15 days Bird watching & Mountain Gorillas tracking wildlife safari

Explore 15 days Bird watching Mountain Gorillas and chimpanzees tracking safari. Uganda is home-based to approximately 1,050 different species of birds. These can be met from their particular environments such as forests, swamps and agricultural lands, water bodies and savannahs. Uganda being crossed by the equator and the Albertine Rift valley which is found in the western part of the country. Birding is one of the most adventurous tourist activities that should be included on your Ugandan travel itinerary.

Bird watching Safari Overview

Around the world, Uganda is the best birding destination for birding safaris. Uganda is identified as a destination where you can meet both migrants/seasonal and endemic rare bird species and is the best breeding base for most world’s different bird species. For bird lovers, Uganda is ideal country to visit and gain the value of your time and funds. The most birding spots in Uganda includes Mabamba Bay Wetland at Lake Victoria. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Semuliki National Park, Kibale National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Lake Mburo National Park

Day 1: Entebbe International Airport – Transfer to your reserved hotel in Entebbe

On this 15 Days Bird watching tour  and mountain Gorilla tracking safari in Uganda, on your arrival time at Entebbe international airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our company representative and your professional English speaking driver guide for a transfer to your reserved hotel for refreshment and briefings about your 15 days tour.

NB, if time allows, go for an evening birding walk around Entebbe botanical gardens, Uganda wildlife education center to spot some bird species such as : Common Ruff Wood, Marsh Sandpipers, Long-tailed and Great Cormorants, Common Green Shank, Green Crombec, Madagascar Bee-eater, Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, Orange weaver, Red Chested, Great Reed, Klaas’s and Died rick Cuckoo, Sedge, Fain Tailed Widow bird, Grey Capped, Greater Swamp and Eurosian Reed Warblers,Striped, Giant, Malachite,Woodland and Pygmy Kingfishers, Golden and Yellow backed weavers, Superb sun bird, Bare faced go-away-bird, Ross’s and grey and brown parrots, Great blue Turacos,  and many others. Overnight stay at either at Viavia guest house / 2 friends Beach Hotel Entebbe / Protea hotel by Marriott Entebbe. Meal plan, Dinner

Day 2: Mabamba wetland – Lutembe bay

Have breakfast and packed snacks, head out to Mabamba Bay Swamp and the nearby birding spots. Mabamba Bay Swamp is one of the vital birding spot on this safari. This is because it has many different bird species and one of the best breeding area to many bird species including the rare Shoebill Stork and most threatened species in Uganda and other African regions. Besides the shoebill this wetland is home to the Lesser Jacana and the African Purple Swamp hen, Reed Warblers, Pygmy and Spur Winged Goose, African Marsh Harrier, Rufous Bellied Heron, Great knot, Temminck’s stint,  Caspian tern, Hottentots teal, Broad billed sand pipers, which are nomadic visitors in addition to the common one such as Broad Billed Roller, African Grey Parrots, Grey Woodpecker, Klaas’s, Died rick and Superb, Red chested, Red Chested Cuckoo, Scarlet Chested, Collard, Copper Sunbird, Green Throated and Orange Spotted Backed, Black Headed, Slender Billed and lastly Golden Backed Weaver among others. Overnight stay at either at Viavia guest house / 2 friends Beach Hotel Entebbe / Protea hotel by Marriott Entebbe. Meal plan, Dinner

Day 3: Kampala-Lake Mburo National Park

After your morning breakfast, you will continue with your 15 Days Bird watching safari in Uganda to Lake Mburo national park across the Equator, driving to western Uganda via Masaka-Mbarara highway with an en-route stop at the Uganda equator to take a memorial photo, water experiment and   informative talks, shop snacks and after proceed to Lake Mburo National Park. Birding watching is one of the main activities of the park. The park is a home-based to over 315 bird species, which includes the crested francolin, emerald-spotted wood dove, brown parrot, barefaced go-away bird, red-necked spur fowl, common quails, black-billed barbet, greenwood hoopoe, lilac-breasted roller, blue-napped mouse bird, African-grey hornbill, trilling cisticola, Nubian woodpecker, bee-eaters. Here are upper probabilities of seeing the rare African finfoot, shoebill, African fish eagle, and malachite and pied kingfishers during the boat cruising safari on Lake Mburo. Dinner and overnight at Rwakobo rock lodge / Mihingo safari lodge.

