16 DAYS BIRDING SAFARI

Day 1: Arrival and Birding the Entebbe Environs.
The tour begins from Entebbe International Airport followed by a transfer to the nearby Lake Victoria Hotel for a short break. Entebbe sits on the shores of Lake Victoria and we’ll begin our tour with some bird watching along the Entebbe Peninsula, especially on the lush grounds of the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where we’ll see both forest and lakeshore birds. Our first birds could include Palm-nut Vulture, Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Gray Plantain-eater, African Pied Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling and Orange and Slender-billed Weavers, orange weaver. Dinner and overnight at Lake View Hotel.

Day 2: Transfer to Masindi -
After breakfast in the morning, you’ll set off for Masindi, passing through undulating grasslands and mosaic woodland where we’ll watch out for such species as White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, lesser Blue and Great Blue Eared Starlings, Black, Yellow Mantled and Black Winged Bishops. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel.

Days 3: Birding Budongo- Royal Mile and Busingiro
Depart early for the nearby Budongo Forest, driving along the Royal Mile, a truly spectacular road with forest canopy towering far overhead. There is a good system of trails in the forest, and as we explore them over the next two full days we’ll hope to see vociferous Nahan’s Francolin, excessively noisy White-thighed Hornbill, graceful Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetails, rather secretive Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera puffing out its blue cheek patches as it pipes incessantly, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher high in the canopy, Ituri Batis and Black-capped Apalis. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel.

Days 4: Birding to Murchison Falls National Park
Departing Masindi we’ll pass through Budongo on our way to Murchison Falls National Park. Stop for our picnic lunch on the dramatic Butiaba Escarpment overlooking Lake Albert, where we can admire the stunning view out toward Butiaba and keep an eye open for Foxy Cisticola, White-winged Black Tit and Red-winged Pytilia at the same time.
Descending into the Albertine Rift we’ll continue north to Murchison Falls, arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Days 5: Birding and launch cruise in Murchison falls
This day we’ll explore this splendid park. Visit the awesome Murchison Falls, where the mighty White Nile is forced through a thirty-foot-wide gap. A highlight of the visit will undoubtedly be the boat trips to the foot of the falls and to the delta area, and of course the one bird that will be on everyone’s mind is the bizarre Shoebill. Superb views can be had of this wonderful bird, and the captain and naturalist on the boat rarely disappoint their passengers. There will be other birds including vivid Red-throated Bee-eater as well as mammals such as Rothschild’s Giraffe, Elephant, Waterbuck and many others. Our drives around the extensive plains will provide classic African vistas complemented by exciting birds. Among others we’ll be on the lookout for Saddle-billed Stork, African Finfoot, Red-necked Falcon, Senegal Thick-knee, Rock Pratincole, Giant, Woodland Grey Headed, Malchite, Pygmy and striped Kingfishers. In the scattered woodland and savanna, We’ll search for Heuglin’s Francolins irrupting on noisy wings from the rank grass, gem-like and graceful Swallow-tailed and Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Rollers, comical Abyssinian Ground Hornbills and buzzing jewels in the form of Northern Red Bishops. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day 6: Murchison Falls – Kibale Forest National Park
Leaving Murchison Falls, we’ll make a short drive to the recently discovered population of Puvel’s Illadopsis, a dowdy bird with an impressive voice. Toward Hoima there are a few papyrus swamps where specialties such as White-winged Warbler and Papyrus Gonolek can be found, while the surrounding scrub may harbor, Double-toothed Barbet, Black-bellied Seed cracker and Gray-headed Olive back. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge or Primate Lodge.

Day 7: Birding and Cimp tracking in Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale is home to nine species of primates and there is the opportunity for a Chimpanzee trek on easy, well-marked trails. Birding in the forest is also very rewarding and you could encounter White-naped Pigeon, African Gray Parrot, Black Bee-eater, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed Starlings, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds, White-collared Olive back among others. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge or Primate Lodge.

Day 8: Birding to Queen Elizabeth National park
Your next port of call is the world-famous Queen Elizabeth National Park on the shores of Lake Edward this park boats of 612 species including migrants, water, savannah and forest species. After breakfast, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and after checking in at the lodge, you’ll head straight out to spend the remainder of the day driving along trails looking for such park specialties as Uganda Kob and Giant Forest Hog. Numerous birds inhabit the surrounding scrub and lakeshore and in the evening spectacular Pennant-winged Nightjars fly around the grounds of the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day 9: Birding Queen Elizabeth National park
Today you’ll explore Queen Elizabeth National Park in earnest, taking scenic drives around the extinct volcanoes and searching the scrub and lakeshore for the many birds that live here. Birds are numerous and could include the magnificent Martial Eagle, comical Red-necked Spurfowl, secretive Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, cautious African Crakes peering out from the gassy verge, African Skimmers cutting a trench across the waters in the quiet bays, enormous Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl booming around the lodge in the evenings, crisp Sooty Chats, glistening Red-chested Sunbird and Slender-billed Weaver coming into the dining room to share breakfast with an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel the narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward. Here you’ll have fine views of many water birds and some of the skulking birds in the reedbeds.. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day 10: Birding Queen Elizabeth / Bwindi Impenetrable
This morning we depart Mweya with packed lunch for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Dinner and overnight night at Gorilla Resort or Buhoma Community Bandas

