A 10 DAY BIRDING
SAFARI
Day 1
Your Safari guide will meet you at Entebbe International airport
and drive you to the Botanical gardens for a half day birding
watching. You will then depart for Lake Mburo National Park.
Lake Mburo National Park is an extension of the Tanzanian
plans with big herds of zebra, impala, eland and other ungulates
(cloven hoofed animals). More than 310 bird species have been
recorded in the park. It is probably the best place in Uganda
to see acacia-associated birds - mosque swallows black-bellied
bustard, bare-faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long-tailed
sterling. Also of special interest to birders are the swamps:
six so-called papyrus endemics occur here.
These include papyrus gonalek and the highly localized papyrus
yellow warbler; the latter recorded nowhere else in Uganda.
We will drive the Lakeside Track and Kigambira Loop to look
for savanna and Acacia woodland species including Blue-naped
Mouse bird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Northern
Black Tit, Red-headed Lovebird, Green-capped Eremomela, Ross’
Touraco and the highly sought-after Red-faced Barbet. You
will be staying at Mantana Lake Mburo Tented Camp which comprises
of fully furnished Batian tents with verandah and en-suite
bathroom. Relax for a little while before going in a dug out
canoe on the lake or going for an early evening game drive.
Overnight at a luxurious Mantana tented Camp/Budget Rwonyo
Camp (FB).
Day 2
After breakfast, we will take a forest walk in Rubango forest.
This offers a variety of habitats, conducive for birds thereby
making it a very attractive place for bird watchers. There
are over 40 species of birds recorded in Rubanga, 5 of which
are forest specialist’. Some of the common species are
the harrier hawk, green pigeon, narina trogn, Grey-backed
cameroptera and double-toothed barbet. The forest, though
small is a real high forest with closed canopy.
Return to the lodge for Lunch which after we will depart
Lake Mburo towards Volcanoes Mgahinga Camp on our way to Bwindi
Ruhija Tomorrow.
Overnight at a luxurious Volcanoes Mgahinga/Budget Rwonyo
Camp (Full Board).
Day 3
Rise very early for a day of Birding in the Ruhija area. Bird
life and primate life in Bwindi is quite superb, and there
is an incredible variety of flora. Bwindi is the Bird watchers
haven! It holds 348 species of birds and supports 24 of 26
Albertine Rift Endemics that occur in Uganda; and seven red
data book species. Once continuous with the forests of the
Virunga Volcanoes (Dian Fossey’s stomping ground), Bwindi
is now an ecological island, surrounded by cultivation on
the rich volcanic soils.
In the afternoon we will depart for Buhoma Village from the
other side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We will be stopping
en-route to the productive sites for watching birds. We will
be arriving to Buhoma afternoon.
Overnight at a luxurious Gorilla Resort/Buhoma Community
Bandas (Full Board)
Day 4
This morning you will discover the forest trails;
The River Ivy trail is by far the longest in the park and
will occupy you for a full day. It is highly recommended for
bird watchers.
The Munyaga river trail is ideal for a short walk. Here you
can see birds and primates of the forest edge. The popular
waterfall trail provides an attractive feature of the forest
with a profusion of tree ferns, orchids and Bwindi’s
colorful array of butterflies. This trail which leads to three
delightful crystal clear waterfalls typifies your impression
of a tropical rainforest.
The Rushura trail commands expansive views across the Western
Rift Valley floor. To the west, Congo’s Park Nationale
des Virungus provides a spectacular backdrop, and on a clear
day Lake Edward and the Rwenzori Mountains are visible.
The 5.2km Muzabajiro Loop trail offers breath taking views
of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the Western Rift Valley and
the Virungas. On the way, you witness hundreds of pre-historic
tree ferns. The top of the trail is a great place for a picnic
lunch.
Overnight at a luxurious Gorilla Resort/Buhoma Community
Bandas (Full Board)
Day 5
Rise early for another short walk along the Impressive diversity
of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, return to the Lodge for a luxurious
breakfast which after you will depart to Queen Elizabeth National
park.
We will drive direct to Mweya Lodge, stopping birding along
the way. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most
popular park and host to a large variety and volume of wildlife.
There are over 560 species of bird found here including the
martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, Verreaux’s
eagle owl and African skimmer.
We will arrive to the Mweya Safari Lodge in afternoon and
have a relaxed evening watching the beautiful sunset.
