Please click on an individual day to view the detailed itinerary:
Day1: Entebbe-Kampala
Day2: Kampala-Mabamba wetland birding site
Day3: Kampala-Lake Mburo National Park
Day4: Birding Lake Mburo
Day5: Lake Mburo-Bwindi impenetrable National Park
Day 6: Birding Mubwindi swamp
Day7: Gorilla tracking
Day 8: Bwindi-Queen National Park
Day9: Birding Queen National Park
Day10: Boat cruise & Birding along the Channel
Day11: Queen national Park-Kibale Forest
Day12: Birding in Kibale forest
Day 13: Birding to Semliki the “bird heaven”
Day14: Chimp trek in Semliki wildlife reserve
Day 15: Semliki-Kampala
Day 1. Arrive at Nairobi: On arrival to Nairobi International Airport, you will be met by your driver guide who will drive you to Nairobi city into your Hotel – Ngong Hills Hotel/ Sarova Panafric. Depending on your arrival time you may go for birding around Nairobi in the hotspots nearby.
Day 2. Nairobi – Masai Mara: Drive to Maasai Mara, check in at Keekorok Lodge / Mara Sopa Lodge, arriving early evening for a game drive which will reward you with birds such as various species of larks, eagles, vultures, waders and numerous game seen at close quarters. Overnight in your accommodation. Sanctuary Olonana (Tented Pavilion) / mara-sopa-lodge full board.
African Piet Wagtail
Day 3. Masai Mara: Rise early morning to a hot drink and ready yourself for an all-day game drive in in the Reserve “Reticulated Giraffe, Samburu” Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Overnight at Keekorok lodge / Mara-sopa-lodge.
Day 4. Masai Mara – Lake Victoria: Early morning game drives out of Mara towards Lake Victoria. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight at Kisumu Town.Sarov lion hill / Nuru Palace Hotel
Verreaux’s
Day 5. Lake Victoria- Kakamega Forest: A hot drink and go for a morning boat ride along Hippo Point Road. This rise will reward you with – elicit the Northern Brown- throated Weavers, Red-chested Weavers, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Water Dikkop, Carruthers Cisticola, African Skimmer and with luck Papyrus Gonolek. Retun to your accommodation for lunch; after lunch journey to Kakamega forest. Overnight and full board at Rondo retreat.
Papyrus Gonolek.
Day 6: Kakamega Forest: Have your early morning hot drink for birding in the forest for greenbuls, alethes, turacos, forest weavers, Stulhman’s Starlings, warblers, widow birds. Beautiful butterflies, plants plenty, countless monkey’s .Overnight and full board at Rondo retreat.
Day 7. Kakamega Forest – Lake Baringo : Early morning birding encounter and after-breakfast departure to Lake Baringo stopping various places along the road. Overnight and full board at Roberts’s campsite Lake Bringo Hotel / Island Camp “Three-banded Courser”
Day 8: Lake Baringo: You will rise early for an 8.3 hours morning boat ride, breakfast and bird nocturnals including Three-banded Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar, and Spotted Stone Curlew. Grayish Eagle-owl, White-faced Scops-owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Scops-owl and Giant Eagle-owl. After lunch we travel to the West Bay area in search for Lichtenstein Sandgrouse,Black-headed Lapwing and Gonolek; full board and overnight at Roberts’s campsite.
Oriole finch
Day 9 : The West Bay – Lake Naivasha : Early morning breakfast, then head for morning birding at the cliffs looking for Brown-tailed Chat, Cliff Chat and then departure to Naivasha past Lake Bogoria for flamingos and the geysers.; full board, overnight at Crayfish camp.
