Arrival and Birding at Mabamba Swamp (Shoe bill search trip).

Entebbe Botanic Gardens - Upon arriving at Entebbe International Airport, depending on the time of arrival, you will head to Mabamba swamp for bird watching, where both forest and lakeshore birds can be seen. Initial bird sightings may include the Eastern Gray Plantain-eater, African Pied Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling, Orange Weaver, Slender-billed, Hadada Ibis, and Great White Egrets. The main focus of this trip will be to spot the Shoebill Stork. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.

Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park-Evening game drive

Murchison Falls National Park - After breakfast, we will transfer to Masindi, having lunch en route via the Luwero triangle, passing through rolling grasslands and mosaic woodlands. Target bird species here include the White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, Lesser Blue and Great Blue Eared Starlings, Black, Yellow Mantled and Black Winged Bishops, White Headed Barbet, Cardinal and Nubian Woodpecker, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide, Saddle Billed Rufous Bellied Heron, Banded Snake Eagle, Eastern Chanting Goshawk, and many more. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge Midrange: Parkside Safari Lodge Budget: Redchilli Rest Camp

Murchison Falls National Park - A highlight of the visit to Murchison Falls includes a game drive to search for big game and birds in the park. Mammals such as Rothschild’s Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Elephant, and Waterbuck may be seen. Enjoy a boat trip to the bottom of the falls followed by a hike to the top, where your driver will pick you up and transfer you to Bundongo for an evening birding experience. If lucky, you might spot the rare Nightjar! Other birds to look out for include the Saddle-billed, Yellow Billed, and African Open Billed Stork, African Finfoot, Hauglins Falcon, Senegal Thick-knee, Rock Pratincole, Giant, Woodland, Grey Headed, Malachite, Pygmy, and Striped Kingfishers. On the game drive, look out for Heuglin’s Francolins, Black Billed Barbet, Northern and Red Faced Barbet, Swallow-tailed and Blue-breasted and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Rollers, the giant Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Black Winged and Northern Red Bishops.

Birding Budongo- Royal Mile and Busingiro Transfer to Hoima

Budongo Forest Chimpanzee Tracking - Depart early for the nearby Budongo Forest, birding along the Royal Mile, a spectacular road with a towering forest canopy. The forest has a good system of trails, and today we expect to see skulking birds like the Nahan’s Francolin, noisy White-thighed Hornbill, graceful Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetail, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Forest Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Lemon Bellied Crombec, Tit Hylia, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Forest Robin, Yellow Billed, Grey Throated, Hairy Breasted and Yellow Spotted Barbet, Great Blue and Black Billed Turaco, Dusky Long Tailed Cuckoo, Spotted, Plain, Slender Billed, White Throated, Little Grey and Little Greenbul, Red Tailed Bristlebill, and Black-capped Apalis among others. We will then transfer to Hoima to shorten the next day’s long drive. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Transfer from Hoima to Kibale via Fort Portal-Bigodi swamp walk/birding

Kibale National Park - After breakfast, check out and drive through rolling hills with lush green vegetation to Kibale Forest, with lunch en route in Fort Portal town. Later, check in at the lodge for relaxation and refreshment. In the evening, go for a swamp walk in Bigodi wetland, a Ramsar site rich in birds. Birding in the forest is also rewarding, with possible sightings of White-naped Pigeon, African Gray Parrot, Black Bee-eater, Hairy-breasted, Yellow Spotted and Yellow Billed Barbet, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed, Waller’s and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds, White-collared Oliveback among others. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Kibale National Park – Chimp Tracking and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kibale National Park - After breakfast, report to the UWA headquarters for a briefing, then head into the park for chimp tracking and birding. Kibale is home to 13 species of primates, offering a high chance of seeing chimpanzees. Later, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park for dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Morning game drive and evening boat ride on Kazinga Channel.

Queen Elizabeth National Park - After breakfast, explore Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birds on this drive may include Wahlberg’s, Brown Snake, Short Toed Snake and Martial Eagle, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, African Crake, Hollub’s Golden and Lesser Masked Weavers, Black Coucal, Black Lored and Arrow Marked Babbler, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Copper, Scarlet Chested and Red-chested, Broad Tailed and African Moustached Warbler. Return to the lodge for lunch, then take an afternoon boat ride along the Kazinga Channel, looking out for water birds roosting between Edward and George lakes. Close encounters with large schools of hippos and some crocodiles, along with many migrating species like Gulls and Terns, are possible. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - After an early breakfast, head to Kalinzu Forest for chimpanzee tracking to meet man’s closest cousins in the wild. Have lunch en route, then embark on an exciting road trip to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight at your lodge.

Gorilla Tracking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - After an early breakfast, with packed lunch, assemble at the park headquarters for a briefing about the gorilla tracking activity. The time spent tracking depends on the gorillas’ movements and their interactions with other groups, which might force them to move long distances. Be prepared for a full-day activity. Once found, you will spend an hour observing these gentle giants, an unforgettable wildlife encounter. Later, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, known as the “land of little birds.” Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Birding in Bunyonyi and community walk-A great Photography opportunity

Kabale - Enjoy a birding experience with an experienced local guide. Have lunch and refreshments at the resort. In the evening, take a community walk around Bunyonyi, viewing terraced hills and experiencing the local culture of the Bakiga, Bafumbira, and Batwa pygmies. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park-Evening game drive. (Optional night game drive)

Lake Mburo National Park - After breakfast, transfer to Lake Mburo National Park with lunch at the lodge inside the park. Relax or take an optional nature walk around the lodge or just relax on the verandah. In the evening, go for a game drive to look out for mammals like Zebra, Eland, Topi, Impala, Cape Buffalo, and Warthog. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Morning walk in Lake Mburo- Transfer to Kampala

Lake Mburo National Park - After breakfast, start early in search of special savannah birds like the Yellow Bellied Apalis, Green Capped Eremomela, Buff Bellied Warbler, White Winged Tit, Red Billed Wood Hoopoe, Tabora Cisticola, Red Faced Barbet, and Coqui Francolin. Also look for Bulbul, Sulphur Breasted Bush Shrike, Red Headed Weaver, Green Backed and Uganda Spotted Woodpecker, and African Black Headed Oriole. Have lunch en route or at the lodge, then drive back to Kampala, with a stop at the Equator line for an experiment, arriving in the late evening for relaxation.

Birding Kampala- Mabamba wetland and Entebbe botanical gardens

Entebbe Botanic Gardens - After an early breakfast, go birding at Mabamba swamp in search of the Shoebill, then return to your accommodation for lunch and dinner. The Shoebill is easiest to see in the morning when they hunt for mudfish or frogs, but they can be spotted all day. They may stand still for long periods, waiting for prey, then strike with remarkable speed. Overnight at your hotel.

Kampala city tour (Kabaka’s Palace, Uganda Museum, Martyrs’ shrine, Ndere cultural centre)

Namugongo - After breakfast, your driver guide will take you on a Kampala city tour. The tour begins with a visit to the Kabaka’s Royal Palace at Bulange, including the former torture chambers of Idi Amin. Next, visit the Uganda Museum, which showcases Ugandan history, culture, and more in various galleries. Another highlight is the Martyrs’ Shrine at Namugongo, where you will hear the story of the 22 martyrs who were killed for their Christian faith. Spend the evening at Ndere Cultural Centre, enjoying performances that showcase Uganda’s diverse cultures through music, dance, and drama. Lunch en route, dinner, and overnight at your hotel.

Airport Transfer

Entebbe - After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back home, bidding farewell to the Pearl of Africa.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

• Extra activities out of itinerary