Safari overview
The 9 Days bird watching safari in Uganda offers you a great opportunity to sight and identify a range of bird species that make Uganda a bird watcher’s paradise.
Your Uganda birding safari covers the best destinations including Kibale Forest National Park (with 375 bird species), Queen Elizabeth (620 bird species), Bwindi, Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mburo National Park. The 9 days bird watching safari in Uganda starts and ends in Kampala.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Bird watching safari to Kibale Forest National Park
Have a hefty breakfast, after, meet your birding tour guide/leader to get briefed about your birding expedition in Uganda for 9 days/8nights. After, travel to your first birding site that will be Kibale National Park which houses over 375 bird species, 13 primate species, colorful butterfly species.
Kampala to Kibale bird watching trip covers about 5-6 hours, move via Mityana, Mubende, Fort Portal for en-route lunch stopover. After, connect to your birding destination-Kibale Forest for overnight stay in a lodge.
Day 2: Birding in Kibale & drive to Queen Elizabeth N/Park
Wake up early, enjoy your cup of coffee/tea and set off as early as 6:00am to look for the endemic African green breasted pitta in Kibale Forest.
Along the way, spot over diverse bird species including the Cassin’s spine tails, Honey guide, Pale breasted & brown illadopsis, Red tailed ant thrush skulk, Slender billed, Yellow crested woodpecker, Rufous crowned eremomela, Yellow billed barbet, Green crombec, Western back headed oriole, Speckled tinker bird etc.
After the morning bird watching experience, connect to the lodge for lunch and later, chimpanzee tracking in the afternoon. A total of about 1500 chimpanzees reside within Kibale Forest, 795sq.kms conservancy area and different other primates including L’Hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, vervet moneys. The 2:00pm Kibale round chimp trek will take you from 2-4 hours and it includes 1 hour for you to observe chimpanzee community in their natural environment.
Day 3: Bird watching trip to Queen Elizabeth NP
Leave Kibale National Park after breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park 3-4 hours’ drive for yet another remarkable birding expedition.
Pass via Fort Portal City, head to Kasese while viewing the scenic Rwenzori Mountains, tea plantations en-route. After lunch in your lodge, go for the 2:00pm boat cruise on Kazinga channel which joins Lake George & Lake Edward. Navigating along the 43kms Kazinga channel will reward you with wonderful sight of aquatic birds and in addition, Crocodiles, Hippos etc.
Day 4: Queen Elizabeth NP-Bwindi, birding & gorilla trekking
Have breakfast and after, Bwindi National Park will be your next place to stop at on this 9 days bird watching safari in Uganda. Drive for 3 to 4 hours via exceptional Western rift valley, Southern side of Queen Elizabeth NP Ishasha Area to look out for tree climbing lions and a range of bird species.
Get to Bwindi early and enjoy an en-route bird watching expedition while sighting birds like Buff-throated apalis, Africa dwarf kingfishers, White & grey headed negro finches, Yellow browed camaroptera, Grey parrots, African emerald, Yellow crested woodpeckers etc.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking/tracking Bwindi, Uganda
Following your early breakfast on the 5th days of the 9 days bird watching safari in Uganda, get briefed on rules for gorilla trekking at Bwindi safari park offices. For today’s activity, bring with you a bottled water, snacks, gardening gloves, insect repellent etc. After you have been briefed and allocated to a mountain gorilla group from any of Bwindi’s 4 regions/sectors; Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga.
You can’t predict how long your trek will take but it often covers 2 to 6 hours, including 1 hour of observing them grooming each other, feeding habits, copulating etc. Walk back from Bwindi jungle to have lunch and in case time permits, visit the Batwa pygmies in their communities.
Day 6: Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi-birding trip
Early breakfast and after, drive up to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale, Southwestern Uganda. On your way, conduct a bird watching tour around Bwindi forest, & Ruhija then lunch in Kabale. Relax in the evening at Lake Bunyonyi scenic shores, notably, Africa’s 2nd deepest lake.
Day 7: Boat ride & Lake Mburo bird watching safari in Uganda
Morning breakfast, after, leave your lodge for boat ride to Lake Bunyonyi’s islands to enjoy sight of birds. The important birds not to spotting include Water thick knee, African skimmer, African spoonbill, Plain martin lesser swamp warbler, Grey headed gull, Common sandpiper, Yellow bellied ox peckers. After bird watching, return to have a leisurely lunch and drive to Lake Mburo your next birding destination in Uganda.
Day 8: Game drive, birding in Lake Mburo NP
Have breakfast, after, commence your 2-3 game drive which incorporates bird sightings. The notable animal sightings range from Topis, Impalas, Elands, Zebras, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Water bucks, Elephants and birds to expect to come across include white backed scrub robin, water thick knee, Ruppel’s long tailed starling, black headed oriole, Senegal lapwing, white browed coucal, Tawny eagle, bee eaters.
A diversity of birds at Lake Mburo NP in Uganda will be spotted on a game drive and a boat cruise.
Day 9: Lake Mburo NP to Kampala-End of bird watching safari
Have breakfast early and after, enjoy a brief morning guided tour walk to spot more birds and mammals at Lake Mburo NP.
After, drive back but have photography and relaxation at Equator in Kayabwe. End of 9 days bird watching safari in Uganda.