22 Days Grand Uganda Birding Tour
This Uganda birding tour is designed to ensure a holistic birding experience, delivering a large load of species for birders and photographers.
Day 1. Arrival at Entebbe
Our Uganda birding tour begins with arrival at Entebbe International Airport. We’ll then transfer to our hotel, which is located nearby. After settling in, we’ll assess our energy levels and arrival time. If feasible, we’ll enjoy a brief birdwatching excursion within the beautiful Entebbe Botanical Gardens. We’ll spend the night in Entebbe.
Day 2: Mabamba Swamp Birding & Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Our Uganda birding safari will start with a morning canoe ride in Mabamba Swamp, a crucial wetland area in Uganda that is renowned mainly for its exceptional birdwatching opportunities and its proximity to Entebbe International Airport.
Particularly famous for the high chance of seeing the shoebill stork, the swamp is characterized by dense papyrus reeds, water lilies, and other wetland vegetation, creating an ideal habitat for a diverse range of bird species. It hosts over 300 bird species, including globally threatened and migratory birds.
Key bird species to spot here include the shoebill Stork, Papyrus Gonolek, African Jacana, African Fish Eagle, African pygmy goose, Blue-cheeked bee-eater, purple swamphen, and many varieties of herons, egrets, and other water birds.
Later in the afternoon, we shall visit Entebbe Botanical Gardens for woodland and lakeshore birding and spend the night at Entebbe.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, we will travel to Lake Mburo National Park and arrive by noon. In the afternoon, we will go birding in the acacia woodlands and savannah plains in search of the 350+ bird species recorded here.
Highlight birds likely to be spotted here are African finfoot, red-faced barbet, white-backed night heron, bare-faced go-away-bird, Coqui Francolin, Southern Ground Hornbill, and various raptors.
We shall spend the night here at Lake Mburo.
Day 4: Lake Mburo National Park (Full Day)
On this day, we will enjoy a full birding day at Lake Mburo National Park. We will start with a boat safari on the lake in search of wetland bird species like the African finfoot, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, and Brown-chested Lapwing.
Later in the afternoon, we will go on a game drive through the woodlands and savanna plains to find more birds we may have missed the previous day. We will still spend the night here.
Day 5: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Southern Sector – Ruhija)
On this day, we will start early and travel to the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arriving by noon. We will check in to our lodge/camp and have lunch.
In the afternoon, we shall go birding along the main road and trails of the montane forest, which is home to many bird species, including a great number of Albertine Rift endemics. Highlight birds in this region include the African Green Broadbill, Grauer’s Broadbill, Regal Sunbird, Handsome Francolin, and Rwenzori Batis.
We will spend the night here at Ruhija.
Day 6: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Ruhija Sector)
On this day, we shall enjoy a full day of birding in the montane rainforest of Ruhija. We shall start with the upper section sector in search of more species. In the afternoon, we shall walk along the Mubwindi Swamp track and other nearby trails where we can spot rare species like Grauer’s rush warbler. We will be spending the night in Ruhija.
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Northern Sector – Buhoma)
On this day, after breakfast, we will head to the Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We will check into a lodge/ camp and have lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue with our Uganda birding tour along the main trails of the montane forest of the Buhoma sector.
Key bird species to spot here include Shelley’s Crimsonwing, African Emerald Cuckoo, Black Bee-eater, Red-throated Alethe, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Purple-breasted Sunbird, and many more. We will spend the night here at Buhoma.
Day 8: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Buhoma Sector)
On this day, we will be doing a full birding day in the montane rainforest of Buhoma, which will give us an opportunity to score more species. Key bird species to be on the lookout here include the Great Blue Turaco, African Green Pigeon, Black Bee-eater, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, and Short-tailed Warbler.
Also, Buhoma remains the most popular location for gorilla tracking. Those who are interested will have the chance to enjoy tracking gorillas. We shall be spending the night here in Buhoma.
Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, we will head to Queen Elizabeth National Park and arrive around noon. We will book accommodation at an eco-friendly lodge/camp, have lunch, and enjoy a wonderful birding session in the afternoon.
This area has the highest bird diversity in Uganda, with over 600 bird species recorded, making it a truly exceptional destination for any Uganda birding tour.
Vast savannah grasslands support numerous raptors, grassland specialists, and ground-dwelling birds, while the park’s extensive wetlands, including the Kazinga Channel, Lake George, and Lake Edward, attract a wealth of waterbirds.
Lakes and rivers provide crucial aquatic environments for species like pelicans, kingfishers, and various waders, complemented by acacia and other woodlands that offer habitat for hornbills and barbets. Forested areas, such as the Maramagambo Forest, shelter forest-dwelling species, and the park’s crater lakes often host unique bird species, including seasonal flamingo populations. This variety of diverse environments is the fundamental reason why Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts such an extraordinary number of bird species.
