Overview
Uganda is a birding haven for keen birders. 5-Day Uganda Birding Safari takes you to see different many bird species. Uganda boasts of more than ten thousand bird species including the endangered shoebill stork. This five-day safari will highlight the most crucial sites to spot most of the sought-after birds like the pitta, the African finfoot, to mention but a few.
Day 1: Arrival at the Airport
On arrival, you shall be welcomed by your driver-guide and drive to Mabamba wetlands where we will be paddled in a canoe through the swamp looking for the mighty shoebill and other birds like white-winged warbler, Carruthers cisticola, papyrus gonolek, saddle-billed stork, African pygmy goose, lesser jacana, common squacco, purple and goliath herons, yellow-billed egret, white-faced whistling duck, yellow-billed duck, Hottentot teal, African fish eagle, black crake, African jacana, long-toed plover, grey-headed gull, gull-billed and white-winged terns, malachite and pied kingfishers, blue-breasted bee-eater, cape wagtail, swamp flycatcher, winding cisticola, red-chested sunbird, fan-tailed widowbird, Senegal plover, Madagascar bee-eater, grey-rumped swallow. Later transfer to Masindi. Dinner and overnight at Masindi hotel.
Main Destination: Masindi (Town)
Accommodation: Masindi Hotel
Mid-range hotel located in or near Masindi
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
Day 2: Birding the Royal Mile
After breakfast, proceed to bird at Royale mile for the new birds, coming back in time for lunch. After lunch, drive back for afternoon birding. Look out for species like Cassin’s hawk-eagle, Nahan’s francolin, black-collared lovebird, Cassin’s and sabine’s spine tails, chocolate-backed, blue breasted and African dwarf kingfishers, piping hornbill, red-sided broadbill, green-breasted pitta, spotted greenbul, fire-crested alethe, black-capped apalis, brown-crowned eremomela, grey and yellow longbills, lemon-bellied crombec, yellow-footed flycatcher, Ituri batis, Jameson’s wattle-eye, chestnut-capped flycatcher, brown twinspot and grey-headed olive-back. Dinner and overnight at Budongo Eco-Lodge.
Main Destination: Budongo Forest (Chimps)
Accommodation: Budongo Eco Lodge
Budget lodge located inside Budongo Forest
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
Day 3: Birding in Kaniyo Pabidi – Murchison Falls NP
Bird Kaniyo Pabidi in search of the Puvell’s Illadopsis and many other bird species and later transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls is one of the Ugandan parks that boasts the largest numbers of the Big Five, like elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo, as well as a lot of other game. Dinner and overnight at Murchison River Lodge.
Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
Day 4: Morning game drive, afternoon boat trip to the bottom of the Falls
After breakfast, we will head for a game drive around the park where a large number of games will be viewed like giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, impalas, and many more.
Our key species in Murchison will be shoebill, secretary bird, bat hawk, red-necked falcon, Heuglin’s francolin, Denham’s bustard, Senegal thick-knee, rock pratincole, black-headed plover, African skimmer, bruce’s green pegion, vinaceous dove, white-crested turaco, long-tailed/pennant-winged and standard winged nightjars, red-throated, swallow-tailed and carmine bee-eaters, Abyssinian roller, black scimitarbill, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black-billed barbet, brown-backed woodpecker, spotted morning thrush, white-fronted black chat, silver bird, singing, foxy and black-backed cisticolas. Later return to the lodge. Dinner and overnight as above.
Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Non-alcoholic drinks
Day 5: Morning top of the falls, afternoon transfer back to the airport
After early morning breakfast, we shall drive to the top of the falls birding en route to have a glance at the mighty waters of the falls. Later you will drive back to Entebbe for your evening return flight, and have lunch on the way.
Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Non-alcoholic drinks
End of tour
Included
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Excluded
- International flights (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- The government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fee
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