14 Days Ugandan Bird Watching and Wildlife Safari

Upon your arrival at Entebbe Airport, you will be welcomed by an Enjobe Safaris professional English-speaking guide/driver holding a placard with your name. Meet and greet before being transferred to your comfortable lodge in Entebbe or Kampala for rest and rejuvenation from the jet lag. You will be served meals (lunch, dinner and breakfast) depending on your arrival time. Relax and prepare for the start of your journey the following day.

Pre-dawn departure (5:00 AM) to Mabamba Swamp, Uganda’s most reliable site for the prehistoric Shoebill stork. Paddle silently through narrow papyrus channels with a specialist local guide in a traditional dugout canoe – this Ramsar wetland hosts over 300 bird species including Blue Swallow, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, and White-winged Warbler. After a successful Shoebill sighting (95% success rate), return for breakfast. Afternoon birding at Entebbe Botanical Gardens (150+ species recorded) along the shores of Lake Victoria: target African Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco, Palm-nut Vulture, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, and the dazzling Malachite Kingfisher. Overnight in Entebbe.

After breakfast, drive west to Lake Mburo National Park – the only park in Uganda with zebras, elands, and impalas. Stop at the Equator for the classic water experiment and photos (Kayabwe). Enjoy a sumptuous lunch enroute at Mbarara. Arrive for an evening birding game drive targeting savannah specials: Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Lilac-breasted Roller (Kenya’s national bird), Red-necked Spurfowl, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, and the striking Brown Snake Eagle. Overnight at a lodge inside the park.

Early morning birding walk along the lake shore for the Holy Grail: African Finfoot – Lake Mburo offers Uganda’s best chance to see this elusive rail-like bird. After breakfast, enjoy a 3-hour boat safari on Lake Mburo: African Fish Eagle, Pied Kingfisher, Saddle-billed Stork, Goliath Heron, and rare African Spoonbill. Afternoon birding in acacia woodland for Crested Barbet, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Black-backed Puffback, and the spectacular Coqui Francolin. Optional night game drive for nocturnal species (Pennant-winged Nightjar). Overnight Lake Mburo.

Morning birding at the salt lick area for Brown-chested Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, and African Wattled Lapwing. Then drive south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with a lunch stop in Mbarara (famous for Ankole long-horned cattle). Arrive at Bwindi’s Ruhija sector (elevation 2,300m) in the late afternoon – the premier altitude zone for endemics. Take a gentle birding walk along the forest edge to acclimatize: target Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, and the stunning Rwenzori Turaco. Overnight in Bwindi (Ruhija or Buhoma sector).

Morning boat birding safari on Lake Bunyonyi (“Place of many little birds”) – Africa’s deepest crater lake (900m) with 29 emerald islands. Search for Papyrus Gonolek (endemic to papyrus swamps), Northern Brown-throated Weaver, African Marsh Harrier, Lesser Swamp Warbler, and the secretive White-winged Warbler. Enjoy lunch overlooking the islands. Afternoon transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha sector – famous for tree-climbing lions. Sunset birding drive along the crater lakes (Nyamunuka, Bunyampaka) for Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Great White Pelicans, Pink-backed Pelicans, and Black-winged Stilts. Overnight in Queen Elizabeth.

Pre-dawn departure for the Kazinga Channel boat safari – a 40km natural channel connecting Lake Edward and Lake George, offering one of Africa’s highest concentrations of waterbirds. Expect hundreds of hippos, African Fish Eagles dive-bombing, Giant Kingfishers, Malachite Kingfishers, African Skimmers, and occasional Shoebill. After breakfast, drive to Maramagambo Forest for forest birding: target Rwenzori Turaco, Black Bee-eater, White-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Sunbird, and the bizarre Shining Blue Kingfisher. Visit the bat cave (thousands of Egyptian fruit bats) and the crater lake viewing platform. Overnight at a lodge in Queen Elizabeth.

Early morning birding on the Kasenyi Plains – open savannah with excellent mammal-bird mixed flocks. Target Secretary Bird (hunting snakes on foot), Kori Bustard (Africa’s heaviest flying bird), Temminck’s Courser, Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Black-bellied Bustard, and the rare White-tailed Lark. After breakfast, transfer north to Kibale National Park – the “Primate Capital of the World” (13 primate species including chimps). Enjoy a sumptuous lunch enroute at Fort Portal (crater lake region). Arrive at Kibale Forest in the late afternoon for evening forest birding along the main track: African Emerald Cuckoo, Blue-headed Sunbird, Yellow-billed Barbet, and the elusive Nahan’s Francolin. Overnight at a lodge in Kibale

Morning chimpanzee trekking in Kibale (95% success rate) – while tracking habituated chimps, you will also see Red-tailed Monkeys, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, and forest birds including Great Blue Turaco, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, and Yellow-spotted Barbet. One hour with the chimps. After trekking, transfer to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary (community-run) for an afternoon birding walk along raised boardwalks. Bigodi is famous for: Great Blue Turaco (guaranteed), Papyrus Gonolek, White-spotted Flufftail, and occasional Shoebill. Mammals include Sitatunga antelope, Red Colobus monkeys, and Bushbuck. Overnight Kibale.

After breakfast, drive west to Semuliki National Park – an eastern extension of the Ituri Forest (DR Congo) with Central African species found nowhere else in East Africa. Stop at Sempaya Hot Springs (two steaming geysers – male and female) where you can boil eggs. Afternoon birding in Semuliki’s lowland rainforest: target the impossible-to-find Congo Serpent Eagle, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill, Yellow-throated Nicator, and the spectacular Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher. Semuliki is also the only Ugandan site for the rare Long-tailed Hawk and Nkulengu Rail. Overnight at a lodge near Semuliki.

Begin with an early breakfast and enjoy a half-day birding experience in Semuliki National Park, exploring sections of the Ituri Forest for Guinea-Congo biome specials such as White-crested Hornbill, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Piping Hornbill, and the elusive Chestnut-flanked Goshawk. After the morning session, exit the forest and proceed to the shores of Lake Albert for a relaxed birding experience targeting waterbirds including African Skimmer, Rock Pratincole, and occasional sightings of the Shoebill. Later, depart for Fort Portal and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, embark on a scenic transfer from Fort Portal through the Rwenzori foothills towards Entebbe or Kampala. Enjoy en-route views of tea plantations and countryside landscapes before arriving at your booked lodge for an overnight rest.

After breakfast, visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre for a final birding and wildlife experience. Later, return to the lodge, marking the end of your safari. If your flight is scheduled for today, your guide will transfer you to Entebbe International Airport; if your departure is on a later date, the guide will drop you at your accommodation.