Uganda Gorilla Tracking & Birding Safari

11 Days Uganda Gorilla Tracking & Birding Safari Start/End: Kampala Mabamba Swamp, Lake Mburo, Bwindi, QENP and Kibale Forest National Parks

Overview

The 11 Day trip specifically is designed to suit birders who have limited number of days in Uganda but with interest in Uganda Gorilla Trekking too. The trip will include the most important birding spots of Uganda such as Mabamba swamp, Lake Mburo National park, Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale Forest national park.


Highlights of 11 Days Uganda Gorilla tracking & Birding Safari

  • Nature walks in search of birds
  • Boat ride in search of water associated birds on Mabamba swamp, Lake Mburo, and on Kazinga channel of Queen Elizabeth national Park
  • Gorilla tracking
  • Chimpanzee Trekking
  • Game drives in Savanna of Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park

Included in the price

  • Airport transfers
  • Chimpanzee tracking permit
  • Park entry fees
  • Game drives
  • Boat ride in Mabamba swamp and on Kazinga channel
  • Bird Watching as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Cultural visit fees
  • Transport costs in a 4wd vehicle with pop up roof
  • Full time English speaking guide/Driver knowledgeable on spotting Birds and his allowance
  • Accommodation and meals
  • Drinking water during the tour
  • Government local tax on Accommodation

Excluded in the price

  • Any domestic or International flights
  • Visa fees
  • All optional activities
  • Medical and travel Insurance
  • Tips and gratuities to the guide/driver and hotel staffs.
  • Any item not mentioned in the itinerary of personal nature like laundry and beverages, souvenirs and telephone bills.

11 Days Uganda Gorilla Tracking Safari Itinerary

Arrival and transfer to the hotel

Upon arrival at Entebbe international Airport, the guide will be there who will meet you greet and transfer you to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Accommodation:

  • Protea Hotel Entebbe
  • 2 Friends Beach Hotel
  • Papyrus Guest House Entebbe.

Day 1 – Birding Mabamba Swamp & Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After your breakfast, the Uganda Gorilla Tracking Safari guide will transfer you from your place of stay and take you for a bird watching experience in Mabamba swamp, which is approximately 50 km west of Kampala city. The wetland is famous spot for sought after bird called shoebill stork and other birds, using a boat, look out for more bird species such as lesser jacana, white winged warbler, yellow backed weaver, swamp flycatcher, Blue headed coucal, Northern Brown throated weaver, African swamphen, African water rail, White faced whistling duck, Squacco heron, Blue breasted bee eater, Winding cisticola, Goliath heron, Black crake and many more.

Thereafter you will transfer to Lake mburo National Park birding en route later check in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation

  • Mihingo Lodge
  • Rwakobo Rock Lodge
  • Leopard Rest Camp

Day 2 – Birding game drive& boat ride Lake Mburo National park.

Early morning after breakfast, head out for morning game drive in Lake mburo national Park and later in afternoon boat ride, Lake Mburo is special place for birding viewing other wildlife species having different habitats for wild life like zebra, impalas, Topi, Elands, buffalos are seen roaming around.

Here the highlight of this Uganda Safari is to look out for birds like, Green backed King woodpecker, African finfoot, Brown chested plover, White winged warbler, Spot-flanked barbet, papyrus gonolek, Northern brown throated weaver, Red faced barbet special bird whose range is restricted to this area , Black collared barbet, southern ground hornbill, Black crowned night heron, White backed night heron, and little bittern.

Later we return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at DAY 1.

Day 3 – Transfer to Ruhija in Bwindi forest National Park

On this day after breakfast, we transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park particularly in Ruhija area for the Uganda Gorilla Tracking excitement. This is the regarded to be the number one birding spot in the whole of Africa continent with lots of Albertine rift endemics recorded here, bird watching en route later check in to the lodge for overnight stay.

Accommodation

  • Bakiga Lodge
  • Agandi Uganda Lodge
  • Broad Bill Forest Camp

Day 4 – Birding Ruhija up to Mubwindi swamp

After your morning breakfast, the Uganda Gorilla Tracking safari guide will take you for birding heading to Mubwindi swamp, target species here will be, Yellow eyed flycatcher, Ruwenzori batis, Grauer’s rush warbler, Grauer’s warbler, Black billed turacco, Chestnut throated apalis, Mountain illadopsis, Stripe breasted Tit, Montane sooty Boubou, White tailed blue flycatcher, White headed wood hoopoe, Narina’s trogon, collared Apalis, Bar tailed Trogon, Handsome francolin, African green broadbill ,Ruwenzori hill barbler, Blue headed sunbird, Regal sunbird, and many more. Later you will head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at DAY 3.