Days 11: Gorilla trekking
After an early hearty breakfast to give you energy for the day's activity, you will transfer to the park headquarters for briefing before you embark on Gorilla trekking. The chances of finding a troop are good and spending an hour with these immense but placid creatures is an experience never to be forgotten. The forest of the park’s lowland portion has an avifauna quite different from that of the higher parts, where altitude and the steep tracks make for slow progress. Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Bar-tailed Trogon, African Broadbill and White-bellied Robin are just a few of the species we may find in the forest. Overnight at Gorilla Resort/Mantana Luxury Tented Camp.

Day 12 Whole Day Birding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
We will spend plenty of good time birding the trails leading out from the camp. Species we will search for include Barred and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos; Bar-tailed Trogon; Dusky Tit; Kivu Ground-Thrush; White-bellied Robin-Chat; Equatorial Akalat; White-tailed Ant-Thrush; Red-throated Alethe; White-bellied Crested-Flycatcher; White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher; Gray-green Bushshrike; Northern Double-collared Sunbird; Black-billed Weaver and Magpie Mannikin. High exposed perches in the open forest are favored by African Goshawk; the dazzling Black Bee-eater; Blue-throated Roller; Sooty Flycatcher and forest starlings including Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s and Narrow-tailed. One of Bwindi’s star avian attractions is the diminutive, pitta-like Neumann’s Warbler, a vocal yet very secretive bird! Other under-storey birds we hope to see include displaying African Broadbill; Pale-breasted and Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Red-throated Alethe, Black-faced, Black-throated and Mountain Masked Apalises, Banded Prinia and the handsome Black-faced Rufous-Warbler. The mid-storey and canopy supports Elliot’s and Tullberg’s woodpeckers; Cabanis’, Toro Olive, Shelley’s and Ansorge’s greenbuls; the strange Grauer’s Warbler and White-browed Crombec, Yellow-eyed Black, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Chapin's and Cassin's Grey Flycatchers, Chin-spot and Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown, Blue-headed, Northern Double-collared and Grey-headed Sunbirds, Mackinnon's Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty's Bush-shrike. The rare Jameson’s Antpecker may also been seen probing under moss on dead branches or gleaning warbler-like in the canopy along with Strange, Brown-capped and Black-billed Weavers. Overhead, Scarce Swifts forage over the forest. Birding at Buhoma is a truly magical experience.

Day 13: Bwindi / Lake Mburo
Leaving Bwindi Gorilla Forest National Park, you’ll look for a few marsh birds before continuing to Lake Mburo National Park for the remainder of the day. As we trace the edge of the dense papyrus-filled bays we’ll stop at several locations to look for regional specialties such as Senegal and Brown-chested Plovers, Brown Parrot, White winged Black Tit and Yellow-throated Leaflove, to name but a few, while commoner mammals might include Impala, Topi, Oribi and Burchell’s Zebra. Night at Mantana Lake Mburo Tented Camp.

Day 14: Lake Mburo / Kampala
From Mbarara you’ll travel to Kampala reaching in the evening. Over night at Cassia Lodge or Lindsay Cottages

Day 15: Kampala- Mabamba Islands- Mabira forest
After an early breakfast we’ll transfer to Mabira Forest. Although isolated by the surrounding banana and sugar plantations, this remarkably productive forest is possibly the richest in the country, and well-maintained trails make birding easy. Mixed flocks are often found along the broad tracks, and noisy groups of the near-endemic Weyn’s Weaver, arguably the most attractive of the group, busy themselves in the canopy. We can also hope to see African Pied Hornbill and Forest Wood-Hoopoe, while the seasonal pools can attract Blue-breasted, White-bellied, Dwarf and Shining-blue Kingfishers.
Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds live in the canopy and Toro Olive Greenbul and Green-tailed Bristle bill are secretive interior inhabitants. If there are safari ants on the march, Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Robin and Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat may be in attendance. Over night in Mabira Forest Lodge.

Day 16: Airport transfer
We’ll have another morning in Mabira Forest and transfer to Entebbe in time for your flights back home.

END OF TOUR