14 Days Uganda gorilla trekking birding & wildlife Safari
This 14 Days Uganda gorilla trekking birding & wildlife Safari is a perfect blend of birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking and wildlife tour. This itinerary is great for Uganda birding safaris enthusiasts as it gives a lot of time to explore each spot. There is a blend of bird species to see ranging from the savannah species to the bird species. Uganda is home to about 11% of the world’s bird species and this 14 days Uganda birding itinerary will offer you a chance to have a high check list.
Trip Highlights for 14 Days Uganda gorilla trekking birding & wildlife Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to the hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park and have an evening boat cruise
Day_3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 4: Birding in Mubwindi swamp of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 5: Bird watching to Buhoma sector of Bwindi
Day_6: Mountain Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 7: Transfer from Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
Day_9: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 10: Chimpanzee tracking and bird watching in the forest with a nature walk in Bigodi wetland in the evening.
Day 11: Transfer from Kibale Forest National Park to Murchison Falls National Park
Day_12: Morning game drive, evening boat cruise, and visit to the top of Murchison Falls
Day 13: Transfer to Royal Mile in Budongo Forest
Day 14: Bird watching and return to Entebbe International Airport
Detailed Itinerary of 14 Days Uganda gorilla trekking birding & wildlife Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to hotel in Entebbe
Upon your arrival at the Entebbe International Airport, a driver guide from Carmine Safaris will pick you up, help with the transfer to a hotel in Entebbe. Depending on your time of arrival, rest and relax from jetlag before starting your trip the next day.
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park and have an evening boat cruise
Following an early morning breakfast, you transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. The drive takes you past the equator line in Kayabwe where you stop for photography. You continue with the drive south wards with several bird sightings. You have lunch en route.
Arriving in the afternoon, you go for a boat cruise on Lake Mburo. The park is host to avifauna diversity of up to 313 bird species. Some of the bird species to look out for include the Red Faced Barbet which is the parks endemic, long tailed cisticola, African finfoot, Rufous Bellied Heron, Brown chested plover, White winged Warbler and many more.
In the evening, you slowly drive to your hotel while looking out for some birds. You check in and spend the night at a prior booked lodging facility.
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
From Lake Mburo, take the road trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive takes you to the beautiful highlands of Kigezi. Arriving in the evening you check into a booked hotel or lodge in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You have lunch along the way and spot several bird species during the drive.
Day 4: Birding in Mubwindi swamp of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
In the morning you have breakfast then drive out for birding to the Mubwindi swamp. You will spend the entire day birding in this area. There several Albertine Rift endemics in this region and you can spot them on this 4km trail.
These include the Grauer’s Broadbill, Regal Sunbird, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Ruwenzori Apalis, Grauer’s Scrub Warbler, Black Goshawk, and Ross’s Turacco, Handsome Francolin, Cinnamon Chested Bee-eaters, Dusky Crimsonwing and many more.
Day 5: Bird watching to Buhoma sector of Bwindi
On your second day of birding in Bwindi, you will transfer from the Ruhija sector to Buhoma sector while birding along “the neck”. This place is known as the neck because this is where the forest narrows but offers very good excellent forest birding opportunities.
Along this spot, you should look out for bird species like the Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Collared Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Strange weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Regal Sunbird, Red-headed Malimbe and many more.
After birding along this trail, you reach Buhoma sector in the evening arriving in time for dinner and at a booked accommodation facility. Here you relax and spend the night.
Day 6: Mountain Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have early morning breakfast, carry packed lunch and head to the park headquarters. On arrival, you receive briefing from the park rangers on the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. Thereafter, go to the jungle for gorilla trekking starting from 8:00am.
Trek through the forest on a gorilla search that lasts about 2 to 4 hours or more, depending on where the mountain gorillas have spent their night. On meeting with the mountain gorillas, you spend a maximum of 1 hour seeing the elusive giants interact within their family and playfully live within the bamboo forest. During the 1 hour, you can take as many pictures and record videos using your non-flash photography camera.
