24 Days Best Uganda Safari – Wildlife Tour, Gorilla Trekking, Primates Adventure, and Cultural Encounters: Highlights

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda

Day 2: Mabamba Wetlands – L. Mburo National Park

Day 3: Lake Mburo National Park

Day 4: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Day 5: Whole Day Mgahinga National Park

Day 6: Birding in the Ruhija sector

Day 7: Birding in Mubwindi swamp

Day 8: Birding in the Buhoma sector

Day 9: Optional Gorilla Tracking and Uganda Bird watching Tour at Buhoma

Day 10: Bwindi – Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 11: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 12: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Day 13 &14: Optional activity Chimpanzee tracking. – Birding continues

Day 15: Transfer to Semliki Valley National Park

Day 16: Semliki Valley NP- Uganda Birding Trip

Day 17: Birding from Semliki to Fort Portal

Day 18: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Day 19: Birding Murchison Falls NP

Day 20: Birding to Budongo Forest via Kaniyo Pabidi

Day 21: Birding Budongo forest.

Day 22 & 23: Birding in Mabira forest.

Day 24: End of the 24 Days Best Uganda Safari

Detailed 24 Days Best Uganda Safari – Wildlife Tour, Gorilla Trekking, Primates Adventure, and Cultural Encounters

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda

Did you know that the grey crested crane is the Ugandan national bird? As you arrive at Entebbe International Airport, look out for your bird guide holding a placard with your

name who will transfer you to your hotel, depending on your time of arrival, we shall go birding right away at the Entebbe Botanical gardens or the Uganda Wildlife Education centre, this is just to wet your appetite, we have more than 1060 bird species to cover!

 Day 2: Mabamba Wetlands – L. Mburo National Park

Very early in the morning, we will go birding Mabamba Swamps for the elusive Shoebill, other birds to check on the list are some papyrus endemics and water bird species. Our break will be at the equator for the equator experience, photography and a bathroom break. We will then drive to Lake Mburo National Park for our night.

 Day 3 of 24 Days Best Uganda Safari: Lake Mburo National Park

We will rise early enough, have our breakfast and head out for the morning birdwatching. We will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a boat ride on Lake Mburo in search for but not limited to the Harlequin and Blue Quails, Common Button Quail, White-headed and Black-billed Barbet, Greenwood Hoopoe, African Finfoot, Coqui, and the Red-winged Francolins, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Barefaced Go-away bird, Common Scimitar bill, Blue-napped Mousebird, African Fish Eagle, among others.

Day 4: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s most scenic protected area. After your breakfast, you will be transferred to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park through a scenic ride to the western part of Uganda called Kisoro.

 Day 5: Whole Day Mgahinga National Park

Most of the birds in this protected area are montane habitats, we will be in search of a variety of species like them the Rwenzori Turaco, Dwarf Honeyguide, Kivu Ground Thrush, Rwenzori Double-collared, Regal and the Purple-breasted Sunbirds, Archer`s Robin chat, The cinnamon Bracken and Mountain Yellow Warblers, the Dusky and much Sought-after Shelley’s Crimson-wing and many more.

Day 6 of 24 Days Best Uganda Safari: Birding in the Ruhija sector

This is a mixture of a nature walk and birding in the Ruhija sector of the Bwindi impenetrable National Park. Birds to look out for today are the darling African Green Broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson-wings, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, White-browed Crombec, White-napped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Sharp’s Starling, Mountain masked and Rwenzori Apalises and many more.

Day 7: Birding in Mubwindi swamp

Still nestled in the African rain forest is the Mubwindi  swamp, we will be looking out for the 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 Coloured Bush Shrike, Bocage’s Bush Shrike, Brown Crowned Tchagra, Pink Footed Puffback, Ludher’s Bush-shrike, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Mountain Illadopsis, Rwenzori Nightjar.

 Day 8: Birding in the Buhoma sector

Today we will be in search for the Albertine rift endemics and forest species among other birds 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.

