DAY 1: ARRIVE AT ENTEBBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Meet & greet by your driver/guide and proceed to bird the Botanic gardens looking out for birds like the Cormorants, Herons, Egrets, Storks, Black-winged Stilt, Doves, Turacos, Kingfishers, Hornbills, Sunbirds, Starlings, Weavers, if lucky the Grey Parrot.
Dinner and Overnight at Protea hotel/ 2Friends beach hotel/ Sunset Guesthouse.
DAY 2: BIRDING MABAMBA SWAMP.
Early breakfast and then with packed lunch proceed to bird Mabamba Wetlands where you will be paddled in a canoe as you bird through the swamp, look out for birds like the mighty Shoebill and other birds like Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Long toed Plover, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater among other birds. Bird your way back to Kampala looking out for birds like African open billed Stork, Grey Kestrel, African Green Pigeon, great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Swifts, Sunbirds, Weavers birds, Finches among other birds.
Dinner and Overnight at Protea hotel/ 2Friends beach hotel/ Sunset Guesthouse.
DAY 3: BIRDING TO FORT PORTAL.
After breakfast, start your drive as you bird westwards getting to Fort Portal in time for lunch. After lunch as it cools down go and bird Sebitoli area. Look out for birds like Red-chested Cuckoo, great Blue Turaco, Lizard Buzzard, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Joyful Greenbul, Masked Apalis, Whinchat, Stonechat, Grey-headed Sunbird, Many coloured Bush-shrikes among other birds. Getting back to accommodation in time for a warm shower and dinner.
Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga lodge/ Primate lodge/ Kibale Forest Camp.
DAY 4: BIRDING KIBALE NATIONAL PARK.
Early breakfast and then proceed to bird Kibale Forest which is the best place in Uganda to see chimps and other primates. A morning walk through the forest combines chimp tracking with a selection of forest birds. Look out for birds like Narina Trogon, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey Parrot, Sabine’s Spinetail, Black-billed Turaco, Yellow-billed Barbet, Red-tailed Ant Thrush among other birds and Primates like Blue Monkey, Black and White Colobus, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, Varvet Monkey, Red tailed Monkey, L’Hoest’s Monkey among others. Note that those who want to do the chimp walk as other are looking for birds will need to book in advance.
Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga lodge/ Primate lodge/ Kibale Forest Camp.
DAY 5: BIRDING BIGODI AND TRANSFER TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast, proceed to bird the Bigodi swamp getting to the Primate Lodge Kibale in time for lunch. After lunch, head for the drive along the foothills of the mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori Mountains) by Kasese, and crossing the Equator as you get close to Lake Kikorongo, birding en-route to the Mweya Safari lodge where you will spend three nights. Look out for birds like Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Red-necked Spurfowl, great Blue Turaco, Barbets, Tinkerbirds, Kingfishers, Bee eaters, Cuckoos, Lesser Striped Swallows, Black-lored babbler, Grey-backed Shrike, Sunbirds among other birds.
Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge/Bush lodge.
DAY 6: BIRDING QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast a morning game drive/birding. Lunch at the Lodge and in the afternoon go looking for birds on launch (boat) cruise on the Kazinga Channel, to see a variety of wildlife like, hippos, crocodile and bird life from a boat for two hours. Look out for birds like Yellow-billed Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Raptors, Plovers, White-browed Robin-chat, Rufous napped Lark, Red-chested Sunbird, Scarlet chested Sunbird, Shrikes, Weavers, Finches, among other birds. Also, look out for mammals like Uganda kob, bushbuck, Defassa Waterbuck, buffaloes, elephants and warthog among others.
Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge/Bush lodge.
DAY 7: BIRDING QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK.
After a cup of tea or coffee and a muffin, with your packed breakfast drive to bird Imaramagambo area around Lake Nyamusingiri looking out for birds like Pink-backed Pelican, Black Bee Eater, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Barbets, Tinkerbirds, Woodpeckers, Narina Trogon, Apalises, Red-collared Widowbird Honeyguide Greenbul, Snow-capped Robin-Chat among other birds. On a lucky day, you can get an African Finfoot here.
Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge /Bush lodge.
DAY 8: BIRDING TO BWINDI.
After breakfast with your picnic lunch, leave Queen Elizabeth National Park and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest birding en-route arriving in the late afternoon. Look out for birds like Martial Eagle, Francolins, Barbets, Chats, Cuckooshrikes, Sunbirds, Fork tailed Drongo, Larks, Pipits, Weavers, Widowbirds among other birds. You will look out for mammals like topi, Uganda kob, waterbuck, buffaloes, elephants, baboons and others.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge/ Buhoma Community Camp.
DAY 9: BIRDING BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK.
After an early breakfast, start looking for birds as we find that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest doesn’t live up to its name as we penetrate it looking for species like Bar-tailed Trogon, Black Bee-Eater, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Tinkerbirds and Barbets, Woodpeckers, African Broadbill, assorted Greenbuls, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Mountain Masked Apalis, Bocage’s Bush-shrike, Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Pink-footed Puffback, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Starlings, Black-billed Weaver, Brown-capped weaver among other birds.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge/ Buhoma Community Camp.
DAY 10: GORILLA TRACKING.
This is the day you will be going gorilla tracking. After an early breakfast, head to register for your gorilla tracking. Thereafter, go for gorilla tracking briefing and then start gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We recommend you to wear good walking shoes and carry good rain gear and enough drinking water. Gorilla tracking can be tough and challenging and so we trust you are in reasonably fit condition. You will carry a picnic lunch with you into the forest but not to share with the gorillas.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge/ Buhoma Community Camp.
DAY 11: BIRDING TO LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK.
This morning, we’ll bird eastwards through the terraced mountains of Kigezi to the open plains and rocky hillsides of Ankole. We’ll have a few stops along the way to enjoy the scenery and birds. We’ll be able to get closer views of the fabulous Ankole long horned cattle as we drive to Mbarara and onto Lake Mburo where we’ll stay at Mihingo Lodge for the next three nights. Birding here is a delightful experience, and often one of the highlights of a birding trip to Uganda. Look out for birds like Augur Buzzard, Crested Francolin, Emeraled Spotted Wood Dove, Spot flanked Barbet, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Lailac-breasted Roller, Black-headed Gonolek, Starlings among other birds.
Dinner and overnight at Mihingo lodge/Arcadia cottages/ Eagles Nest.
DAY 12: BIRD LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK.
Whole day birding Lake Mburo National Park looking for birds like the Bateleur, Crested Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-napped Mousebird, African Grey Hornbill, Red-faced Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet, Larks, Pipits, Long tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis among others birds. In the afternoon, take a boat cruise to look for the African Finfoot and other birds. Before dinner try the African Scops Owl, Swamp, Black-shouldered and Freckled Nightjars among other birds. Look out for animals like the gorgeous eland, zebra, impala, buffalo, topi, reedbuck, waterbuck bushbuck, hippos, oribi, Bush Duiker as you look for birds.
Dinner and overnight at Mihingo lodge/Arcadia cottages/Eagles Nest.
DAY 13: DRIVE TO ENTEBBE.
After breakfast, proceed for morning birding getting back in time for early lunch. After lunch, proceed for the drive back to Entebbe. Look out for birds like Bateleur, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Crested Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-napped Mousebird, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Larks, Pipits, Long tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis among others birds.
Dinner and Overnight at The Protea hotel/ 2Friends beach hotel/ Sunset Guest House.
DAY 14: ENTEBBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
Transfer to Entebbe International Airport in time for the return flight.