This is a 14 Days Uganda Birding Safari to the most adventurous national parks in Uganda to basically carry out birding and other activities. These activities include; game drive and boat cruise at lake Mburo national park, gorilla trekking, game drive and Batwa trail experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, canoeing and nature walks at lake bunyonyi, game drive and boat cruise at Kazinga channel in queen Elizabeth national park, chimpanzee trekking, community tour, lion tracking and visit to Bigodi wetland sanctuary in kibale forest national park and finally depart back to Kampala
SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS
Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe international airport to Kampala city
Day 2: Travel to Lake Mburo national park
Day 3: Morning game drive and an evening boat cruise
Day 4: Travel to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 6: Morning game drive and Batwa trail experience
Day 7: Travel to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 8: Canoeing and nature walk at Lake Bunyonyi
Day 9: Travel to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 10: Morning game drive and an evening boat cruise at Kazinga channel
Day 11: Travel to kibale forest national park
Day 12: Chimpanzee trekking and community tour
Day 13: Lion tracking and visit to Bigodi wetland sanctuary
Day 14: Departure to Kampala
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe international airport to Kampala city
On the 1st day of your 14 days safari, you will be picked from the airport by a guide and head to Kampala for a city tour. You will visit places like the Uganda Museum, Independence Monument, and Craft village, Namugongo Martyrs’ Shrine, Kabaka’s Palace in Mengo, Bahai Temple, Kabaka’s Lake, Idi Amin’s Torture Chambers, Ndeere Cultural Center and Kasubi Tombs among others.
You will check into a hotel for dinner and an overnight stay in Kampala
Day 2: Travel to Lake Mburo national park
On the 2nd day, you will have breakfast at your hotel and check out of the hotel. You will embark on your journey to Lake Mburo national park. Lake Mburo national park is located in the western part of Uganda in Kiruhura district in Nyabushozi County near Mbarara district. It is the smallest national park amidst the 10 national parks in Uganda because it is on an area of approximately 260 square kilometers.
You will have a stopover for lunch and continue with your journey to Lake Mburo. Upon arrival at the park, you will check into a hotel for relation dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury; Mihingo lodge
Budget; Eagle’s nest
Midrange; Lake Mburo safari lodge
Day 3: Morning game drive and an evening boat cruise
On the 3rd day, you will have breakfast in the morning and go for a morning game drive at Lake Mburo national park where you will see different bird species like African fin foot, Abyssinian ground hornbill, mosque swallow, brown-chested lapwing, hairy-breasted barbet, greater painted-snipe, African scops owl, blue-headed coucal, papyrus Gonolek, blue-breasted kingfisher and many more and mammal species like the carnivores for example the leopards, serval cats and spotted hyenas, herbivores for example the bush pigs, oribis, impalas and bush buck, reptiles for example Nile crocodile, lizards snakes and chameleons and lastly primates for example vervet monkeys and olive baboons. You will head to your lodge for lunch
After lunch, you will head for a boat cruise where you will see a variety of bird species like African fin foot, Abyssinian ground hornbill, mosque swallow, brown-chested lapwing, hairy-breasted barbet and mammal species like leopards, serval cats, spotted hyenas and many more.
You will retire to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Travel to Bwindi impenetrable national park
On the 4th day, you will have breakfast in the morning and check out of the lodge. You will embark on your journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in southwestern Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift.
Once you reach Bwindi impenetrable national park, you will check into a lodge for dinner for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury; Buhoma lodge
Budget; Ruhija gorilla friends resort
Midrange; Bwindi jungle lodge
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
On the 5th day, you will have breakfast in the morning and then go for gorilla trekking. . You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads.
After this activity, you will head back to your lodge for lunch, rest, dinner and an overnight stay
Day 6: Morning game drive and Batwa trail experience
On the 6th day, you will have breakfast in the morning and go for a morning game drive with your guide where you will get a chance to have a glance at different bird species and mammal species. You will head back to your lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will proceed to do the Batwa Trail Experience, which is conducted by local Batwa guides. You will get to learn more about the Batwa’s long and ancient history with the forest, and also learn how to make some local herbal medicines, and Batwa traditional hunting skills.
You will head back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 7: Travel to Lake Bunyonyi
On the 7th day, you will have breakfast in the morning at your lodge and check out. You will embark on your journey to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is found in the South Western part of Uganda lying between Kisoro and Kabale and is close to the Rwandan border. It is Uganda’s deepest lake with a varying depth between 44m and 900m, a width of 7km and 25km long.