Day 4 Guided Walk-Boat ride

Enjoy your early morning breakfast and continue with your itinerary to spot more birds on the different trails of the park. Your professional birding guide will help you to spot as many different bird species as possible and help you to describe their characteristics for a full day Such as; Crested Francolin, Coqui, Temminck’s Courser, Ruppell’s Griffon, Martial Eagle, White Headed, Lappet Faced Vultures, Lesser Jacana,Rufous-bellied Heron, and Moorhen, Harlequin Quail, Red-faced Barbet, Red Headed Weaver. During your full day bird watching walk, expect to meet other park’s wildlife mammals such as Buffaloes, Impalas, Elands, Warthogs, Zebra and Giraffes. Return to lodge for some refreshment and dinner and an overnight. Overnight stay Dinner and overnight at Rwakobo rock lodge / Mihingo safari lodge.

Day 5: Lake Mburo National Park – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Continue with your 15 Days Bird watching safari in Uganda with a drive to Bwindi. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is nominated as one of the Africa’s best birding destinations by Africa Birding Club, due to the rare bird species found here and the park’s conservation efforts which attracts many different bird species to make it their home. It is easily accessible for birding with well-maintained birding trails in the forest. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a home to roughly 350 species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics of which 14 are unique to this national park not anywhere else in Uganda. Species to search for include the African green broadbill, Shelley’s crimson swing, Chapin’s flycatcher, handsome francolin, mountain-masked and collared apalis, black billed turaco, white-bellied robin chat, Fraser’s eagle, western bronze-naped pigeon, purple-breasted, blue-headed and regal sunbirds and also is known for harboring large number of the endangered mountain gorillas in the world. On this day, you will do Batwa cultural tour for stunning cultural performances and storytelling about Bwindi impenetrable forest and how they survive a bush life without modern technology. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Mist Camp (budget option), Silverback lodge (Mid-range option) Buhoma safari lodge (luxury option) Meal plan; Full board.

Day 6: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park – Full day bird watching walk

Early in the morning have your heavy breakfast and embark on your full day adventurous bird watching walk through the park to search for the different bird species both on your checklist and those not on your checklist such as Jameson’s Antpecker, Pink-footed Puff back, Crested guinea fowl, Waller’s Starling, White headed saw-wing, yellow-rumped, tinker bird, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, have a short break for lunch and later continue with your day activity. Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight Gorilla Mist Camp (budget option), Silverback lodge (Mid-range option) Buhoma safari lodge (luxury option) Meal plan; Full board.

Day 7: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park – Morning mountain gorilla tracking – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

This is your highlight of your 15 Days Bird watching safari in Uganda! After your breakfast, your guide will take you to the park information center for pre-mountain gorilla tracking briefings about how to behave during mountain gorilla tracking. Later, you will be grouped in a small group of 8 people and start your activity “mountain gorilla tracking” in the course of mountain gorilla tracking, expect to encounter other primates such as; blue monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys and chimpanzee, a variety of different bird species. Being a huge forest, it provides accommodation to many other creatures such as Duikers, Golden cats, Giant Forest hogs, Elephants, Buffaloes, Bush pigs, Black-fronted Duiker, Side-striped jackal, Civet, numerous bats and rodents to mention but few and your guide will give information about every creature that you will come across during your walk that will make it more interesting and adventurous. After meeting gorillas, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour following them and taking as many photos as you like and return to the information center to have refreshments, lunch and later transfer to queen Elizabeth National Park with an en-route game drive through Ishasha sector to look for the tree climbing lions which are normally found resting in the huge fig trees and many other mammals such as Elephants, Buffaloes, Topi and other species of antelopes will be seen. Continue with your drive to check in at your reserved lodge for dinner and overnight; Pumba Cottages (budget option), Elephant Hab Safari Lodge (Mid-range option) Mweya safari lodge (luxury option) Meal plan; Full board.

