28 Days  Uganda and Rwanda Birding Trip

Arrival and sleep at Entebbe

You will arrive and find out Guide/Driver waiting to pick you from the airport and transfer you to your hotel of choice in Entebbe for dinner and overnight. If the hotel of choice offers airport pickup, then they will do the pickup.

The tour starts with Entebbe Botanical Gardens. Here you will have good hours of birding on the best trails around Kampala, with over 150 species of birds. Look out for the Bare faced-go away bird, Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos, Red Chested, Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoo, Great Reed Warbler, Fain Tailed Widow bird, Striped, Malachite, Giant, Woodland and Pygmy Kingfishers, Black Bishop, Grey Woodpecker, Olive, Olive bellied, Red chested, superb, Copper etc Sunbirds and many more.

Then after we proceed to UWEC. This is a home to captive animals and over 170 species of birds. These include 7 species of weavers, such as the rare Northern Masked Weaver and Orange Weaver, Kingfishers, Sunbirds etc.

The hotel options are Imperial Resort Beach Hotel for luxury travel or Karibu Guesthouse for mid-range travelers.

After breakfast, your birding experience to the Mabamba Swamps will start. Birding here is done on a canoe. A variety of species to be seen may include; The rare Shoebill, White-faced Whistling-duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Long-toed Plover, African water Rail, Grey and Black Headed Herons, Striated Heron, Pygmy Goose, Yellow Billed Duck, Black Crake, Swamp Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, African Jacana, and many more. You could also see the Sitatunga, a swamp antelope

Transfer to Elgon national park

The beautiful waterfall comprises of series of three falls with heights of 100m, 85m & 75m respectively located in Kapchorwa, district northeast of Sironko and Mbale. The waterfalls lie on the edge of Mount Elgon National Park near the Kenyan border. The Sipi Falls area is the starting point for many hikes up Mt. Elgon. Mount Elgon National Park is 140km North East of Lake Victoria and 280km from Kampala with estimated driving time of about 5 - 6hrs.
Enjoy a soothing atmosphere of the cool weather at Sipi Falls touring the spectacular views of the Mt Elgon from up and the Karamoja plains disappearing from below. Other popular tourist activities here include a trek/hike to each of the three waters, abseiling and nature walk and local community visit. The Sipi area is particularly famous for locally grown Bugisu Arabica coffee. Bugisu Arabica only grows at an altitude of between 1,600 and 1,900 metres. Coffee tours are organized through guides with knowledge of coffee farming, processing and roasting.

Whole day birding Elgon park

This park is a bird watcher’s Paradise with over 300 bird species including 56 of the 87 Afro-tropical highland biome bird species, with the popular ones being the Alpine Chat, Moustached Green Tinkerbird and Moorland Francolin. Also 40 of these bird species are restricted to this park.

Mount Elgon has excellent bird watching points for example around Kapkwai Forest Exploration Centre, the dense shrub along the loop trails that cover an extensive area including Cheptui Falls. The notable bird species here include Bronze-naped pigeons, African Goshawk, Dohertys Bush-shrikes, Bronze-naped pigeons, Cinnamon Bee Eater, Baglafecht Weaver, Black-collared Apalis, African Blue Fly-catcher, Golden winged sunbirds, Chinspot Batis, Chin spot Batis, Moustached Tinkerbird, Chubb’s Cisticola, Black Kite, Baglafecht weaver, Chinspot Batis, Tacazze Sunbird, Olive-naped pigeons, Ross’s and Hartlaubs Turaco, White-chinned Prinia, Luhders Bush-shrikes, Hartloub`s Turaco and Mackinnon’s Fiscal etc

Transfer to pian upe game reserve.

Upe Game Reserve is one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in Uganda – second only to the Murchison Falls National Park. It is located in the Karamoja region in the northeastern part of Uganda. The reserve covers an area of about 2,788 square kilometers and is found between Kidepo National park and Mount Elgon National Park. Pian Upe is bordered by the Bokora Wildlife Reserve and Matheniko game reserve in different directions. Unlike Matheniko and Bokora, Pian Upe game reserve is part of the Mount Elgon Conservation Area. Pian Upe is very close to the Eastern town of Mbale. It takes about 2 hours to reach the reserve from Mbale town and 6 from Kampala city. The area started as an animal sanctuary in 1958 before being upgraded into a wildlife reserve in the 1960s.
Pian Upe Game reserve experiences semi-arid conditions with one major wet/rainy season in a year. The plants and animals found have evolved to survive without water for long periods during certain days of the year. The vegetation includes vast untouched grassland and woodlands. The main tree species are Roan Antelopedesert date and red acacia. Other species include Harrisonia abyssinica, red spike-thorns and bushwillows. Shrubs like woolly caper bush and butterfly plea dominate much of the reserve. Other vegetation species found in the vast plains include lemon grasses, thatching grass, beard grass, red nut sedge and bristle grasses.

Full-day birding

Birdwatching: When it comes to birds, Pian Upe wildlife reserve comes toe to toe with the largest national parks. In terms of bird density, it ranks 2nd only to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The most attractive bird species here is the giant ostrich. Ostriches in Pian Upe Wildlife ReserveOstriches find the vast dry plains ideal for running away from predators and taking care of their young. There are fewer large trees and vegetation enabling them to have a clear view of their surroundings and any approaching danger. Apart from ostriches, over 240 bird species can be sighted here. They include the African eagles, cormorants, cranes, darters, egrets, grass birds, hawks, herons, hornbills, jacanas, lapwings, owls, pelicans, plovers, turacos, vultures and weaver birds. The reserve has not been studied extensively by bird researchers and It is believed that there are other species yet to be discovered. The best place for birding is at the Cheposukunya hot springs.

Kidepo Valley National Park has variety and abundance of wildlife with a landscape that is perfect for a true African wildlife safari. Visitors will get to see elephants, cheetahs, ostriches, hippopotamus, leopard, baboons, giraffe, wild dogs, oryx, buffalo, lions and several antelope species including bush babies. Bird lovers have over 475 species to see. Because of its remote location, the park is less crowded and visitors are given special and personal treats.

Full-day birding

You will have sumptuous breakfast at your lodge then be driven for a game drive at the Narus valley. Every game drive is different and you will see mammals and birds that you probably didn’t see in the first game drive. Kidepo is a beautiful park and you will be amazed by the landscape and unspoiled wilderness. Take enough photos before returning back to your lodge for lunch and a swim. In the afternoon, you will be taken to visit the Karamojong people. The Karamojong are nomadic pastoralists who live in unique houses called manyatas that are designed to be temporal. Their leaders will explain to you things related to their culture and entertain you with their traditional songs and dances.

Very early after breakfast, we proceed as you depart Kidepo via Gulu for lunch ther proceed to Murchison falls National park. This is afull dat drive however you will reduce the distance from Kidepo to Kampala and prepare for Murchison falls tour

After Breakfast, depart for a game drive at the delta and explore the park's wildlife. Murchison falls Park is the best destination to spot the lions and the leopards, expect to see other animals likes the hyenas, elephants and different antelopes.
Return for lunch at the lodge and prepare to go for the afternoon for birdwatching and boat cruise to the bottom of falls You will have an option of hiking to the top of the falls amd meet your driver at the top.

Transfer to Masindi town