BIRD WATCHING SAFARI IN UGANDA - 18 DAYS.

Birds of Uganda safari offers our clients an opportunity to get the most out of your Ugandan experience.This trip focusess on the top birding,Wildlife and primate areas in this region. The approach that we will take on this safari is unique is to target the richest and most unique areas and do it thoroughly.

Itinerary;
Day 1-ARRIVAL ENTEBBE. Upon arrival you will be met by a representative from Advantage Safaris and transferred to your hotel for a welcome drink and safari briefing.Time allowing we visit the nearby botanical gardens rich in wetland birds and forest bird species. Overnight Entebbe Travellers Hotel/Nuel Guest House.

Day 2: ENTEBBE- MABAMBA SWAMP SHOEBILL-LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK.
After an early breakfast, we depart for Mabamba Swamp, 50km west of Entebbe.Mabamba is a very important birding area especially for papyrus species and is the best place to see the shoebill in East Africa. Here birding is on a canoe, paddled by our local site guides. Look for the Shoebill both in the sky and down on the marsh. Also watch for the Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron and Black Crake. Overnight. Rwonyo Camp/Mihingo Lodge.

Day 3: BIRDING-GAME DRIVE. Lake Mburo has a totally different fauna and flora from other Ugandan parks that we shall visit and its the best place for Zebra,Topi,Impala,the lakes within the park harbours crocodiles,hippos and papyrus bird species. Overnight Rwonyo Camp/Mihingo Lodge.

Day 4: LAKE MBURO-BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK. This morning we travel to Bwindi,the journey taking most of the day as we shall be making stop overs birding enroute. Bwindi Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world endangered population of Mountain Gorillas. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda's 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighbouring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and therefore of big conservation importance. Buhoma lies in the valley of the Munyaga River at 5100ft and is bordered with steep, forested hills. Excellent forest birding, not least the prospect of numerous rare and localised Albertine Rift endemics, makes this a true birding paradise. Overnight Gorilla Resort/ Community Bandas.

Day 5: WHOLE DAY BIRDING IN BWINDI BUHOMA AREA. Forest birding at Bwindi ranks the best birdwatching in Uganda and Africa as well, as having been voted as number one hot spot in Africa. It is home to over 23 highly-localized Albertine Rift endemics. Special birds include Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer's Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-faced Apalis, 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 Illadopsis, Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon's Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty's Bush-shrike, White-naped 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 Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly's Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre's Hawk-eagle, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Rwenzori Nightjar, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, (Western) Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg's Woodpecker, Elliot's Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Lagdens Bush Shrike, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Archer's Ground Robin, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Ansorge's Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Grauer's Rush-warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Neumann's Warbler and Red faced Woodland-Warbler. Overnight Gorilla Resort/Community Bandas.

Day 6: GORILLA TRACKING. Todays activity may be the most exciting of our entire expedition. We shall have an opportunity of visiting one of the habituated groups of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat assemble at the park offices for the briefing for this historic event. Gorilla tracking is a very strenous activity; it involves walking in the wilderness in search of these great apes. It can be a challenging activity, therefore ensure physical fitness.Depending on where the gorillas spent the night,this activity can take 20 minutes to 10 hours. After locating the gorillas,our group will be allowed to be with them for some time,then we retire to our camp for a well earned rest. Overnight Gorilla Resort/Comminity Bandas.

Day 7: BWINDI-QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK. Today we depart early for queen elizabeth national park. The park is one of the richest in terms of biodiversity with over 100 mammal species and a bird checklist of over 600 species.expect to see African Crake, White-winged Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, Papyrus Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovampo Sparrowhawk. Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Black Bee-eater, Caruthers's Cisticola, Terek Sandpiper, Secretary Bird, and Temminck's Courser. Mammals include African Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Ugandan Kobs, Side-striped Jackal, Baboons, Chimpanzees, Bush and Water Bucks, Warthogs, Giant Forest Hogs. Overnight Mweya Safari lodge/Institute Hostel.

Day 8: GAME DRIVE-BIRDWATCHING-BOAT TRIP. After breakfast we set out for a whole day game and birdwatching in the park. Later in the afternoon you have an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. This is a narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for waterside birds and abundant Hippopotamus. Amongst the birds you are likely to encounter include African Skimmer,Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin Lesser Swamp-Warbler and Yellow-billed Oxpecker. Overnight Mweya Safari lodge/Institute Hostel.