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Full day bird watching walk

Rise up early morning for your breakfast and start your exciting birding walk in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park is a bird lover’s paradise due to its being a home to over 600 different bird species and your guide will help you to spot them easily. The species to look out for; include the African mourning dove, swamp flycatcher, grey-headed kingfisher, African skimmer, malachite and pied kingfishers, white-winged terns, grey-capped warbler, collared pratincole, pin-tailed whydah, martial eagle, gabon and slender-tailed nightjars, black-headed gonolek, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, sedge warbler, papyrus canary, great white and pink-backed pelicans, African mourning dove and yellow-billed stork. Also look out for the flamingos at the salt lakes of Katwe and Bunyampaka. In the evening return to your reserved lodge for relaxation, sorting your dinner, dinner and an overnight; Pumba Cottages (budget option), Elephant Hab Safari Lodge (Mid-range option) Mweya safari lodge (luxury option) Meal plan; Full board.

Day 9: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Early morning game drive – Afternoon boat cruise safari

Begin your morning with a heavy breakfast and depart for your stunning morning game drive where all the big game can be seen in abundance. Famous for elephant and kobs, African caped buffaloes, Lions, spotted hyenas, warthogs, rarer animals like giant forest hog and many others. Have a short break for relaxation, have lunch and later go for your afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel which connects Lakes Edward and George. During your afternoon boat cruising, expect to meet big numbers of hippopotamus and this where you can find high concentration of hippopotamuses in Africa and also expect to encounter Nile crocodiles, big mammals as they have come to quench their thirty and swimming. Many bird species will be seen on the shores of the channel. Later return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight at Pumba Cottages (budget option), Elephant Hab Safari Lodge (Mid-range option) Mweya safari lodge (luxury option) Meal plan; Full board.

Day 10. Queen Elizabeth National Park – Transfer to Semuliki National Park – Evening bird sighting tour

After morning breakfast you will embark on your road drive transfer to Semuliki National Park for more bird watching experience and getting exposed to many other new bird species. Semuliki National Park is located in the western region of Uganda in the Albertine Rift valley, has a record of 441 species and these represents 40% of the country’s over-all bird species. The forest is one of the richest areas of flora and fauna diversity in Africa.  On your arrival, check in at your reserved lodge for relaxation, lunch and later go for an evening birding walk to get an overview of the park’s environment and inhabitants. Return to lodge for dinner and an overnight at; Semuliki Safari Lodge (Luxury option) Ntoroko Game Lodge (Mid-range option) Kirimia Guesthouse (Budget option)

Day 11. Semuliki National Park – Morning bird Watching walk – Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After our early morning breakfast we set off for bird watching safari with our professional bird guide for half day bird trail, wildlife and flora viewing, birds expected to spot Guinea-Congo biome species in its lowland forest. The species to search for include Maxwell’s black weaver, the African piculet, yellow-throated nectar ,blue-billed malimbe, black dwarf hornbill, piping hornbill Nkulengu rail, blue-billed malimbe, dwarf honey guide, yellow-throated cuckoo, great blue and Ross’s turaco, orange weaver, purple-breasted sunbird, white-crested hornbill, African piculet and swamp palm bulbul red-billed dwarf hornbill. The cited bird species will be seen on your visit to semuliki national park, some primates and both big and small mammals. Return to your lodge for refreshments, lunch and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. For dinner and overnight at Rwetera Safari Camp (Budget option), Isunga Safari Lodge (Mid-range option), Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury option)

Day 12. Kibale Forest National Park – Full day bird watching tour

Have your early morning bite set and off for another remarkable bird seeing adventure. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the major birding spots in Uganda with over 375 various bird species and six of them are endemic to this park. Kibale Forest National Park has an excellent conducive   vegetation which attracts many birds and other wildlife to be sheltered here hence making a vibrant destination for bird watching. During your birding walk, expect to come across bird species such as; The green-breasted pitta, red-chested owlet, African Pitta, Afep Pigeon, purple-breasted sunbird, White naped Pigeon, blue-breasted kingfisher, crowned eagle, little greenbul, African grey parrot, black bee-eater, scaly-breasted illadopsis, white-headed wood hoopoe, yellow-spotted barbet, red-headed malimbe, grey-throated flycatcher, dusky-blue flycatcher, crested flycatcher, grey-winged robin, yellow-spotted barbet, blue-shouldered robin chat, black-billed turaco, red-chested flufftail. Later return to your lodge for relaxation, have short for relaxation, refreshments, lunch and continue with your birding walk through Bigodi sanctuary Swamp where you will encounter more bird species, different primate species and other small mammals such as warthogs and antelopes. Later in the evening return to your lodge to relax with a sip of a bottle of mineral water or you may decide to take a bottle of beer or any other soft drink, dinner and an overnight at; Rwetera Safari Camp (Budget option), Isunga Safari Lodge (Mid-range option), Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury option)

