8 Days Uganda Albertine Rift birding and Primates Safari Experience
Overview:
This 8 Day Albertine birding and Apes’ safari in Uganda tour takes you to major birding sites in the Albertine region including, Kibale national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park. Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga national park lay within the Albertine Rift Valley and protects a mountain forest that is rich in Albertine rift endemic birds and several forest specials. Bwindi and Mgahinga forests harbor over 24 Albertine rift endemic birds out of the 25 found in Uganda.
Most of all, there is no primates’ tours in Uganda if not for Kibale forest national park for the chimpanzee trek experience and no Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla trek and gorilla habituation experience. For this particular package, you will blend your birding experience with apes’ experience of gorilla trekking, habituation and Chimpanzee trekking. The package will complete your Uganda Safari experience.
On this Uganda birding trip, also stop to sight some birds in Queen Elizabeth national park and Mabamba wetland for a number of savannah birds plus great game sightings.
Safari Highlights
Day 1: Birding excursion at Mabamba wetland and transfer to Kibale national park
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 3: Morning Green Breasted Pitta search – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park – Birding and boat cruise along the Kazinga channel
Day 4: Game drive – Ishasha for tree-climbing lions and birds – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking – transfer to Kisoro
Day 6: Full day birding in Mgahinga national park
Day 7: Gorilla habituation experience
Day 8: Transfer back to Entebbe (9-10 hours’ drive)/ Fly to Entebbe – Departure
Detailed Safari
Day 1: Birding excursion at Mabamba wetland and transfer to Kibale national park
Meet your safari driver to start your trip to Mabamba wetlands at 8 am. Mabamba swamp is located around the shores of Lake Victoria and is one of the best birding sites in Uganda that offers visitors an excellent birding experience and an encounter with different bird species. This site is also one of the few places in Uganda where there are higher chances to encounter the rare shoebill stork. Your safari guide will meet you and thereafter set off for birding at Mabamba wetlands. You will take a canoe ride at Mabamba where you will get closer to different bird species that reside here. You may also see the rare shoebill stork. You will spend half a day birdwatching.
Thereafter, embark on your journey to Kibale national park with en-route lunch. It’s about 6-7 hours’ drive. Upon arrival late afternoon, with en-route birding at the edge of the park. Check-in at your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Kibale Forest lodge for a budget/Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for mid-range
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
After breakfast, connect the park headquarters for briefing about chimpanzee trekking experience. You will go for chimpanzee trekking with your allocated ranger guides. Enter the rainforest in searching for the chimpanzee; this will take 2-5 hours to find the chimpanzees. On seeing them, you will spend 1 hour with the chimpanzees while taking pictures.
Later afternoon, connect to Bigodi swamp for a nature walk and community tour. The trail will offer sounds and sights of different birds and chances for spotting some primates. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 3: Morning Green Breasted Pitta search – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park – Birding and boat cruise along the Kazinga channel
Wake you early, have breakfast, and connect to the park for a birding experience in the Kibale forest. The park boasts more than 375 species of birds. Kibale specials include the African Pitta, Green-breasted Pitta, Afep Pigeon, White-naped Pigeon, Crowned Eagle, Red-chested Owlet, Black Bee-eater, Western Nicator, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Little Greenbul, Brown-chested Alethe, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, African Grey Parrot, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Black-capped Apalis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Collared Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Yellow Spotted Nicator, Little Green Bul, Black-eared Ground Thrush, and the Abyssinian Ground-thrush.
After birding and your lunch, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. It’s about 3 hours’ drive. Connect for an afternoon/evening boat cruise along the Kazinga channel for a rewarding experience of different birds and animals. Return to your lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Bush Lodge for budget/Elephant Hub Lodge for mid-range
Day 4: Game drive – Ishasha for tree-climbing lions and birds – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, connect for a birding watching and spot animals. Explore the Kasenyi sector – a known mating ground for kobs and a hunting ground for lions. While on the game drive, expect to see some of the big four game including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, also different species of antelopes, warthogs and white Colobus monkeys just to mention a few.
Thereafter, drive to Ishasha sector where we find the tree climbing lions and spotting of different birds. Thereafter, proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable national park with en-route lunch. It’s a 5-6 hours’ drive to Ruhija sector. Upon arrival, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Gorilla Mist Lodge for mid-range/Broadbill Forest Camp for budget
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking – transfer to Kisoro
After enjoying an early breakfast and transfer to park headquarters for the briefing before you set off gorilla trekking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest requires stamina and can often take most of the day and spend an hour in the presence of the gorillas before you return at your meeting point with the driver-guide to proceed to Kisoro, which is the closed town to Mgahinga national park. It’s about 3 hours’ drive however, your journey will be longer because of en-route birding. Upon arrival in Kisoro in the evening, connect to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Traveller’s Rest Hotel for budget/Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge for mid-range
Day 6: Full day birding in Mgahinga national park
After early breakfast, connect to Mgahinga national park for your full-day birding experience. Find birds like the Regal sunbird, purple-breasted sunbird, and many other endemic and Albertine birds with your backed lunch. Later in the evening return to the lodge while birdwatching. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 7: Gorilla habituation experience
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing by the ranger guides and later head into the forest for your trek. Gorilla habituation in Bwindi involves visiting a semi-habituated gorilla family that is under the process of habituation. This activity takes a whole day and you are granted 4 hours to stay with the gorillas. After the habituation experience, meet your guide and drive back to your lodge to rest. Dinner and overnight at Lodge as above
Day 8: Transfer back to Entebbe (9-10 hours’ drive)/ Fly to Entebbe – Departure
Drive to Entebbe – After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe with en-route lunch and stop at the Uganda Equator and some interesting areas of birding. It’s about 9-10 hours’ drive and upon arrival, you will either be dropped at your own booked hotel or proceed to the airport for your onward flight back home.
Fly back to Entebbe (Optional) – Have breakfast, your safari driver will drop you off at Kisoro airstrip for your scheduled flight to Entebbe departing at 8:25 am and arrival at Entebbe airport at 11:00 am. Depending on your departure flight schedule, you will stay at Entebbe airport waiting for your return flight back home.
End of 8 Days Uganda Albertine Rift birding and Primates Safari Experience
