21-Day Multi-Habitat Uganda Birding Tour

Early arrival will be given a welcome birding at the Entebbe Botanical gardens and expect to see the Superb, Mariqua, Red-chested, Green-throated, Scarlet-chested, Collared, Bronze, Olive and Olive-bellied Sunbird, Pink-backed Pelican, Vieillot’s Black, the and almost Lake Victoria endemic Orange Weaver, Golden Backed, Village, Slender-billed, Northern-brown Throated, Grosbeak, Black-necked and Black-headed Weaver, Yellow-billed and African Open-billed Stork, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, African Jacana, Red-chested Klaas’s, African Emerald, and Diederik Cuckoos, Yellow-billed Duck, the sought after Giant Kingfisher, , Pied, African Pygmy, Woodland and Malachite Kingfisher, the seasonal Eurasian, White-throated and Blue-checked Bee-eater, Wood, Common and Green Sandpiper, Black-and-white Casqued, African Pied and Crowned Hornbill, Black Crake, Africa and Red-billed Firefinch, Little Stint, Orange, Golden-backed, Village, Northern-brown Throated, Vieillot’s Black and Little Weaver, Ruff, Striated Heron, Gull-billed and White-winged Tern, Red-eyed, Blue Spotted and Tambourine Dove, Little Greenbul, Green Crombec and the secretive Bat Hawk among other bird species.

After breakfast, we shall drive to Mabamba wetlands and Important Birding Area where we will be paddled in a canoe through the swamp looking for the expansive Shoebill Stork and other birds that inhabit the wetland like White-winged Scrub Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Carruthers’ and Winding Cisticola, Saddle-billed Stork, African pygmy and Spur-winged Goose, Lesser and African Jacana, Grey, Common Squacco, White Backed and Yellow-billed Duck, Purple and Goliath Herons, Yellow billed Egret, Malachite and pied Kingfishers, White-faced Whistling, African fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Jacana, Long-toed Plover, Gull-billed and White-Winged terns, Blue-Breasted Bee-eater, Cape Wagtail, Swamp Fly catcher, Winding Cisticola, Red-chested Sunbird, Fan-tailed Windowbird, Madagascar bee-Eater, Grey-rumped Swallow, the seasonal Intra African Migrating Blue Swallow depending on the time of visit. Later transfer to L.Mburo National Park birding en route for Lilac Breasted and Broad Billed Roller, Splendid Glossy Starling, Rufous Bellied Heron, Woolly-necked Stork, Banded Snake Eagle, White-winged Tit, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Weyns’s Weaver, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Pale-throated Greenbul and many more. Dinner and overnight at Mihingo (Luxury) or Eagles Nest. FB

After an early breakfast, we shall head for a morning boat trip for the African Finfoot, White-backed/ Black-crowned Night Herons, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed/ Golden-backed/ Slender-billed/ Village/ Spectacled and Northern-brown Throated Weavers, Greater and Lesser Swamp Warbler. Afternoon game and birding drive for Topis, Zebras, Buffaloes, Impalas, Elands and many others, it is also a day for Barbets including the Spot-flanked, White-headed, Double-toothed, Black-collared, Crested and the special Red-faced Barbet, Coqui, Crested and Scaly Francolin, Bearded, Uganda Spotted, Golden-tailed, Nubian and Green-backed Woodpecker today we have chances of Nightjars like Freckled, Square Tailed, Pennant-winged among others. Dinner and overnight stay at Mihingo (Luxury) or Eagles Nest. FB

After early morning breakfast we bird our way out and proceed to Ruhija looking out for what we might have missed and as we get into Ruhija, expect species like Augur and Mountain Buzzard, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Strange and Black Billed Weaver, , Rwenzori, Chestnut Throated and Mountain Masked Apalis, White Browed Crombec, Dusky and Stripe-breasted Tit, Chin-spot and Rwenzori Batis, White-naped Raven, Black-crowned and Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Slender-billed, Narrow-tailed, Stuhlmann’s and Waller’s Starling, Northern Double Collard, Blue Headed, Regal, Purple-breasted and Collard Sunbird, Montane Oriole, Mountain Illadopsis, Olive Thrush, with many more. Dinner and overnight at Trekker’s Tavern or Bwindi Gorilla Lodge (Luxury), FB

