Birding, Bird watching safari tour - Uganda.

Day one: Set off for Masindi, Birdwatching safari in Uganda.
The safari begins in the morning at Entebbe International Airport followed by a transfer to the nearby Lake Victoria Hotel for a short break. Entebbe sits on the shores of Lake Victoria and we'll begin our safari tour with some bird watching along the Entebbe Peninsula, especially on the lush grounds of the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where we'll see both forest and lakeshore birds. Our first birds could include Palm-nut Vulture, Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Gray Plantain-eater, African Pied Hornbill, Splendid Glossy Starling and Orange and Slender-billed Weavers. Later in the day we'll set out for Masindi, passing through undulating grasslands and mosaic woodland where we'll watch for such species as White-crested Turaco, Bronze-tailed Starling, Marsh Widowbird and Black Bishop. Night at Masindi Hotel.

Day Two: Birdwatching in the Budongo royal mile.
We will depart early for the nearby Budongo Forest, driving along the "Royal Mile" a truly spectacular road with a forest canopy towering far overhead. There is a good system of trails in the forest, and as we explore them over the next two full days, we shall see many birds; White-thighed Hornbill, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Ituri Batis and Black-capped Apalis among other Birds. Over night at Masindi Hotel.

Day Three: Murchison falls Birding safari Uganda.
We shall set off for Murchison falls, go through Budongo forest on our way to Murchison Falls National Park. We will stop for our picnic lunch on the dramatic Butiaba Escarpment overlooking Lake Albert, where you have a naturally beautiful view of Butiaba, while here keep your eyes open for the Foxy Cisticola, White-winged Black Tit and the Red-winged Pytilia. Descending into the Albertine Rift we then continue north to Murchison Falls, arriving in the late afternoon and spend the night at Sambiya River Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park.

Day Four: Birding in Murchison falls, bird watching safari Uganda.
This day you will explore the splendid murchison fall national park. We shall go up to the water Falls, where the mighty Blue Nile is forced through a thirty-foot-wide gap. We shall take boat trips to the foot of the falls and to the delta area, and of course watch out for the Shoe bill. There will be other birds including the vivid Red-throated Bee-eater as well as mammals such as the Rothschild's Giraffe, Elephant, Waterbuck and many others.
Other birds to see here may include; Saddle-billed Stork, African Finfoot, Red-necked Falcon, Senegal Thick-knee, White-collared Pratincole and Giant and Woodland Kingfishers. In the scattered woodland and savanna we'll search for Heuglin's Francolins irrupting on noisy wings from the rank grass, gem-like and graceful Swallow-tailed and Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Rollers, comical Abyssinian Ground Hornbills and buzzing jewels in the form of Northern Red Bishops.
Over night at Sambiya River Lodge.

Day Five: Travel to Fort Portal, Uganda birding tour safari.
Leaving Murchison Falls, we'll make a short drive to the recently discovered population of Puvel's Illadopsis, a dowdy bird with an impressive voice. Toward Hoima there are a few papyrus swamps where specialties such as the White-winged Warbler and Papyrus Gonolek can be found, while the surrounding scrub may harbor Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Double-toothed Barbet, Black-bellied Seedcracker and Gray-headed Oliveback. Night at Mountains of the Moon Hotel, Fort Portal.

Day Six: Kibaale Forest reserve, birding tour safari - Uganda.
The Fort Portal Hotel will be our base from which to visit the extensive, mid-montane Kibale Forest Reserve. Kibale is home to nine species of primates and there is the opportunity for a Chimpanzee trek on easy, well-marked trails. Birding along the road is also very rewarding and we could encounter White-spotted Pygmy Crake, White-naped Pigeon, African Gray Parrot, Black Bee-eater, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Chestnut-winged and Purple-headed Starlings, Blue-throated Brown and Superb Sunbirds, White-collared Oliveback and Brown Twinspot among others. Night at Fort Portal.

Day Seven: Queen Elizabeth National Park, birding safari in Uganda.
Our next port of call is the world-famous Queen Elizabeth National Park on the shores of Lake Edward. After checking in at our lodge we'll head straight out to spend the remainder of the day driving along trails looking for such park specialties as Uganda Kob and Giant Forest Hog. Numerous birds inhabit the surrounding scrub and lakeshore and in the evening spectacular Pennant-winged Nightjars fly around the grounds of the lodge. Night at Mweya Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day Eight: Second day birding Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda safari tour.
Today we'll explore Queen Elizabeth National Park in earnest, taking scenic drives around the extinct volcanoes and searching the scrub and lakeshore for the many birds that live here. Birds are numerous and could include the magnificent Martial Eagle, comical Red-necked Spurfowl, secretive Black-rumped and Common Buttonquails, cautious African Crakes peering out from the gassy verge, African Skimmers cutting a trench across the waters in the quiet bays, enormous Verreaux's Eagle-Owl booming around the lodge in the evenings, crisp Sooty Chats, glistening Red-chested Sunbird and Slender-billed Weaver coming into the dining room to share breakfast. Night at Mweya Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day Nine: Travel to Bwindi, Uganda birding tour safari.
This morning we'll board a boat for a trip on the Kazinga Channel, the narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward. Here we'll have fine views of many waterbirds and some of the skulking birds in the reedbeds. After breakfast we'll depart Mweya for Buhoma in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Night at Buhoma.

