Uganda: 7-day Primate & Shoebill

Arrive in Nairobi on an evening flight. Transfer to hotel

Early breakfast, then out to nearby Mabamba Wetlands on the shores of Lake Victoria. This is one of the few remaining swamps in the country protected by the local communities – an extensive papyrus swamp with its labyrinth of channels and lagoons, classified as an Important Bird Area, and home to several pairs of Shoebills, Uganda’s most famous avian resident. This charismatic monotypic species is certainly amongst the most sought-after birds in Africa, and we’ll make special efforts today to find it by paddling through the channels by boat.

There will of course be a good selection of classic East African water birds, including Pink-backed Pelican, Long-tailed Cormorant, Goliath Heron, African Open-billed, Saddle-billed, and Marabou Storks, Hammerkop, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Yellow-billed Duck, African Fish-Eagle, African Marsh-Harrier, African Water Rail, Purple Swamphen, Allen’s Gallinule, African Jacana, Long-toed and Spur-winged Plovers. Apart from the numerous water birds, we are likely to see a nice variety of open country and water edge species, perhaps including Speckled Pigeon, African Green Pigeon, Eastern Plantain-eater, Malachite, Giant, and Pied Kingfishers, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Crowned Hornbill, Angola and Rufous-chested Swallows, Winding Cisticola, Greater and Lesser Swamp-Warblers, Papyrus Yellow Warblers, Swamp Flycatcher, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Papyrus Gonolek, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, and Golden-backed Weavers, and Papyrus Canary.
In the afternoon we’ll travel to our first national park, Lake Mburo. This park has varied habitats from open Acacia woodlands, to a number of papyrus-lined lakes and swamps.

We’ll have the afternoon and the following morning to cover several different habitats. Some of the many species we’ll search for en route to the park, in the woodland in the immediate vicinity of Rwonyo (at lake Mburo) and within the park include Black-headed, Squacco, and Rufous-bellied Herons, Hadada Ibis, Yellow-billed (Black) Kite, Spur-winged Goose, Comb Duck, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Lizard Buzzard, Palm-nut and White-backed Vultures, Wahlberg’s and Verreaux’s Eagles, Crested Francolin, Crowned Crane, African Finfoot, Black-bellied Bustard, Temminck’s and Bronze-winged Coursers, Senegal, Crowned, Wattled, and Brown-chested Lapwings, Emerald-spotted and Blue-spotted Wood Doves, Brown Parrot, Red-eyed Dove, Great Blue Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, White-browed Coucal, Speckled and Blue-naped Mousebirds, Mottled Spinetail, Little, White-rumped and African Palm Swifts, Woodland Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted and Broad-billed Rollers, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, African Grey, Crowned, Black-and-white Casqued and African Pied Hornbills, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Angola Swallow, African Pied Wagtail, African andLong-billed Pipits, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Dark-capped Bulbul, African Thrush, Trilling Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Grey-capped Warbler, Red-faced Crombec, Northern (white-winged) Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Mariqua, Olive-bellied, and Red-chested Sunbirds, Pied Crow, Greater Blue-eared, Splendid, Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starlings, Black-headed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Vieillot’s Black, and Slender-billed Weavers, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Bronze Mannikin, and Yellow-fronted Canary. If we are lucky, we will even see the nomadic Weyn’s Weaver.

On this day, we set off early, with packed lunch, to the park headquarters for a briefing prior to Gorilla tracking. This is the most exciting lifetime experience of all time. The gorillas are gentle animals and it is an unforgettable experience to photograph them as they interact. It is a wonderful experience to stare in to the eyes of these gentle giants; watch them in awe as they play and go about their daily activities. It is indeed a “once in a lifetime” experience that you must never miss. Each encounter is different and has its own rewards; you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display. We will also look for other primates like the L’ Hoest Monkey, Black and White Colobus; Red tailed, and Blue monkeys. Mammals include the Rwenzori Duiker, Yellow-backed Duiker, Caruthers Squirrel, Bohm’s and Alexander Squirrels, and many other species.

Kibale National Park is extensive protecting a large block of rainforest that offers both excellent birding, and our main opportunity to see Chimpanzee in the wild. The park probably has the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa, and is famous for its Chimpanzees. Superb birds and primates, combined with easy access and excellent infrastructure, makes a visit to Kibale more than worthwhile. Some of the many species we will look for around Kibale include African Crowned-Eagle, White-spotted Flufftail, Afep Pigeon, Red-winged Francolin, African Emerald, Dusky Long-tailed and Red-chested Cuckoos, Yellowbill (or Blue Malkoha), Black-billed Turaco, Narina Trogon, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Black and White-throated Bee-eaters, White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Speckled, Yellow-rumped, and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds, Streaky-throated (split from Hairy-breasted), Yellow-billed and Yellow-spotted Barbets, African (Green-breasted) Pitta, Grey-winged and Snowy-headed Robin-chats, African Broadbill, Willcock’s & Thick-billed Honeyguides, Cassin’s Honeybird, White-headed Saw-wing, Mountain Wagtail, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Petit’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Joyful & Honeyguide Greenbuls, Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopses, Banded and White-chinned Prinias, Masked and Buff-throated Apalises, Grey-throated and Black-and-white Flycatchers, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Pink-footed Puff-back, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed Starlings, Superb, Green-headed & Green-throated Sunbirds, Dark-backed and Vieillot’s Black Weavers, Red-headed Malimbe, Gray-headed Negrofinch, and Black-crowned Waxbill.

This will be mainly a transfer day with a birding stop or two en route to Entebbe, for our late afternoon departure.

Note that the itinerary can be expanded to 10-days/9 nights to include Murchison Falls National Park.