We have 2 days at this spot, one to do gorilla trekking and the other birding in Uganda Bwindi Forest. For the birds expect the high altitude rarities and the biggest number of Albertine Rift Endemics, among which we shall have the rhythmical Stripe-breasted Tit, Mountain Masked Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer’s Scrub and Grauer’s Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Red-throated Alethe, the creepy African Green-Broadbill, Collared Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Strange Weaver, Handsome Francolin, the less musical Rwenzori Nightjar, Archer’s Ground Robin, among the high altitude rarities expect the White-napped Raven, Black-crowned Waxbill, birding around the forest margins is productive. Forest birding at Bwindi ranks the best in Uganda and perhaps the whole of Africa. It is home to 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics and the No. 1 Birding site in Africa as per the African Birding Club. Here we mostly look out for bird species like Black-billed Turaco, Western Green Tinkerbird, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Mountain Greenbul, Rwenzori-hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Mountain Black Boubou, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Dusky Tit, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Pink-footed and Northern Puffback, Lagden’s and Doherty’s Bush-shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, Narrow-tailed Starling, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Waller’s Starling, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver, East Africa Swee, Oriole Finch, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed and Streaky Seedeater, Mountain Buzzard, Ayres’s and Cassine’s Hawk-eagle, Dusky and Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Scarce Swift, Narina and Bar-tailed Trogon, Red-chested Owlet, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Olive, Fine-banded, Cardinal and Elliot’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Yellow-streaked, Yellow-Whiskered and Mountain Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, Olive Thrush, the list is endless as this is one of the paradise site on this 21 days best Uganda birding safari. We stay at Trekkers Tavern or Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. FB

We have 2 days at this spot, one to do gorilla trekking and the other birding in Uganda Bwindi Forest. For the birds expect the high altitude rarities and the biggest number of Albertine Rift Endemics, among which we shall have the rhythmical Stripe-breasted Tit, Mountain Masked Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Grauer’s Scrub and Grauer’s Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Red-throated Alethe, the creepy African Green-Broadbill, Collared Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Strange Weaver, Handsome Francolin, the less musical Rwenzori Nightjar, Archer’s Ground Robin, among the high altitude rarities expect the White-napped Raven, Black-crowned Waxbill, birding around the forest margins is productive. Forest birding at Bwindi ranks the best in Uganda and perhaps the whole of Africa. It is home to 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics and the No. 1 Birding site in Africa as per the African Birding Club. Here we mostly look out for bird species like Black-billed Turaco, Western Green Tinkerbird, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Mountain Greenbul, Rwenzori-hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Mountain Black Boubou, Ashy, Dusky-blue, Dusky Tit, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Pink-footed and Northern Puffback, Lagden’s and Doherty’s Bush-shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, Narrow-tailed Starling, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Waller’s Starling, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver, East Africa Swee, Oriole Finch, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick-billed and Streaky Seedeater, Mountain Buzzard, Ayres’s and Cassine’s Hawk-eagle, Dusky and Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Scarce Swift, Narina and Bar-tailed Trogon, Red-chested Owlet, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Olive, Fine-banded, Cardinal and Elliot’s Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Yellow-streaked, Yellow-Whiskered and Mountain Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, Olive Thrush, the list is endless as this is one of the paradise site on this 21 days best Uganda birding safari. We stay at Trekkers Tavern or Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. FB

