlle Grey and Xavier’s Greenbul Chestnut-breasted Nigrofinch and lots more

Day 21, 22, 23&24 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Birding in Murchison falls national park
Leave Kibale after breakfast and have a long days drive to Masindi reaching Murchison falls late in the evening with a stopover for lunch enroute. Murchison falls is the largest national park in Uganda. You will go birding along the Royal mile, Busingiro, along Paraa road, in Kaniyo Pabidi forest and also along the Nile on a boat ride to the bottom of Murchison falls. Expect to see lots of birds like, Pygmy Kingfisher, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Sooty Flycatcher, Buff-throated Apalis, Blue-breasted kingfisher, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul African Shrike Flycatcher, Chestnut-caped and Forest Flycatcher Spotted, the Yellow and Grey Longbills, Chestnut Wattle-eye Green Crombec, Greenbul, Brown-eared Woodpecker, African Dwarf king fisher, Rufous-sided Broadbill Chocolate-backed kingfisher and Crowned Eagle, Yellow-spotted, Fairy-breasted and Yellow-billed Barbets, and Jameson’s Wattle-eye greenbull Scaly-breasted, Brown and  Puvel”s Illadopsis, , Fire-Crested and Brown-cheted Aleth, Green Hylia, Black-throated Apalis,Collared, Superb and Green Sunbird, Sabine’s and Casin’s Spinetail to mention but a few.
The boat cruise will also grant you opportunities to see hartebeests, elephants, hippos, Nile crocodiles, lots of antelopes that water at the river banks and lots of water birds like the Pied kingfisher, papyrus warbler, shoe bill and lots more.

Day 25 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Transfer to Kitgum and birding en-route
Leave Masindi and drive through Karuma to Gulu and later Kitgum birding along the way. Possible sightings may include: Nightingale, African Golden Oriole, Yellow-bellied Eramomela, Wood Warbler, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Pied Wheatear, Northern Brownbul, Familiar Chat and many more

Day 26, 27&28 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Birding in Kidepo Valley + Narus Valley
After breakfast in Kitgum, drive to Kidepo Valley national park. On arrival in the midafternoon, check in with a short game drive after which you will check into your lodge for lunch. Kidepo has lots of undisturbed habitats and therefore boasts of lots of rarities including large birds like the ostrich. Other available species include Northern White-crowned Shrike, White-bellied Canary, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Eurasian Golden Oriele, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, Yellow-spotted Petronia,  Lammergeier, Fox Kestrel, Verreaux’s Eagle, Stone Partridge,Rufous Chatterer, Red-necked falcon , White-bellied Tit, Mouse-coloured Tit, Amethyst and Shining Sunbird, Clapperton’s Francolin Slate-coloured Boubou, Fan-tailed Raven, Red-winged, Magpie, Sharpe’s,  and Superb Starling, Chestnut Sparrow, Parrot-billed Sparrow, D’arnaud’s Barbet, Grey-caped Social-Weaver, Orange-winged and Green-winged Pytilia, Eastern Paradise Whydah, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Spotted Crake, Eleonora’s falcon,  Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Pygmy Falcon, Ostriches, Abyssinian Roller, Black-breasted barbet, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Eastern Chanting-Goshawk, Greater falcon, Secretary birds and many more
A game drive in the valley will also give you views of lions, Zebras, Lesser kudu, leopards, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Elephant, water buck, warthogs and Cheetah

Day 29 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Transfer to Kitgum
After breakfast, enjoy a game drive in the park then check out of the park and drive to Gulu with a lunch stop over en-route.
Acholi Inn
Day 30 of the 30 Days Uganda Birding Safari: Transfer to Kampala (airport transfers)
After breakfast transfer back to Kampala with a lunch stop over and birding enroute. You will be transferred to the airport to board 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.