20 DAYS UGANDA BIRDING

The western part of Uganda is home to some of the best birding spots in the country, and this 20-day tour will take you there. Entebbe is where the journey begins and finishes, and the Entebbe Botanical Gardens are where you may go birdwatching on the beaches of Lake Victoria. The tour’s primary objective is to see and photograph a wide range of avian life, including  mountain birds, forest dwellers, savannah inhabitants, water birds, and rare species found only in the Congo forest and the Albertine Rift.

The tour’s hunt for the eponymous Shoebill in the Mabamba Wetlands is sure to be an exciting high point. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will also be a highlight, since it is home to several rare birds found only in the Albertine rift, such as the Regal Sunbird,  Rwenzori Batis, Grauer’s Broadbill, and Shelley’s Crimson-wing.

Rainforests, savannahs, marshes, and swamps are just some of the environments you’ll see on your trip. In addition to the birds, there will also be incredible opportunities to observe mammals, making this an adventure you won’t soon forget. The journey promises to give an extensive birding experience for seasoned birdwatchers, including visits in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki Valley, Kibale National Park, Budongo forest and Murchison Falls National Park.

Day 1: Arrival

Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, our driver/tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel in Kampala. You will check into your hotel, have dinner and rest as you await to embark on your 10 days Uganda wildlife safari.

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park

After an early morning breakfast, embark on your journey to Murchison Falls National Park. Enjoy beautiful scenery of landscapes, farms, plantations and roadside markets en-route on the countryside. You will have lunch en-route at Kabalega dinner and then proceed with your journey. From there, make another stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking.

On your arrival at Ziwa, you will be welcomed and briefed about the sanctuary and the rhino trekking. From, there you will go for rhino trekking. Spend time observing one of the big five, the rhinoceros. Take time to observe their breeding and feeding cycles. Thereafter, have lunch at the sanctuary and proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. On your arrival in the park, you will check into your lodge, refresh, have dinner and retire for the night.

Day 3: Early Morning Game drive and Launch cruise on the Victoria Nile

An early morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park gives you the best opportunity to spot the park’s predators. Get to spot the lions, leopards and hyenas before they go back into hiding. With the help of a game ranger, you will drive along the Delta of Lake Albert in search for several other mammals including giraffes, and antelopes, among others. During the game drive, expect to also enjoy the remarkable savannah grasslands that overlook Budongo Forest.

Return to your lodge for a late breakfast. You will refresh and later have lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will be taken for a launch cruise on the Victoria Nile. As you cruise towards the great Murchison Falls, expect to encounter several Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, elephants, buffaloes and hippos. The river banks usually have a huge concentration of wild animals, usually grazing and drinking water. Do not forget to enjoy watching various bird species including the Grey-headed Kingfisher, shoebill and many others.

You will cruise up to the bottom of the thrilling Murchison Falls. From there, you will hike to the top of the falls. As you hike, appreciate the attractive evergreen vegetation that surrounds the falls. When you reach the top of the falls, you will be amazed by what you will see. You will experience the roaring sound these falls make as the Nile forces its way through a 7-meter gorge and drops 45 meters down. Watch how the water forms a rainbow and mist while it falls. Take some time to enjoy photography at the falls and thereafter drive back to your lodge. Refresh, have dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After early morning breakfast, you will check out of your lodge and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. You will have a stopover in Fort-portal town – the tourism capital of Uganda for your lunch. It is called the tourism capital because of its remarkable tourist attractions including crater lakes, attractive landscapes and several cultural sites. From there, proceed with your journey to Kibale Forest. Upon your arrival, you check into your lodge, refresh and relax at your leisure for the rest of the evening.

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Nature Walk in the Bigodi swamp

Transfer to Kanyanchu Tourism Center for your briefing. During your briefing, you will be given chimpanzee trekking guidelines to guide you. You will also be assigned a game ranger who will guide you throughout your chimp trekking escapade. From there, you will start your trek into the tropical rain forest in search for chimpanzees. It will take you a few hours to meet the chimpanzees, depending on their location in the forest. When you finally spot them, you will be allowed one hour to spend with these peculiar primates. Watch and observe the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Observe the way they behave as they jump around between branches in the high canopies.