We start after breakfast and put our focus on the “Neck” looking out for several special bird species, around the river expect the Cassine’s Flycatcher, African Black Duck, Mountain Wagtail and the Ducky-blues Flycatcher, Dwarf Honeyguide, Chin-spot Batis, Red-tailed Greenbul, Black-billed Turaco, Fine-banded Woodpecker, and we should come across Bee-eaters including Black Bee-eater and Cinnamon-chested Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Honeyguide Greenbul, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Ayres’s Hawk-eagle, Narina Trogon, Red-throated Alethe, Gray Apalis, African Shrike-flycatcher and Red-headed Malimbe; and in areas of dry fern vegetation, we expect the Dusky Twinspot, Yellow Bellied Waxbill, African Stonechat, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Black and White-headed Saw-wing, Chubb’s Cisticola, as we bird back into the forested Bwindi look out for the greyer mantled Grey Apalis, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Augur Buzzard, Pink-footed and Northern Puffback, Red-tailed, Joyful, Ansorge’s, Little Grey Greenbul, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Rock Martin, Northern Yellow White-eye, Yellow-billed Kite, Yellow-rumped, Speckled and Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Dusky and Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Black-faced Rufous, Red-faced Woodland and Mountain-yellow Warbler, Regal, Green, Collated and Northern Double-collared Sunbird, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Pale-throated Leaf Love, Black-billed, Brown-caped, Strange and Black-necked Weaver, Crested Guinea-fowl, African Crowned Hornbill, Lead-colored Flycatcher, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-spotted, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-billed Barbet, African Harrier Hawk the list is to infinity. Dinner and overnight stay Buhoma Lodge (Luxury) or Buhoma Community Homestay – (Ride for a woman) for 2 nights. FB

After an early breakfast, we start birding at this lower side of Bwindi which is a particularly beautiful portion of forest in the valley, and our walking is on a mainly flat and well-maintained broad path more like a forest margin offering great birding views and expect the uncommon singles or pairs of Bar-tailed Trogon, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Black Bee-Eater, the small and chunky African Broadbill, Fine Banded, Elliot’s and Buff Spotted Woodpecker, the dingy Chapin’s Flycatcher, Equatorial Akalat, Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Blue Headed, Little Green, Grey-headed, Green, Blue-throated Brown and Northern-double Collared Sunbird, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, the poorly known and extremely shy tactical Short-tailed Warbler, Black-throated, Buff-throated and Mountain Masked Apalis, Bocage’s, Many Colored and Luhder’s Bush-shrike, the superficially Akalat resembling White-bellied Robin-Chat, Northern and Pink-footed Puffback, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Waller’s, Stuhlmann’s and Narrow Tailed Starlings, Black-billed, Black-necked and Brown-capped Weaver, Yellow-whiskered, Shelley’s, Plain, Toro Olive, Slender Billed, Ansorge’s and Cabanis’s Greenbul among other birds. Stay at Buhoma Lodge (Luxury) or Buhoma Community Homestay. FB

After breakfast you will drive to the second biggest protected area in Uganda – Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birding here is at the apex with a variety of well selected savannah bird species which will be both grassland and wooded dwellers that include Flappet Lark, Grassland and Plain-backed Pipit, Blue, Harlequin Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, the shy and local intra African migrating African Crake, Black and White-browed Coucal, Broad Tailed, Grassland Moustached, and Grey Capped Warbler, Ovambo Sparrow-hawk, Banded-snake, Brown Snake, Black-chested and Martial Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Amur Falcon, Fawn-breasted, Common and Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Temminck’s Courser, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Golden Breasted Bunting, Senegal and Wattled Lapwing, and many more bird species. This park has a great number of mammals numbering to 96 which are both diurnal and nocturnal. We shall later have a longer drive into the national park in the late afternoon and evening. If we are lucky, we find the area’s tree-climbing lions Ishasha is famous for, as we go on safari among other mammals expect Cape Buffalo, the handsome Uganda Kob, Waterbuck, African Elephant and the brilliant hard to hunt Topi. On day 10 there will be a morning drive in such of some species mentioned on day 9 then later in the afternoon you have an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a natural water channel connecting Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for wading birds and abundant Hippopotamus. Birding on the boat avails us opportunities of seeing the African Skimmer, African Spoonbill, Striated Heron, Water Thick-knee, Lesser Black Backed and Gray-headed Gull, Three-banded Plover, Green, Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Grey Plover was once recorded on the fringes of the channel, Terek Sandpiper most of which are winter visitors. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Saafari Lodge (Luxury) or Pumba Safari Cottages. Fb

