Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.
Murchison falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, it is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area, hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds.The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 320 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked.
Pick up at Entebbe International Airport and drive through to Jinja.
After landing on the shores of the African Rift Valley’s largest lake, Victoria, we shall drive through to the source of the mighty Nile river at Jinja. Birding at strategic stops along the way, including the beautifully landscaped Botanical Garden,. we shall look for our first Lake Victoria specials including Northern Brown-throated and Orange Weaver, Orange-tufted and Red-chested Sunbird. The surrounding bush holds Eastern Grey Plantain Eater and the enormous Black and White Casqued Hornbill is conspicuous around Kampala. Later we will drive through to Jinja for the overnight in Jinja Resort Hotel.
Day Two-Three:Mabira Forest
These two days are best spent enjoying the dawn chorus at the brilliant Mabira forest near Jinja, which although small, allows access to some fine primary and good secondary forest as well as forest-edge. We will search for Little Olive, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds.
The parties hold the magical Black-throated Apalis, Forest Robin and Common Wattle-eye amongst plethora of illadopses and ground robins. The forest edge supports the superb Red-headed Bluebill and Blackbellied Seedcracker while the canopy harbors the excellent African Shrike Flycatcher and Red-headed Malimbe amongst others. The dead trees support hole-nesters such as the Grey-throated, Yellow-spotted and Yellow-billed Barbets. The fruiting figs attract the cartoonesque Great Blue Turaco and Pied Hornbills. Proceed for overnight at Jinja Resort Hotel.
Day Four:Jinja - Mbarara
Early this morning, we shall make our way through Kampala to Mabamba Swamp on the fringes of Lake Victoria, looking for many of the Victoria specials, including White-winged Warbler, Carruther’s Cisticola and Papyrus Gonolek. Other wetland birds abound and we will keep our eyes peeled for Swamp Flycatcher, Blue- breasted Bee-eater, herons, egrets, ducks, plovers gulls, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers and the greatest prize of all, the incredible Shoebill, which is seen here from time to time. In the afternoon we will make our way to Masaka and Mbarara, where we shall have an overnight at Lake View Hotel or Mantana tented camp if the no pax is small i.e. 2 – 6 pax.
Day five:Lake Mburo N. P. - Kabale
Leaving Mbarara early this morning, we make our way to Lake Mburo National Park and bird the Lakeside Track and Kigambira Loop to look for Savanna and Acacia woodland species including Blue-naped Mousebird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Northern Black Tit, Red-headed Lovebird, Green-capped Eremomela, Ross, Turaco and the highly sought-after Red-faced Barbet. In the afternoon we shall make our way towards the town of Kabale, birding suitable patches of savanna in between overnight at White Horse Hotel.
Day Six-Day Ten
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest:
The next five days will be spent at the magical and enchanting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in the rugged Kigezi Highlands of southwestern Uganda. Highly diverse, this park supports 24 of 26 Albertine Rift Endemics that occur in Uganda. Once continuous with the forests of the Virunga Volcanos (Dain Fossey’s stomping ground), Bwindi is now an ecological island, surrounded by cultivation on the rich volcanic soils. We shall start at Buhoma, overnight at Lake Kitandara Luxury Tented Camp. In the valley of the Munyaga River, at 1550 m. There are many birds in this area, but we will be on the look out for key endemics such as Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Montane Masked Apalis, Neumann’s Warbler and Ruwenzori Batis. Other non-endemic specials include Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Dusky Tit, Black Bee-eater, White-bellied Robin-chat and Sooty Flycatcher as well as hole- nesting Waller’s and Narrow-tailed Starlings in the dead tree snags. The mid- storey is home to Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo,Black-necked Weaver, Lühder’s Bush-shrike and Bar-tailed Trogon. Buhoma deserves several days of exploration before we make our way towards Kitahurira, the neck of forest linking Buhoma to Ruhiza. This is the best site for Toro-Olive Greenbul, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher and Western Bronze-naped Pigeon. At least one day will be spent exploring the highland forest at Ruhiza, some 800m higher than Buhoma, on a clear day one can see all the way to the Virungas. It has a dramatically different nature and avifauna; it is also the site with most of the Albertine endemics. The star attractions here are Collared Apalis, Ruwenzori Hill Babbler, Grauer’s Warbler,Shelly’s Crimsonwing,Dusky Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin-chat, Regal Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Dwarf Honey guide and many others. The trail to Mubwindi Swamp promises to reveal some of the most difficult of all rift- endemics including the mythical African Green Broadbill. Mubwindi Swamp holds Graur’s Rush Warbler and Carruther’s Cisticola. Sometime has been set a side for Gorilla trekking (optional) or catching up on more of Bwindi’s avian delights. Have an overnight at Kitandara luxury tented camp and at Ruhiza we shall use mobile luxury tented camp.
Day Eleven:Bwindi - Queen Elizabeth N. P.
Queen Elizabeth N. Park
Today we will explore the Kasenyi Track and the Kazinga Channel.
The late ris famous for its water bird concentrations awash with palearctic waders, herons, Storks, plover, Water Thick-knee, king fishers, terns, ducks and geese, cormorants, ibises and Pelicans.
The Kasenyi track supports many raptors, with Brown Snake Eagle Bateleur and Martial Eagles being common, as are the vultures. Other typical savanna birds including shrikes, bee- eaters, kingfishers. Oovernight Hippo Hill Lodge.
Day Thirteen:Queen Elizabeth N. P - Masindi
Day Fourteen:Budongo Forest
An early start should get us to Budongo’s Royal Mile by dawn. A site for several specials, it is the best place in Uganda for Nahan’s Francolin, Cassin’s Spinetail and Chestnut-capped Flycatcher. We shall also search for Chocolate-backed and African Dwarf Kingfishers. Fruiting trees attract White- thighed and Black and White Hornbills, western Black-headed Oriola and Purple- headed Glossy Starling. Greenbuls abound, and this is one of the only sites holding Spotted, Xavier’s, White-throated and Honeyguide Greenbuls. Canopy flocks support Brown-crowned Eremomela and the elusive Lemon-bellied Crombec and Yellow-mantled Weaver, Rufous Thrush, Green Hylia, Grey Longbill and Uganda Woodland Warbler. We return to Masindi for the evening overnight Masindi Hotel.
Day Fifteen:Budongo-Murchison Falls
Returning to the northern sector of Budongo for the early morning we shall head to Kaniyo Pabidi, the sector of the forest en-route to Murchison Falls. Several species are more easily found here including many of the lowland akalats, particularly Puvel’s Akalat. Other specials here include Sabine’s Spinetails, Piping Hornbill, Fire-crested Alethe, Brown-chested Alethe, Black-capped Apalis, Jameson’s and Chesnut wattle-eyes. In the afternoon we shall make our way to Murchison Falls N.P. overnight Paraa Lodge.
Day Sixteen-Day Eighteen:Murchison Falls N. P
The better part of three days shall be spent exploring the many tracks and trails around Murchison Falls Park. The park HQ at Paraa holds some excellent species including the Blue-naped Mousebird, Silverbird, 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 Turaco, 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 Absyssinian Ground Hornbill. The grasslands support Bar-breasted Firefinch, Fawn-breasted, Black-faced and Black-rumped Waxbills. A boat trip will be taken to the magnificent falls and abundant waterbirds shall be viewed on the way, as well as the parties of Red-throated Bee-eaters breeding along the sandy river cliffs and the famous Rock Pratincoles on the exposed rocks below the falls overnight Paraa Lodge.
Day Nineteen:Murchison Falls - Kampala:
FIXED DEPARTURE GUARANTEED EVERY SUNDAY