Birding intensiv

Day 2: After an early breakfast drive to Mabamba Important Bird Area with packed lunch. Mabamba is the closest and best spot to watch the majestic African shoebill in the wild. Stop over in Mpigi Swamp for papyrus rarities. Watch out for the usual papyrus gonolek, white winged warbler, yellow backed weaver, northern brown-throated weaver and blue-headed coucal. Proceed to Mabamba wetland. Most of the birding is done on the canoe. Look out for the majestic shy shoebill stork both in the sky exploring the heights and down in the marshy swamp, Watch out closely for the swamp flycatcher, African water rail, common moorhen, African jacana, African pygmy goose, white faced whistling duck, squacco heron, blue breasted bee-eater, goliath heron and many more. Afternoon transfer to Mpanga forest. This forest has a stunning patch of remnant medium altitude that is evergreen. Look out for Blue breasted kingfisher, White spotted fluftail, Grey parrot Lemon dove, woodland wabler and many more.

Day 4: After an early breakfast start birding to the royal mile. This is the home to the rare Nahan’s francolin, look out for the banded snake eagle, African pied hornbill, brown backed kingfisher, white thighed hornbill, brown backed scrub robin, black bishop, brown twinspot, black belled firefinch, the chocolate backed kingfisher, yellow billed barbet, spotted greenbul, Cameroon somber greenbul, slender billed greenbul, black capped apalis, lemon bellied crombec, green hylia, pale breasted illadopsis, forest flycatcher, fire crested alethe, yellow browed camaroptera, crowned eagle, yellow footed flycatcher, African dwarf kingfisher, catch up with the Chimpanzees as they toss about from one branch to another in the forest.

Day 6: Birdwatching at Kanio Pabidi Section After rather an early breakfast, drive to Kanio Pabidi section for birding. Special birds here include the puvellis illadopsis, crowned eagle, white crested turaco, afep pigeon, yellow rumped tinkerbird, Ross’s turaco, Narina’s trogon, red tailed thrush and rufous sided broadbill. Enjoy the baboons and chimps.

Day 8: After breakfast, optional chimp tracking (+150 U$ p.P.) and meet the rather real cousins of humans’ beings. There is a rich bird life in this forest. If you are a keen birder you will record a reasonably high number of different bird species. Notable are various monkeys that keep tossing from one tree to another as you walk along. At afternoon nature walk at Bigodi wetland will yield species like Blue headed coucal, blue breasted kingfisher, scaly throated honey guide, black faced rufous wabler and others.

Semuliki

Day 10: Whole day birding in the Semuliki forest. Semliki Safari Lodge is situated in the Semliki Wildlife Reserve in the heart of the Albertine Rift Valley. The reserve is bordered by the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Albert. Previously known as the Toro - Semliki Game Reserve, Semliki Wildlife Reserve is the oldest protected area in Uganda. It is unique; gifted with geographic barriers that host a magical forest, perfect for walking.

Queen Elizabeth

Day 12: At the break of the day, start off for Imaramagambo forest west of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Key species include dark capped yellow wabler, fawn breasted waxbill, black headed batis, Brubru sulphur breasted bush shrike, Eurasian golden oriole, bat hawk, red tailed bristle bill, green crombec, black and white flycatcher, brown eared wood pecker, redheaded bluebill, African hobby, African green pigeon, Ross’s turaco, African finfoot.

Bwindi Impenetrable

Day 14: Transfer Southwards to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park the home to the forest giants that are cousins to human beings, the gorillas. This Impenetrable Forest is still one of the best virgin tropical rain forests in East Africa. Birding begins early in the morning with the early risers at the Luxury bush camp. After breakfast with our packed lunch we set off for the whole birding. This forest has over 300 bird species recorded. These include among other forest rarities, red throated alethe, equatorial akalat, forest robin, montane oriole, grey throated barbet, hairy breasted barbet, African broadbill, black bee eater, pale breasted illadopsis, Narina’s trogon, Pettit’s cuckoo shrike and black faced rufous warbler. Please note that this forest receives rainfall almost all year round, a raincoat and hiking shoes with a good tract are appropriate.

Day 16: Ruhija Depart at the crack of dawn for a 50km drive to the highest peak of the forest- Ruhija. Several checks at the rare bird spots may produce rare species such as white starred robin, grey cuckoo shrike, strange weaver, banded prinia, brown chested alethe, slender billed greenbull, yellow streaked greenbull, white browned crombec, mountain illadopsis, Luehder’s bush shrike, grey bush shrike, grey green bush shrike; all these and many others are among the 345 species recorded in this park. Birding to the Mubwindi swamp is very rewarding. One has to be prepared to walk on steep mountains. You drop from 2400m to 2050m above sea level. Birding in the bamboo zone is good for handsome francolin, archers robin chat, stripe breasted tit, purple breasted sunbird, mountain greenbull, duikers, wallers, chestnut winged starling, dusky crimsonwing, mountain illadopsis, mountain yellow warbler to mention a few. Birders who come with camping equipment can camp at Ruhija campground.

Day 18: After early breakfast begin your journey back to Entebbe. Stopover for lunch in Mbarara. Another Stop over at the equator for snap shots of a lifetime. Have a chance to be in the South and Northern hemispheres at the same time. Take some pictures and buy a few souvenirs.