We then head east into Uganda, where we find a remarkable bird list of over 1000 species, all this in a country approximately the
size of Great Britain, making it arguably, the richest African birding destination. We start the Uganda portion of our tour in the mystical Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Home to gorillas and 23 Albertine Rift Endemics, this incredible place offers superb birding in an
idyllic setting. Hunting for Albertine Rift endemics will take centre stage here, and will make for an interesting time in this fantastic forest! One of the star birds in this park is the sought after Grauer’s Broadbill, a little green gem that worldwide is only accessible in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Next, we move on to the vast Queen Elizabeth NP. Straddling the Equator, this park boasts impressive crater lake scenery, expansive grasslands and forests, huge herds of Elephant and Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and a diverse array of birds. The famous boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which links Lakes George and Edward, is one of the most productive birding excursions on the planet!
Further north we will spend time in the towering riches of Kibale Forest, this reserve protects a diverse array of primates from the minuscule, nocturnal Demidoff’s Galago to our closest living relative, the Chimpanzee, not forgetting the outstanding Green-breasted Pitta! We will take expeditions to observe both these and many other species of primates and birds.
As we near the end of this amazing exploration we will visit the
incredible Murchison Falls, where the Nile is forced through a six metre
gap, forming the most powerful water surge on the planet. Boat cruises on
the calmer stretches will allow us to watch and photograph the birds and
animals which throng the banks, and here, we can expect to find one of the
world’s most wanted birds, the
bizarre Shoebill. We will spend the balance of our time exploring the park’s
broadleaved woodlands, dry grasslands and forests, including nocturnal
expeditions to find the incomparable Pennant-winged Nightjar!
primatologist Dian Fossey and featured in the film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’, is one of the best places in the world to see the rare Mountain Gorilla.
however there are a number of localised Albertine Rift Endemics that can be located. Clearings in the dense bamboo thickets can produce the dazzling Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Archer’s Robin-Chat, White-Starred Robin, Black Goshawk and Mountain Sooty Boubou.
The beautiful Golden Monkey is also a possibility while exploring the large stands of bamboo. After lunch we will begin our short drive to Kigali in the south of the country where we expect to arrive in the late evening.
highlights of any trip to Uganda with excellent birding in spectacular surroundings. The only accommodation available at Ruhija is a basic hostel, with a superb panoramic view of the surrounding forested valleys. We will have our own chef and kitchen set up for us. Excellent meals will more than compensate for the basic dormitory-style accommodation.
Day 4, 28th July: Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable NP. We will concentrate our birding on the trails to the unique Mubwindi Swamp and along the main access roads. This area is the most accessible site on Earth for the rare and localised Grauer’s Broadbill, one of Africa’s most sought-after birds. This globally threatened species is only known from two sites in the world, the other being a remote forest in eastern Congo. Carruthers’s Cisticola and the localised Grauer’s Swamp Warbler are resident in Mubwindi Swamp and if we are very fortunate we will see Red-chested Flufftail.
Today’s other target species include Mountain and Augur Buzzards, Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, the furtive Handsome Francolin, African Olive Pigeon, Cape Parrot, Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Western Tinkerbird, Olive Woodpecker, Thick-billed, Least, and the elusive Dwarf Honeyguides, Black Saw-wing, Grey Cuckooshrike, Mountain and Yellow-streaked Greenbuls, Olive Thrush, White-starred Robin, Archer's Ground Robin, Stripe-breasted Tit, the beautiful Grey-chested Babbler (Illadopsis), Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill Babbler (the local form often treated as a full species, Rwenzori Hill Babbler), Mountain Masked, Rwenzori, and Chestnut-throated Apalises, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler Red-faced Woodland Warbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher,Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Mountain Sooty Boubou, the rare Lagden’s Bushshrike, Sharpe’s Starling, Mountain Oriole, Strange Weaver, and Oriole Finch. Flowering trees attract the incredible Purple- breasted Sunbird as well as Blue-headed and Regal Sunbirds, all three being extremely beautiful Albertine Rift Endemics. Dusky, Red-faced and the elusive Shelley’s Crimsonwings, amongst the most beautiful and sought-after of African seedeaters, are possible at Ruhija. At night we will set out to search for Rwenzori Nightjar, African Wood-Owl and Spectacled Galago. If we are very fortunate, Fraser’s Eagle-Owl may be seen.
provide feeding opportunities for many seedeaters. Our main targets here will be the highly sought-after Dusky Twinspot and Yellow-bellied, Black-headed and Black-crowned Waxbills. Eurasian Stonechat,
Streaky and Thick-billed Seedeaters, African Citril and Yellow-crowned Canary may also be found here. Noisy Chubb’s Cisticolas will mock us from deep within the bracken, and the beautiful
Doherty’s Bushshrike can be lured out from the dense vegetation. Mackinnon’s Shrikes survey the road from high, exposed perches.
