BIRD WATCHING AND WILDLIFE HOLIDAY IN UGANDA.

Tour At-A-Glance;
Length: 14 days
Best time of year:All year round.
Key Sites:Buhoma, Ruhiija, Nkuringo and Bishaaga.

Overview
This specialized tour demonstrates exactly how Uganda is 'Gifted by Nature.' This 17 day holiday escorts you through Uganda's top bird-watching and wildlife destinations with the help of a superior network of site guides. Our experienced tour leaders will guide you through the beautiful, rugged, and biologically diverse Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, Semliki and Kibale forests, as well as Africa's best Shoebill location, the Mabamba Wetland. Each night you will rest comfortably mid to top luxurious accommodations, strategically located to optimize the birding potential.

ITINERARY:

Day 1: Arrival
Upon arrival you will be met by one of our professional guides and transferred to your hotel of choice. Depending on the time of arrival, we may start our holiday with bird watching around Lake Victoria shores.

Stay in Lake Victoria Hotel, Lindsay Cottages or Entebbe Travellers' Inn.

Day 2 Bird watching tour to Mabamba Bay.
Today we visit Mabamba Village and its adjacent swamp, a labyrinth of channels and lagoons located about 52 km from Kampala. The road to Mabamba winds its way through areas of secondary forest and agricultural land attracting Red-headed Lovebird, African Crowned-Hornbills, and a range of sunbirds including the Green-headed, Green, Red-chested, Collared, Marico and Scarlet-chested. We shall stop over at Mpigi Swamp to look out for the Papyrus Gonolek and the White-winged Warbler. The road ultimately ends at a papyrus reedbed adjoining Lake Victoria, where we will explore by canoe a maze of channels and mudflats for a reliable resident, the majestic Shoebill. Although sightings can never be guaranteed, we should have a very good chance of seeing this magnificent bird.

Mabamba also offers a large selection of other species which might include African Pygmy Goose, the rare Lesser Jacana, Carruthers' Cisticola, African Fish Eagle, Winding Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, etc. The rare and elusive Sitatunga Antelope also occurs here but it is very shy and rarely seen. We also expect to encounter the Spot-necked Otter in one of the channels that we shall paddle through.

Stay in Lindsay Cottages, Metropole Hotel or Africana Hotel.

Day 3-5: Bird watching to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After an early morning breakfast we begin the long drive to the renowned Queen Elizabeth National Park, stopping to bird watch along the way.

Spanning the equator is the vast Queen Elizabeth National Park boasting impressive crater lake scenery, expansive grasslands, papyrus swamps and tropical forests, huge herds of Elephant and Buffalo, Lions, Leopards, and a diverse array of birds. It contains Uganda's best game populations as well as some of Uganda's best bird watching, an incredible bird list of 610 species and an overwhelming record of 296 species in a single day, the highest in Africa!

The boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which links Lakes George and Edward, is one of the most productive birding excursions on the planet. Depending on time of arrival, some late afternoon birding might produce African Morning Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed, Yellow-backed and Lesser-masked Weavers, Pin-tailed Whydah and Black-winged Pratincole. We will spend amazing 3 nights in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The following day, we have an early start on a bird watching and game drive in the park towards the Kasenyi trail. The drive takes us through a productive area of grassy plains, which support large flocks of a variety of stork species including the Spectacular Saddle-billed and Woolly necked Storks. Other species include the Bateleur, Grey Kestrel, Lappet-faced, Ruppell's Griffon, White-backed and Palm-nut Vultures, African Crake, Black Coucal, Common Button, Harlequin and Black-rumped Quails, Red-necked Spurfowl, Rufous-naped and Flappet Larks. Common mammals include Uganda Kob, Lion, Warthog, Bush Buck, Deffassa Waterbuck, Spotted Hyena, Leopard and many others.

In the afternoon we take a launch tour of the Kazinga Channel which is a natural magnet for herds of Elephant, Giant Forest Hog, Buffalo, and the abundant Hippopotamus. Birding here is excellent with great photographic opportunities. We might be blessed with congregations of African Skimmers, Great-white and Pink-backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Open-billed Stork, African Skimmer, White-faced Whistling Duck, Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Malachite Kingfisher, African Jacana, African Wattled Plover, etc.

The following day, we bird to Maramagambo Forest following the main trail. We shall visit the Blue Lake and Bat Cave where we expect to see a Rock Python that found refuge in the Cave, and feasts on the Bats for breakfast, lunch and supper! Special birds of this forest include Narina Trogon, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Black Bee-eater, Grey-headed Kingfisher and White-breasted Negrofinch.

Late in the afternoon we will visit the spectacular Kyambura Gorge: a unique, deep and isolated chasm in the plains, where dense riverine forest offers a good selection of forest birds like the Red-fronted Tinkerbird, the beautiful and sought-after Black Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Grey woodpecker, etc.

Stay in Mweya Safari Lodge, Mweya Hostel or Kingfisher Resort for 3 nights.

Day 6-7: Bird watching and Wildlife tour to Rwenzori Mountains.
On this day, we set out bird watching to the Rwenzoris Mountains. The Rwenzoris are believed to be the legendary snow-capped Mountains of the Moon, described by Ptolemy in AD150. Reaching an elevation of 5,109m, it is also Africa's tallest mountain range, exceeded in altitude only by the free-standing Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. There are a variety of birds and large mammals inhabiting the lower slopes, but the Rwenzoris are even more outstanding for their magnificent scenery and varied vegetation.

