Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival

   • On your arrival at Entebbe international airport, our guide will be waiting to give you a warm welcome to the pearl of Africa, brief you about the safari, and then transfer you to your hotel where you will relax and prepare for tomorrows adventure, have dinner and overnight

2. Day 2: Transfer to Semliki national park

   • After a delicious breakfast, drive to the fort portal through Bundibugyo to get to the park. The route is so scenic, with views of the mountains of the moon plus plantations; you will have lunch en-route in fort portal, the tourism city of Uganda. On your arrival, you will relax and embark on an afternoon birding expedition at the park entrance. Return for dinner and overnight.
   • Semliki national park is located in the western part of Uganda; it is home to over 440 bird species and is an extension of the western African jungle that stretches from equatorial Guinea through Congo, forming a unique habitat for some special guinea Congo biome species that do not exist in other areas of east Africa these include; Maxwell’s black weaver, Black-wattled horn bill, Nkulengu rail, Congo serpent eagle, Blue-bellied malimbe, Gabon woodpecker, Spotted-breasted ibis, Black dwarf hornbill, Chestnut-flanked goshawk, Long-tailed hawk among others.
   • The park is also famous for its primordial two hot springs, the male (Bamaga) in a swimming pool form and the female (Nyansimbi), which has a boiling fountain jet. You will feel the change in the air as we walk along this trail looking for birds.

3. Day 3: Whole day birding in Semliki national park following Kirumia trail

   • We will start our day with a delicious breakfast (at around 7:30am), have our lunch packed and embark on a full day birding adventure exploring the magical Kirumia trail starting at 8:00am taking about 8hours.
   • This is a 13km trail passing through the middle of the forest towards the banks of river Semliki taking about 8 hours starting from Kirumia which is 8km from the park headquarters in Ntandi.
   • The first 4km as far as the first crossing of the river through the forest we will sight birds like African Piculet, long-tailed hawk, red-sided broad bill, black-faced Rufous warbler, lemon billed Crombec among others.
   • Among the 20-30 bird species associated with ox-bow lakes can be seen here  like the Lyre tailed Honey guide, Nkulengu rail, Spot-breasted ibis, Black-throated Coucal, Yellow-throated Coucal, Grant’s blue bill among others.
   • Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

4. Day 4: Birding at Sempaya nature trail and Kirumia trail depending on yesterday’s results

   • Enjoy a delicious breakfast, have our lunch packed and embark on a full-day birding safari in the Sempaya trail starting from the Sempaya information centre to a cluster of the two hot springs, the male (Bamaga) in a swimming pool form and the female (Nyansimbi) which has a boiling fountain jet. Birds seen here are the Black casqued wattled hornbill, Piping hornbill, Red-billed dwarf hornbill, blue-breasted kingfisher, and Red-rumped tinker bird, among others. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

5. Day 5: Transfer to Kibale national park

   • After taking a cup of tea in the morning, we drive to Kibale national park. We will arrive in the afternoon, relax, have lunch and embark on our fascinating birding encounter in the Sebitoli sector. We will look out for unique birds like African black duck, Toro olive and Cameroon sombre green bulls, Brown-capped weaver, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Pink-footed puff black, Great blue turaco, Black-headed sunbird among others. Retire for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
   • Kibale national park is home to over 350 bird species, 6 of which are endemic to the region.

6. Day 6: Whole day birding adventure in Kibale national park

   • We will have breakfast at 6:00 am and transfer to the Kanyachu area for a fantastic birding experience. Our main avian target is the rare green-breasted pitta, one of Africa’s ultimate avian prizes. As we search for these gorgeous birds, we will encounter other bird species like the African pitta, Abyssinian ground thrush, crowned eagle, dusky crimsoning, collared applies, black-capped applies, blue-breasted kingfisher, and brown-chested alethe, among others.
   • We will have a picnic lunch in the forest. In the afternoon, we go birding in the nearby community “Bigodi Wetland”, home to over 200 bird species, 8 varieties of primates and numerous butterflies. The main bird species here are the crowned eagle, Yellow Spotted Nicator, Dusky Crimson wing, Abyssinian Ground thrush, Collared applies, and Purple breasted sunbird, among others. Return for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

7. Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

   • After having a cup of tea, we will embark on a journey to Queen Elizabeth national park in southwestern Uganda. The drive is so scenic
   • On arrival, we will relax, have lunch and embark on a birding encounter at Mweya peninsular next to the Kazinga channel to the far Lake Edward. We will sight birds like the African morning dove, grey-headed kingfisher, swamp night jar, little bee-eater, swift swallows, martins, Nubian woodpecker, and swamp flycatcher, among others. Return for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

8. Day 8: Whole day birding

   • Start the day with a cup of tea and embark on the Lake Kikorongo area for our birding adventure. This lake is an extension of Lake George and a habitat to water fowls like the knob-billed duck, African jacana, palm nut vulture, yellow wagtail, sacred ibis, and black crake, among others. Return for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, embark on a launch cruise on Kazinga channel, where you will sight birds like the papyrus Gonolek, white-winged tern, pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, white-winged warbler, great swamp warbler and lesser swamp warbler, among others. Return for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

9. Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park and an en-route Game drive/birding in Ishasha sector

   • Enjoy breakfast in the morning and transfer to Bwindi's impenetrable national park with an en-route game drive/birding safari in the Ishasha sector.
   • Ishasha sector is mostly known for tree climbing lions but it’s also a habitat to some bird species like the Palm nut vulture, Shoe bill, Grey Kestrel, African green pigeon, African Battled plover, Cisticola, Martial eagle, African crowned eagle among others.
   • On arrival, we will settle for lunch and relax from the journey while we are preparing for next day’s activities. Have dinner in the evening and an overnight.
   • Bwindi impenetrable national park is found in the south western part of Uganda at the edge of a rift valley, it’s a rain forest covered with mist and it’s the oldest national park in Uganda. The park is known for its high concentration of mountain gorillas harboring almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and it’s a home to over 350 bird species of which 23 are endemic to the Albertine rift Eco system including the near-mythical, African green broadbille, handsome francolin and Rwenzori turaco among others.

