REAL BIRDING EXCURSION

Day 1: Arrival
You are received by one of our staff at the Entebbe International Airport who will transfer you to your hotel for overnight. For early arrival we can do some birding in the botanical areas: look out for: Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, Red Chested, Klaas’s and Diederick Cuckoo, Great Reed, Grey Capped, Ssdge, Greater Swamp and Eurosuian Reed Warblesr, Fain Tailed Widow bird, Striped, Malachite, Giant, Woodland and Pygmy Kingfishers, Black Bishop, Grey Woodpecker, Olive, Olive bellied, Red chested, Superb, Green Throated and Collard Sunbirds, Orange, Yellow Backed, Golden Backed, Slender Billed and Black Headed Weavers, Lizard Buzzard, Grey Kestral, Black Kite, Gaber Goshawk, African Paradise and Red Bellied Paradise and Ashy fly catchers, and many more. We may overnight in Imperial botanical Resort/Sophie’s Motel. Meal Plan-BB

Day 2: Birding in Mabamba swamp
Mabamba Swamp, 50km west of Kampala is productive birding site. We start early after breakfast with a stopover at Mpigi Swamp for papyrus rarities. Open your eyes for a White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal, and other swamp specialties. At the swamp, most of the birding is on a canoe, paddled by our local site guides. Look for the Shoebill both in the sky and down on the marsh. Like nothing else on earth, this most famous and bizarre avian wonder is the only representative in its family. It is truly a life-changing moment looking at this bizarre bird as it preens, showing off its huge grinning, and wooden-looking, clog-like bill. You may also have marvelous views of it as it soars on broad wings.
Also watch for the Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamp-hen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco, Rufous-bellied and Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Black Crake, African Marsh Harrier, Hamerkop, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Intermediate Egret, Osprey, Long-toed Lapwing, African Pied Wagtail, and Red-billed Fire-finch. Lunch in Masaka, after, we proceed to Lake Mburo national park. Overnight at up market Mihingo lodge/ midrange Mantana tented camp or Arcadia lodge/ basic Rwonyo camp. Meal-B, L, D

Day 3: Birding in Lake Mburo NP

The park is revered for impressive bird list of 315 species of birdlife. Have breakfast very early in the morning and then proceed for birding in the park along the Kigambira loop, which traverses a variety of productive habitats. Expect birds like African Marsh Harriers, Banded Snake Eagles, Shikra, Goshawks, Augur Buzzard, African fish, Twany, Steppe, and African Hawk Eagles and many more. Proceed through the Eland track plentiful with zebras, Eland, Impala, warthogs, and many more as you bird in this rich evergreen river valley. In the afternoon, take a boat on the lake Mburo. Alternatively, we take guided nature walk early in the morning to bird where we shall see more other birds such as warbler, and have the opportunity to see wildlife salt leaking. After lunch, go for the boat ride on Lake Mburo in the afternoon. Expect to see some of the water bird species such as Papyrus Gonolek, Malachite Kingfishers, African finfoot, giant Kingfisher and the nocturnal black-backed heron, an endemic species of the park. Dinner and overnight at up market Mihingo lodge/ midrange Mantana tented camp or Arcadia lodge/ basic Rwonyo camp. Meal Plan-B, L, D

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP

Depart early after breakfast driving westwards to Queen Elizabeth National Park, descending down into the scenic Albertan rift. Your 2 day birding vacation in this area, covers the northern Kasenyi plains with great wildlife, the Kazinga channel, and Lake George Ramsar site. The northern Kasenyi plains are productive and good for the savanna species, as we bird amidst the kob lek and mating ground. Queen Elizabeth National Park on the shores of Lake Edward boasts of 612 species including parliarctic migrants, water, savannah and forest species. Dinner and overnight at high end Mweya Safari Lodge/midrange Katara/hippo hill tented Camp. Meal plan-B, L, D

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth NP

After breakfast, we explore this scenic park, the second highest visited park. Today you’ll explore Queen Elizabeth National Park in earnest, taking scenic drives around the extinct volcanoes and searching the scrub and lakeshore for the many birds that live here with over 612 Bird species both residents and migrant. Expect to see some of the amazing species such as the secretive Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, magnificent Martial Eagle, comical Red-necked Spur fowl, cautious African Crakes peering out from the gassy verge, African Skimmers cutting a trench across the waters in the quiet bays, enormous Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl booming around the lodge in the evenings, crisp Sooty Chats, glistening Red-chested Sunbird and Slender-billed Weaver coming into the dining room to share breakfast. With an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel the narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward. Here you’ll encounter the birdlife sanctuary in the park and meet “the conference of the Parties of birds” and have fine views of many water birds such as the gull, skimmers, the great cormorants, the pink-backed pelican, the great white-backed pelican, the great African fish eagle, the goliath heron, the Caucasus heron, little & greater cattle egret, the pied kingfisher, malachite king fisher, the yellow billed stork, lesser & greater flamingo, and shoe-billed stork and some of the skulking birds in the reed beds. Dinner and overnight at high end Mweya Safari Lodge/midrange Katara/hippo hill tented Camp. Meal Plan-B, L, D