Further along the road, we will pass through Kitahurira or “The Neck,’ another well-known birding locality. Here we will search for species such as Black Sparrowhawk, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Cassin’s Honeybird, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, White-chinned Prinia, the enigmatic Chapin’s Flycatcher, Mountain Wagtail, Pink-footed Puffback, the rare Tiny Sunbird and the attractive Brown-capped Weaver. In scrubby areas closer to Buhoma, we will search for Ross’s Turaco, Rufous-throated Wryneck, Brown-backed Scrub Robin, Bronze, Copper and Variable Sunbirds, Baglafecht, Black- necked and African Golden Weavers, Yellow Bishop, Village Indigobird and Black-throated Canary.
Finally we will reach the headquarters of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park at Buhoma, where we will be based for two nights. The Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to approximately half of the world population of 600 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 immense conservation importance. Buhoma lies in the valley of the Munyaga River at 5100 feet and is flanked by steep, forested hills. Excellent forest birding, not least the prospect of numerous rare and localised Albertine Rift endemics, makes this a true birding Mecca.
diminutive, pitta-like Neumann’s Warbler, a vocal yet very secretive bird! Other under-storey birds we hope to see include displaying African Broadbill, Banded Prinia and the handsome Black-faced Rufous Warbler. The mid-storey and canopy supports Elliot’s and Tullberg’s Woodpeckers, Cabanis’s, Shelley’s and Ansorge’s Greenbuls, the strange Grauer’s Warbler and White-browed Crombec. The rare Jameson’s Antpecker may also been seen probing under moss on dead branches or gleaning warbler-like in the canopy, while Scarce Swifts forage over the forest.
Birding at Buhoma is a truly magical experience.
Day 7, 31st July: Buhoma to Queen Elizabeth NP. Finally we will bid farewell to this magical forest and head for the open savannas of Queen Elizabeth National Park. If conditions allow, we will drive through the extensive southern Ishasha section of Queen Elizabeth National Park en route to the spacious Mweya Lodge. Savanna bird and mammal species are likely to be seen, and we may be fortunate in sighting Ishasha’s famous tree-climbing Lions. The elusive Scaly Francolin is another species that we hope to find on this route.
Mweya Lodge, within the park boundary, is situated on a peninsula between the Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward. Mweya Lodge has recently been completely renovated to a high standard, with large comfortable rooms, restaurants, bar area, swimming pool, and outside dining. Excellent service and a wide variety of food are served in the dining area whilst one enjoys the stunning views and wildlife not far way. Birding around the lodge itself is rewarding, with resident spectacular species including Grey-headed Kingfisher, Slender-billed and Black-headed (Yellow-backed) Weaver, Whitebrowed Robin-Chat, Grey-capped Warbler, Black-headed Gonolek and Red-chested Sunbird.
Day 8, 1st August: Queen Elizabeth NP. We will spend time birding in the spectacular Crater area in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and the main game-viewing area along the Kasenyi track. Species that will be the focus of our search include Rüppell's Vulture, Bateleur (one of Africa’s most spectacular raptors), Brown Snake Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Grey Kestrel, Red-necked Spurfowl, Harlequin Quail, Kurrichane and the rarely encountered Black-rumped Buttonquails, African Crake, Pied Avocet, Temminck’s Courser, Senegal and Crowned Lapwings, the marsh dwelling Black Coucal, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Greater Honeyguide, Flappet, Rufous-naped, Red-capped and the scarce White-tailed Larks, Plain-backed Pipit, Fan-tailed Grassbird, Croaking, Red-faced, and Stout Cisticolas, Marsh Tchagra, Black-lored Babbler, Southern Red Bishop, flocks of Red-billed Quelea, Red-billed Firefinch and Black-chinned Quailfinch.