Day 10. Lake Naivasha – Nairobi: Rise early morning for birding in the compound and shores of the lake, return to the Camp for breakfast; then drive to Crater Lake looking for Southern Ground Hornbill and passing by Kinangop plains looking for Sharpe’s Longclaw, Malachite Sunbird, White-winged and Long-tailed Widowbird. Evening arrival at Nairobi for outbound flight. The meals are on half board basis
Lake Naivasha Flamingos
Day 11: Nairobi – Entebbe – Kampala : On arrive at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel in Kampala, I drive that will take you about fourth five minutes to one hour’s drive ,depending on the traffic jam. Depending on time bird around Entebbe area overnight in Serena Kampala Hotel or Sheraton Hotel.
Day 12: Kampala – Mabamba Swamp- Lake Mburo : After your breakfast Morning, a little early drive to Mabamba swamp, a habitat of the great beautiful Shoebill Stork and other water birds ; journey to Lake Mburo Lunch and birding enroute e.g. at Kaaku swamp for the Rufous-bellied Heron, Lesser Jacana, Lesser Moorhen and a variety of water birds overnight in Muhingo Lodge , Cassia Lodge,
Shoe Bill
Day 13: Lake Mburo Lodge Mabarara : Morning birding and mammal watching, bird the grassland for the Brown-chested Plover (this is there between June and December), Red-faced Barbet here we shall have the chance to see the Zebra, Eland, Topis, Impalas and some other game, afternoon go for a boat ride in search for the African Fin foot overnight Hotel in Mbarara- full board.
Day 14: Mbarara – Ruhija : Have an early morning breakfast,travel to Ruhija, Bwindi national park birding the “Neck” for Black bee-eaters, Bronze Napped Pigeon, Many coloured Bushshrike and many others overnight Rjuhija Lodge or Bakiga lodge or Gorilla resort. Full board.
Day 15: Ruhija, Mabwindi Swamp- Buhoma area: Trek to Mubwindi swamp for the Green Broadbill, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Purple-breasted, Blue headed and Regal Sunbirds overnight Institute Guest House.
Day 16 : Buhoma Area ( Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) : Early morning search for Handsome Francolin, Rufous-chested Fluff tail, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Red-chested Owlet, Neumann’s Warbler and many other birds overnight Hotel. FB. Lake Mutanda
Rufous-chested Fluff tail
Day 17: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: An early morning trek into the forest led by experienced trackers for Mountain Gorillas. You will be within a meter and spend some time amongst them after which return to your hotel overnight.
Day 18 : Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Queen Elizabeth National Park : Early morning breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park birding enroute, arriving for an afternoon, check into your Lodge, lunch and precede for a boat ride on Kazinga channel for a variety of water birds, Schools of Hippos, Crocodiles , dinner overnight in Mweya Safari Lodge / Enganzi Lodge Full board.
Day 19: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Fort portal : After an early morning game drive, Start the day exploring the Kasenyi Track and the Kob mating grounds Queen Elizabeth is famous for its water bird concentrations waders, herons, storks, plover, Water Thick-knee, kingfishers, terns, ducks and geese, cormorants, ibises and pelicans. The Kasenyi track supports many raptors, Brown Snake Eagle, Bateleur and Martial Eagles. You have a chance to see mammals like the lions, Elephants, Buffalo, Hyena, Giant Forest Hogs, and other game. Transfer to Fort portal bird Bigodi sanctuary in search for Papyrus in Search for the Green-breasted Pitta in the Morning and Transfer to Fort Portal for Birding Semuliki Forest. Overnight at Mountains of The Moon Hotel (Full endemics and eight types of monkeys O/N Primate Lodge or Chimpanzee Guest house.
Boat cruise in Kazinga Channel
Day 20: Fort Portal – Kibale Forest National Park: Day starts with a hearty breakfast, drive to the tourist center; meet site guides who will guide you into the canopy forest, diverse forest is one of its kind in Africa, It is a home to 13 species of primates including, the habituated chimpanzees, red colubus monkey, Red tailed monkey, white and black colubus, grey mangabey, black faced vervet monkey, L’Hoest monkey, Pottos, Bush babies and Baboons. This forest also offers an excellent opportunity to birdwatcher (355spp) and butterfly lovers. Terrestrial animals that exist are the elusive forest Elephant (smaller& hairy) than its savanna counterpart, Gaint forest hog and buffaloes. Here we have a chance to bird the Forest in search for the green-breasted Pitta, Western bronze-napped Pigeon, and Many-coloured Bush shrike, to mention but a few O/N Primate Lodge or Chimpanzee Guest house, Chimps` Nest (Full board).