Day 5 – Transfer to Buhoma sector of Bwindi National Park birding en route

In the morning after your breakfast, you will transfer to Buhoma which is the northern sector of Bwindi forest National park also rich for birdlife, you will do en route birding along the neck of the forest targeting species like, Black bee eaters, strange weaver, Magpie mankins, Tamborine dove, mountain wagtail, dusky twin spot, mountain masked Apalis, among others later check in to your lodge, you will afterwards do short birding walk around the lodge. Here you will stay

Accommodation

  • Mahogany Spring
  • Buhoma Haven Lodge
  • Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Day 6 – Gorilla trekking & Birding in Afternoon along the main trail

A relatively early morning start, after your earl breakfast, you will be taken to the park office ready with packed lunch and drinking water and in tracking attire, be briefed and head out for Uganda Gorilla tracking adventure which will take you approximately 4 -8 hours, and one hour viewing plus photography once you come across them later after a memorable adventure with Gorillas you will return back to the lodge, relax for a short time then after do short birding walk around. Return to the lodge thereafter for your dinner and overnight stay at DAY 5.

Day 7 –Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha sector Game drive

After morning breakfast, here you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth N.P via Ishasha southern sector of this Park where you will have game drive with chances to see variety of game including the famous Tree climbing lions, Elephants, Uganda Kobs, buffalos, Warthogs, Topi, hippopotamus lucky enough leopards. You will continue birding trying to find Blue quail, Red headed lovebird, African white backed vultures, Eagles, African crake, African hoopoe, pipit, Black headed gonolek, little bee eaters, Rollers, tinker birds, sooty chat, fork tailed Drongo and many more. Later you will continue to the northern sector and check in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation

  • Mweya Safari Lodge
  • Enganzi Lodge
  • Bush Lodge

Day 8 – Birding in the morning drive, and Kazinga channel birding on boat cruise.

After your breakfast we’ll continue with the Uganda Gorilla Tracking trail, head out for morning game drive as you do birding, A variety of game animals here will be sported including Lions, Elephants, Uganda Kobs, Defassa Water bucks, Buffalos, leopards if lucky, warthogs together with lots of savannah birds like African wattled lapwing, wood doves, Eagles, vultures, Ruppell’s long tailed starlings, Black headed weavers, slender billed weaver, yellow throated long claws, Grey backed fiscal, common fiscal, Black lored babbler, Arrow marked babbler, Black headed batis, when you return look for flamingos at lake katwe crater before you head to the lodge , have lunch break later do afternoon boat cruise along Kazinga channel that hosts a huge concentration of Hippopotamus and crocodiles .

You will be able to spot variety of water bird species like skimmers, pelicans, yellow billed stork, squacco heron, African fish eagle, malachite king fisher, African pied king fisher and many more after two hours you will return back and go for a short evening birding . After all return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at DAY 7.

Day 9 – Transfer to Kibale forest National Park for afternoon Birding.

Early morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to Kibale forest National Park and do afternoon birding in Bigodi wetland sanctuary which is located few meters away from the main forest you will be able to see birds of forest edge like Great blue turacco, Black and white casqued hornbill, sunbirds Papyrus gonolek, White winged warbler. African pygmy kingfisher and several monkey species including Grey cheeked mangabeys and Red colubus monkey. Thereafter return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation

  • Ndali Lodge
  • Primate Lodge Kibale
  • Chimpanzee Forest Lodge

Day 10 – Birding in the morning & Chimpanzee Tracking in afternoon

On this day after breakfast, you will go out for birding in the forest looking out for White spotted fluff tail, Narina trogon, Brown eared wood pecker, Crested guinea fowl, Black and white shrike fly catcher, yellow billed barbet, Black billed turacco, White napped pigeon, Blue throated roller, Green breasted pitta, Red tailed Anti –thrush, Chestnut wattle eye among others later after lunch around 2pm you will report to the ranger station well prepared for Chimpanzee tracking which takes approximately 3 hours afterwards return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at DAY 9.

Day 11 – Transfer to Kampala or Entebbe if it’s your scheduled flight as you end your safari

After breakfast you will be transferred back to Kampala or Entebbe airport passing through different scenic villages, arriving early evening. you will be transferred to the airport if it will be your scheduled flight time.

END OF SAFARI.

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