6 Days Uganda Primates and Birding Safari
6 Days Uganda Primates and Birding Safari : Our 6 Days Uganda Primates and birding safari offers you the opportunity to enjoy a birding excursion at Mabamba Swamp where you will get a chance to see the prehistoric Shoebill stork bird. You will also trek chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park and mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Highlights for 6 Days Uganda Primates and Birding Safari
Day 1: Pickup from Entebbe and Birding excursion at Mabamba wetland
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking activity – evening birding experience
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience and optional birding experience
Day 6: Transfer back to Entebbe.
Detailed Itinerary for 6 Days Uganda Primates and Birding Safari
Day 1: Pickup from Entebbe and Birding excursion at Mabamba wetland
Depending on your location in Entebbe, you will be met by our company representative and connect to Mabamba wetlands at 7 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. Later in the afternoon, return to the lodge, have lunch, dinner and overnight stay at your own booked Hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
After breakfast, you will be met by our company representative/driver guide and start your 6-7 hours’ drive to Kibale forest national park in the western part of Uganda with stopovers to stretch and lunch.
Connect for your afternoon birding and visit of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The reserve is abundant with butterflies, plants, animals and, in particular, birds. Spectacular birds like Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders. The swamp is also home to more elusive animals such as Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope. There is also the opportunity to visit local community projects that have been financed by tourism. Dinner and overnight stay at your selected lodge.
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking activity – evening birding experience
After breakfast, drive to Kibale Park head offices for briefing about the chimpanzees. Enter the forest and start trek the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, its take 2-5 hours to find them and on finding them, you are allowed 1 hour to be in their process as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor.
Later afternoon/evening, connect for a birding experience in Kibale forest. The park boasts more than 375 species of birds. Kibale specials include the African Pitta, Green-breasted Pitta, Afep Pigeon, White-napped Pigeon, Crowned Eagle, Red-chested Owlet, Black Bee-eater, Western Nicator, Yellow-rumped Tinker bird, 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. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and start your journey to Bwindi forest. Its 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route lunch and bird sightings. Upon arrival late afternoon, check-in at your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at designated lodge.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience and optional birding experience
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 return to the lodge. Later afternoon/evening, you may take an optional thrilling birding experience in Bwindi forest. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 6: Transfer back to Kampala
You will have breakfast then drive out of the park to connect to drive back to Kampala/Entebbe with en-route lunch and visit of the Equator and some interesting areas of birding. Proceed to Entebbe and depending on your flight, you will either be dropped at your own booked hotel or proceed to the airport for your onward flight back home.
End of 6 Days Uganda Primates and Birding Safari