A highlight of the tour is the launch trip on the Kazinga Channel, which allows a close approach to African Buffalo and Hippopotamus, as well as numerous waterbirds. Amongst many others, we hope to find White-breasted Cormorant, two species of pelicans, African Openbill, Saddle-billed Stork, Glossy Ibis, African Wattled Lapwing, Water Thick-knee, several species of gulls and terns, Swamp Flycatcher and Winding Cisticola.
Mammals will also be a highlight in this area. Species we have a good chance of finding are Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyaena, African Elephant, African Buffalo, Uganda Kob, Bushbuck, Hippopotamus, Common Warthog, and the spectacular Giant Forest-Hog, the largest and undeniably ugliest pig on earth.
Day 10, 03rd August: Kibale NP. The towering Kibale Forest has the highest primate concentration and species diversity of any reserve in East Africa. Primate highlights might include sightings of localised Central African Red Colobus, L'Hoest's Monkey (Uganda’s rarest monkey) and the scruffy Grey-cheeked Mangabey. We will also embark on a Chimpanzee trek. Our chances of finding these, our closest living relatives, are excellent. The birds are typical of medium-altitude forest, with excellent mixed species flocks and specials such as Afep and the globally-threatened White-naped Pigeons, Red- chested Owlet, Narina Trogon, White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Shrike- flycatcher, Superb and Green-headed Sunbirds, Chestnut Wattle-eye and Black-and-white Mannikin. Another major target for the day will be the highly sought after Green-breasted Pitta, a stunning and difficult to see resident of the forest floor. Seeing one of these gems will entail a lot of hard work (and luck!), but the reward truly is exceptional.
Later in the day, we may take a night drive through the forest that could produce Demidoff’s and Thomas’s galagos (more commonly known as bushbabies), African Civet, and if we are very fortunate, Potto -a primitive, slow-moving primate -the gliding Lord Derby’s Anomalure, arboreal Servaline Genet and African Palm Civet.
Day 11, 04th August: Kibale NP to Masindi. Our route now takes us north from Kibale Forest to the mosaic of farmland, broad-leaved and Acacia woodland and wetlands surrounding Masindi. This morning we will stop at a patch of forest which generally provides superb birding. Our target species will include Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoos (the latter particularly common and conspicuous at this site), Joyful Greenbul, Lowland Masked Apalis, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Black-andwhite Flycatcher, Many-colored and Lühder's Bushshrikes, Afep Pigeon, Chestnut-winged Starling, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Dark-backed Weaver and if we are very lucky, the rare White-naped Pigeon.
Elsewhere en route will visit areas of papyrus swamp where we will target papyrus specials including Blue-headed Coucal, the stunning Papyrus Gonolek, the skulking White-winged Swamp Warbler, Greater Swamp Warbler and Carruthers’s Cisticola. The surrounding woodlands and agricultural lands are also rich in birdlife. Here we will look for Red-headed Lovebird, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, African Blue Flycatcher, Compact Weaver, Brown Twinspot, and the beautiful Grey- headed and White-collared Olivebacks.
Day 12, 05th August: Masindi to Murchison Falls NP. This morning, we will bird Kaniyo Pabidi (a section of the mighty Budongo Forest), situated within the southern sector of the Murchison Falls NP, and the only known site in East Africa for Puvel’s Illadopsis. Other birds we will search for include Brown Illadopsis, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Grey and Yellow Longbill and Nahan’s Francolin. If we are very fortunate, we may obtain a glimpse of some rare and desirable birds that occur here, possibilities include Green-breasted Pitta, Rufous-sided Broadbill and Black-eared Ground Thrush. Flocks of Crested Guineafowl, sporting their “punk hair-do’s” are however, more regularly encountered. A healthy Chimpanzee population survives, and the giant Chequered Elephant-Shrew is sometimes seen.