Day 13. Kibale Forest National park – Morning chimpanzee tracking – Transfer to Murchison National Park

Enjoy your heavy morning breakfast and transfer to the park information center for the morning pre tracking briefings then set off for your morning fascinating chimpanzee tracking. The walk will be guided by a professional UWA guide and will be able to provide information not only on chimpanzees and primates but also on small creatures making your chimpanzee tour more exciting. After encountering our closest relatives “Chimpanzee”, you will spend an hour moving with them, taking photos and enjoying their actions as they are swinging in branches of huge trees. Later return to the information center for relaxation, have lunch and start your drive to Murchison Falls National Park to explore the world’s strongest falls, searching for new bird species and other wildlife species. Upon arrival to Murchison Falls National Park, check in at your reserved Lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight at; Sambiya River Lodge (Budget & mid-range option) Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury option), Meal plan: Full board

Day 14. Murchison Falls National Park – Morning bird watching walk – Afternoon boat cruise safari – Evening hiking to the top of the Falls

Today early morning have your breakfast and later meet your guide waiting for you at the reception to continue with your birding adventure tour in Murchison Falls National Park. This park accommodates over 451 different bird species these include; Savannah bird species, migratory species and the Albertine rift endemic birds and sighting many and different bird species in this park is guaranteed all the year around. Some of the birds are rare such as Giant heron, Shoebill, Giant kingfisher, Nightjars, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Marabou stork, Back-bellied bustard and Black headed lapwing. Later have a short break for relaxation, have lunch and later go for your afternoon boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls ending just few of meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, during this safari, you will encounter a number of water birds like; Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, Pelican, Bee-eater, kingfisher, Cormorant and the rare shoe bill stork and animals such as; the toothsome hippos, Nile crocodiles and other mammals as they have come to drink water like Elephant, Water buck and Uganda Kob, caped buffaloes  goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, horn bill, cormorant and the rare shoe bill stork. After your boat laugh safari, complete your day with hiking to the top of the falls to witness the whole Nile squeezing through a narrow gorge of about only 7 meters wide making it exploding into violent waterfalls into a whirlpool of about 43 meters below. Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight at; Sambiya River Lodge (Budget & mid-range option) Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury option), Meal plan: Full board

Day 15. Murchison falls National Park – Morning game drive – Transfer to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary –Return to Entebbe international Airport

Start your day with early morning breakfast and head out for your morning game drive. With the experience of your guide, you will be able to spota big number of both big and small mammal such as; Lion, Elephants, Caped buffalo, Hartebeest, Roth child’s giraffe, Water buck, Bush buck, Oribi, Bohor reed buck, Hyena. After your morning game drive, transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary the only wilderness home for the white Ziwa Rhino in Uganda and visiting this place will offer you an opportunity to explore rhinos close to their feet and you have to keep your camera on standby not to miss out any moment un captured during your rhino trucking safari. After Rhino tracking, have lunch and drive straight to Entebbe international Airport to meet your return flight with unforgettable 15 Days Bird watching safari in Uganda. Or you may decide to spend another night in Kampala or Entebbe resort beach.

15 Days Bird watching safari in Uganda includes:

Airport transfers
Transportation by safari van
Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
Foot safaris
Chimpanzee trekking
Gorilla trekking
Birding
Cultural encounter
5 Game drives
Hiking
Rhino trekking
Horseback riding safaris
Boat cruise
English, Spanish, French, Germany and Russian speaking Driver Guide
En-route lunches
Visit the equator