Day 6: To Bwindi Impenetrable park

We begin our romantic drive to the gorilla land through the tree climbing territory of Ishasha, southern Queen Elizabeth national park. We depart Mweya with packed lunch for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park stopping en-route for birding as and where necessary, driving on the bottom of the western rift valley. Dinner and overnight night at Gorilla Resort or Buhoma Community Bandas
Days 7: Gorilla trekking
after an early hearty breakfast to give you energy for the day’s activity, you will transfer to the park headquarters for briefing on primates (gorilla tracking) before we embark on Gorilla trekking. The chances of finding a troop are good and spending an hour with these immense creatures is an experience never to be forgotten. You will have some opportunity for good pictures with these creatures as they play, feed and swing in low branches of forest trees. Picnic lunch will be in the forest. Birders will find this forest uniquely endowed with birdlife, for instance, the forest of the park’s lowland portion has an avifauna quite different from that of the higher parts, where altitude and the steep tracks make for slow progress. Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Western Bronze-napped Pigeon, Bar-tailed Trogon, African Broadbill and White-bellied Robin are just a few of the species we may find in the forest. Overnight at Gorilla Resort/Mantana Luxury Tented Camp/ community camp ground. Meal plan-B, L, D
Day 8: Whole Day Birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and transfer to Bunyonyi
After breakfast, we will spend plenty of good time birding the trails leading out from the camp. Trails such as ivy river trail, muzabajiro, rushura and waterfalls trails will be productive and Species we will search for include Barred and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos; Bar-tailed Trogon; Dusky Tit; Kivu Ground-Thrush; White-bellied Robin-Chat; Equatorial Akalat; White-tailed Ant-Thrush; Red-throated Alethe; White-bellied Crested-Flycatcher; White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher; Gray-green Bushshrike; Northern Double-collared Sunbird; Black-billed Weaver and Magpie Mannikin. High exposed perches in the open forest are favored by African Goshawk; the dazzling Black Bee-eater; Blue-throated Roller; Sooty Flycatcher and forest starlings including Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s and Narrow-tailed. One of Bwindi’s star avian attractions is the diminutive, pitta-like Neumann’s Warbler, a vocal yet very secretive bird! Other under-storey birds we hope to see include displaying African Broadbill; Pale-breasted and Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Red-throated Alethe, Black-faced, Black-throated and Mountain Masked Apalises, Banded Prinia and the handsome Black-faced Rufous-Warbler. The mid-storey and canopy supports Elliot’s and Tullberg’s woodpeckers; Cabanis’, Toro Olive, Shelley’s and Ansorge’s greenbuls strange Grauer’s Warbler and White-browed Crombec, Yellow-eyed Black, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Chapin’s and Cassin’s Grey Flycatchers, Chin-spot and Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown, Blue-headed, Northern Double-collared and Grey-headed Sunbirds, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty’s Bush-shrike. The rare Jameson’s Antpecker may also been seen probing under moss on dead branches or gleaning warbler-like in the canopy along with Strange, Brown-capped and Black-billed Weavers. Overhead, Scarce Swifts forage over the forest. Birding at Buhoma is a truly magical experience.

After picnic lunch we continue birding to Ruhija en-route to Bunyonyi safari resort, Kabale winding through the beautiful terraced hills often referred to as “the Switzerland of Africa” arriving on the magical resort in evening. Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch and dinner.

Day 9: Birding in Kyevu Swamp and other Islands on Lake Bunyonyi

The Bunyonyi area is magnificent with great scenic views. After breakfast, transfer to Kyevu swamp in a motorized boat for bird watching. Look out for endemic birds resident here in Lake Bunyonyi like the Handsome Francolin, Dusky Turtle Dove, Alpine Chat, etc. we retire for afternoon, and after lunch take boat/canoe ride for Cray fishing. Do not ignore the exciting whistling of the concentrated birdlife in this area. You will continue bird watching on a nature walk around the lake and in the gardens.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch and dinner. Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Bunyonyi Resort Hotel.

Day 10 transfer to Kampala/Entebbe:

We’ll have to start early for Kampala transfer, with a stopover in Mbarara for lunch at Agip motel arriving in Kampala and transfer to Entebbe in time for your flights back home and/or onward travel.