10. Day 10: Whole day birding in Bwindi impenetrable Buhoma sector

    • Enjoy your breakfast, have our lunch packed and embark on our birding adventure in Buhoma sector following the waterfall trail. Special species to look out for are the Handsome francolin, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black bee-eater, olive-long tailed cuckoo, dusky tit, northern double-collared sun bird, Grauer’s swamp warbler, sooty flycatcher, black faces Rufous warbler among others. Other wildlife that we will be fortunate to find include the black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s, blue and red-tailed monkey. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

11. Day 11: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi

    • Have breakfast in the morning; you will be divided in group of 6, and you will be assigned a gorilla family and start the trek. This is a once in a lifetime experience which you will to remember for the rest of your life. Once the gorillas are sighted, you will spend one hour which these gentle apes which are almost 3 times as bulky as average men, with luxuriant shaggy coat hair and are remarkably peaceful despite their fearsome appearance. What is more impressive is their unfathomable attitude to people which significantly differs from any other wild animal. And the most significant part of what makes a gorilla trek so unique is that these apes are so closely related to humans (the difference in their DNA is about 1.6%)
    • The trekking is relatively tiresome s it takes 2-8 hours hiking on irregular terrain in order to find them. Strong footwear is essential. You will enjoy this remarkable experience standing a few meters from the gorillas, watching them feed, play, bonding with their young ones. You will be so amused at how these gentle creatures have so much resembleness to human beings. You will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and over night.

12. Day 12: Birding in Ruhija sector

    • After an early morning relaxed breakfast, we will go birding in the Ruhija sector for our super birding adventure. We will either have a packed lunch or return to the lodge for lunch. We will look out for Ross’s turaco, brown-backed scrub-robin, red-throated wryneck bronze, copper and Holub’s golden weavers in this sector.
    • Further this road, we will pass via “the neck” a transitional area between Buhoma and Ruhija. It is well known as a birding site offering spectacular sights of black sparrow hawk, western bronze-napped pigeon, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Cassin’s honey bird. Cultivated areas provide feeding opportunities for many seed eaters like dusky twin spot, yellow-bellied and black-crowned wax-bill, African stone chat, thick-bellied seed eater and yellow crowned canary. We search for the noisy Chubb’s Cisticola providing cheerful song from deep within. We return for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

13. Day 13: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park

    • After our delicious breakfast, we will pack our bags and embark on our journey to Lake Mburo national park driving through the magical Kigezi Highlands towards Lake Mburo national park, taking us 4-5 hours. We will have an en-route lunch at Igongo cultural centre. We will arrive in the afternoon and fly along the entrance road to Rwonyo in the late afternoon.
    • Lake Mburo national park is a superb wetland and acacia savannah park, famous for birding together with 13 other lakes in area 5. These lakes lie within the park borders.
    • The park is home to more than 350 bird species, including the Nubian woodpecker, blue-napped mouse bird, green-caped remotely, giant kingfishers, yellow-throated leaf love, coqui francolin, and black-bellied bustard, among others. The park also has 68 mammal species, including elands, plain zebra, Rothschild’s giraffes, antelopes, spotted hyenas, hippos, and topis.

14. Day 14: Birding and a launch cruise on Lake Mburo

    • After breakfast, we will undertake a 4-5 hours birding encounter in the park. We will explore the savanna landscapes with a wide range of acacia-associated birds—a retreat from the activity for lunch and relaxation.
    • In the afternoon, we will undertake a launch cruise on Lake Mburo, where we will have opportunities of sighting other bird species and aquatic animals like hippos and crocodiles. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

15. Day 15: Morning walking safari and transfer back to Kampala

    • Start your day with a cup of tea and undertake a walking safari in the park. Lake Mburo national park is the only park where one can have a walking safari and get closer to the wildlife on foot since the park doesn’t have elephants and lions. You will see different wildlife species like impalas, Uganda kobs, giraffes, antelopes, and elands. Return to the lodge for lunch and embark on a journey back to Kampala, taking us about 3-4 hours. We will have a stopover at the equator for amazing photo shoots and water experiment that justifies the division between the northern and southern hemispheres. We will arrive in Kampala in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

16. Day 16: Transfer to Mabamba swamp for a birding encounter.

    • After breakfast at around 6:00am we embark to our journey to Mabamba swamp a birding spot on the shores of the gorgeous Lake Victoria. The swamp is one of the most visited birding sites of Uganda; it’s a star attraction that not only draws birders but also general tourists. On reaching Entebbe “lake Victoria”, we will embark on a canoe ride to the swamp searching to see the rare shoebill at a closer range. We will also see other water birds like the African pygmy goose, lesser jacana, gull-bellied tern and many more, we will also see weavers like golden-backed, slender-bellied, northern-brown throated and many more. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

17. Day 17: Departure

    • With all the memories of birding adventures, mountain gorilla tracking experience and the wildlife encounter, you will say goodbye to the pearl of Africa after having a delicious breakfast.
    • Our team will transfer you to Entebbe international airport to catch your departure flight