Day 9: BIRDING KYAMBURA GORGE-KIBALE FOREST. After an early breakfast, we shall birdwatch in Chambura Gorge before proceeding to Kibale forest.Birds likely to be seen include, Yellow-bellied and Jameson's Wattle-eyes, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Brown and Grey-chested Illadopsis, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, Brown-eared Woodpeckers, Narina Trogon, Least Honeyguide, Grey Greenbul, Brown-chested Alethe, and the African Finfoot. Overnight Primate Lodge/Chimps Nest.

Day 10: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING-BIRDWATCHING. After breakfast we shall assemble at the park offices for briefing about chimpanzee tracking,later we enter the forest with experienced guides some of who have been involved in the habituation process of chimps in this forest. This activity lasts for several hours,but quite rewarding as there are plennty of birds and this forest apart from chimps has 13 species of primates. In the afternoon we bird Bigodi wetland just close to the park expect to see, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis's Greenbul and Joyful Greenbul as well as White-spotted Flufftail, Dusky and Olive Longtailed Cuckoo, Lesser Honeyguide, Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, White-chinned Prinia, Grey Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera and White-collared Oliveback. Overnight Primate lodge/Chimps Nest.

Day 11-KIBALE FOREST-BUDONGO FOREST. Today morning we travel to Budong forest birding enroute. We shall have an opportunity of birding in at Busingiro Section of Budongo forest. Overnight. Court View Hotel.

Day 13: BIRDWATCHING IN THE ROYAL-MILE. Today we shall have a very early rise and go to the the Royal Mile in Budongo forest. Historically this area in Budong forest was leisure spot for the traditional King of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, hence the name Royal Mile. Here the forest has been cut back a few metres along the sides of the main trail, which makes it a particularly good viewing area in this excellent forest. Special Birds in Budongo include White-thighed and Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills, Yellow-spotted and Yellow billed Barbets, Western Black-headed Oriole, along with Red-tailed and 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 ever 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 Negrofinches. Lower down we should see Chocolate-backed and African Dwarf Kingfishers. White-spotted Flufftails and the elusive Nahan's Francolin. Other possibilities here are Great Sparrowhawk, Cassin's Hawk-eagle, Crested Guineafowl, Tambourine Dove, Grey Parrot, African Emerald and Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoos, Yellowbill, White-throated Bee-eater, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird,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 Spinetails, 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 and Uganda Woodland Warbler, Ituri Batis.

Day 14-BIRDING KANIYO PABIDI-MURCHISON TOP OF THE FALLS. After breakfast, you drive northwards to Murchison Falls National Park through Kaniyo Pabidi. This area offers excellent birding and is the best place to see the Purvels Illadopsis,Red tailed ant Trush,Whistling cisticola,Blue throated Roller,Pygmy sunbird. Later continue to Murchison falls and birdwatch ate the top of the falls for Special birds include Cliff Chat, Rock pranticoles and otghers. Overnight Paara lodge/Red Chilli Camp.

Days 15 &16: BIRDWATCHING-GAME DRIVE LAUNCH TRIP. We shall spend these two days exploring this vast savannah park rich in biodiversity. The park has giraffe,elephants,buffaloes,lions,leopard and a host of antelopes,birds are plenty and include Shoebill, Secretary Bird, Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, Pied Kingfishers, Red-throated Bee-eaters, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Senegal Thick-knee, Water Thick-knee, Black-headed Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, 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, Red-throated Bee-eater, Silverbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver and White-rumped Seedeater, Pels Fishing Owl, White Crested Turaco, Vinaceous Dove, Senegal Thicknee, Bruce,s Green Pigeon, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Carmine Bee-eater, Night jars(Pennant-winged &Standard-winged), White rumped canary and others.

Day 17: BIRDING THE BUTIABA ESCARPMENT. After an early breakfast, we bird through the Butiaba escarpment looking for special birds common in this area. Continue to Kampala through Hoima Overnight Victoria Travel Hotel.

Day: 18 Today you will be transferred to the airport for departure.