Day 2

Bird to Lake Mburo National Park Via Mabamba Wetland

After the early morning breakfast and an hour and a half drive to Mabamba. The Mabamba wetland is one of the top two places in the world to find the shoebill, which is an uptick bird for many birders on earth and Africa’s number one and highly sought-after; the other spot is Murchison Falls National Park. Mabamba offers an 80% chance of seeing this alien-looking-bird. While looking for a shoebill, expect a collection of typically water and nearby habitat birds like Papyrus Gonolek, African Marsh Harrier, common waxbill, Madagascar and Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Malachite kingfisher, African white-backed Duck, Lesser Jacana and several others. After the search for the shoebill, drive to the Equator crossing for photos. Continue with the drive to the park. However, look out for the stunning Gray-backed Fiscal, Long-crested and Wahlberg’s Eagle, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Eurasian and Gray Kestrel On the dirt road, as we approach the park and the accommodation, look out for the Singing and Red-faced cisticolas; occasionally this stretch can be perfect for Crested and Red-necked francolins, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove, and Brown snake-Eagle. A few mammals are Impala, Zebra, and Dwarf Mongoose.

• Birding

Day 4

Drive to Kisoro for Mgahinga Birding

After breakfast, we’ll do a boat ride on Lake Mburo to find a few more great birds such as the African Fish Eagle and African Finfoot. We’ll also expect to get sights of the Hippopotamus schools. We scan the shoreline and the hanging riverine thickets for Black Crake, White-backed Night-heron, and Water Thick-knee. Our Weaver list should continue to grow with possible sightings of Lesser- masked, Slender- billed, and Holub's. After the boat cruise, drive as you depart and enjoy scenic views of the hills and landscape along this route. This route rewards you with a chance of sighting the Augur Buzzards. With luck, we can also sight the Banded and Black-breasted Snake-eagles. We’ll stop at Papyrus swamps for Papyrus Canary, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, White-winged and Greater Swamp Warblers before we approach the popular Albertine rift ranges. Arrive and settle in at your lodge for the night.

• Birding
• Boat Cruise

Day 6

Transfer to Ruhija in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

On this day, we’ll travel to Ruhija, which is a sector in the Impenetrable Forests of Bwindi. The tour continues for more sightings of Albertine Rift specials that may include the darling Grauer’s Broadbill, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson-wings, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, White-browed Crombec, White-naped Raven, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Sharp’s Starling, Mountain masked and Rwenzori Apalises, and Many more. Arrive and settle in at your lodge in time for dinner.

• Birding

Day 8

Birding in Mubwindi Swamp

After the early morning breakfast, we start our hike to the famous Mubwindi swamp in pursuit of some of the toughest endemics of this area. This section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is well known for being Africa’s number one birding spot according to the African Birding Club. As we walk down the slopes of this mountainous terrain and habitat, we hope to see white-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Black-tailed Oriole, Black-throated Apalis, Dusky Tit, Wilcock’s, Least and Dwarf Honeyguide, mountain Buzzard, yellow-streaked Greenbul, Narina Trogon. Continue to the marsh where we hope to find the uptick birds like Grauer’s Broadbill and Grauer’s Rush Warbler, but we will look out for the Brown-Capped Weaver, Black-billed Turaco, Olive, Elliot’s, Cardinal, and Tulberg’s Woodpeckers, Northern Black Flycatcher, Blue-headed, Tiny and Purple-breasted sunbirds, Dusky crimson-wing, Mountain Greenbul, Western Citril. Keeping our eyes in the trees, we will also see through the undergrowth for even mythical birds like Grey-chested Illadopsis, Oriole finch, the restless White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Carruther’s Cisticola, Equatorial Akalat, African Hill Babbler, Chestnut-throated Apalis, African Yellow-white-eye, White-eye Slaty-flycatcher, Stuhlmann, Waller’s, slender-billed and Narrow-tailed starlings. The Black-fronted Duiker, which is a small forest-dwelling antelope, frequently shows up during this walk.

• Birding

Day 10

Birding Buhoma Main Trail

This morning, we proceed to bird in the Buhoma main trail. This forest merges birds of the low and highland elevations. A good day yields a significant number of Guinea-Congo Forest and Albertine Rift Montane range specialties. We will do the first minutes of birding in the secondary forest to be rewarded with undergrowth-dwelling Grey-winged, Red-capped, Blue-shouldered and Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Grey, Black-throated and Buff-throated Apalis, Grey-headed and white-breasted Nigrita, White-bellied Robin-chat, Red-headed Malimbe, Dusky Tit, Red-chested, Klass’s and African Emerald cuckoos, Chubb’s Cisticola. Also, when we go to the primary forest when the light is at its best, we should find African Broadbill, African shrike-flycatcher, Red-tailed Bristlebill, flocks of Red-tailed Greenbul, Neumann’s Warbler and the nearly impossible Kivu Ground-thrush. The mixed flocks should be great for Golden-crowned Woodpecker, Jameson’s Antpecker, Cassin’s Honeyguide, Petit’s cuckoo-shrike, Black-Bee-eater and recently split Willard’s Sooty Boubou. And many more birds.

