14 Days Uganda Birding Safari

14 Days Uganda Birding Safari is designed for travelers who want to experience a wide range of Uganda’s best birding habitats within one well-rounded itinerary. This safari combines wetland birding, savannah birding, forest birding, Albertine Rift birding, and water-edge birding across several of the country’s strongest birding regions. The route includes Lake Mburo National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, and Mabamba Wetland. This gives birders the chance to search for a broad species mixture.

Safari Highlights

• Arrival support and hotel transfer in Entebbe
• Boat birding and full-day birding in Lake Mburo National Park
• Community birding and full-day forest birding in Bwindi
• Gorilla trekking with additional birding opportunities
• Ishasha birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Kasenyi birding game drive and Kazinga Channel boat trip
• Bigodi and Kanyanchu birding in Kibale
• Murchison Falls game drive birding and Victoria Nile boat trip
• Rhino stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
• Final wetland birding in Mabamba Wetland for shoebill stork

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1; Arrival in Entebbe, airport pick-up and hotel transfer

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where you will meet our company representative and be transferred to your hotel for check-in and an overnight stay. Overnight at Central Inn Hotel

Day 2, transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, afternoon boat birding

After breakfast, depart for Lake Mburo National Park. Arrive in the afternoon, check in at your lodge, and later go for a boat ride on Lake Mburo. This gives you an early introduction to the park’s water-edge birding and wetland scenery. Overnight at Eagle’s Nest

Day 3, full-day birding in Lake Mburo National Park

Spend the whole day birding in Lake Mburo National Park, one of Uganda’s key sites for savannah and acacia-associated bird species. Watch out for birds such as the red-faced barbet, papyrus yellow warbler, brown-chested lapwing, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Carruthers’s cisticola, African wattled lapwing, saddle-billed stork, Tabora cisticola, African finfoot, and, with luck, the shoebill stork. Lake Mburo National Park has more than 350 recorded bird species, making it a rewarding stop on this safari. Overnight at your previous lodge

Day 4, transfer to Bwindi, community birding walk

After breakfast, depart for Bwindi. The drive takes about 6 hours, and you will arrive in the afternoon. Later, go for a community nature walk and watch out for resident bird species around the Buhoma area as you settle into this forest section of the safari. Overnight at Buhoma Community Bandas

Day 5, gorilla trekking with birding opportunities in Bwindi

After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking. During the briefing, you will be allocated a gorilla family and then enter the forest with your ranger guide to begin the trek. As you search for the gorillas, watch out for forest bird species along the trail, with the ranger helping point out notable sightings where possible. Once the gorillas are located, you will spend one hour observing them before returning to the starting point

Day 6, full-day birding in Bwindi, Mubwindi Swamp Trail

Spend the whole day birding in Bwindi National Park, with the Mubwindi Swamp Trail as one of the key routes to consider. Watch out for the Albertine Rift endemics, of which about 23 are associated with this region. Other species to look for include African blue flycatcher, white-tailed blue flycatcher, African emerald cuckoo, short-tailed warbler, blue-headed sunbird, common bulbul, and red-headed bluebill. The park is also home to 7 IUCN Red List species. Overnight at your previous lodge

Day 7, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha birding

After breakfast, depart for the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park for birding and wildlife viewing. You will arrive in the afternoon and later go for a game drive and birding session near the Ishasha area. Watch out for tree-climbing lions and other wildlife, alongside birds associated with this habitat. Overnight at Ishasha River Camp

Day 8, Kasenyi birding game drive, Kazinga Channel boat birding

Before sunrise, go for a game drive and birding session in the Kasenyi area of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Watch out for carnivores such as lions and hyenas, as well as a wide variety of birds in the open grassland habitat. Later in the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, an area known for its rich concentration of birds and shoreline wildlife. Possible sightings include pelicans, African white-backed vulture, pied kingfisher, zitting cisticola, yellow-throated longclaw, widowbirds, bishops, grassland pipit, Senegal lapwing, spur-winged lapwing, scarlet-chested sunbird, Kittlitz’s plover, croaking cisticola, water thick-knee, sooty chat, African spoonbill, grey-headed kingfisher, black-bellied bustard, red-chested sunbird, and black-headed gonolek. Overnight at Bush Lodge

Day 9, transfer to Kibale National Park, Bigodi birding

After breakfast, depart for Kibale National Park. Later, go for a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland and watch out for birds such as the shoebill stork, dusky crimsonwing, papyrus gonolek, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, western nicator, black bee-eater, little greenbul, brown-throated wattle-eye, blue-breasted kingfisher, black bishop, spotted barbet, brown-chested alethe, and white-spotted flufftail. Overnight at Kibale Forest Camp

Day 10, Kanyanchu birding, optional chimpanzee tracking

After breakfast, head to the Kanyanchu area for birding. Watch out for birds such as the Narina trogon, narrow-tailed starling, black-billed turaco, yellow-billed barbet, green-breasted pitta, chestnut wattle-eye, Sabine’s spinetail, African emerald cuckoo, and blue-shouldered robin-chat. Apart from birds, you may also see primates such as baboons, monkeys, red colobus, black-and-white colobus, and grey-cheeked mangabeys. Kibale National Park is home to 13 primate species, one of the highest concentrations in Africa. In the afternoon, you may also go chimpanzee tracking.

Day 11, transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Depart the hotel at 6 am and drive to Murchison Falls National Park. This is a long travel day, and a packed lunch will be provided along the way. Overnight at Red Chilli Bandas

Day 12, game drive birding, Victoria Nile boat trip

Before sunrise, go for a game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile. Watch out for wildlife such as lions, elephants, and other species, while also keeping an eye on the birds in the area. Later in the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise along the Victoria Nile to the bottom of the falls. The riverbanks attract both wildlife and a wide variety of birds. Possible sightings include woodpeckers, crombecs, warblers, hamerkop, grey heron, flycatchers, cuckoos, giant kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, and francolins. The shoebill stork has also been recorded in Murchison Falls, especially between January and March.

Day 13, return via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, overnight in Entebbe

After breakfast, begin the drive back towards Kampala. On the way, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary before continuing to Entebbe, arriving in the late afternoon. Overnight at Central Inn Hotel

Day 14, Mabamba Wetland birding, departure

Today, spend half a day birding in Mabamba Wetland. The wetland is one of the best places in Uganda to search for the shoebill stork. Other species to watch for include papyrus gonolek, blue swallow, northern brown-throated weaver, papyrus canary, malachite kingfisher, spur-winged goose, and pygmy goose. Later in the day, relax at your hotel before transferring to the airport for your onward flight home. This marks the end of your 14-Day Uganda Birding Safari.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Inclusions

• Airport pick-up and drop-off
• Ground transport in a safari vehicle
• Accommodation as per itinerary
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary
• Boat trip on Lake Mburo
• Birding activities as per itinerary
• Gorilla trekking  permit
• Kazinga Channel boat cruise
• Bigodi Wetland walk
• Victoria Nile boat trip
• Driver guide services
• Bottled drinking water during road transfers

Exclusions

• International flights
• Uganda visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Tips and gratuities
• Personal expenses
• Optional chimpanzee tracking
• Alcoholic drinks and extra beverages