With a record of 217 bird species in the park, 18 restricted-range species and Albertine endemics, the park rates among the best bird watching hotspots in Uganda. A few specialties include some rare and spectacular birds like the Rwenzori Turacco, Bamboo Warbler, Golden-winged Sunbird, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird and Stuhlmann's Double-collared Olive-back. Depending on informed advice from the local site guides, we shall explore one of the trails that lead through the rainforest rattling with monkeys and birds; we may choose to go back the next day to further scout the area.

Stay in Kasese town for 2 nights.

Day 8-9: Bird watching safari to Semliki National Park.
This is one of Uganda's newest national parks, rated as one of the richest areas for both flora and fauna in Africa (especially for birds). Semliki National Park is situated in a remote corner in the extreme west of Uganda, in Bundibugyo District. It lies on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo border within the western arm of the East African Rift Valley. The park is an eastern extension of the vast Ituri Forest and forms part of the forest continuum during the climatic upheavals of the Pleistocene. The Park is about 50km from Fort Portal town which will take us two to three hours drive on the rough road towards Bundibugyo.

Semliki Forest represents the only example of Congo-Basin vegetation in Uganda. A large number of Guinea-Congo biome species reach their eastern limits here, which is one of the richest for forest birds in the country. Key species here include: Piping Hornbill, Capuchin Babbler, Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Black-wattled Hornbill, Nkulengu Rail, Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Crested and Red-billed Malimbe.

Stay in Semliki Safari Lodge or Vanilla Hotel.

Day 10-11: Bird Watching and Wildlife safari to Kibale Forest.
Kibale Forest National Park protects a diverse array of primates, from the minuscule, nocturnal Demidoff's Galago to our closest living relative, the Chimpanzee. Here we will take expeditions to observe the Chimps and many other species of primates and birds. We have a chance of birding the main road or one of the trails in the forest. We might come across the African Emerald Cuckoo, Purple-headed Starling, Black-billed Turacco, Yellow-billed Barbet, Grey-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Roller, Narrow-tailed Starling, Western Black-headed Oriole, Yellow-throated and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds.

The next day, we wake up very early and assemble for briefing prior to Chimpanzee Tracking and thereafter enter the forest to look for our cousins, the Chimps. The activity takes 1 to 5 hours. In the afternoon, we may choose to go bird watching in Bigodi Wetland or take one of the trails in the Park to look for the stunning Green-breasted Pitta, Fire-crested Alethe, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, colourful butterflies and other species of primates.

Day 12-13: Bird Watching and Wildlife holiday to Murchison Falls National Park.
Today we leave early for Murchison Falls National Park. This is a rather longer drive but there are a few birding spots along the way.

The name of the park was derived from the incredible Murchison Falls, where the Nile is forced through a 6-meter gap, forming the most powerful water surge on the planet. A boat cruise on the calmer stretches will allow us to watch and photograph the birds and the large animals which throng the banks, and we may have chances of finding the world's most peculiar bird, the Shoebill. We will also explore the park's broad-leaved woodland, dry grasslands, and forests, including nocturnal expeditions to find the unrivaled Standard-winged Nightjar.

The next day we start early with packed lunch and take a boat trip birding to the bottom of the falls. Later this morning, we continue birding to the delta on a game drive. We relax later in the day and may opt for an evening drive for nightjars.

Stay in Paraa Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge or Red Chilli.

Day 14-15: Bird watching safari to Budongo Forest.
On this day, we set off early driving towards Budongo Forest Reserve in Masindi. We go birding along the escarpment overlooking Lake Albert. This forest is part of Murchison Falls Conservation Area and is the largest natural forest in Uganda and East Africa as a whole. It lies on the escarpment northeast of Lake Albert. It consists of a medium-altitude, moist, semi-deciduous forest, with areas of savanna and woodland. The reserve occupies gently undulating terrain, with a general slope north-northwest towards the Rift Valley.

Specialties in Budongo Forest include among others; Sabine's spine tail, Cassin's Spine-tail(rare), Pygmy Crakes, Kingfishers (Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted, African Dwarf), White-spotted Fluff tail, Ituri Batis, Puvell's Illadopsis, Brown Twin-spot, Cameroon Somber Greenbul, Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Crowned Eagle, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Forest Robin, Little Green Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Olive Green Camaroptera.

The following day, we will be at Budongo's famous Royal Mile by early morning - a wide forestry track considered by many to be the country's premier forest birding locality. This is the best place in Uganda for Nahan's Francolin, Cassin's Spinetail, and Chestnut-capped Flycatcher. Here we will find many confusing forest greenbuls to test us, including Spotted, Xavier's, White-throated, Red-tailed & Honeyguide Greenbuls. Canopy flocks support Yellow-mantled Weaver, Rufous Thrush and Uganda Woodland-Warbler. Undergrowth alongside the track holds numerous skulkers including Scaly-breasted, Brown & Pale-breasted Illadopses, Fire-crested Alethe, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Yellow Longbill and Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher. We will keep an eye on any openings in the forest canopy as Cassin's and Crowned Hawk-eagles, Cassin's and Sabine's spinetails, and White-throated Bee-eater are all possible. The area around the Park Headquarters is the only site in East Africa for the elusive canopy-dwelling Ituri Batis. In the afternoon, we transfer to the Busingiro section of the forest for yet another awesome bird-watching session.

Stay in Masindi Hotel or Court View Hotel.

Day 16: Travel to Kampala / Entebbe.
On this day, we go bird watching to Entebbe as we wind up our Uganda bird watching and wildlife holiday. Stay in Entebbe Travellers' Inn, Sophie's Motel or Lake Victoria Hotel.

Day 17: End of holiday / Departure.