8 DAYS GORILLAS & BIRDING SAFARI
Overview
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park boasts of a 360 bird species record with 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemics among which include the globally threatened species such as the African Green Broadbill and Shelley’s Crimsonwing. The forest is also the home of mountain gorillas along with more than ten other species of primates, such as Chimpanzees, Colobus monkeys, and Olive baboons.
ItineraryÂ
Day 1:Â Arrival
Day 2: Birding Tour in Mabamba & Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 3:Â Birding Tour in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Day 4: Birding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park-Ruhija area
Day 5: Birding Tour in Mubwindi Swamp
Day 6: Birding to Buhoma
Day 7: Gorilla Tracking
Day 8: Departure
Inclusions/Exclusions
- Park FeesÂ
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- Accommodation in preferred lodge/hotelÂ
- Services of a professional Tour guide-driverÂ
- Melas (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking waterÂ
- Roundtrip Airport TransfersÂ
- All Taxes/VATÂ
- Transport in a 4WD safari vehicle with a pop-up roofÂ
- All fuel for the tour
- Chimp Tracking PermitsÂ
- Gorilla Tracking permitsÂ
- International Flights
- VisasÂ
- Travel InsuranceÂ
- TipsÂ
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tourÂ
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Day by Day
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel of choice. Early arrivals can opt for optional birding excursions at Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), Entebbe Botanical Gardens, and Lutembe Bay. Â
Entebbe is a small, quiet town located on the shores of Lake Victoria and is easy to explore on foot or local transport ie motorbikes or taxis. Visit local markets to buy clothes and crafts, curio shops for souvenirs. The town has a wide variety of restaurants serving many different cuisines as well as several bars and clubs where you can sample the local beer, catch a game of football and chat with the local Ugandans, known for their open and friendly nature.
Journey: +20 minsÂ
Meal Plan: Not IncludedÂ
Accommodation: Budget: ViaVia Guesthouse/ Midrange: The Boma Hotel/ Luxury: No.5 Boutique HotelÂ
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 Â
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerÂ
Accommodation: Budget: Eagles Nest/ Midrange: Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo/ Luxury: Mihingo LodgeÂ
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. Proceed to Bwindi for dinner and overnight.
Journey: +2 hrs Â
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerÂ
Accommodation: Budget: Bakiga Lodge/ Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp/ Luxury: Ruhija Gorilla Safari 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 Â
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerÂ
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 & DinnerÂ
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 Â
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerÂ
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 & DinnerÂ
Accommodation: Budget: Bakiga Lodge/ Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp/ Luxury: Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge
An airport transfer has been included from your hotel, or directly after the safari. End of Safari.
Journey: +8 hrs Â
Meal Plan: Breakfast & LunchÂ
Accommodation: Not includedÂ
Location
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