After our picnic lunch in the shady forest, we will drive further north into the woodland section of the park. Here, we will search for Vinaceous Dove, Black-billed Wood Dove, Senegal Coucal, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Whistling Cisticola, Buff-bellied Warbler, the elegant Silverbird, Black- headed Batis, Orange-breasted and Grey-headed Bushshrikes, White-crested Helmetshrike, Western Violet-backed and Beautiful Sunbirds and Fawn-breasted and Black-rumped Waxbills. Murchison Falls NP is Uganda's largest national park and famous for its big game and spectacular scenery, not least the falls for which the park was named. After checking into our lodge, we will depart for the awe inspiring falls, a place where a good portion of the thundering Nile is forced through a six metre cleft in the rock, with spectacular results. The vista point at the top of the waterfall offers incredible views of the Victoria Nile boiling down the narrow gorge. Bare, rocky islets are favoured perches and breeding sites of Rock Pratincole. We should see large numbers of these attractive waders wheeling in the spray of the falls. Thick riverine forest in this vicinity is home to the magnificent White-crested Turaco, often considered the most beautiful member of its striking family, Double-toothed Barbet, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Spotted Palm Thrush, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, the localised Red-winged Grey Warbler and Purple-banded Sunbird. As dusk approaches, a huge emergence of bats fills the sky, and with luck might attract a Bat Hawk that sometimes puts on a phenomenal display of flying to catch these winged mammals!
Other water birds abound and we hope to see Darter, Yellow-billed Egret, Goliath and Purple Herons, Woolly-necked and Yellow-billed Storks, Hamerkop (near their giant stick nests), Egyptian and Spur-
winged Geese, Osprey, African Fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Swamphen, the regal Grey Crowned Crane (Uganda’s national bird), Senegal Thick-knee, Long-toed and Spur-winged Lapwings, African
Jacana, flocks of African Skimmer resting on the sandbanks, Malachite and Giant Kingfishers and the dashing Wire-tailed Swallow.
.
Other species which we will search for here are African Cuckoo, African Grey Hornbill, Grey Woodpecker, Northern and Red-faced Crombecs, African Paradise Flycatcher (often of the spectacular white morph), Northern Puffback, Black-crowned and Brown-crowned Tchagras, Tropical Boubou and Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu.
track, his regal pennants trailing behind him, is likely to be a highlight of the trip. Other possibilities include Spotted Thick-knee, Greyish Eagle-Owl, Northern White-faced Owl and Slender-tailed, Long-
tailed, Plain and Swamp Nightjars. Nocturnal mammals which we may encounter include Serval, White-tailed Mongoose, African Civet, Crested Porcupine, Blotched and Common Genets and Uganda
Grass-Hare.
Day 14, 07th August: Murchison Falls NP to Masindi. After final birding in Murchison Falls National Park, we will begin the drive for Masindi, stopping en route at the dry Butiaba Escarpment, at the head of the Albertine Rift Valley. This productive birding site may produce Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Namaqua Dove, Black-billed Barbet, White-shouldered Black Tit, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Mocking Cliff Chat, Green-winged Pytilia, Foxy Cisticola, Little Weaver and Cinnamon-breasted and Golden-breasted Bunting.
The dry scrub soon changes to moist rainforest as we again approach the Budongo Forest Reserve. We will bird a section of this forest where the elusive canopy-dwelling Ituri Batis and Lemon bellied Crombec are a possibility. In Uganda, (and East Africa in fact), these two species are only found in Budongo Forest and the remote Semliki National Park on the DRC border, and we will make a concerted effort to find them. Other species we will search for here include the sought-after Nahan’s Francolin, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher (in East Africa only found in Budongo Forest), Eastern Forest Robin, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethe and African Dwarf Kingfisher (the smallest kingfisher in Africa).
Day 15, 08th August: Masindi to Entebbe. Leaving Masindi, we will bird the dry woodlands which provide our best chance of finding the unusual Yellow-billed Shrike and Yellow-bellied Hyliota. Further on, extensive grasslands dotted with fig trees may provide African and the less common Bruce’s Green Pigeon, White-headed Barbet, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, flocks of Lesser Blue-eared, Purple, Bronze-tailed and Violet-backed Starlings and Piapiac, a small corvid which associates with cattle and wild game. We will also bird an area of moist grasslands and swamps, and concentrate on finding several special birds, including Western Banded Snake Eagle, Green-backed Eremomela, Black Bishop, and Yellow-mantled and Marsh Widowbirds.
