DETAILED
ITINERARY: UGANDA
DAY
1: Entebbe provides the ideal start to our Uganda Tour.
Leafy suburbs and tranquil lakeside scenes get us in to the swing
of Uganda's birding. Colossal fig trees in the Botanical Gardens
draw a number of spectacular species, which may include our first
Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Starling and
African Pied Hornbill. We'll also watch out for
Shikra, African Hobby, Red-headed Lovebird, Broad-billed
Roller, Green Crombec, Double-toothed Barbet, Western Grey Plantain-eater,
Ross's Turaco, Palmnut Vulture and Black-and-white
Flycatcher.
DAY
2: After an early breakfast, we'll wind our way along the
shores of Lake Victoria towards Mabamba Swamp. Here we'll board
a makoro, a traditional wooden fishing boat, and make a foray into
the surrounding swamps. Swamp Flycatcher and Slender-billed
Weaver are usually very confiding. A number of other waterbirds
can be found, but we'll concentrate our efforts on spotting a large
grey object, standing statuesque among the papyrus - Shoebill!
However, we don’t like to count our Shoebills… and it
is not impossible to miss it here. In the late morning we'll start
our journey towards Fort Portal and Kibale National Park, arriving
in the late afternoon.
DAY
3: Kibale is perhaps most famous for its primates, not
least Chimpanzees, which we stand a very good chance of seeing.
We will spend at least half a day birding along the main forest
road, which allows clear views of the forest canopy. The number
of possibly species is very impressive, and may include African
Crowned Eagle, Crested Guineafowl, White-spotted Flufftail, Afep
and the rare White-naped Pigeon, African Grey Parrot,
Great Blue and Black-billed Turacos, Red-chested
Owlet, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Blue-breasted and Shining
Blue Kingfishers, Black Bee-eater, Speckled and
Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds, Yellow-spotted, Yellow-billed
and Hairy-breasted Barbets, Buff-spotted and
Yellow-crested Woodpeckers, White-headed Sawwing, Western
Nicator, Little, Slender-billed, Yellow-whiskered, Cameroon Sombre,
Cabanis’s, Joyful and Honeyguide Greenbuls,
Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, Green Hylia, White-chinned Prinia, Olive-green
Camaroptera, Buff-throated Apalis, Grey-throated, Sooty and
Dusky-blue Flycatchers, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Superb
Sunbird, Red-headed Malimbe, African Emerald Cuckoo and
Dusky Tit. Primates could include Central African
Red Colobus, Red-tailed and Blue Monkeys and the handsome Grey-cheeked
Mangabey.
DAY
4: Before heading off towards the open savannas of Queen
Elizabeth National Park we'll head to another section of Kibale
NP to search for a range of new species, which may include Tiny
Sunbird and Masked Apalis.
DAY
5: We have a full day to explore the riches of Queen Elizabeth
NP. With over 600 species recorded, this conservation area has the
longest bird list of any in Africa! Open grasslands support Long-crested
Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, Sooty Chat, Yellow-throated Longclaw,
Marsh Tchagra, Grey-backed Fiscal, and, with some luck,
Broad-tailed Warbler. Euphorbia thickets are common
in some areas. Grey-capped Warbler, Black-headed Gonolek
and Black-lored Babbler are regular, but
skulking. Around camp we should find Spotted-flanked Barbet,
Red-chested Sunbird and Northern Brown-throated
Weaver. We’ll also keep an eye out for Beaudouin’s
Snake Eagle, a rare bird in East Africa and, in papyrus
swamps, the striking Papyrus Gonolek. Mammals to
look for include Uganda Kob, Lion and Giant Forest Hog.
DAY
6: Today we continue southwards to Uganda's most famous
park, Bwindi Impenetrable NP. En route we'll listen out for the
characteristic song of Trilling Cisticola and watch
for Senegal Lapwing. We hope to arrive in Bwindi
in time for some introductory birding in the afternoon. Around our
camp we may find Luedher’s and Bocage’s
Bush-shrikes, Veillot’s Black Weaver, Yellow-throated Leaflove
and Magpie Mannikin.
DAY
7: Although on a birding trip, Gorilla tracking will be
the highlight of most visitors’ trip to Uganda. This day is
devoted to these great apes!
DAY
8: With Gorillas under the best, we have a full day to
explore the forests around Buhoma. A wide track gives exceptional
visibility into the forest, although many species will still escape
without being seen. Highlights may include several Albertine Rift
endemics, such as Short-tailed Warbler, Chapin's Flycatcher,
Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black
Flycatcher and Blue-headed Sunbird. Among
the other species we see may be Bar-tailed Trogon, Western
Bronze-naped Pigeon, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Tullberg’s
and Elliot’s Woodpeckers, African Broadbill,
Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Shelley’s and Red-tailed
Greenbuls, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Black-faced
Rufous Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-throated Apalis, White-bellied
Crested Flycatcher, Northern Double-collared Sunbird and
Stuhlmann’s, Waller’s and Narrow-tailed
Starlings. We even stand an outside chance of Kivu
Ground Thrush.
DAY
9: While Buhoma offers superb birding, the higher altitude
forests of Ruhiza are where most of the Albertine Rift endemics
are found. We wind our way up steep mountain slopes, stopping on
route for Regal Sunbird, Chubb’s Cisticola, Brown-backed
Scrub Robin, Scarce Swift and Doherty's Bush Shrike.
