17-Day Uganda Birding Safari with Gorilla Tracking and Shoebill Search

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Day 01

Arrival in Entebbe

• 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 tomorrow's adventure. Have dinner and stay overnight.

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Day 02

Transfer to Semuliki National Park

• After a delicious breakfast, drive to Fort Portal through Bundibugyo to get to the park. The route is very scenic, with views of the Mountains of the Moon and plantations. You will have lunch en route in Fort Portal, the tourism city of Uganda. On arrival, relax and embark on an afternoon birding expedition at the park entrance. Return for dinner and overnight.
• Semuliki National Park is located in the western part of Uganda. It is home to over 440 bird species and is an extension of the West 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 hornbill, Nkulengu rail, Congo serpent eagle, blue-bellied malimbe, Gabon woodpecker, spotted-breasted ibis, black dwarf hornbill, chestnut-flanked goshawk, and 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.

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Day 03

Full-Day Birding on the Kirumia Trail

• We will start our day with a delicious breakfast at around 7:30 am, have our lunch packed, and embark on a full-day birding adventure exploring the magical Kirumia Trail, starting at 8:00 am and taking about 8 hours.
• This is a 13 km trail passing through the middle of the forest towards the banks of River Semuliki, taking about 8 hours, starting from Kirumia, which is 8 km from the park headquarters in Ntandi.
• In the first 4 km, as far as the first crossing of the river through the forest, we will sight birds like African piculet, long-tailed hawk, red-sided broadbill, black-faced rufous warbler, and lemon-bellied crombec, among others.
• Among the 20-30 bird species associated with oxbow lakes that can be seen here are the lyre-tailed honeyguide, Nkulengu rail, spotted-breasted ibis, black-throated coucal, yellow-throated coucal, and Grant's bluebill, among others.
• Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 04

Birding at Sempaya Nature Trail

• Enjoy a delicious breakfast, have our lunch packed, and embark on a full-day birding safari on 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 include the black-casqued wattled hornbill, piping hornbill, red-billed dwarf hornbill, blue-breasted kingfisher, and red-rumped tinkerbird, among others. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 05

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 greenbuls, brown-capped weaver, velvet-mantled drongo, pink-footed puffback, great blue turaco, and 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.

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Day 06

Full-Day Birding in Kibale National Park

• We will have breakfast at 6:00 am and transfer to the Kanyanchu 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 crimsonwing, collared apalis, black-capped apalis, 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 of 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 crimsonwing, Abyssinian ground thrush, collared apalis, and purple-breasted sunbird, among others. Return for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 07

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 very scenic.
• On arrival, we will relax, have lunch, and embark on a birding encounter at Mweya Peninsula next to the Kazinga Channel and as far as Lake Edward. We will sight birds like the African mourning dove, grey-headed kingfisher, swamp nightjar, little bee-eater, swifts, swallows, martins, Nubian woodpecker, and swamp flycatcher, among others. Return for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 08

Birding and Kazinga Channel Launch Cruise

• 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 for waterfowl 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 the 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.

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Day 09

Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha Sector

• Enjoy breakfast in the morning and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with an en-route game drive and birding safari in the Ishasha sector.
• Ishasha sector is mostly known for tree-climbing lions, but it is also a habitat for some bird species like the palm-nut vulture, shoebill, grey kestrel, African green pigeon, African wattled plover, cisticola, martial eagle, and African crowned eagle, among others.
• On arrival, we will settle in for lunch and relax from the journey while preparing for the next day's activities. Have dinner in the evening and stay overnight.
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in the southwestern part of Uganda at the edge of a rift valley. It is a rainforest covered with mist, and it is 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 is home to over 350 bird species, of which 23 are endemic to the Albertine Rift ecosystem, including the near-mythical African green broadbill, handsome francolin, and Rwenzori turaco, among others.

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Day 10

Full-Day Birding in Bwindi's Buhoma Sector

• Enjoy your breakfast, have our lunch packed, and embark on our birding adventure in the 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 sunbird, Grauer's swamp warbler, sooty flycatcher, and black-faced rufous warbler, among others. Other wildlife that we may be fortunate to find includes black-and-white colobus monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, blue monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 11

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi

• Have breakfast in the morning. You will be divided into groups of 6, assigned a gorilla family, and then start the trek. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will remember for the rest of your life. Once the gorillas are sighted, you will spend one hour with these gentle apes, which are almost three times as bulky as the average man, with luxuriant shaggy coat hair, and are remarkably peaceful despite their fearsome appearance. What is even more impressive is their unfathomable attitude toward people, which significantly differs from that of any other wild animal. The most significant part of what makes a gorilla trek so unique is that these apes are so closely related to humans, with a DNA difference of about 1.6%.
• The trekking is relatively tiresome, as it takes 2-8 hours of 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, and bond with their young ones. You will be amazed at how these gentle creatures have so much resemblance to human beings. You will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 12

Birding in the Ruhija Sector

• After an early morning relaxed breakfast, we will go birding in the Ruhija sector for our superb 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 along 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 sightings of black sparrowhawk, western bronze-naped pigeon, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, and Cassin's honeybird. Cultivated areas provide feeding opportunities for many seed eaters like dusky twinspot, yellow-bellied and black-crowned waxbill, African stonechat, thick-billed 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.

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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 the park, taking us 4-5 hours. We will have an en-route lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre. We will arrive in the afternoon and drive 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-naped mousebird, green-capped eremomela, giant kingfisher, yellow-throated longclaw, Coqui francolin, and black-bellied bustard, among others. The park also has 68 mammal species, including elands, plains zebra, Rothschild's giraffes, antelopes, spotted hyenas, hippos, and topis.

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Day 14

Birding and Launch Cruise on Lake Mburo

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

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Day 15

Walking Safari and Return 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 does not 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 about 3-4 hours. We will have a stopover at the Equator for amazing photo shoots and a water experiment that demonstrates the division between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. We will arrive in Kampala in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 16

Birding Encounter at Mabamba Swamp

• After breakfast at around 6:00 am, we embark on 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 in Uganda; it is a star attraction that draws not only birders but also general tourists. On reaching Entebbe on Lake Victoria, we will embark on a canoe ride into the swamp, searching to see the rare shoebill at close range. We will also see other water birds like the African pygmy goose, lesser jacana, gull-billed tern, and many more. We will also see weavers like golden-backed, slender-billed, northern brown-throated, and many more. Retire from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 17

Departure from Entebbe

• With all the memories of birding adventures, mountain gorilla tracking, and wildlife encounters, 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.