11 DAYS LUXURIOUS BIRDING AND PHOTOGRAPHY SAFARI

from $6,143 (pp sharing a room)

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Birding and Photography Safari

Safari Overview – 11 Days/ 10 Nights

This trip takes you birding and photography through Uganda’s hot spots for birding in Entebbe Environments, Mabamba Wetlands, Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale national park, Bwindi impenetrable and Murchison falls. This is a midrange safari designed for all categories of birders that is to say seniors, young, old, learners and the safari will be led by a birding instructor with varied experience and knowledge of other wildlife. You will bird through different bird habitats; wetlands, savanna grasslands, rivers and lakes, forests finding hundreds of birds as Safari Highlights.

TRIP ITINERARY

Arrival:

Complementally pick up from Airport/ hotel
Accommodation before/end of trip can be arranged at an extra cost

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, met and great with Ganyana safari driver/guide and transfer to your overnight accommodation.

Accommodation: Hotel Number 5
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 2: Birding and Photography in Entebbe

Whole day birding around Entebbe area, i.e. the Botanical Gardens and Uganda Wildlife Education Center, while here we look out for the Superb Sunbird, Olive, Olive Bellied, Green Throated and Collard sunbird, Orange, Slender Billed, Black Headed, Yellow Backed and Golden Backed weaver, Klaas’s, Emerald and Diederik Cuckoo, Ashy Flycatcher, Green Crombec, Gabor Goshawk, Lizzard Buzzard, on lucky days the Bat Hawk can be seen anytime flying over, Palm Nut Vulture, Ross’s and Great Blue Turaco, Grey Woodpecker and much more.

Accommodation: Hotel Number 5
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 3: Birding in Mabamba and Transfer to Lake Mburo

Morning drive to Mabamba swamp for the Shoebill Stork and other water birds like the African and Lesser Jacana, Allen’s and Purple Gallinule, Yellow Billed Duck, Purple and common Squacco Heron, Northern Brown Throated Weaver, Malachite Kingfisher, after we head to Lake Mburo National Park, we shall have Lunch at the equator depending on the time we get out of the Swamp, birding en-route there are special and interesting stop over points say the at Kaaku swamp which is very popular for the Rufous-bellied Heron, Lesser Jacana and Moorhen and a variety of water birds.

Accommodation: Mihingo Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 4: Birding and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo

Morning birding and game viewing, bird the grassland for the Brown-Chested Plover (a migrant from Western Africa to Northern Tanzania and at times crosses to this place between June and December), Coqui and Crested Francolin, Red-faced Barbet, Red Headed Weaver here we shall have the chance to see the Zebra, Eland, Topis, Impalas and some other game, afternoon go for a boat ride in search for the African Fin foot then overnight.

Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge

Meal Plan: Full board

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

This morning we will depart Lake Mburo immediately after breakfast, be prepared for an incredible scenery along the way as along as spotting some birds with an en- route lunch, arriving in the afternoon and head for boat ride on Kazinga channel where we get close to big schools of Hippos, Crocodiles, buffaloes water birds like the African Spoonbill, African skimmer (seasonal). Retire at your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 6: Whole day photographing and birding

On this day will be a Whole day birding in search for Savanna birds like the Temminck’s Courser, Martial Eagle, Rup ell’s Griffon, White Headed, Lappet Faced Vultures, Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, African Crake, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Black Headed Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovambo Sparrow hawk, Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo. Mammals include African Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion and many others, afternoon bird the crater area

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 7: Ishasha Game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After breakfast, you will embark on a game drive in ishasha sector famously known for tree climbing lions, after lion tracking proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable forest best known for its Mountain Gorillas but is also one of the best birding destinations in Africa. There are 348 bird species recorded at Bwindi. They include 25 restricted-range species, of which 23 are confined to the Albertine Rift and four are globally threatened. Lunch will be served en-route and arriving Bwindi in the evening.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 8: Birding in Mubwindi Swamp

After breakfast, we will spend the entire day birding in Mubwindi swamp the best place to spot birds including Jameson’s Antpecker, Pink-footed Puff back, Waller’s Starling, Crested Guinea fowl, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Grey Crowned Crane, White-headed Saw-wing, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, African Olive-pigeon, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Ruwenzori Batis, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Klaas’s Cuckoo, White-throated Greenbul, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, African Paradise flycatcher, Cape Wagtail, Mountain Wagtail, Yellow-fronted Canary, Archer’s Robin-chat, Dusky Twin spot, Brown-capped Weaver, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Lühder’s Bush-shrike, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Blue Spotted wood dove, Tambourine dove, Handsome francolin, Helmeted guinea fowl, African Goshawk, Sooty Falcon, Great Blue Turaco, African Wood-owl, African Pygmy-kingfisher, Double-toothed Barbet, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Yellow-whiskered, African Flycatcher-chat, African Dusky Flycatcher and ross’s Turaco.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 9: Birding in Ruhija Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable national Park

Early in the morning after breakfast, we will head to Ruhija. Here birds are very many and easy to spot; many species connecting in assorted feeding flocks that are all through the day. Starting early offers the finest opportunity of finding the remarkable batis, Mountain plus yellow-streaked Greenbuls, handsome Francolin, white-tailed crested Flycatcher, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Rwenzori batis, western Green Tinkerbird, red-faced woodland Warbler, as well as the Mountain marked plus chestnut-throated Apalises among many others. We then drive back to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 10: Drive to Mgahinga national park through Echuya forest

Early in the morning after breakfast, you will drive to Mgahinga through Echuya Forest one of Uganda’s tropical rain forests with high altitude in the south western. Echuya Forest is also one of the best bird watching destinations in Uganda with 153 species recorded. You will spend the day birding in this area and after you will head to the three to four hour Gorge Trail between Gahinga and Sabinyo which provides big chances of sighting of the Dusky turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Kivu-ground Thrush, Olive Thrush, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater.
Later you will head to the bamboo belt at about 2,500m above sea level, and the tall montane forest at 2,660m. The Rwenzori Turaco is mostly sighted at around 2,700m. Along the Uganda-Congo border and on level ground, the Chubb’s Cisticola, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Banded Prinia and Doherty’s Bush-shrike are vocal yet inconspicuous inhabitants of the tangled vegetation at the forest’s edge. Retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board