Experience the ultimate 11 days Uganda Birding Safari, which combines world-class birdwatching with unforgettable wildlife encounters across the ‘Pearl of Africa.’ Perfect for birders and nature enthusiasts, this carefully drafted 11 days Uganda birding safari takes you through diverse wildlife habitats, from tropical rainforests and wetlands to vast savannahs, in search of hundreds of bird species, including the highly sought-after prehistoric Shoebill Stork and Albertine Rift endemics. Alongside exceptional birding experiences, enjoy exciting wildlife game drives, unforgettable chimpanzee trekking, rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, and scenic boat cruises. All these offer you outstanding opportunities to spot birds, hippos, crocodiles, and other remarkable African wildlife in their natural habitats.
Highlights for 11 Days Uganda Birding Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Swamp
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Game Drive
Day 4: Visit Crater Lakes and Afternoon Kasenyi Game Drive
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park- Afternoon Birding in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Day 6: Morning Forest Birding and Afternoon Chimpanzee Trek in Kibale Forest
Day 7: Kibale-Masindi (Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary)
Day 8: Budongo Forest Birding- Overnight in Murchison Falls National Park
Day 9: Nile Delta Boat Cruise and Evening Game Drive
Day 10: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 11: Transfer Back to Entebbe-Departure
Detailed Itinerary for 11 Days Uganda Birding Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Meet with our company representative upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport. After a brief meet-and-greet session, you will be transferred to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Swamp
After having an early breakfast meal, transfer to Mabamba Wetland for Shoebill tracking by canoe. Mabamba Swamp offers one of the best sightings for the highly sought-after prehistoric Shoebill Stork and over 300 other bird species, including the Goliath Heron, Blue Swallow, Papyrus Gonolek, and Marsh Harriers, to mention but a few. Have Lunch and later head back to your hotel.
Dinner and overnight same as above.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Game Drive
Start your day with a hearty breakfast meal at your hotel. You will then check out and embark on your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is approximately 7 hours’ drive. You will have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, where you will also have a chance to stretch, refresh yourself, and visit local craft stalls. Have lunch en route to the park.
Upon your arrival in the park in the evening, check into your lodge and relax. If you wish, you can embark on an evening game drive in the park in search of wildlife such as buffalo, Defassa waterbucks, giant forest hogs, topi, and elephants, among others.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 4: Visit Crater Lakes and Afternoon Kasenyi Game Drive
After breakfast, head out for a drive to the park’s crater lakes area, where you will have an opportunity to explore some of the crater lakes in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Some of the crater lakes that you can explore include Bunyaruguru Crater Lake on the Kichwamba escarpment and Katwe Crater Lake, where salt is mined. Have lunch at your lodge and rest for a while.
Later in the afternoon, you will head out for a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This boat cruise gives you the opportunity to view animals like hippos, crocodiles, and other wildlife roaming the shores, such as elephants, buffalos and waterbucks, among others. You will also have an opportunity to view bird species, including the Cormorants, African Skimmers, Malachite, and pygmy Kingfishers, among others.
Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park- Afternoon Birding in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
After an early breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive to Kibale National Park. Enjoy a quiet birding experience en route to Kibale forest. Check into your lodge and have lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will visit Bigodi Wetland for birding, where you stand a chance to view wildlife such as the Great Blue Turaco, Hornbills, Kingfishers, the Brown-throated Wattle-eye, and the White-breasted Negrofinch, among others.
Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Morning Forest Birding and Afternoon Chimpanzee Trek in Kibale Forest
Have an early breakfast combo at your hotel and drive to the park headquarters for a briefing. You will drive to the park headquarters in Kanyanchu for a briefing. You will head into the forest on a guided birding tour in search of bird species such as Nahan’s Francolin, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Masked Apalis, and Cassin’s Spinetail, which are endemic to the park. Other bird species to look out for include: the Green-breasted Pitta, Great-blue Turaco, and African Emerald Cuckoo, among others.
Return to your lodge for lunch and rest for a while. You will drive to the park headquarters for a briefing. You will be assigned to a group with fellow trackers and park rangers. Head into Kibale forest in search of a chimpanzee family. Please note that chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest can take anywhere between 2 and 4 hours, depending on their location. Once you have found a chimpanzee group, you will be given an hour to spend with the primates. Also, look out for other primate species during your trek, such as Black and White Colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons, and many others.
Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight, same as above.
Day 7: Kibale-Masindi (Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary)
After breakfast, you will check out of your lodge and drive north to Masindi with birding stops along forest edges and wetlands. You stop by Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you will trek with southern white rhinos. You will have lunch en-route and later check into your hotel in Masindi for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Budongo Forest Birding- Overnight in Murchison Falls National Park
Have breakfast early in the morning and drive to Budongo Forest for a full-day birding experience. Budongo forest reserve is a well-celebrated ecological site and a popular birding destination in Uganda. With over 360 bird species, the Budongo forest reserve sets itself apart as a notable birder’s haven in Uganda. You will get to enjoy birding along the famous ‘Royal Mile,’ which is a great spot to view notable bird species such as the Chocolate-backed Kingfisher and Paradise Flycatcher. Have a short break for lunch before continuing with your birding tour in Budongo.
Once you wind up your birding experience in Budongo Forest Reserve, you will drive to Murchison Falls National Park, where you will spend the night. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 9: Nile Delta Boat Cruise and Evening Game Drive
After your breakfast, drive to the docking point where you will board your boat for the Nile Delta cruise. This boat cruise takes between 4 and 5 hours and allows you to explore the Victoria Nile Delta, which is a 20km voyage downstream from Paraa. It is home to rare wetland bird species, including the Shoebill Stork and papyrus endemic species. Lunch will be served at your lodge.
Later in the evening, head out for a game drive in the park where you can search for wildlife such as elephants, Cape Buffaloes, giraffes, topi, zebras, lions, and so many more. Return to your lodge later for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
After breakfast, head out for a morning game drive in the park. The morning hours are ideal for wildlife viewing before temperatures rise.
During the morning game drive, you will view a number of wildlife animals roaming in the park, such as elephants, buffalo, giraffes, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, hartebeests, and warthogs, among others. Predators like lions and the elusive leopard are also occasionally spotted hunting in the savannah plains. Also, birding enthusiasts can expect sightings of numerous species of birds, including the secretary birds, bee-eaters, and hornbills, among others.
Return to your lodge for lunch and rest for a while. Later in the afternoon, you will head out for an afternoon boat cruise along the Nile River. This boat cruise is one of the highlights of any visit to the park. As the boat slowly approaches the base of the falls, you will get a chance to see hippos basking in the water and huge Nile crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbanks, as well as other wildlife such as elephants drinking at the shoreline.
The boat cruise also provides excellent birdwatching opportunities, especially for the rare shoebill stork if you are fortunate. The dramatic view of the falls from the bottom is truly unforgettable, with powerful waters crashing through the narrow gorge amid clouds of spray.
Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer Back to Entebbe-Departure
Wake up in time to have breakfast and check out of your lodge. You will embark on a return journey to Entebbe, arriving in the evening. (If you wish to fly out on this day, we recommend you book a night flight).
