Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest Reserve are rich in birds with a checklist of over 450 bird species and 75 mammals all because of the wide range of habitats. This region supports 20 species from the three non-qualifying biomes; 11 species from the Guinea-Congo forest, 6 species from Afro-tropical highlands and three from the Somali-Masai biome.
Trip Summary
8 Days
Places to visit
- Murchison Falls National Park
- Budongo Forst Reserve
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive for bird watching in Uganda
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, and transfer to the Hotel. Depending on the time of arrival, we bird Entebbe Botanical Gardens or Uganda Wildlife Education Center.
Accommodation:
Meals: M/L/D
Day 2: Birding to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, we bird to Uganda’s largest National Park; we stop at Masindi for lunch and then proceed to the top of the spectacular falls.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 3: Bird watching on a game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
We have an early morning breakfast and embark on a wildlife safari drive as we do bird watching. We shall take the best tracks and to the delta with a packed lunch so that we don’t lose any moment of seeing a variety of savannah species alongside other wildlife.
Among the many species you should expect include; The Secretary Bird, The Giant, Pied, Malachite, Stripped, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, Woodland and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Lesser Stripped Swallow, Ethiopian Swallow, Angola Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-chested Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Black Scimitarbill, Green Wood Hoopoe, a number of Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Bee-eaters, Warblers, and so forth.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 4: Nature walk birding tour and afternoon boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
Early in the morning, we bird on foot with a game ranger for the early and late morning active birds. We get back to the hotel for lunch then take a launch cruise to the bottom of the falls.
Here, your list shall include; The Shoebill Stork, Little Grebe, Great White and the Pink-backed Pelicans, Red-knobbed Coot, African Water Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, African Crake, Black-crowned Crane, Southern Pochard, The Egyptian, African Pygmy, and the Spur-winged Gooses, Storks like; the Saddle-billed, Open-billed, Abdim’s, White, Yellow-billed, Marabou, and the Wooly-necked, the Little and Dwarf Bitterns, Night Heron, Black Heron, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Green Backed Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Cormorants, the African and Eurasian Spoonbills, the Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Jacana, African Finfoot, Painted Snipe, Wattled Plover the list is very long.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 5: Bird-watching tour to Budongo Forest via Kaniyo pabidi
We leave the park while birding and head to Budongo Forest, Uganda’s biggest Forest Reserve and the second most important after Semliki National Park. We bird Kaniyo Pabidi for a few hours then proceed to the hotel in Masindi.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 6: Whole day birding in Budongo Forest
Today, we bird Budongo Forest which has a prolific birdlife with two species of birds not found elsewhere in East Africa: 10 of the 22 species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome and 93 of the 144 species Guinea–Congo Forests biome that occur in Uganda.
We bird the marvellous Royal Mile and several other trails for the whole day. We look for the Puvel’s Illadopsis and Nahan’s Francolin other special birds include; the Yellow-billed Barbet, Grey-throated Barbet, Honeyguide Greenbul, Chocolate–backed Kingfisher,White-headed Saw-wing, White Wagtail, Black-eared Ground-Thrush, Little Crake, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, African Paradise Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Lemon-bellied Crombec, African Moustached Warbler, Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, African Citril, African Golden-breasted Bunting, Black-crowned Waxbill, Bronze Mannikin, Black-billed Bluebill, Black-winged Red Bishop, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Spectacled Weaver, Black-necked Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Compact Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Purple Starling, Purple-headed Starling, Splendid Starling, Northern Puffback, Black-headed Gonolek, Tropical Boubou, Isabelline Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Western Violet-backed Sunbird and many more.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 7: Birding tour to Kampala/Entebbe
On this day, you will have an early birding in Budongo forest and later be transferred to either Kampala or Entebbe for your last night in Uganda.
Meals: B/L/D
Day 8: Departure
Meals: Breakfast
