14 day Uganda birding safari and gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Day1: Kampala –Mabamba Wetland.
You will be picked from your hotel in Kampala and drive to Mabamba Wetlands where we will travel by canoe through the swamp looking for the Shoebill and other birds like: Long-toed Plover, Blue-headed Coucal, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Carruther’s Cisticola. If time allows, go birding around the Botanic gardens for the Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco and Orange Weaver. Return to Kampala and overnight at Hotel triangle or Holiday express Hotel
Day 2: Kampala -Murchison falls.
Break fast will be served early in the morning and prepare for Murchison falls. The drive will take you through Luwero Triangle lunch en route in Masindi town, proceed the top the falls and later ferry across the Nile to our accommodation, birding all the while on your way to the lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge /Sambiya River lodge or Red Chilli camp.
Day 3: Morning game drive in search of birds and wildlife later take a boat trip in afternoon.
Morning cup of coffee and set off for a game drive in the park in search of birds like
Secretary Bird, Denham’s Bustard, Swallow tailed and Northern Carmine Bee-Eaters, Hoopoe, Spotted Morning Thrush, Northern Red and Black-Winged Bishops and many others, returning to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, visit the Nile for a boat trip to the bottom of the Falls, we should see huge numbers of hippos and crocodiles with a variety of bird life including: Red-throated Bee-eater, Red-necked Falcon, Giant Kingfisher, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rock Pratincole, another possibility for Shoebill and more. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge /Sambiya River lodge or Red Chilli camp.
Day 4: Whole birding in Budongo forest
This day you will have your lunch packed and drive to Budongo Forest, as we drive over the Rift Valley escarpment we will have good views of Lake Albert and will bird the escarpment before going on to Busingiro Forest Centre where we will bird around the vicinity then drive to Masindi Hotel where we will be spending two nights. Birds we will look for include: Red-chested Cuckoo, Striped, Blue-breasted, Chocolate-backed and African Dwarf Kingfishers, Yellow - crested Woodpecker, Cliff Chat, Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Foxy Cistcola, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Green-headed Sunbird, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Red-winged Pytilia. Tonight you will overnight at Masindi Hotel.
Day 5: Whole day Royal Mile birding
Morning and afternoon birding the Royal Mile, seeking species like: Dusky long-tailed Cuckoo, Yellowbill, Shining-blue Kingfisher, a selection of Hornbills, Barbets and Tinkerbirds, Red-tailed Ant Thrush, Rufous Flycatcher-thrush, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Western Black-headed Oriole, Purple Starling, Purple-headed Starling and many others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Day 6: Drive from Masindi to Kibale birding as we go. Overnight at Ndali lodge /Primates Lodge /Chimpanzee Guest House.
Day 7: Morning birding/ chimpanzee trekking as optional
Today we bird the Kibale Forest (with the option to track Chimpanzee) and Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary looking for birds like Black-billed Turaco, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-spotted Barbet, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Grey-headed and Superb Sunbirds, Papyrus Gonolek, White-collared Olive-back. Overnight at Ndali lodge /Primates Lodge /Chimpanzee Guest House.
Day 8: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth National park.
This morning we leave for Queen Elizabeth National park and cross the Equator on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park, as we get to the Park check in and have lunch after lunch go birding. You may see birds like :- Goliath Heron, Palm-nut Vulture, Brown Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, African Crake, Senegal & Water Thicknees, Kittlitz’s, Three-banded and Senegal Plovers, African Cuckoo, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Swamp, Slender-tailed and Pennant-winged Nightjars, White-rumped Swift, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked, White-throated and Madagascar Bee-eaters, Cardinal and Nubian Woodpeckers, White-tailed, Flappet and Red-capped Larks, African Thrush, Sooty Chat, Brown-backed Scrub robin, Lesser Swamp, Buff-bellied and African Moustached Warblers, Croaking Cisticola, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Grey-backed Carmaroptera, Northern Black-flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Black-lored Babbler; Scarlet-chested, Copper and Red-chested Sunbirds, Grey-backed Fiscal, Black-headed Gonolek, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Slender-billed Weaver, White–winged Widowbird, Southern Red Bishop, Green-winged Pytillia, African Firefinch, Pintailed Wydah, Yellow-fronted Canary, Brimstone Canary.
Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge or Mweya Hostel (FB)
Day 9:
Take an early game drive and birding before taking break fast. You see early risers like Lion, Spotted Hyena and Giant Forest Hog as well as the birds in this fabulous park with a list of over 600. Return to the lodge for break fast, later relax at the swimming pool as you wait for lunch. After lunch take the afternoon boat trip to explore the Kazinga Channel between Lakes Edward and George, we will see a variety of wildlife and a plethora of birds. The waterside bird families of: Pelicans, Cormorants, Herons, Egrets and Ibises & Spoonbill will be represented together with: Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, Other Vultures and Eagles, Helmeted Guineafowl, Red-necked Spurfowl, Common Buttonquail, Spur-winged, African Wattled, Crowned, Senegal and Kittlitz’s Plover, African Skimmer, Yellow-throated Longclaw also Sandpipers, Gulls, Terns, Doves, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Larks, Babblers, Sunbirds, Weavers, Widowbirds plus others too. Mammals should include: Hippopotamus, Uganda Kob, Bushbuck, Defassa WaterBuck, Buffalo, Elephant, Warthog, and if we are lucky: Leopard and Lion.
Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge / Mweya hostel (FB)
Day 10: Queen Elizabeth Bwindi Impenetrable gorilla forest
After an early breakfast we head off to Bwindi, If we arrive in time we shall go birding in Mubwindi area looking for birds like Mountain Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Grey Crowned Crane, African Olive Pigeon, Red-eyed and Dusky Turtle Doves, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Western Green Tinkerbird, Grey-throated Barbet, Fine banded Woodpecker, Mountain Wagtail, Petit’s and Grey Cuckoo-shrikes, Yellow-whiskered, Mountain, White-throated and Yellow-streaked Greenbuls, White-starred Robin, Cape and Archer’s Robin-Chats, Olive Thrush, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Red-faced Woodland-warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Chubb’s Cisticola, Banded Prinia, Grey-capped Warbler, Chestnut-throated, Collared and Mountain Masked Apalis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, African Dusky Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, African Hill Babbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Bronze, Blue-headed, Regal and Variable Sunbirds, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Montane Oriole, Sharpe’s Starling, Strange and Brown-capped Weavers, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Streaky Seedeater. We shall continue with the drive to Buhoma via ‘The Neck’, birding en-route looking for birds like Black Bee-eater, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Dusky Twinspot, Dusky Crimsonwing, Black-crowned and Black-headed Waxbills.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort /Buhoma Homestead/ Buhoma community bandas / BBwindi view bandas. (FB)
Day 11: Mountain Gorilla trekking
Take breakfast early in the morning and prepare for briefing .The trek is quite strenuous if the gorillas are some distance from the centre, but with scouts, guides and porters, if we are lucky, we shall be rewarded with views of one of the most awesome creatures in the world – the silverback male plus his family group. We hope to get close to one a group to observe them perhaps foraging for food, playing with the youngsters or just resting up. The thrill of seeing these creatures in the wild is a truly memorable experience.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort /Buhoma Homestead/ Buhoma community bandas / BBwindi view bandas. (FB)
Day 12: Bwindi –Lake Mburo national park
Early morning drive to Lake Mburo National Park. Amongst the many birds we shall seek are: Augur Buzzard, Bateleur, Coqui Francolin, Brown Parrot, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Striped Kingfisher, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Lilac-breasted Roller, Long tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Fork-tailed Drongo, Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling plus animals like: Eland, Zebra, Impala, Buffalo, Reedbuck, Topi, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Grey duiker. Overnight at Mantana Lodge/ Rwonoyo camp
Day 13: Boat trip for birds around the lake
Morning birding in the National Park is a delightful experience and often one of the highlights of a birding trip to Uganda, birds we shall look for include: Crested Francolin, Brown-chested Lapwing, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Red-faced Barbet, Black-headed Gonolek and we will take a boat to look for the African Finfoot on the lake. After lunch we start the drive to Kampala with a stopover at the Equator for photographs.
Overnight at Hotel Triangle or Holiday Express Hotel.
Day 14: Left for departure
For more, Contact Us, Go See Africa Safaris Ltd
Plot 75/76 Lugogo Bypass P.O Box 31811 Kampala-Uganda
Tel: +256 414 591500, Mob: +256 772 663158
E-mail: sales@goseeafrica.com
Home: www.goseeafrica.com