Uganda 2025-07: Ultimate Uganda

Upon arrival in Entebbe, we will be met by our local guide and transferred to our hotel. Depending on the time of arrival, we may start our safari with bird watching around the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe and the Botanical Gardens.

This morning we set off early for the Mabamba wetland, an important Bird Area and a Wetland of International Importance on the shores of Lake Victoria. The wetland is a labyrinth of channels and lagoons located about 50 km from Kampala. The road to Mabamba winds its way through areas of secondary forest and agricultural landscapes attracting farmland and forest edge species such as; Red-headed Lovebird, African Crowned-Hornbills, Grey Parrots, and a range of sunbirds including the Green-headed, Red-chested, Collared, Marico and Scarlet-chested sunbirds. The road ultimately ends at a papyrus reedbed adjoining Lake Victoria, where we will explore by canoe a maze of channels and mudflats for a reliable resident, the majestic Shoebill. Although sightings can never be guaranteed, we should have a very good chance of seeing this magnificent bird. Mabamba also offers a large selection of other bird species which might include; Rufous-belled Heron, African Pygmy Goose, Blue Swallow, White-faced Whistling Duck, Common Moorhen, the rare Lesser Jacana, Carruthers’ Cisticola, African Fish Eagle, Winding Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird, and Blue-breasted Bee-eater. The rare and elusive Sitatunga Antelope also occurs here but it is very shy and rarely seen. We also expect to encounter Spot-necked Otter in one of the channels that we shall paddle through.

After the swamp we will drive the northern part of the country ultimately ending at the Amuka Lodge a few miles from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

We start our day tracking White Rhinoceros, an exciting activity where we get to see one of the “ Big Five”. Rhinos were hunted to extinction in Uganda in the 1980s, however conservation efforts have been successful and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where we can see them. Two dozen individuals are now within the park and our early trek may get us to see at least 2 families.

We will then continue our journey to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover to view the top of Murchison Falls.

Murchison Falls National Park was derived from the incredible Murchison Falls, where the River Nile is forced through a 6-meter gap, forming the most powerful water surge on the planet. The park is home to over 450 species of birds and an impressive list of mammals. Special birds to look for in Murchison Falls National Park include; Shoebill, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Giant Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-eater , Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Senegal and Water Thick-knee, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Vinaceous Dove and Grosbeak Weaver. Other specials include; Buff-bellied Warbler, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Marabou Stork, Silverbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted and Golden-backed Weavers, White-rumped Seedeater, Pel’s Fishing Owl (rare), White-crested Turaco, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Nightjars (Pennant-winged and Standard-winged), White-rumped Canary and many others.

There are chances of seeing animals such as Giraffe, Elephants, Uganda Kob, Oribi, Elephant, Lion, Spotted Hyena, Uganda Grass Hare, Lewel Hartebeest, Warthogs, Leopards and Buffalo.

A boat cruise to view the bottoms of the impressive falls allow us to watch and photograph the birds such as Rock Pratincole and the large animals which throng the banks of the river and we may have  another chance of finding the world’s most peculiar bird, the Shoebill.

We have a last chance to explore Murchison Falls National Park on this mornings game drive. After leaving the park we drive thought the Butiaba escarpment where there are chances of seeing birds such as the Cut-throat Finches, Namaqua Dove and other birds as we enjoy the scenery of Lake Albert and the escarpment.

A short bird watching drive from our hotel at dawn will take us to one of Uganda’s premier birdwatching spots, the Royal Mile. This is Uganda’s historically known leisure spot for the traditional King, hence the name Royal Mile. Here the forest has been cut back a few meters along the sides of the main trail, which makes it a particularly good viewing area in this excellent forest.

Uganda special bird species here include White-thighed and Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills, Yellow-spotted and Yellow billed Barbets, Western Black-headed Oriole, along with Red-tailedand Blue Monkeys. Overhead, Sabine’s and sometimes Cassin’s Spinetails soar over the clearings. As we walk quietly along the trail, Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes skulk in the shadows, as do Red-tailed Bristlebill, Scaly-breasted, Pale-breasted and Brown Illadopsis. Greenbuls are always a challenge and include; Cameroon Sombre, Slender-billed, Honeyguide and Spotted, whilst other regular species are Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Green Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Buff-throated Apalis, and both White-breasted and Grey-headed Nigrita. Amongst lower levels of vegetation we look for Chocolate-backed and African Dwarf Kingfishers, White-spotted Flufftail and the elusive Nahan’s Francolin, believed to be one of the most handsome of all Ugandan birds. Other possibilities here are; Great Sparrowhawk, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Crested Guineafowl, Tambourine Dove, Grey Parrot, African Emerald andDusky Long-tailed Cuckoos, Yellowbill, White-throated Bee-eater, Yellow-throated Tinker bird, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Dusky Tit, Western Nicator, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Forest Robin, Black-throated and Black-capped Apalis, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Sabine’s and Cassin’s Spine tails, Wilcock’s Honeyguide, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Blue-throated Brown and Little Green Sunbirds, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, Uganda Woodland Warbler and Ituri Batis. 