We shall spend the night here at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 10 & 11: Queen Elizabeth National Park (Full Day)
On these two days, we shall be doing full days of birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park and try and score as many birds as possible. The diverse habitats will allow us to enjoy game drives along the main trails, a boat cruise along the famous Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George, and some areas we will enjoy walking along the trails. It will be a fun birding session, and we hope to score more birds by the end of day two.
Key bird species to spot here include the African Skimmer, Pink-backed Pelican, African Fish Eagle, martial eagle, Shoebill Stork, African Jacana, Various Kingfishers, herons, egrets, and storks. Nights will be spent at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 12: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
We’ll begin our journey to Kibale Forest early, keeping an eye out for any lingering bird species as we depart Queen Elizabeth National Park. Our travel will include opportunistic birding stops along the way. Arriving at Kibale, we’ll dedicate the afternoon to exploring its bird species and spend the night in Kibale.
Day 13: Kibale Forest National Park (Full Day)
On this day, we shall enjoy a Full-day birding trip in the Kanyanchu area and Bigodi Wetland in Kibale forest. The tropical rainforest and swamps here are home to over 370 bird species. The highlights include the green-breasted Pitta, African Pitta (seasonal), Blue-breasted Kingfisher, White-naped Pigeon, Black Bee-eater, Crowned Eagle, Great Blue Turaco, Red-chested Fluftail, and many more.
Also, we will get the chance to enjoy tracking the Chimpanzees during the afternoon, which is a fun activity. Later, we will continue with our birdwatching. We shall spend the night in Kibale.
Day 14 & 15: Transfer to Semuliki National Park
On this day, after breakfast, we shall drive to Semuliki National Park and continue with our Uganda birding tour. The park is home to over 400 bird species, and its lowland tropical rainforest and savannah woodland habitats have key bird species like the Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Black-wattled Hornbill, Yellow-throated Nicator, Nkulengu Rail, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, and Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill.
We shall enjoy birding for two days along the Kirumia Trail and Sempaya Hot Springs and spend the nights at Semuliki.
Day 16: Travel to Masindi (for Budongo Forest)
After a morning birding session at Semuliki, we will start our journey to Masindi for Budongo forest. We will make several stopovers along the beautiful farmlands of Western Uganda to enjoy more birds. We will arrive in Masindi in the afternoon, where we will continue with our birding session. We will spend the night in Masindi.
Day 17: Budongo Forest (Royal Mile)
On this day, we shall enjoy a great birding session at this beautiful Guinea-Congolian Forest, which is often regarded as one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. This tropical rainforest is home to over 360 bird species, and a full day of birding here will help us score many species.
Highlight birds to be spotted here include Puvel’s Illadopsis, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, various forest hornbills, African Dwarf Kingfisher, Ituri Batis, and many more. We shall spend the night in Masindi.
Day 18: Budongo Forest (Kaniyo Pabidi)
On this day, we will have an exciting full-day birding session in the Kaniyo Pabidi section of the Budongo forest. We will go on a game drive and walk through the trails of the tropical rainforest and savanna habitats in search of more species.
After a successful birdwatching day, we will spend the night in Masindi.
Day 19: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
On this day, we will leave early and head to Murchison Falls National Park, where we will arrive by noon. 450 bird species have been recorded here, and we hope to score as many as possible by the time we leave.
We will be crossing through the savanna, riverine forests, and wetlands in search of bird species such as the Shoebill Stork, the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, the Goliath Heron, and the Denham’s Bustard.
In the afternoon, we shall start our birding session along the Nile Delta. Key species we are likely to spot include the Shoebill Stork, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Pel’s Fishing Owl, and various waterbirds. We shall spend the night at Murchison Falls.
Day 20 & 21: Murchison Falls National Park
On these two days, we shall enjoy full-day game drives and birding in search of all species we may have missed. We shall start with a morning boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls in search of more water birds, and later in the afternoon, we will go birding on the northern savannah plains.
The two nights will be spent at Murchison Falls.
Day 28: Flight to Dar es Salaam, Evening to Pemba
In the morning, we will do an early morning birding drive at Murchison Falls and later travel back to Entebbe for departures, marking the end of our Uganda Birding Tour.
Day 22: Travel Back to Entebbe
On this day, we will spend a full day birding on Pemba Island. We will focus on endemics such as the Pemba Scops Owl, Pemba Sunbird, and Pemba White-eye. We will also explore the forest and coastal areas in search of more rare species.
Other Wildlife Highlights
Uganda’s birding tours offer an exciting opportunity to encounter a rich tapestry of other wildlife alongside its bird species. While searching for unique birds, visitors are likely to spot a diverse range of mammals, including primates like chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and the iconic mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Large mammals such as elephants, buffaloes, hippos, and lions roam the savannahs and waterways of Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, while zebras and impalas grace Lake Mburo’s landscapes.
Nile crocodiles and monitor lizards lurk in the rivers and lakes, adding to the reptilian diversity. Beyond the larger animals, Uganda’s vibrant butterfly populations and intriguing insect life enhance the overall experience. This blend of remarkable birdlife and captivating wildlife encounters makes the Uganda birding tour genuinely unforgettable.