Day Ten: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi, gorilla tour Uganda.
For this day in the park we shall be based at Buhoma, where we shall have the opportunity to go Gorilla trekking. The chances of finding a troop are good and spending an hour with these immense but placid creatures is an experience never to be forgotten. The forest of the park's lowland portion has an avifauna quite different from that of the higher parts, where altitude and the steep tracks make for slow progress. Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Bar-tailed Trogon, African Broadbill and White-bellied Robin-Chat are just a few of the species we may find in the forest. We will spend the next two days at Ruhija exploring the montane forest in search of a variety of birds including many Albertine endemics. The list will be impressive but should include Rwenzori Nightjar, African Green Broadbill, Stripe-breasted Tit, Red-throated Alethe, Archer's Robin-Chat, Rwenzori and Mountain Masked Apalises, Grauer's, Short-tailed and Red-faced Woodland Warblers, Grauer's Rush Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Fulleborn's Black Boubou, Lagden's Bush-Shrike, Blue-headed and Purple-breasted Sunbirds and Strange Weaver. Nights at Gorilla Resort or Buhoma community Bandas (FB).

Day Eleven: Bwindi - Lake Mburo Birdwatching Safari.
Leaving Bwindi we'll look for a few marsh birds before continuing to Lake Mburo National Park for the remainder of the day. As we trace the edge of the dense papyrus-filled bays we'll stop at several locations to look for regional specialties such as Senegal and Brown-chested Plovers, Brown Parrot, Yellow-eyed Black Tit and Yellow-throated Leaflove, to name but a few, while commoner mammals might include Impala, Topi, Oribi and Burchell's Zebra. Night at Mantana or Mihingo Lodge.

Day Twelve: Travel to Kampala, bird watching safari Uganda.
From Mbarara we'll travel to Kampala. Over night at Speke Hotel or Holiday Express Hotel.

Day Thirteen: Birding Mabira Forest, Uganda birding tour safari.
After an early breakfast we will go birding in the Mabira Forest. Although isolated by the surrounding banana and sugar plantations, this remarkably productive forest is possibly the richest in the country, and well-maintained trails make birding here so easy and comfortable. Mixed flocks are often found along the broad tracks, and noisy groups of the near-endemic Weyn's Weaver, arguably the most attractive of the group. We can also hope to see the African Pied Hornbill and Forest Wood-Hoopoe, while the seasonal pools can attract Blue-breasted, White-bellied, Dwarf and Shining-blue Kingfishers. Over night in Mabira.

Day Fourteen: Air Port transfer.
We shall have another morning in Mabira Forest before returning to Entebbe and the Lake Victoria Hotel where the tour concludes in time for the evening flights back home. The birding safari Ends.

UGANDA:
Uganda is the jewel in the crown of East Africa, generally recognized as having some of the best remaining forest in Africa and with it some truly remarkable bird watching. Our first taste of this will be at Budongo Forest, where we shall explore the famous Royal Mile, a wide pathway through the forest that simply drips with birds. At Murchison Falls National Park we'll take to the water, not only to visit the spectacular White Nile Falls but also to seek out the unique Shoebill in its papyrus home. There are many birds in Kibaale Forest alone as well as some of the eleven species of primates, including Chimpanzee. While in Queen Elizabeth National Park we'll encounter a variety of habitats more typical of East Africa together with an equally varied array of birds and mammals.
The wonderful Impenetrable Forest is a magical place of mists, hanging mosses and luxuriant vegetation and it is also where we'll see some of the rarest and most exotic birds of the trip. However, it will probably be a mammal that is uppermost in people's minds here. Over half the world's population of Mountain Gorillas can be found in this forest and during our stay there will be the option to take part in a guided trek to search for a group of these magnificent animals.
We shall complete our birding safari in Uganda at the papyrus-fringed lakeshore of Lake Mburo National Park and then at Mabira Forest, where we are certain to see yet more new birds including the Great Blue Turacos leaping through the trees.