Day 21: Birding in Uganda Kibale Forest National Park : After an early morning breakfast, set off for Kibale Forest NP, along the way expect to see; the Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, the Black and Black-winged Red Bishops, the African Palm and Little Swifts, Common Bulbul, Doves, Pigeons, the Lesser-stripped, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Joyful Greenbul as well as White-spotted Fluff tail, Dusky and Olive Long tailed Cuckoo, Lesser Honey guide, Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, White-chinned Prinia, Grey Apalis, Olive-green Camaroptera and White-collared Olive back.In the afternoon, take a swamp board walk in Bigodi wetland. This is one of Uganda’s most successful community eco-tourism projects. The walk can be well paying with a variety of swamp and riverine forest specialities along with up to six primates. If the weather is good, we do a nocturnal primate walk in the evening for Pottos, Galago and Bush babies.Overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Full Board and Angola Swallows among others. Overnight at Kibale Primate Lodge | Kibale Forest Camp (Full Board)
Day 22: Birding from Kibale-Semliki Valley National Park: Today morning, we bird Kibale Forest for more forest species possibly missed the previous days and later proceed to Semliki Valley National Park. Overnight at Semliki Safari Lodge | Vanilla Hotel (Full Board).
Pitta
Day 23: Birding to Semliki the “bird heaven”: Early in the morning, we take on to the Kirumia trail for our whole day birding experience. We look out for a number of predominantly Central African species which cannot be found anywhere else in East Africa yet are some of the continent’s most spectacular and sought-after birds such as; Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill, the Nkulengu Rail, and other species; Blue Swallow, White-throated Swallow, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Spotted Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Lowland Akalat, Red-throated Alethe, Fire-crested Alethe, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Red-eyed Puffback, White-tailed Robin-Chat, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Capped Wheatear, Common Stonechat, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Oberlaender’s Ground-Thrush, Grey Ground-Thrush, Little Grey Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul, Mountain Greenbul, Yellow-throated Nicator, Western Nicator, just to mention but a few. There is a single, unconfirmed report of the globally threatened Lesser Kestrel. Overnight at Semliki Safari Lodge | Vanilla Hotel /Kyaninga Lodge a (Full Board) Board).
Day 24: Chimp trek in Semliki wildlife reserve and Evening Game Drive: Early in the morning after breakfast, go to the Park headquarters for briefing from the ranger guides who will subsequently lead you will down into to the rainforest to search for the cousin of man – the , go to your accommodation for lunch and relax by the pool side. Later in the afternoon you will go for an evening game drive. Jungle life in Semuliki National Park is breath-taking especially for birders, primate, and butterfly and plant lovers. Dinner and overnight at Semliki safari Lodge.
Chimpanzee
Day 25: Semliki – Kampala: The earlier session of this day will be spent searching for forest species possibly missed the previous day after which, we will drive to Kampala / Entebbe to take a flight, enroute lunch and return to your country.
The above safari package includes:- All game parks entrance fees, game drives, professional English-speaking driver cum guide, 4×4 vehicle hatch-roofs, full board accommodation, boat rides airport transfers, bush walk, gorilla permit, Chimpanzee Permits, community visits, birding throughout the safari, Igongo visit, applicable taxes,
Excludes: expenses of personal nature like: Visa, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, tobacco, Airfares, Visas, Tips to local guides, Porterage or Laundry, Personal insurance, cover, Soft or alcoholic drinks), Items of a personal nature, Any meals not indicated above, Any tours not mentioned from the itinerary above.
