16 Days Eastern Uganda Birding: Mabira, Elgon and Kidepo

Take the hotel shuttle from Entebbe airport to Precious Guest House and settle in after the flight. The garden surroundings offer an unhurried introduction to local birds, with Great Blue Turaco and Grey Parrot among the possibilities. Vervet monkeys may also be encountered.

Meet the guide and travel to Griffin Falls Camp in Mabira. After settling in, spend the afternoon looking for forest birds such as Nahan’s Partridge and Yellow-throated Tinkerbird. Watch the canopy for monkeys as well as birds.

Explore Mabira’s forest trails through the day, looking for Afep Pigeon, Speckled Tinkerbird and African Pied Hornbill. The trail time also provides opportunities for observing red-tailed monkeys and forest squirrels. Spend another night at Griffin Falls Camp.

Leave the lowland forest for Kapchorwa and the Mount Elgon area. Home of Friends is the overnight base. An evening birding session begins the mountain portion of the trip, with Jackson’s Spurfowl among the species sought and a possibility of bushbuck.

Devote the day to the forest around Kapkwai Exploration Centre. Search the montane habitat and its edges, looking for birds including White-collared Oliveback and African Harrier-Hawk. Accommodation is at Home of Friends or Sipi River Camp.

Visit Sipi Falls before continuing to Pian Upe. The landscape changes to semi-arid country, beginning the reserve-focused part of the journey. Settle into the UWA bandas, the rustic base for the following nights.

Spend the day exploring Pian Upe on game drives. Search for Secretarybird and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill while watching for oribi and roan antelope. A night drive adds a chance to look for nocturnal wildlife, with cheetah a possible but uncertain encounter. Overnight in the UWA bandas.

Use another full day for birding and wildlife drives, returning to productive areas or exploring a different section. Karamoja Apalis and Fox’s Weaver feature in the local search, alongside plains animals such as eland and zebra. A further night drive is optional, depending on the previous evening’s outing.

Keep the day available for birds or mammals still to be found in Pian Upe. The extended stay gives time to revisit suitable habitat and continue watching after dark. Leopard and spotted hyena are among the possible nocturnal sightings. This is the final night at the reserve’s UWA bandas.

Set out early with a picnic lunch for birding in Matheniko’s dry-country habitat. Later, continue to Kara-Tunga Safari Camp, the next base in Karamoja. The day links the Pian Upe stay with the onward journey toward Kidepo.

Travel with a picnic lunch to Kidepo, allowing for limited stops during the transfer. Settle into the park’s UWA bandas before the planned evening night drive. Search for nocturnal mammals, with caracal and aardwolf among the difficult possibilities rather than expected sightings.

Spend the day birding and watching wildlife in the Kidepo River area. Common Ostrich and Red-throated Bee-eater are among the birds sought, while greater kudu, eland and hartebeest may be encountered. Return to the UWA bandas in the evening.

Continue exploring Kidepo for birds and mammals, with time to revisit habitat and search for species missed earlier. The extended park stay allows another day in the valley landscapes before tomorrow’s walk. Overnight again in the UWA bandas.

Explore on foot with a guide, observing birdlife and the smaller details of the vegetation and ground. Plains animals such as zebra, oribi and waterbuck may be seen during the walk. Spend the final Kidepo night at the UWA bandas.

Make the return journey toward Gulu, with roadside birding during the travel day. The route offers a transition away from the northern reserves. Stay overnight at Acholi Inn before the final leg to Entebbe.

Continue toward Entebbe with a planned Ziwa stop for guided rhino tracking on foot. This closes the trip’s wildlife program before the airport transfer. The day combines the sanctuary visit with the return journey for the outbound flight.