Overnight at a luxurious Mweya Lodge/budget Institute of
Ecology (FB)
Day 6
An early morning game drive will provide the best opportunity
to see a wealth of animals such as elephant, warthog, lion,
hyena, Uganda kob, waterbuck and bushbuck. Later, a boat trip
will allow you to experience wildlife up close where hippos
huff and spray mere feet away, buffalo linger in the shallows
and a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the
river’s edge. Amongst those you will see are the malachite
and pied kingfishers, great white and pink-backed pelicans
and the open-billed stork.
There is also a Bird Observatory here which was set up with
the aim of studying both migratory and resident birds (February
and March offer spectacular sightings of migrants). Since
its inception in 1997 more new species have been identified,
including Uganda’s first record of bar-tailed godwit.
Overnight at a luxurious Mweya Lodge/budget Institute of Ecology
(FB)
Day 7
Another early start with a packed lunch - we depart for Kibale
National Park. This is a large protected block of rainforest
which offers a very different variety of birds to those already
seen. Take a forest walk and find the fruiting trees which
attract Narina’s trogon, pied hornbill, yellow-spotted,
hairy-breasted and yellow-billed barbets. Kibale also has
the joyful greenbul, which is rare to other Ugandan parks.
The dominant vegetation type of the park is rainforest, interspersed
with patches of grassland and swamp. Roughly 355 bird species
have been recorded in Kibale Forest, including Prigogine’s
ground thrush and four other species not recorded in any other
national park: Nahan’s francolin, Cassin’s spinetail,
blue-headed bee-eater and the masked apalis. Kibale Forest
bird checklist is similar to that of Semliki National park,
but also includes a greater variety of water and grassland
species.
Should there be some time in the afternoon, we will visit
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This guided 4.5km circular trail
through this small sanctuary is a must for birders, but can
be muddy and it is advisable to wear hiking boots. Some of
the birds you are likely to see are: - the great blue touraco,
papyrus gonalek, various barbets, woodpeckers, blue-throated
roller, grey parrot, bronze sunbird, black-crowned waxbill,
grey-backed black finch, swamp flycatcher, red and snowy-headed
robin-chats, grosbeak…and so the list goes on. Needless
to say, birders who have the time will undoubtedly find this
a worthwhile trail.
We will continue on to Ndali Lodge for Dinner. This is a quaint
lodge situated on the edge of a crater lake with views of
the Rwenzori Mountains, from the individual verandas. This
lodge was built by an eccentric British expatriate whose father
owned tea plantations nearby and it has a quirky charm all
of its own.
Overnight at a luxurious Ndali Lodge/budget Rwenzori View
guest house (Full Board).
Day 8
After a relaxed morning in the magical surrounding we will
depart with a packed lunch to Murchison Falls National Park;
this beautiful drive takes approximately 8 hours and will
give you a good insight to the Ugandan way of life. We will
continue on, taking a ferry across to the far bank, to Paraa
Safari Lodge. This lodge is a comfortable, and overlooks the
Victoria Nile with a large swimming pool and all the amenities
you would expect. It is also well situated on the North Bank
of the Nile close to the main wildlife viewing.
Overnight at a luxurious Paraa Safari Lodge/budget Red chili
camp (Full Board)
Day 9
This morning we will take a boat trip downstream to the delta
where abundant water birds can be viewed on the way. We will
return to the lodge for lunch and have some time to relax
before going out for a game drive exploring the many tracks
and trails around Murchison Falls Park. The park HQ at Paraa
holds some excellent species including the Blue-naped Moosebird,
Silver bird, Buff-bellied Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Black-headed
Gonolek, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver and the highly localised
White-rumped Seedeater. The riverine thickets hold Yellow-throated
Leaflove, Red-winged Grey Warbler, White-crested Touraco,
Double-toothed Barbet, Grey Kestrel, Heuglin’s Francolin
and many others. Crossing the Victoria Nile of the ferry,
one might encounter Stanley’s Bustard and Abyssinian
Ground Hornbill. The grasslands support Bar-breasted Fire
finch, Fawn-breasted, Black-faced and Black-rumped Waxbills.
Overnight at a luxurious Paraa Safari Lodge/budget Red chili
camp (Full Board)
Day 10
Another early morning on the boat, for another birding day
at the Delta. With a packed lunch we will depart back to Kampala.
En-route to the Lodge we will drive to the top of Murchison
Falls - here you will appreciate the awesome power of the
Nile as it thunders through a small 8 meter gap, dropping
40metres to the bottom. Once out of the park this drive will
take you approximately 5 hours. You will stop to fresh up
in the hotel before your guide transfers you to Entebbe Airport
for your flight back home.
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