After breakfast you will drive to the second biggest protected area in Uganda – Queen Elizabeth National Park. Birding here is at the apex with a variety of well selected savannah bird species which will be both grassland and wooded dwellers that include Flappet Lark, Grassland and Plain-backed Pipit, Blue, Harlequin Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, the shy and local intra African migrating African Crake, Black and White-browed Coucal, Broad Tailed, Grassland Moustached, and Grey Capped Warbler, Ovambo Sparrow-hawk, Banded-snake, Brown Snake, Black-chested and Martial Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Amur Falcon, Fawn-breasted, Common and Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Temminck’s Courser, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Golden Breasted Bunting, Senegal and Wattled Lapwing, and many more bird species. This park has a great number of mammals numbering to 96 which are both diurnal and nocturnal. We shall later have a longer drive into the national park in the late afternoon and evening. If we are lucky, we find the area’s tree-climbing lions Ishasha is famous for, as we go on safari among other mammals expect Cape Buffalo, the handsome Uganda Kob, Waterbuck, African Elephant and the brilliant hard to hunt Topi. On day 10 there will be a morning drive in such of some species mentioned on day 9 then later in the afternoon you have an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a natural water channel connecting Lakes George and Edward, with excellent photographic opportunities for wading birds and abundant Hippopotamus. Birding on the boat avails us opportunities of seeing the African Skimmer, African Spoonbill, Striated Heron, Water Thick-knee, Lesser Black Backed and Gray-headed Gull, Three-banded Plover, Green, Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Grey Plover was once recorded on the fringes of the channel, Terek Sandpiper most of which are winter visitors. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Saafari Lodge (Luxury) or Pumba Safari Cottages. Fb

Our 21 days best Uganda Birding safari takes us to Kibale Forest National Park. Birding on the way through the savannahs and wetlands in search for Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Scrub Warbler, the locally common with a restriction to papyrus swamps Carruther’s Cisticola, White collard Oliveback, as we enter Kibale National Park, special forest bird both skulking and canopy species will be sought after including; Black throated Apalis, Red Capped and Blue Shouldered Robin-chat, Afep and on lucky days the White Napped Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Narrow-tailed Starling, Red-headed Malimbe, Yellow-bill, Sooty Flycatcher, Wahlberg’s Honeybird, Rofous Flycatcher Thrush and many more. Dinner and overnight at Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Kibale Forest Lodge. FB

Birding in Kibale National Park is a delightful experience. We shall be out slightly before good light in the forest to maximize our chances of finding the Green-breasted Pitta still or about to start displaying and this is the bird of today, after succeeding in seeing it we shall look for other bird species like the White spotted Flufftail, Red-chested Owlet, Afep and White-naped Pigeon, White-throated, Plain, Slender-billed and Joyful Greenbul, Blue-shouldered and Grey-winged Robin-chat, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Grey, Masked and black-throated Apalis ,Splendid glossy, Narrow-tailed and Purple headed glossy Starling, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Tiny, Superb, Blue-throated Brown, Green headed, Green, Little green and Green-throated sunbird, Grey-headed Olive-back and many more. Lunch at the hotel and later go chimp tracking or take walk in the Bigodi Wetland or bird around the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight at Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury) or Kibale Forest Lodge or Equivalent. FB

Our 21 days best Uganda multi habitat birding safari takes you to Semliki Valley national park after breakfast at dawn. Semliki Forest is the part of Uganda that meets with the West African Jungles and an extension of the Ituri Forest thus an Important Birding Area for the Guinea Congo biome endemics. Birding here gives us chances of seeing the small Congo Serpent Eagle, Orange-tufted Sunbird, the distinctive and mostly heard then seen Black-throated Coucal, the pale yellow billed Capuchin Babbler, Long-tailed Hawk, African Piculet, Black-winged Oriole, Zenker’s Honeyguide, Pale Fronted, Chestnut Breasted and White Breasted Negrofinch, Yellow-throated Nicator, White-bellied Kingfisher, Yellow Throated Green Cuckoo, the olive washed Lemon-bellied Crombec, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Piping, Black Dwarf, Red-billed Dwarf, White Crested, Black-casqued Wattled, and White-thighed Hornbill, Fiery Breasted Bush-shrike, Red-billed Helmet Shrike, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, African and Rufous-sided Broadbill, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Xavier’s and Icterine’s Greenbul, Crested Malimbe, Blue-billed and Red-bellied Malimbe, and many mores, later drive back and spend our night at Crater Safari Lodge Kibale Forest Lodge. FB

After an early breakfast, our 21 days best Uganda birding safari takes us to Masindi, birding stops will be at certain secret spots of your experienced Journeys Uganda safari guide trying to find special species like the Masked Apalis, African Emerald, Olive and Ducky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Joyful Greenbul, Yellow Mantled and Forest Weaver, White-collared Oliveback, Afep Pigeon, on the river look out for African Black Duck, Cassine’s Flycatcher and Mountain Wagtail, over the forest and in the canopies we have a collection of Narrow Tailed, Purple-headed Glossy, Waller’s and Stuhlmann’s Starling, Yellow Billed, Grey Throated, Yellow Spotted and Hairy Breasted Barbet, the skies provide opportunities for the Mottled and Sabine’s Spinetail among others. We later get to our destination and spend our night at Masindi Hotel for two nights.

