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23 Day Multi-Habitat Birding Safari

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to Imperial Botanical Hotel. Early arrivals will have a welcome birding afternoon around Entebbe Botanical Gardens. Watch out for the Brown throated, golden backed, orange, slender billed and yellow backed weavers, giant, pied, pigmy and Malachite kingfishers, black headed gonolek, red chested sunbird, Ross’s turaco, pied and crowned hornbill, great reed, grey caped and sedge warblers, and many other species. Dinner and o/n at Imperial Botanical Hotel.

Day 2: Bird Lutembe Beach for the morning hours and later transfer to Masindi. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel. Day 3: With a packed lunch leave for Chimpanzee tracking and bird watching in Kaniyo Pabidi. Proceed to Murchison Falls National Park in the afternoon. Key species include the majestic shoebill, secretary bird, bat hawk, red necked falcon, white crested turaco, and many more. Dinner and overnight at Paraa safari lodge. Day 4: Start early with a boat and bird the delta. Return to thelodge for lunch. Afternoon boat trip to the bottom of the falls for various wonderful water birds. Dinner and 2 o/n stays at Paraa safari lodge. Day 5: Morning game drive on the Northern bank of the River Nile and afternoon visit to the top of the falls.

Day 6: Depart for Budongo forest reserve and bird forest species. Birding the escarpment overlooking Lake Albert is rewarding. Dinner and o/n at Sambiya River Lodge.

Day 7: Whole day birding Royal mile and Busingiro sector. Dinner and overnight at Masindi Hotel.

Day 8: Leave early for Kibale National park. Stopover for lunch in Fort portal. This is a rainy forest and a home to over 9 different species of primates. The forest is home to scaly francolins, marsh tchagra, black bellied seed cracker, green backed twinspot, Narina’s trogon, joyful greenbul, olive long tailed cuckoo, and others. Dinner and 2 o/n stays at Mantana luxury tented camp or Ndali lodge.

Day 9: Whole day birding in the forest and chimp tracking.

Day 10: Bird Bigodi wetland in the morning, with a picnic lunch then depart for Semuliki forest. Expect the sport breasted ibis, Northern bearded scrub robin, capuchin babbler, lyre tailed honey guide, Maxwell’s black weaver, black winged oriole, red eyed puff back, red bellied malimbe, African piculet and many more species. Dinner and 3 o/n stays at Semuliki lodge.

Day 11:Whole day birding in the Semuliki forest.

Day 12: Morning birding in the Semuliki forest Reserve, afternoon visit to the Volcano looking Sempaya hot springs. Relax as you watch water do its magic like “there is no tomorrow”.

Day 13: At the break of the day, start off for Imaramagambo

Day 14: Whole day birding. Afternoon enjoy birding along Kazinga channel on boat which gives it a wonderful site in a lovely environment with its various beautiful water birds along the channel like the African skimmer.

Day 15: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth where there are chances of seeing the tree-climbing lions. Bwindi is a home to the forest giants that are cousins to human beings, the gorillas. Birding here begins early in the morning with the early risers at the Luxury bush camp. After breakfast with our packed lunch set off for the whole day. This forest has over 300 bird species recorded mostly the forest rarities, red throated alethe, equatorial akalat, forest robin, montane oriole, Please note that this forest receives rainfall almost all year round, a raincoat and hiking shoes with a good tract are appropriate. Dinner and 2 o/n stays at the Luxury bush camp.

Day 16: After breakfast, with a packed lunch bird the whole day in the forest

Day 17: Many bird watchers who have been to Bwindi Forest before show interest in tracking gorillas. Have this optional day for that activity. Carry packed lunch and enjoy the giant forest primates in their jungle.

Day 18: Birding Buhoma sector. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma community Bandas.

Day19: drive to the highest peak of the forest- Ruhija. Several checks at the rare bird spots may produce rare species such as white starred robin, grey cuckoo shrike, strange weaver, banded prinia, to mention a few. Birders who come with camping equipment can camp at Ruhija campground.

Day 20&21: Birding days at Ruhija. Dinner and overnight at Ruhija campground.

Day 22: Return journey back to Kampala, lunch in Mbarara and if time allows shopping for African crafts and souvenirs. Dinner and o/n at Imperial Botanical Hotel.

Day 23: Departure