 Day 9: Optional Gorilla Tracking and Uganda Birdwatching Tour at Buhoma

Today, we have two options for you, one is gorilla tracking (a permit costs USD 600) or go birding.  There are only about 800 mountain gorillas in the whole world and more than half of then are only found in Uganda, this is a once in a life time experience coming eye to eye with these gentle giants.

The other option is to continue on our birding trail having a chance to see, 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 among othes.

Day 10: Bwindi – Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, we will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, passing through the Ishaha sector, look out for hundreds of savanna bird species.

 Day 11 of 24 Days Best Uganda Safari: Queen Elizabeth National Park

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.

 Day 12: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After an early morning breakfast, set off for Kibale Forest NP, 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.

Day 13 &14: Optional activity Chimpanzee tracking. – Birding continues

We bird here for two full days in search of the darling Green-breasted Pitta and more forest species like the, Brown Illadopsis, Brown-capped Weaver, Brown-chested Alethe, Black-headed Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Green-pigeon, Black-crowned Tchagra, African Wood Owl among others.

Day 15: Transfer to Semliki Valley National Park

Early morning, we shall continue birding in Kibale Forest, later on you will be transferred to Semuliki Valley National Park

Day 16: Semliki Valley NP- Uganda Birding Trip

Semliki Valley National Park is known for the central African species which cannot be found anywhere else in East Africa yet they are some of the continent’s most specular and most sought-after birds such as; Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill, the Nkulengu Rail, and other species; Blue Swallow, White-throated Swallow, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Spotted Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Lowland Akalat, Red-throated Alethea among others.

Day 17: Birding from Semliki to Fort Portal

The earlier session of this day will be spent searching for forest species possibly missed the previous day after which, we head to Fort Portal for the night.

Day 18: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Today is a long day, we will be driving through an escarpment towards the Murchison Falls National Park. Look out for birds like the Yellow-rumpled and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbirds, Foxy Cisticola and many more.

Day 19 of 24 Days Best Uganda Safari: Birding Murchison Falls NP

Today, we shall wake up early in the morning and go for a game drive, a chance to a lot of wildlife but most importantly, keep your eye pealed for the Giant, Pied, Malachite, Stripped, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, Woodland and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, House Martin among others.

In the afternoon, we will take a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile and we will be searching for birds like the elusive Shoebill Stork, Little Grebe, Great White and the Pink-backed Pelicans, Red-knobbed Coot and a long list of other species.

Day 20: Birding to Budongo Forest via Kaniyo Pabidi

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.

Day 21 of 24 Days Best Uganda Safari: Birding Budongo forest.

Today, we bird Budongo Forest which has a prolific bird life with two species of birds not found elsewhere in East Africa: 10 of the 22 species of the Sudan–Guinea Savannah biome and 93 of the 144 species Guinea–Congo Forests biome that occur in Uganda.

We bird the marvelous Royal mile and several other trails for the whole day. We look for the Puvel’s Illadopsis and Nahan’s Francolin and many more.

Day 22 & 23: Birding in Mabira forest.

This is the biggest forest reserve closest to the city center and it boosts of a 315 bird species record with 74 of the 144 species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome that occur in Uganda

Search for Nahan’s Francolin which is an IUCN Red list’ endangered species, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, White-spotted Flufftail, Afep Pigeon, Grey Parrot, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black-shouldered Nightjar, and many more. Later transfer to Entebbe.

Day 24: End of the 24 Days Best Uganda Safari – Wildlife Tour, Gorilla Trekking, Primates Adventure, and Cultural Encounters

Safari Inclusions and Exclusions

The safari package includes

• Gorilla permit
• Park Entrance fees
• 4×4 Land Cruiser or Safari Van for ground travel
• Service of professional English-speaking guide
• Boat ride
• Game viewing
• Bottled water on tour

The safari package excludes

• Tips
• Laundry
• Visa fees
• Optional activities
• Air tickets
• Shopping
• Cigarettes
• Telephone bills