After the 1 hour, with the mountain gorillas, you trek back to the park headquarters. Receive a congratulatory certificate at the park headquarters. Return to the lodge for relaxation and dinner.
Day 7: Transfer from Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Leave the Bwindi forest foothills and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You take a slow drive through the ishasha sector in the southern part of the park then continue and spend the night in the northern sector. You take lunch en route and spot several bird species along the way. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
From your hotel, have breakfast and go for an early morning game drive in the Queen National Park savannah plains. Have an opportunity to see several wildlife species including lions, elephants, kobs, antelopes and many more. After about 4 hours searching through several trails, you will then head back to hotel for lunch before going for an evening boat cruise.
The boat cruise on the kazinga channel is famous to be very rewarding with wildlife sightings. Enjoy the boat cruise and spot as much as you can during this experience. After the boat cruise, have a short sunset game drive enroute to hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 9: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
This morning, you have breakfast then embark on the drive to Kibale Forest National Park. Along the way, you go bird watching and spotting several bird species. Arriving in the afternoon, you will arrive in time for dinner, relaxation and spend the night at a booked accommodation.
Day 10: Chimpanzee tracking and bird watching in the forest with a nature walk in Bigodi wetland in the evening.
After breakfast at your lodge get ready for a chimpanzee trekking experience. Carry along your back pack with some drinking water and head out to the park for chimp tracking. The trek starts with briefing on the trekking etiquette then after head out to the jungle.
Some of the bird species seen in the Kibale forest include the Grey-headed Olive-back, Marsh Tchagara, Scaly Francolin, White-naped Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Pied Hornbill, Yellow-billed Barbets, African Goshawk, Grey Parrots and many more.
After the trek, you return to your lodge for lunch then after visit Bigodi wetland for birding. Bigodi wetland is host to an array of biodiversity including primates and bird species. Some of the bird species include the Great Blue Turaco,White-collard Oliveback, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Superb Sunbird and many more.
After the nature walk at Bigodi, you then return to your lodging facility where you relax, refresh and have dinner.
Day 11: Transfer from Kibale Forest National Park to Murchison Falls National Park
From hotel in Kibale Forest National Park you transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The drive takes you birding along the way arriving in the evening. You arrive in time of check in and dinner at a booked accommodation in Murchison Falls.
Day 12: Morning game drive, evening boat cruise and visit to the top of Murchison falls
Have breakfast and get ready for a morning game drive. During the Early morning game drive, you will be able to sight as many animals as possible such as Lions, Elephants Buffalos, Giraffes, antelopes, waterbucks, warthogs, jackals and birds.
After the game drive, return to the lodge, refresh and have lunch as you prepare for the afternoon boat cruise. On the boat cruise which takes about 2-3 hours, you will be able to see various animals including crocodiles, hippos, elephants, buffalos along the banks of the River Nile. Bird species such as the bee eaters, coloured kingfisher, shoe billed stork and many more can also be spotted. The boat ride will take you to the bottom of the Murchison falls. When you reach here you will be able to see clearly the mighty waterfalls. During the times when the water levels are low, you can then take a hike to the top of the falls. Transfer back to the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Transfer to Royal Mile in Budongo Forest
From Murchison Falls National Park, you will transfer to the Royal Mile for bird watching. There is prolific birdlife in this spot with 2 bird species not found anywhere else in East Africa and 93 of the 144 Guinea-Congo Forests biome species recorded here.
You spend the whole day birding along this spot with chance of spotting bird species like the Dwarf Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Olive-bellied Crombec, Nahan’s Francolin, Little Crake, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Black-winged Red Bishop, Yellow-backed Weaver and many more. After the birding experience, transfer to hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 14: Bird watching and return to Entebbe International Airport
On the last day of your 14 days birding safari in Uganda, you will have breakfast at your lodge then embark on the drive back to Entebbe. Depending on your flight departure time, you drive while birding along the way. Your driver guide will ensure drop off at the airport in Entebbe.
End of 14 Days Uganda gorilla trekking, birding & wildlife Safari