This day is a long drive that will take most of the day with occasional stops for birds.

Kibale Forest boasts a great bird list of 325 species among which 6 are endemic to the Albertine rift region. Kibale Forest National Park is also a home to a diverse array of primates, from the nocturnal Demidoff’s Galago to our closest living relative, the Chimpanzee. Other primates include; Black and White Colobus, Red tailed Monkey, Sykes Blue Monkey, Red and Guereza Colobus, Olive Baboon, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, L’Hoest’s, Blue and Vervet Monkeys. Bush Pig and Buffalo, Bushbuck, Blue, Harvey’s and Peter’s Duikers are the other shy inhabitants of the forest interior.

Chimp trekking is a wonderful experience. We track a troop and hope to watch these great primates as they go about their routine is a wonderful encounter, as they feed, defend territories and play about, swinging from tree to tree.

Kibale Forest has the highest number of recorded sightings of Green-breasted Pitta, which is another sought after bird in Uganda. Other birds include: African Pitta, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Red-winged Francolin, Joyful Greenbul, White-naped Pigeon, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Red-chested Flufftail, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Uganda Woodland Warbler, White-collared Oliveback, Leaf-love, African Broadbill, Willcock’s Honeyguide, White-winged Warbler, White-spotted Flufftail, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Black-throated Apalis, Forest Robin, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-flycatcher, Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Fire-crested Alethe.  Black-bellied Seedcracker inhabit the forest edge, while the canopy holds Red-headed Malimbe, Grey-throated, Yellow-spotted and Yellow-billed Barbets, White-naped and Afep Pigeons, Red-chested Owlet and White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Crested Guineafowl, Narina Trogon, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey Parrot, Sabine’s Spinetail, Black-billed Turaco, White-spotted Flufftail, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat and more.

We spend the morning birding in and around Kibale before transferring to Fort Portal.

Spanning the equator is the vast Queen Elizabeth National Park boasting of impressive crater lake, expansive grasslands, papyrus swamps and tropical forests, huge herds of Elephant and Buffalo, Lions, Leopards, and a diverse array of birds. It contains Uganda’s best game populations as well as some of Uganda’s best bird watching sites, an incredible bird list of 610 bird species and an overwhelming record of 296 species in a single day, makes this birding site the best not only in Uganda but in Africa!

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a hoist of a multiple of ecosystems with; forests, savanna and aquatic habitats all hosting different species of birds and animals. A game drive in the park will likely produce Crested Francolin, Red-necked Spurfowl, Long crested Eagle, White-browed Coucal, Black-headed Gonolek, African Pygmy and Woodland Kingfisher, Violet-backed Starling, Sooty Chat, Flappet, Red-naped and Rufous-naped Larks, Augur Buzzard, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Black-headed Waxbill and many others.

An exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel will yield more species of birds. This is a narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for waterside birds and abundant Hippopotamus. The birds include: African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Pink-backed Pelican, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Marabou Stork, Pied Kingfisher, Grey-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler and Yellow-billed Oxpecker.

During the boat cruise, we also have good chances of seeing mammals such as the African Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Ugandan Kob, Side-striped Jackal, Bush and Waterbuck, Warthogs, and Giant Forest Hogs as they cool off at the channel.

This morning we drive through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park and we have chances of an encounter with the tree-climbing lions famous for this area of the park ultimately leading us to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest late in the evening.

Bwindi Impenetrable Conservation Area lies in the rugged Kigezi highlands of South Western Uganda, protecting a continuum of forest that ranges from montane to low land areas. It is this altitudinal variation, combined with its location within the Albertine Rift that results in Bwindi Impenetrable being the richest forest in East Africa in terms of its trees, butterflies and birds. Bwindi is a home to over 400 Mountain Gorillas more than half of the world’s population.

Bwindi is a bird watchers’ paradise that includes 90% (23) of all the Albertine Rift endemics, as well as African Green Broadbill, Chapin’s Flycatcher and Shelley’s Crimson-wing that have limited distributions elsewhere in their range.

Birds that can be seen along Buhoma’s main trail include; Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike Flycatcher, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Pale-breasted and Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill Babbler, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty’s Bush Shrike, White-napped Raven, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller’s Starling, Strange Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Magpie Mannikin, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed Seed-eater, Streaky Seedeater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turacco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood Owl, Rwenzori Nightjar, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Western Bronze-napped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg’s Woodpecker, Elliot’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Petit’s Cuckoo Shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Archer’s Robin Chat, Toro Olive Greenbul, Ansorge’s Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin Chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Short-tailed (Neumann’s) Warbler and Red-faced Woodland Warbler.