Common and widespread roadside species we can expect to see today include the funky-looking Long-crested Eagle perched atop telephone poles, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Palmnut Vulture, hovering Black-winged Kite, African Harrier-Hawk, Lizard Buzzard, the truly impressive Great Blue Turaco, raucous Eastern Plantain-eater, seemingly awkward Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill and floppy-flighted Crowned and African Pied Hornbills, dazzling-blue Woodland Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Angola Swallow, Splendid and Rüppell’s Starlings, African Thrush, Northern Black Flycatcher, Sooty Chat, gregarious Grey-backed Fiscal, Scarlet-chested Sunbird and Pin-tailed Whydah.
We will pass through Kampala, the sprawling capital of Uganda, where grotesque Marabou Storks line the city’s high-rise buildings and flocks of Hooded Vultures, Black Kites and Pied Crows soar overhead.
Once we have worked our way through the heavy Kampala traffic, our adventure draws to a close as we enter Entebbe, where we may check into a comfortable guesthouse for a few hours to freshen up before our long flights home. Later in the evening we will head to Entebbe International Airport for our final departure.
FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS: The fee for the tour is US$ TBA per person in double occupancy from Entebbe, Uganda. This includes all meals from Lunch on day 1 to Lunch on day 15, a soft drink at meals, water throughout the tour, and accommodations as stated in the itinerary, ground transportation during the tour, gratuities, and guide services provided by the tour leader. It does not include airfare from your home to Entebbe, Uganda and return, passport and visa fees, airport departure taxes, the optional gorilla trek permit, alcoholic beverages, special gratuities, phone calls, laundry, or items of a personal nature. Rates are based upon group tariffs, if the tour does not have sufficient registration, a small-party supplement may have to be charged.
The cost of the optional gorilla trekking permit is US$ TBA and must be purchased on your behalf by RBT (this initially secured by way of a non-refundable deposit of US$ TBA that must be sent along with the standard US$ TBA tour deposit – full deposit and registration details can be found on the RBT Booking form).
The single supplement for this tour is US$ TBA. You will be charged a single supplement if you desire single accommodations, or if you prefer to share but have no roommate and we cannot provide one for you. If you request single accommodations, every attempt to grant your request will be made. However, be advised that single accommodations is NOT available at the Ruhija Ranger Station.
PLEASE NOTE: These costs are subject to major foreign exchange fluctuations and unforeseen increases in tour related costs and may have to be adjusted as a result. Furthermore, we may be forced to change or alter the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances but please be aware that we will attempt to stick as close to the original program as possible.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DETAILS:
This tour does not include any international airfares. On the first day of the tour we have a full day’s birding and thus it is highly recommended that you arrive before 8am on this day or the day before the tour starts. The tour will conclude in the late afternoon/early evening of day 15 at Entebbe International Airport. If you wish to arrive early and/or depart late and would like assistance in this regard kindly contact the office.
FLIGHTS:
Entebbe is the main port of entry for international flights in Uganda and is well serviced by most of the world’s major airlines. As our guests come from all over the planet we do not include international flights in our tour prices. We have the capacity to advise you on the best route according to your preferences but your local travel agent will best be able to book these flights for you. If you would like further assistance kindly contact the FFF office, we have a full-time in-house travel consultant that will happily help you plan your route. However, please DO NOT book your international flights until you have consulted the FFF office for confirmation on the status of the tour.
Please Note -In some areas, it can be quite hot. On most mornings, we will be up and out very early and the days will be long with most of the day dedicated to exploring for birds and mammals. -At times, we may be walking on narrow and/or steep forest trails (entirely optional) to find a few special birds. Our pace will, however, be slow as we bird in the forests. -This Uganda tour does not require a high level of fitness but participants should be in good general health as much of the forest birding will be done on foot and may require walking for several hours at a time. There will be a few lengthy drives and many of the days will be long with early starts. Should you have any physical limitations, please notify us in advance of departure. -The optional gorilla trek at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest generally involves several hours of strenuous walking on steep slopes, often off-trail. The chance of finding the gorillas is very high, but on some occasions in the past the trackers have not been able to locate the mobile family groups. -The vehicles used are comfortable stretched Landcruiser 4X4’s with open roof-hatches. -Accommodation at Ruhija Ranger Station will be in the form of bunk beds in a dormitory and it will be necessary to share rooms.