12 Days Uganda Birding and Wildlife Safari
The 12 days birding and wildlife safari in Uganda allows you to see the big five animals, such as lions, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes and elephants, moving around in Uganda’s conservation zones, as well as encounter the endangered mountain gorillas in the lush tropical woods, as well as bird species.
Highlights
Day 1: Transfer to Mabamba and later to Lake Mburo National Park.
Day 2: Morning boat cruise and birding
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Birdwatching and boat cruise
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 8: Birding and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 9: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 10: Game drive
Day 11: Delta cruise and transfer to Masindi
Day 12: Birding the Royal Mile and departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer To Mabamba And Later To Lake Mburo
Depending on your arrival, the safari guide will meet you and brief you about this Uganda safari. After the briefing, you will head to Mabamba Swamp, where you will spot bird species such as the shoebill, lesser jacana, common moorhen, papyrus gonolek and malachite kingfisher, among others.
After the birdwatching, you will have lunch and embark on the journey to Lake Mburo National Park with a stopover at the equator for photography as well as to buy souvenirs. After, you will proceed to the national park, and on arrival, you will check into your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Morning Boat Cruise And Birding
In the morning after breakfast, you will go for a morning boat cruise on Lake Mburo, and you will spot birds like the white-backed night heron, African fish eagle, African darter and African finfoot, among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will have a birdwatching experience within the park, and the most sought-after bird species is the red-faced barbet, and many more. After the birdwatching session, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After morning breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and embark on the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a stopover at Neck, where you will see many bird species such as the strip-breasted tit, bar-tailed trogon, black bee-eater and Grauer’s broadbill, among others.
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi
After having breakfast, you will head to the park’s headquarters for a briefing. After the briefing, you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and be grouped in groups of 8 individuals. After, you will enter the forest in search of the mountain gorillas. The gorilla trek takes 6 to 7 hours, depending on the movements of the Uganda gorillas, and once they are located, you will spend an hour with them as you watch them do their day-to-day activities.
After the trek, you will return to the park headquarters, where you will be awarded a certificate and later return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer To Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha sector, where you will spot the tree-climbing lions as well as bird species such as the saddle-billed stork, black-chested snake eagle, and sulphur-breasted bush shrike, among others.
After, you will proceed to the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth, and on arrival, you will check into your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Bird Watching And Boat Cruise
In the morning after breakfast, you will go for a birdwatching game drive, and you will see birds such as the crested francolin, yellow-throated longclaw, Senegal plover, Terek’s courser and grey-backed fiscal. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will head for a boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel, and you will spot water birds as well as wildlife species drinking water, such as buffaloes, elephants and waterbucks, and bird species such as African skimmer, white-winged tern and great white pelican
Day 7: Transfer To Kibale National Park
After an early morning breakfast, you will embark on a journey to Kibale National Park with stopovers at the crater lakes. On arrival, you will check into your lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will head for an afternoon chimpanzee trek within the forest. The trek takes 4 to 5 hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees.
Once they are located, you will spend an hour with them as you watch them carry out their day-to-day activities. While doing the chimpanzee trekking, you will be able to spot several bird species such as the Narina trogon, African crowned eagle and Cameroon sombre, as well as other primate species. After the trek, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 8: Birding And Bigodi Swamp Walk
After having breakfast, you will go birding in the forest. While birding, you will spot birds such as the yellow-spotted barbet, hairy-breasted barbet, western nicator, and white-tailed ant-thrush, among others. After the birdwatching experience, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will have a guided nature walk to Bigodi Swamp, where you will spot more primates as well as various bird species, such as the blue-shouldered robin-chat, yellow-billed barbet and vanga flycatcher, among others. After the walk, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 9: Transfer To Murchison Falls National Park
In the morning after breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and embark on the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The journey takes the whole day, and while on the way, you will spot birds like the black-bellied bustard, striped kingfisher, woodland kingfisher and bronze mannikin, among others. On arrival, you will check into your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 10: Game Drive And Afternoon Boat Cruise
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will head to the park for a game drive where you will spot wildlife species as well as birds such as the short-tailed eagle, white-chinned prinia, brown-chested snake-eagle, and red-fronted weaver, among others. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an afternoon boat cruise on the River Nile at the bottom of the falls. You will be able to spot animals and bird species. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 11: Delta Cruise And Transfer To Masindi
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and head to the delta for a boat cruise, and you will spot bird species such as the goliath heron, the purple heron and the rare shoebill. After the boat cruise, you will head to Budongo Forest, where you will pass through the top of the falls for a bird-viewing experience with an en route lunch and later check in at Masindi. On arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 12: Birding At the Royal Mile And Departure
In the morning after breakfast, you will head to the Royal Mile, where you will search for birds such as the rufous-crowned eremomela, chestnut-capped flycatcher, dwarf kingfisher, and Cassin’s hawk-eagle, among others. After the birding experience, you will have lunch and later embark on the journey back to Kampala.
On arrival, you will be dropped off at Entebbe airport for your flight back home or to any place of your choice.
End of 12 Days Birding and Wildlife Safari
Safari Includes
- Park entrance fees
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Boat cruise fees
- Gorilla trekking permit
- An experienced English-speaking guide
- Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Accommodation and meals
- All activities on the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water
Safari Excludes
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Optional activities
- Life insurance