Dusky Twinspot is sometimes seen here.
DAY
10: The legendary Mabwindi Swamp is the focus of this day.
We'll take it easy as we descend the long, winding trail to the
lake's edge. Perhaps the most famous bird here is the legendary
African Green Broadbill, which we will need considerable
luck to find. But other noteworthy species may include Dwarf
Honeyguide, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Mountain Buzzard, Handsome
Francolin, Ruwenzori Nightjar, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Grey-throated
Barbet, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Archer’s
Robin-Chat, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler,
Grey, Chestnut-throated, Collared and Mountain
Masked Apalis, Ruwenzori Batis, Mountain and Grey-chested
Illadopsis, African Hill Babbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Mountain
Black Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Montane Oriole, Sharpe’s
Starling, Strange and Brown-capped Weaver, Dusky
Crimsonwing and Black-headed and Yellow-bellied
Waxbills.
DAY
11: After some early morning birding we head back to Entebbe,
a drive that will take us most of the day.
DAY
12: If time allows, we'll spend a couple of hours birding
around Entebbe before departing.
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DETAILED
ITINERARY: NORTHERN UGANDA
DAY
1: Entebbe provides the ideal start to our Uganda Tour.
Leafy suburbs and tranquil lakeside scenes get us in to the swing
of Uganda's birding. Colossal fig trees in the Botanical Gardens
draw a number of spectacular species, which may include our first
Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Starling and
African Pied Hornbill. We'll also watch out for
Shikra, African Hobby, Red-headed Lovebird, Broad-billed
Roller, Green Crombec, Double-toothed Barbet, Western Grey Plantain-eater,
Ross's Turaco, Palmnut Vulture and Black-and-white
Flycatcher.
(same day as day 12 on Uganda Tour).
DAY
2: This morning we drive to Murchison Falls National Park,
about 5 hours north-west of Entebbe. Birding en route can be very
productive – we have recorded over 100 species on this drive
– and may include several stops. In the afternoon we’ll
stop at a small patch of forest along the road which is the only
known locality for Puvel’s Illadopsis in
East Africa. After birding here for a couple of hours we’ll
proceed to our lodge, where we spend the next three nights.
DAY
3: We make a very early start, to catch the first ferry
across the Nile to the north bank, where we will spend the day.
Around the river we may find Red-throated Bee-eater, Spotted
Morning Thrush, Silverbird, Bar-breasted Firefinch or White-rumped
Seed-eater. As we head out onto the Borassus-palm savanna
with tall grass, we’ll keep a close watch for Fawn-breasted
Waxbill among the other seedeaters. Grey Kestrel is
regular here. We make our way towards the edge of Lake Albert’s
vast delta. Short grass and scattered pools on the floodplain are
a favoured haunt of Lapwings, with Long-toed, African Wattled
and Black-headed Lapwings being regular.
We’ll also watch out for Denham’s Bustard, Piapiac,
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-billed Barbet and Temminck’s
Courser, although our main target will certainly be Shoebill.
A couple of pairs frequent the area, but despite their large size
they are difficult to spot.
DAY
4: We’ll spend the morning birding in the woodlands
near our lodge. Here we may find several new species, including
Singing Cisticola, Red-winged Warbler and Cabanis’s
Bunting and Heuglin’s Francolin,
and with some luck the scarce Ring-necked Francolin or
Red-winged Pytilia. In the afternoon we’ll
return to the Nile for a boat ride to the bottom of the falls. Here
we’ll disembark and enjoy the sunset in spectacular surrounds.
Rock Pratincole is common around the rapids, and
we may see Red-winged Grey Warbler or White-crested
Turaco nearby. At dusk thousands of bats come out to feed,
often with a pair of Bathawks in hot pursuit. After
dark we may see Long-tailed and Standard-winged
Nightjars on our way back to the lodge.
DAY
5: This morning we drive to Budongo forest via the Butiaba
Escarpment. Grasshopper and Red-necked
Buzzards are possible en route. Budongo forest is the largest
projected area of forest in Uganda. It differs slightly in character
from the other higher-lying forests that we visit on our standard
Uganda tour. With this comes a suite of additional species. We’ll
spend the afternoon looking for some of these, although we have
a full day an another morning to bird watch here.
DAY
6: Back at Budongo, we hope to find Blue-throated
Roller, White-thighed Hornbill, Little Grey and Icterine
Greenbuls, Forest Robin, Brown-chested and Fire-crested
Alethes, Red-tailed and White-tailed Ant-thrush,
Lemon-bellied Crombec, Grey and Yellow Longbills,
Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Black-capped
Apalis, Forest, African Shrike Flycatcher and Chestnut-capped
Flycatcher, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Brown Illadopsis, Velvet-mantled
Drongo, Western Black-headed Oriole, Grey-headed and White-breasted
Negrofinches, Red-headed Bluebill and Chocolate-backed
Kingfisher. Perhaps the rarest birds at Budongo are Nahan’s
Francolin and Ituri Batis – we stand
a good chance of seeing both.
DAY
7: The morning presents one last shot for missing forest
species, as we return to Budongo. In the afternoon we’ll depart
for Entebbe, where we aim to arrive before sunset.
DAY
8: If time allows, we'll spend a couple of hours birding
around Entebbe before departing.
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