7 Days Birding in Uganda

On this 7-day birding adventure you will visit the most popular birding destinations in Uganda, a bird lover’s paradise with our 1,075 species. Your adventure starts at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center where a great variety of birds roam and nest.

Day 1: Birding at UWEC

After an early breakfast, your safari guide will drive you from your hotel to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC). The site of the former Entebbe Zoo, it is currently an educational, research, rescue and veterinary center that has attracted more than 170 bird species including several weavers such as the rare northern masked weaver, the grosbeak, the golden-backed, the baglafecht, the northern brown-throated and the black-necked. There are also numerous flycatchers’ species that pass through including the red-bellied, the African paradise, the crested shrike, the swamp and many more. Some of the many raptors you may encounter are the gabar goshawk, the banded snake-eagle, the shikra and the African hobby.

From the UWEC, you will travel on to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens for another birding experience and a relaxing lunch, following which you will have late-afternoon visit to the sewage lagoon before returning to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: K Hotels Entebbe (luxury) / Protea Hotel Entebbe (midrange) / Airport Link Guest House (budget)

Day 2: Entebbe Botanical Gardens and Lutembe Bay

After an early breakfast, your guide will drive you to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens for a return visit, when you will get to observe the morning avian activity. Among possible sightings are: short-toed snake-eagle, brown crowned tchagra, moustached warbler, violet-backed starlings, black cuckooshrike, red-shouldered cuckooshrike, yellow-billed shrike, brown twin spot, great sparrow hawk and many more.

You will then have a leisurely lunch at Lutembe Beach before embarking on a boat ride on Lake Victoria in search of such species as the papyrus canary, white-winged black tern, papyrus gonolek and many more. No doubt you will encounter thousands of grey-headed gulls. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: K Hotels Entebbe (luxury) / Protea Hotel Entebbe (midrange) / Airport Link Guest House (budget)

Day 3: Birding in Mabamba Swamp

Following an early breakfast, your guide will drive you to the Mabamba Swamp, famed for its five shoebill storks. Travel through the swamp is by a small poled wooden skiff, perfect for navigating these marshes. Some of the species that you may encounter in the swamp include: squacco heron, African rail, long-toed plover, grey- and black-headed heron, pygmy goose, yellow-billed duck, lesser jacana, white-faced whistling duck, Allen’s gallinule, black crake among so many more. Also present in the swamp and surrounding shore is the amphibious sitatunga antelope. You will then head for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Prior to returning to your hotel, you may spot papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, yellow-crowned bishop, Weyns’s weaver and many others on the boat back to Entebbe. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Accommodation: K Hotels Entebbe (luxury) / Protea Hotel Entebbe (midrange) / Airport Link Guest House (budget)

Day 4: Birding in Mabira Forest

Following an early breakfast, you will be driven to the Mabira Forest. Uganda’s largest rainforest, situated approximately 90 km from Entebbe. it is home to 315 bird species, as well as roughly 300 butterfly and moth species. Easy to spot are the beautiful great blue turaco and the African grey parrot. You can also expect to encounter yellow-whiskered and toro greenbul, leaflove, buff-spotted woodpeckers, white-spotted flufftail, red-headed bluebill, yellow-spotted and grey-throated barbets, forest robin, Weyns’s weavers and so many more. Whenever you are ready for a picnic lunch, just let your guide know. Afterward, you will then continue birding through the late afternoon before returning to your lodge. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Accommodation: Rainforest Lodge (luxury) / Griffin Falls Camp (budget)

Day 5: Lake Mburo National Park

Following an early breakfast and check out, your guide will drive you to Lake Mburo National Park, which is situare in western Uganda, approximately 5 to 6 hours from Mabira forest. You will have a brief stop at the equator for a photo-op. Upon arriving at Lake Mburo National Park, home to more than 310 bird species, you will enter through the Nshara gate where your birding adventure will immediately begin. Some of the species you may find are: common scimitarbill, emerald-spotted wood dove, bare-faced go-away-bird, crested francolin, green wood hoopoe, lilac-breasted roller, spot-flanked barbet, trilling cisticola, greater blue-eared starling, African grey hornbill, brown-headed parrot and many others.

After a break for lunch at the Rwonyo Restaurant, your guide will take you on a game drive along the Zebra Track where you may encounter such species as: coqui francolin, black-bellied bustard, Temminck’s courser, African wattled lapwing, rufous-naped lark, rufous-chested swallow, flappet lark, among others. As evening approaches, be sure to keep an eye out for the elusive leopard and other nocturnal species. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge (luxury) / Arcadia Cottages (midrange) / Rwakobo Rock (budget)

Day 6: Nature walk and boat cruise.

Following an early breakfast, you will go on a nature walk during which you can expect to spot many wetland and savanna bird species, as well as the local grazers such as impalas. You will then return to your lodge for lunch after which you will head for a boat cruise on the lake to look for more bird sightings especially the water birds, you will also get a chance to see animals such as crocodiles and hippos. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Accommodation: Mihingo lodge (luxury) / Arcadia Cottages (midrange) / Rwakobo Rock (budget)

Day 7: Game viewing and birding on the Lakeside Track

Following an early wake up and before breakfast, your guide will take you on an early-morning drive along the Lakeside Track where you will get to view more aquatic species of Lake Mburo. These may include: white-winged warbler, papyrus gonolek, papyrus yellow warbler, lesser and greater swamp warblers, as well as the elusive shoebill stork and the stunning blue-headed coucal. Continuing toward the lakeside campground among other species that you may spot are the African darter, African rail, African finfoot and spur-winged lapwings.

Following a return to your lodge for a mid-morning breakfast and check out, your guide will drive you to Entebbe or Kampala, as per your plans. Lunch enroute at the equator

End of trip.

Trip includes:

• Accommodation and meals as per the Safari itinerary

• Safari 4x4 vehicle

• Drinking water

• Airport or hotel transfer on the first and last day

• Driver/Tour guide

• Fuel for the entire trip

• All park entrance fees

• Hand sanitizer

Trip excludes:

• International and/or internal flights

• Visa

• Tips

• Food and beverages not otherwise indicated

• Laundry