Thereafter, trek back to the headquarters where your driver guide will be waiting for you. You will transfer to your lodge and have lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will go for a nature walk in the Bigodi swamp. Bigodi swamp is well known for its rare plants, insects, several bird species and primates including baboons, red colobus monkeys, among many others. Return to your lodge in the evening, have dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After your morning breakfast, check out of your lodge and travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Appreciate amazing sights as you drive through the southern crater lakes area. As you enter the national park, brace yourself with views of wild animals en-route. On arrival, check into your hotel, relax and have lunch. Later in the afternoon visit Lake Katwe for a salt production experience. Lake Katwe is located within the active volcanic area of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Its shores have small pans of water from which salt is collected and mined through and this process is called salt panning. Return to your lodge in the evening with an en-route game drive through the park. Have dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Morning Game drive and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

After early morning breakfast, head for your morning game drive towards Kasenyi Mating Grounds. These mating grounds usually have the highest concentration of wild animals. Expect to spot various elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, buffaloes, bush bucks, water bucks, Uganda Kobs, warthogs among others. After about 3 to 4 hours of a rewarding game drive, return to your lodge for lunch.

In the Afternoon, head to Kazinga Channel for your afternoon boat cruise towards Lake Edward. Enjoy remarkable views of various wildlife drinking water by the channel banks. Do not forget to enjoy the amazing views of numerous bird species such as the king fishers and water mammals including crocodiles and hippos. Kazinga channel gives you the ultimate wildlife safari views and photography moments. Return to your lodge after, have dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Have morning breakfast and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. You will drive through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth, which is famous for harboring tree-climbing lions. You may have a few chances of spotting these lions if they are not in hiding. You will arrive in Bwindi in the afternoon, check into your lodge and have lunch. In the afternoon, you will go for a Batwa cultural experience in the Batwa communities. The Batwa also known as pygmies were originally the forest inhabitants of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This was until they were forced to migrate out of the forest. However, they didn’t go very far as hunting and fruit gathering were their only ways of survival. They were therefore, divided to live under communities on the outskirts of the national park. During the Batwa cultural encounter, mix and mingle with the indigenous group and observe their unique ways of life. Listen to their ancestral stories of how and where they came from. After that interesting cultural encounter, return to your lodge, have dinner and overnight.

9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Have morning breakfast at your lodge, and transfer to the Gorilla Trekking Headquarters for briefing. During the briefing, you will be given gorilla trekking guidelines to guide you during the gorilla trekking escapade. You will also be assigned a professional game ranger who will guide you into the impenetrable forest in search for the enormous apes. You are encouraged to pack your lunch – since gorilla trekking can take even up to 8 hours depending on the location of the gorilla families.

As you trek into the impenetrable tropical forests and thickets of Bwindi, you will encounter the thrilling gorillas nesting in their natural habitat. You will be allowed an hour to spend time with these gentle apes. Enjoy watching them behave and feed gently and silently. More so, time take pictures and record videos of the gorillas for a memorable experience. In the afternoon, trek back to the headquarters where your driver guide will pick you and transfer you back to your lodge. Relax for the rest of the evening, have dinner and overnight.

Day 10: Travel back to Kampala/Entebbe International Airport

Have morning breakfast and check out of your lodge. Your driver guide will then pick you up and transfer you back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport. You will have lunch en-route at Igongo Cultural Center in Mbarara. Proceed with your journey and make a stopover at the Equator Monument in Kayabwe. Take time to enjoy photography at the monument and buy souvenirs from the craft shops. Proceed with your safari journey up to Kampala. Upon your arrival in Kampala, your driver guide will drop either transfer you to your hotel or drop you off at the airport to catch your flight back home.