10 Day Uganda Birding Safari Shoebill, Forest Birds & Savannah Species

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your birding guide and begin the safari with an excursion to Mabamba Bay, subject to your arrival time.

Explore the wetland by boat with a local guide, moving through papyrus channels while searching for the shoebill and other wetland birds.

The focus of the excursion is slow, patient birding rather than covering large distances. Your guide will help identify species encountered along the way and keep track of the day’s sightings.

After the Mabamba excursion, return to Entebbe and transfer to your hotel.

If your international flight arrives too late for a worthwhile wetland visit, the excursion could be rescheduled or treated as optional rather than rushed.

After breakfast, leave Entebbe and travel north towards Murchison Falls National Park.

Unlike a conventional transfer day, the journey will include birding stops where time, habitat and road conditions allow. Your guide will watch woodland, farmland and roadside areas for species encountered along the route.

Continue towards Murchison Falls and arrive later in the day.

After checking in, spend time birding around the lodge surroundings or nearby habitat, depending on arrival time.

This provides a relaxed introduction to the birdlife of northern Uganda before the following morning’s dedicated birding drive.

Begin early with a bird focused drive through the savannah areas of Murchison Falls National Park.

Rather than concentrating only on mammals, the day’s guiding will focus on identifying birds of open grassland, woodland and raptor habitats, while still allowing time for any notable wildlife encountered along the way.

Return for breakfast and some rest before the afternoon activity.

Later, take a boat safari on the Nile towards the base of Murchison Falls. The river and its banks provide a different set of habitats, with opportunities to look for herons, kingfishers, storks, raptors and other water associated species.

Your guide will use the slower pace of the boat journey to scan the riverbanks carefully and add new species to the trip list.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave Murchison Falls and begin the long journey southwest towards Kibale.

Birding stops may be made along the route where suitable habitat and time allow, although this remains primarily a transfer day.

As you move south, the scenery and habitat gradually change, eventually giving way to the greener countryside around Fort Portal and Kibale.

Arrive later in the day and settle into your lodge.

If time allows, enjoy some late-afternoon birding around the lodge grounds or nearby forest edge before dinner.

Today is dedicated to birding around the Kibale region.

Begin with guided birding in or around suitable forest habitat, searching for forest specialists and listening carefully for calls from the canopy and understorey.

Forest birding often rewards patience, and your guide will focus on identifying birds by both sight and sound while moving slowly through productive sections of habitat.

After lunch, continue to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for an afternoon guided walk.

Bigodi adds a different combination of wetland, forest edge and community managed habitat to the day, giving you the opportunity to add species that may not have been encountered during the morning forest session.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave the Kibale region and travel towards Semuliki National Park.

Semuliki offers a markedly different birding environment from the higher-elevation forests around Kibale, with lowland forest habitats that support a distinctive range of species.

After arrival and check in, head out for afternoon birding along suitable forest trails or other productive areas recommended by your guide.

The emphasis is on slow forest birding, listening for calls and working mixed feeding flocks where encountered.

Return to the lodge after the session.

Spend the full day birding in Semuliki National Park.

Start early, when bird activity is usually strongest, and explore selected forest trails and habitats with your specialist guide.

Depending on conditions, the day may include forest edge birding, deeper forest sections and other areas chosen according to recent sightings and target species.

Semuliki birding can require patience, particularly for elusive forest birds, so the itinerary intentionally allows a full day rather than treating the park as a brief stop.

Take appropriate breaks during the day before continuing your search in the afternoon.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave Semuliki and travel south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Birding stops can be made where suitable habitats or viewpoints allow.

Arrive in the Queen Elizabeth region later in the day and check in at your lodge.

Depending on arrival time, spend the late afternoon birding around the lodge surroundings, woodland areas or other nearby habitats recommended by your guide.

Begin the morning with dedicated birding around the Mweya area and other productive habitats within Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Work with your guide to search for savannah, woodland and seasonal species, with the exact route determined by conditions and recent sightings.

After lunch, head to the Kazinga Channel for an afternoon boat safari.

The channel provides excellent opportunities for waterbird photography and species identification from the boat. Scan the shoreline, exposed banks, islands and shallows for pelicans, storks, herons, kingfishers, waders and other water-associated birds.

The boat safari is also likely to provide encounters with hippos and other wildlife, although the main focus of this itinerary remains birding.

Return to your lodge after the cruise.

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Entebbe.

Where practical, your guide may make short birding stops in woodland, wetland or roadside habitats along the route.

Continue towards Entebbe with lunch arranged en route.

Arrival is expected later in the day, depending on road conditions, traffic and the duration of birding stops.

Your guide will transfer you to your hotel or Entebbe International Airport.

Travellers departing Uganda on the same day should allow sufficient time between the road transfer and their flight.