17 DAYS PEARL OF AFRICA BIRDING SAFARI

Early in the morning, we bird Via Mabamba Swamps for the elusive Shoebill, Some papyrus endemics, the African and Lesser Jacanas, the White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Carruther`s Cisticola, The Black-chested, Brown and Western Banded Snake Eagles, several Gull, and Heron Species and other water birds species than head to Lake Mburo National Park for our night. We have a short stop at the Equator for an informative talk, photography, and the equator experience.

Journey: +6hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Eagles Nest/ Midrange: Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo/ Luxury: Mihingo Lodge

Morning birding on foot along the park trails with an armed ranger then back to our lodge for breakfast, this we proceed for a game and birding drive which gives us higher chances of viewing mammals like the Zebras, Impalas, Elands, Topis, Buffaloes among others, as we bird we focus our attention on the search for the Red-Faced Barbet, Coqui Francolin, Brown Chested Plover, Tabora Cisticola, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, Buff Bellied Warbler, Red Headed Weaver, Black Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Sulpher Breasted Bush-shrike, Green Capped Eremomela, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Red-Billed Wood Hope and more acacia associated birds, in the afternoon we go for a boat ride in search for the African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Herons, Giant Kingfisher, etc back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Eagles Nest/ Midrange: Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo/ Luxury: Mihingo Lodge 

We bird Ruhija in search of the darling African Green Broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson-wings, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, White-browed Crombec, White-naped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Sharp’s Starling, Mountain masked and Rwenzori Apalis, and many more.

Journey: +2 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Bakiga Lodge/ Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp/ Luxury: Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

As we bird Mubwindi Swamp we look out for the Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Brown-capped warbler, Black-billed Weaver, Black-necked Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, Grey-headed Sparrow, Waller’s Starling, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Montane Oriole, many-colored Bush-Shrike, Bocage’s Bush-Shrike, Brown Crowned Tchagra, Pink Footed Puffback, Ludher’s Bush-shrike, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Mountain Illadopsis, Rwenzori Nightjar.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Bakiga Lodge/ Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp/ Luxury: Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge

As we bird to Buhoma, we look out for species like the Black Bee-Eater, Dusky Tit, Brown-caped Weaver, the Yellow-billed and yellow-spotted Barbets, the African and Black-and-white Shrike-flycatchers, Common Stonechat, Brown-throated, and Chestnut Wattle-eyes, Apalises, just to mention but a few of the forest species.

Journey: +2 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Bwindi Cultural Center/ Midrange: Silverback Lodge/ Luxury: Buhoma Lodge

On this day, we set off early, with packed lunch, to the park headquarters for a briefing for the Gorilla Tracking. Tracking the gorillas depends on where they spent the previous night and their interaction with other groups, so it might take 45 minutes or the whole day, come prepared.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Bwindi Cultural Center/ Midrange: Silverback Lodge/ Luxury: Buhoma Lodge

Today we head to Queen Elizabeth National Park; we bird through the Ishasha sector as we look out for the African Thrush, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed Weaver, Little Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Grey-headed Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Spur-winged Lapwing, the African, Red-eyed and African Morning Doves, the Winding, Croacking, and Zitting Cisticolas, and hundreds of other Savanna Species.

Journey: +2 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Bush Lodge/ Midrange: Baboon Safari Resort/ Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge

Early in the Morning, we leave for a game drive for more Savanna Species and in the afternoon we take a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel for water birds like the Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Skimmer, Yellow-billed, and the Saddle-billed storks, African Wattled Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Black-winged Stilt, Water Thick-knee, Collared Pratincole, the Grey-headed, Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls, Grebes, Ducks and many more.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Bush Lodge/ Midrange: Baboon Safari Resort/ Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge

We start with a morning drive through Queen Elizabeth looking out for what we might have missed the previous days of birding before we transfer to Kibale Forest. Along the way expect to see; the Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, the Black and Black-winged Red Bishops, the African Palm and Little Swifts, Common Bulbul, Doves, Pigeons, the Lesser-stripped, and Angola Swallows among others.

Journey: +4 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Kibale Forest Camp/ Midrange: Primate Lodge Kibale/ Luxury: Turaco Treetops Kibale

We start very early in the morning in search of the Green Breasted Pitta, White- and Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes, Purple-headed, Glossy-Starling, Brown, Pale, and Scaly Breasted Illadopsis, White-naped and Olive Pigeon, Masked Apalis, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Black-billed Turaco, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, and Green Crombec. Then later in the afternoon, you can opt for chimp tracking. ($200 per person) The movement of the chimps depends upon the availability of food and hopefully, they won’t be too far away! Of all the parks in Uganda, this is referred to as the primate forest as it hosts about 13 species of primates three of which are nocturnal.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Kibale Forest Camp/ Midrange: Primate Lodge Kibale/ Luxury: Turaco Treetops Kibale

Our birding safari continues around and within Kibale Forest. We search for species that we may have missed out on the previous day. After lunch, we’ll head to the Bigodi Wetland, a papyrus, and swamp forest. We hope to find such papyrus endemics as White-winged Warbler, White-collared, Olive back, and Papyrus Gonolek

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Kibale Forest Camp/ Midrange: Primate Lodge Kibale/ Luxury: Turaco Treetops Kibale

Today we transfer to Murchison Fall National Park birding via the Escarpment in search for, the Yellow-rumped and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbirds, Foxy Cisticola, Black Bishop, the Northern and Black-winged Red Bishops, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting, Tropical Boubou, the Grey-crowned and Black-crowned Tchagras, Striped Kingfisher, White-headed Barbet, and many more.

Journey: +6 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Red Chilli Rest Camp / Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge / Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge 

Today, we do Game drive birding in search of, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Bee-eaters, Warblers, and so forth. In the afternoon, we take a boat on the Victoria Nile for water birds like the elusive Shoebill Stork, Little Grebe, Great White, and the Pink-backed Pelicans, Red-knobbed Coot, and lots more. Hike to the top of the magnificent Murchison Falls for great views.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Budget: Red Chilli Hideaway / Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge/ Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge

We leave the park birding and head to Uganda’s biggest Forest Reserve and the second most important after Semliki National Park. We bird Kaniyo Pabidi for a few hours then proceed to the hotel in Masindi.

Journey: +2 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Midrange: Kabalega Resort

Today, we bird Budongo Forest which has a prolific birdlife with two species of birds not found elsewhere in East Africa: 10 of the 22 species of Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome and 93 of the 144 species Guinea-Congo Forests biome that occurs in Uganda. We bird the marvellous Royal mile and several other trails for the whole day. We look for the Puvel’s Illadopsis and Nahan’s Francolin other special birds include; the Yellow-billed Barbet, Grey-throated Barbet, Honeyguide Greenbul, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, White-headed Saw-wing and lots more. 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Accommodation: Midrange: Kabalega Resort

An airport transfer has been included from your hotel, or directly after the safari. End of Safari.

Journey: +1 hrs  

Meal Plan: Breakfast