• Birding

Day 12

Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Awaken to a hearty breakfast, and thereafter, head to the pristine savannah grassland areas of this park. As you enjoy sightings of these mammals, you will also have a chance of seeing birds like Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Rufous-naped, White-tailed, Red-capped and Flappet Lark, African and Jackson’s Pipit. More to our bird-watching wish list is the Temminck’s Courser, Senegal, Black-crowned, and wattled lapwing, Yellow-throated Longclaw, White-backed Vultures, Ruppell’s Griffon and others soaring the sky, Black-chinned and Black-faced Quail finches, and observing kob lekking ground activity. After lunch, we shall do an afternoon boat ride on the Kazinga Channel. The boat ride typically targets congregations of birds and big mammals when they come down to cool off during the heat of the day. Look out for fishing African spoonbill, a few African skimmers, Gull- billed and white-winged terns, a few shore birds depending on the season, and these should include Curlew Sandpipers, Common, Marsh and Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Little Stint, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Three-banded Plovers and Common snipe. Other good birds to expect to see include Four-gilled, Lesser- black-backed, Heuglin’s, Slender-billed and Grey-Hooded Gull, both Great-White and Pink-backed pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, yellow-billed, Marabou and Woolly-necked storks, our first of the many Red-throated bee-eaters, and many more. If we choose to go out for a short evening drive, we will have chances for Square-tailed and Black-shouldered Nightjars.

• Birding
• Boat Cruise

Day 14

Chimpanzee tracking and Birding

After breakfast, opt to trek in search of chimpanzees, as this part of the country offers you a 90% chance of seeing these incredible primates. As we walk down the forest paths in search of the chimps, also look out for the Green-breasted Pitta. This pitta is one of the most difficult birds to find! The time we should spend in the forest looking for the Pitta, we will also look for the White-throated greenbul, Crowned Eagle, Thick-billed Honeyguide, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethe, Crested-Guineafowl, Western Black-headed Oriole, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed camaroptera, Blue Malkoha, Brown-eared woodpecker, Western Nicator, Dusky-long-tailed cuckoo, Bronze-naped pigeon, Yellow-mantled weaver, Lesser Honeyguide, Red-chested owlet and African wood-owl among others.

• Birding
• Chimpanzee Trekking

Day 16

Transfer to Semuliki Forest

On this day, transfer to Semuliki Forest to collect some of the Guinea-Congo forest biome specialties that have this forest as the most eastern extension. Being the only connection to the Ituri Forest from DR Congo makes it the spot where over 35 restricted-range specialties exist in East Africa. When the birds are breeding, it is effortless to spot Black-and-southern Red Bishops, Piapiac, which is a social crow, Rattling and whistling cisticolas, and Mosque swallow before entering the forest. Once in the forest, look out for Piping, white-crested, Black-dwarf Hornbill, the canopy-dwelling Red-billed dwarf and the gigantic Black-casqued Hornbills. Other good birds like Yellow-lored Bristlebill, Yellow-throated Nicator, Black-headed and African Paradise flycatchers, Forest Robin, African Piculet, African Dwarf kingfisher and Hartlaub Duck, Xavier’s Greenbul, Red-tailed ant-thrush, Crested Malimbe, Dusky-crested flycatcher, Orange-cheeked waxbill, Black-bellied Seed cracker, Grant’s and Red-headed bluebills, Brown-Illadopsis among others we will be looking for.

• Birding

Day 18

Birding Royal Mile of Budongo forest

Set off early for birding Uganda’s most birdy spots, which are in the country’s most significant forest reserve. This part of the forest rewards you with sights of the African and Black-bellied firefinches, Grey-headed Oliveback, Compact weaver, Wahlberg’s Eagle, and White-thighed Hornbill, making them our last species of hornbill. More to the above are the African Dwarf, Chocolate-backed in the forest canopy, Shining-blue kingfishers, Chestnut-capped flycatcher, Rufous-Crowned Eremomela, Ituri Batis, Forest flycatcher, Cassin’s Honeyguide, Nahan’s Francolin, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Spotted greenbul, Fire-crested Alethe, Lemon-bellied Crombec.

• Birding

Day 20

Kaniyo Pabidi & Transfer to Entebbe

After breakfast, embark on birding in the forest. Look out for Puvell’s illadopsis, Nahan’s francolin, Black-billed turaco, crested guinea fowl, and white-tailed and red-tailed ant-thrush. Start your journey to Entebbe, but with stops along the way as you en route bird. Arrive and check into your hotel and have dinner thereafter.