Upon arrival at Lake Bunyonyi you will check into a lodge for relation, dinner and an overnight stay
Accommodation options
Luxury; villa bunyonyi
Budget; Bushara island camp
Midrange; Lake Bunyonyi eco resort
Day 8: Canoeing and nature walk at Lake Bunyonyi
On the 8th day, you will have breakfast in the morning, your guide will take you for canoeing at Lake Bunyonyi. While at Lake Bunyonyi, you can now get a chance to undertake a two-hour canoe ride with some of the most experienced guides. You will head back to your lodge for lunch
After lunch, you will go for a nature walk at Lake Bunyonyi with your guide. You will walk around Lake Bunyonyi waters while seeing birds and the community around.
You will retire to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay
Day 9: Travel to Queen Elizabeth national park
On the 9th day, you will have breakfast at your lodge and travel to Queen Elizabeth national park. Queen Elizabeth is located in Kasese district of Uganda and it has various ecosystems made up of sprawling savannah, shadowy, moist forests, lakes and fertile wetlands which make it a good home to various species of wildlife, primates and birds. This park lies against the back of the great Rwenzori Mountains with stunning and panoramic views that are made up of various crater lakes. When you visit, you reward yourself with magical sights of the Kazinga channel. This channel’s shores are infested with hippopotamuses, elephants and buffaloes.
Upon arrival at Queen Elizabeth national park, you will check into a lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury; Mweya safari lodge
Budget; Simba safari camp
Midrange; Park view safari lodge
Day 10: Morning game drive and an evening boat cruise at Kazinga channel
On the 10th day, you will have breakfast in the morning and embark on a morning game drive with your guide. While on the game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park, you will be able to see different animal and bird species that stay in this park. You will head park to your lodge for lunch
After lunch, you will go for a boat cruise at Kazinga channel where you will have a glance at the different bird species and mammals
You will retire to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 11: Travel to kibale forest national park
On the 11th day, you will have breakfast early in the morning and check out of the lodge. You will embark on your journey to kibale forest national park. Kibale National Park is located in Kabarole district in western Uganda a land blessed with a strong cultural heritage. It is a tropical rainforest that harbors quite a number of wildlife species that have attracted many tourists to come to Uganda. Chimpanzees are primates that share about 90% of their DNA with human beings and have been habituated in Kibale forest national park. Uganda in total has about 4950 chimpanzees and Kibale National Park holds about 1500 chimpanzees.
Upon arrival at kibale forest national park, you will check into a lodge where you will have dinner, freshen up and an overnight stay
Accommodation options
Luxury; primate lodge
Budget; tinka’s homestead
Midrange; Isunga lodge
Day 12: Chimpanzee trekking and community tour
On the 12th day, you will have breakfast. Chimpanzee trekking activities in the park starts from Kanyanchu Visitor Center. The activity will take you about 3 hours inclusive of one hour that you will get to spend with the chimps once you have located them.
After spending an hour with the chimps, you will have lunch and embark on a community tour. The community tour gives you an opportunity to interact with the locals, visit arts and craft stores, and watch wonderful dance performances from the local entertainment groups.
You will then head with your guide back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 13: Lion tracking and visit to Bigodi wetland sanctuary
On the 13th day, you will have breakfast early in the morning, your guide will then take you for lion tracking where you will have a sight on the mysterious tree climbing lions in kibale forest national park. You will then head back to the lodge for lunch.
After having lunch, you will then proceed to Bigodi wetland sanctuary. You will go for a swamp walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary where you will be able to have a glance at a variety of amazing wildlife species which include bird species like yellow-ramped tinker bird, purple-breasted sunbird, yellow-spotted Nicator, little Greenbul, Abyssinian ground thrush, grey crowned crane, African pitta, crowned eagle, dusky crimson wing, blue-breasted kingfisher, brown-collared Greenbul, papyrus Gonolek, black and white shrike flycatcher, black bishop among others. Primates like the red colobus monkeys, black and white colobus, chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys, olive baboons and vervet monkeys.
You will retire to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 14: Departure to Kampala.
On the 14th day, you will have breakfast and after check out of the lodge. You and your guide will then embark on your journey back to Kampala to a hotel or back to the airport to head home depending on the time of your flight.
Trip inclusions
- Mineral water
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals
- 4×4 safari vehicle
Trip exclusions
- Alcoholic beverages
- Flight ticket fees
