14 DAYS NORTH-EAST UGANDA BIRDING SAFARI

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel of choice. Early arrivals can opt for optional birding excursions at Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), Entebbe Botanical Gardens, and Lutembe Bay.  

Entebbe is a small, quiet town located on the shores of Lake Victoria and is easy to explore on foot or local transport ie motorbikes or taxis. Visit local markets to buy clothes and crafts, curio shops for souvenirs. The town has a wide variety of restaurants serving many different cuisines as well as several bars and clubs where you can sample the local beer, catch a game of football and chat with the local Ugandans, known for their open and friendly nature.

Journey: +20 mins

Meal Plan: Not Included

Accommodation: Budget: ViaVia Guesthouse/ Midrange: The Boma Hotel/ Luxury: No.5 Boutique Hotel

After breakfast, proceed to Soroti, birding through the Maddy areas and rice schemes. The Rice schemes are rich waterfowl, sometimes, uncommon birds like the Black Egret and Rufous-bellied Herons show up very nicely. Soroti is a vantage location for setting off to the Fox’s Weaver and Karamoja Apalis locations.

Journey: +6hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Midrange: Soroti Hotel

We escape Soroti town in the morning and head to Pakwi. This remote part of Kumi district is characterized by thorny whistling acacia and dry scrubs which are great for an impressive number of dry country birds. The whistling acacia holes attract a species of acacia ants which are a prime diet for the Fox’s Weaver and the hard-to-find Karamoja Apalis.

While looking for the two targets, the area can be great for a variety of seed-eating birds and birds of prey. Birds like the migratory Lesser Kestrel, Brown and Black-breasted Snake-eagle, Bateleur and Wahlberg’s Eagles, Black-headed Gonolek, Wattled Starling, Red-headed, Red-billed and Cardinal Quelea, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Red-throated Pipit, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Allen’s Gallinule, African Pygmy Goose, Stout, and Red-faced Cisticola and many more can be found without a hustle.

Journey: +1hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Midrange: Soroti Hotel

After breakfast, we head to Kidepo Valley. This park supports some of the rarest species in Uganda, such as Black-breasted Barbet and Karamoja Apalis.

Journey: +5 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Apoka UWA Bandas /Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge/Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

Today, bird the Kidepo Valley for special species and view a lot of other wildlife. In the search, expect the sight of the Karamoja Apalis, Black-breasted Barbet, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Buffalo Weavers, The Common Ostrich, Secretary Bird, African Swallow-tailed Kite, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon, Fox Kestrel, Stone Partridge, Clapperton’s and Heuglin’s Francolins, Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Kori, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Violet-tipped Courser, Black-headed Plover, Four-banded Sand Grouse, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-crested Turaco, White-bellied Go-away-bird, White-faced Scops Owl, Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, Little Green Bee-eater, Abyssinian, and Rufous-crowned Rollers, Abyssinian Ground, Eastern Yellow, and Jackson’s Hornbills, Red-fronted Barbet and many more.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Apoka UWA Bandas /Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge/Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

In the earlier session of this day, we bird the Namamu Kwenyi area and the Kidepo River (Katarumu) in the evening for some water species.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Apoka UWA Bandas /Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge/Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

We continue birding this region for species we could have missed out on the previous days. Kidepo’s mammal list of over 80 species includes 28 species not found in any other Ugandan National park. Amongst these are such charismatic African animals as Bat-eared Fox, Caracal, Cheetah, and Klipspringer. Spotted Hyena, Lesser Kudu, Grant’s gazelle, and Beisa Oryx have not been seen at all in recent times. There is a healthy population of elephants, Common Zebra, Buffalo, Bohor Reedbuck, Waterbuck, and Kongoni. Predators are plentiful and Spotted Hyena, Leopard, and Lion are frequently seen. The Oribis are abundant in the Narus Valley, whilst the dry thorn thickets in the north are home to Guenther’s Dik-Dik. The Senegal Galago and Side-striped Jackal may be found in the rest camp at night, and White-tailed Mongoose is common but more likely to be found on a night drive. The park also has vibrant and diverse reptile fauna.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Apoka UWA Bandas /Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge/Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, although not a well-visited location by birders and other nature lovers, is by far one of the most remarkable protected areas in Uganda. Virgin grassland and wooded habitats have created an incredibly welcoming habitat for dry country birds.

Journey: +5 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: UWA Bandas

some magnificent birds of prey here include the Secretary Bird, Fawny Lark, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Jackson’s Hornbill, and east African endemics like the Karamoja Apalis.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: UWA Bandas

The park harbors 43 of the 144 species of the Guinea-Congo Forests biome and 56 of the 88 species of Afro-tropical Highland biome that occur in Uganda. There are isolated records of the near-threatened species, the Taita Falcon.

Journey: +2 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Midrange: Wash n Wills Hotel Luxury: Mbale Resort Hotel

Whole day birding, search for Hunter’s Cisticola and Jackson Francolin, Moorland Francolin, Moustached Green Tinkerbird, Alpine Chat, White-starred Robin, Cape Robin-Chat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Little Rock-Thrush, Northern Anteater Chat, Nightingale, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Mountain Yellow Warbler, African Reed Warbler, Little Rush Warbler, Upcher’s Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Common Chiffchaff, the Uganda and Brown Woodland Warblers, Green Hylia, White-browed Crombec, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Stout, Thrilling, and Rattling Cisticolas, chances of seeing the Banded Prinia, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Yellow-billed Shrike, Ludher’s Bush-shrike, Cape Rock, Fan-tailed white-naped Raven, Chestnut Sparrow, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, White-headed Buffaloe-Weaver and many more.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Wash n Wills Hotel Luxury: Mbale Resort Hotel

With stopovers to check out for the Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, and other papyrus endemics at River Mpologoma. While in Jinja we get on a boat ride to search for bird species such as Rock Pratencols, African Open-billed Storks, Great Blue Turacos, Giant Kingfisher, Green-backed Herons, and many, many others.

Journey: +5 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: Nile River Explorer`s Camp /Midrange: The Mansion Hotel/Luxury: Jinja Nile Resort

After early breakfast, we transfer to Mabira. Although isolated by the surrounding banana and sugar plantations, this remarkably productive forest is possibly the richest in the country, and well-maintained trails make birding easy. Mixed flocks are often found along the broad tracks, and noisy groups of the near-endemic Weyn’s Weaver, arguably the most attractive of the group, busy themselves in the canopy. We can also hope to see African Pied Hornbill and Forest Wood-Hoopoe, while the seasonal pools can attract Blue-breasted, White-bellied, Dwarf, and Shining-blue Kingfishers. Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds live in the canopy and Toro Olive Greenbul and Green-tailed Bristle bill is secretive interior inhabitants. If there are safari ants on the march, Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Robin, and Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat may be in attendance.

Journey: +1 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Budget: African Village Hotel Mukono /Midrange: Rider Hotel /Luxury: Rainforest Lodge

An airport transfer has been included from your hotel, or directly after the safari. End of Safari.

Journey: +1 hrs 

Meal Plan: Breakfast