Mountain Gorilla tracking is a captivating pursuit; it involves walking through the dense wilderness in search of these great apes. Each encounter is exhilarating as we enjoy close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display, a one-time experience that is surely a major highlight of the trip.

Ruhiija is another of the highlights of our bird watching safari to with excellent birding in spectacular surroundings. Ruhiija is located at a higher elevation compared to Buhoma thus offering another chance of seeing some of the Albertine Rift endemics. The birds are many and somehow easier to see with many species associating in mixed feeding flocks that are active throughout the day. An early start offers the best chance of finding the striking Handsome Francolin, African Green Broadbill, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Western Green Tinkerbird, Mountain and Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Regal Sunbird, Black-headed Waxbill, Grauer’s Warbler, Dusky Crimsonwing, White-starred Robin, Rwenzori Nightjar, Mountain-masked and Chestnut-throated Apalis, Rwenzori Batis and White-tailed Crested Flycatcher.

The 4km trail to Mubwindi Swamp is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all rift endemics including Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill, the beautiful Regal Sunbird and Archer’s Robin-Chat. Mubwindi Swamp is also home to Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Ruwenzori Apalis, African Hill Babbler (sometimes treated as a separate species from Ruwenzori Hill Babbler), the rare and localized Grauer’s Scrub-Warbler and Carruther’s Cisticola. Some of the many species we have a chance of seeing here include; Black Goshawk, Augur Buzzard, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Olive (Rameron) Pigeon, Bronze-winged Pigeon, Black-billed, Ruwenzori, and Ross’s Turacco, African, Barred Long-tailed, and African Emerald Cuckoos, Red-chested Owlet, Narina and Bar-tailed Trogons, Black and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Blue-throated Roller, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Gray-throated, Double-toothed, and Yellow-spotted Barbets, Western and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Thick-billed and Dwarf Honeyguides, Rufous-necked Wryneck, Tullberg’s, Speckle-breasted, Elliot’s, and Olive Woodpeckers, African Broadbill, Rock Martin, Black Saw-wing, Gray and Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Ansorge’s, Kakamega, Olive-chested, and Cabanis’ Greenbul, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Kivu Ground-Thrush, Olive and Mountain Thrushes, Red-throated Alethe, Chubb’s Cisticola, Banded Prinia, Ruwenzori, Black-throated, and Black-faced Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera, Grauer’s and Cameroon Scrub-Warblers, Cinnamon and Black-faced Bracken-Warblers, Mountain Yellow Warbler, White-browed Crombec, Short-tailed Warbler, Red-faced Woodland-Warbler, White-eyed Slaty- Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Sooty Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, White-bellied and Archer’s Robin-Chats, Ruwenzori Batis, White-tailed, Slaty, and African Blue-Flycatchers, Puvel’s, Pale-breasted, Mountain, and Gray-chested Illadopses, Ruwenzori Hill Babbler, Gray-headed, Western Violet-backed, Green, Green-headed, Blue-headed, Green-throated, Stuhlmann’s, Northern Double-collared, and Regal Sunbirds, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Ludher’s, Gray-green, Many-colored, and Lagden’s Bush-shrikes, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Slender-billed, Waller’s, Narrow-tailed, Stuhlmann’s, and Sharpe’s Starlings, Black-billed, Strange, and Brown-capped Weavers, Jameson’s and Woodhouse’s Ant-peckers, and Red-faced and Dusky Crimsonwings. 

Following some morning birding in Bwindi we transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.

The 260 sq.km Lake Mburo National Park has a markedly distinct fauna from the other reserves. It is the only national park that contains an entire lake. Situated in rolling hills and open grassy valleys, the park also consists of four other smaller lakes. The park is covered in an extensive open and wooded acacia savannah. It is the best place to see the gigantic Eland antelope as well as Zebra, Topi, Impala, Buffalo, Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile and Monitor Lizard.

Common conspicuous birds that may be encountered include Red faced Barbet, Tabora and Trilling Cisticolas, Brown-eared, Nubian, Bearded and Grey Wood peckers, Red-necked Spurfowl, Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-naped Mousebird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Green Wood-hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Greater and Lesser Blue-eared Starling, Marico Sunbird, Coqui Francolin,  Black-bellied Bustard, Temminck’s Courser, African Wattled Plover, Rufous-naped and Flappet Larks, Rufous-chested Swallow, Yellow-throated Longclaw and Southern Red Bishop as well as the migratory Brown-chested Plover. Some of the nocturnal species include; African Scops Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl and Fiery-necked, Pennant-winged, Swamp, and Black-shouldered Nightjars. 

A boat-ride on Lake Mburo can also be a rewarding one with sights of birds like the shy African Finfoot, White-backed Night Heron, Shining Blue and Giant Kingfishers and other water birds.

We start our long drive to Kampala with a stopover at the Equator and thereafter proceed with our journey to Entebbe. Evening departure flight.