We begin birding at dawn, as we get closer to the forest we check out the grasslands for the Cabanis’s Bunting, African and Black-bellied Firefinch, Brown-twinspot, Grey-headed Oliveback, Zebra Waxbill, Singing and Whistling Cisticola, the undergrowth inhabiting Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Mannikin, Brown-crowned Tchagra, White-thighed Hornbills always fly over, Red-collared Widowbird, Black Bishop then continue to the Royal mile looking out for Key bird species that include: Blue Breasted, African Dwarf and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Brown-eared and Yellow Crested Woodpecker, Forest and Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Dusky long-tailed Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, Crowned Eagle, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Lemon-bellied and Green Crombec, White-spotted Flufftail, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Blue-throated Brown, Superb, Little Green Sunbird, Collared and Green Sunbird, Grey-headed and White-Breasted Negrofinch, Western Black-headed Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Brown-chested Alethe, Yellow and Grey Longbill, Forest Robin, Brown, Pale-breasted and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Tit Hylia, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Green Twinspot, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Crested Malimbe and Red-headed Bluebill, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Xavier’s, Icterine, White-throated, Slender-billed, Spotted, Plain, Spotted and Toro Olive Greenbul the Nahan’s Partridge is among the shyest bird species we shall be looking out for today which is an IUCN Red list’ endangered species. Back to Masindi Hotel for dinner and overnight stay. FB

Our 21 days best Uganda Birding Safari starts with early birding via Busingiro eco-tourism site to the Butiaba escarpment. This stretch is one of the best of Uganda’s Birding spots. Recorded birds here include the plain bright rufous Foxy Cisticola, Singing, Rattling and Whistling Cisticola, Grey-headed Oliveback, Black-bellied Firefinch, White-headed and black billed Barbet, Northern Crombec, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, Red-winged Pytilia, White Rumped Seed-eater, Vitelline and Lesser-masked Weaver, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Banded Snake Eagle and on lucky days we have a secret spot for the Red-winged Grey Warbler and groups of the rather shy and secretive Dusky Babbler among others. We later drive and check in at Kabalega Wilderness Lodge or equivalent for 2 nights FB

Today our 21 days Best Multi Habitat Birding Trip to Uganda starts after an early breakfast. We may bird on a boat along the Victoria Nile to the delta or do a birding drive to the delta. Later in the afternoon, you take a launch trip to the bottom of the falls. Recorded birds in this park include Shoebill, Secretary Bird is occasionally sighted, Northern-carmine Swallow-tailed and Red-throated Bee-eaters, Spotted Thick-knee, Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, along the water areas we find the Pied Kingfishers, Grey, Purple, Common Squacco and Goliath Heron, White-faced and Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Saddle-billed Stork, Glossy and Sacred Ibis, Senegal Thick-knee, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, the wooded and grassland savannahs attract the Red-necked Falcon, Black-billed and Vinaceous Dove, Grosbeak Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, Buff-bellied Warbler, Beautiful Sunbird, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Marabou Stork, Silver Bird, White-browed Sparrow, Speckle-fronted, Golden-backed, Heuglin’s Vitelline-masked and Little Weaver, White-rumped Seedeater, the boat to the bottom of the falls gets you closer to the Rock Pratincole, on very lucky days the huge and unmistaken Pel’s Fishing-Owl, African Darter and Giant Kingfisher, Shoebill Stork has been sighted several times on this cruise. Back to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay, a late drive in exposes us to the Standard-winged Nightjar, Pennant-winged, Long-tailed and Plain Nightjar. FB

We start our 21 days best Uganda Birding Safari early and drive further east to Mbale via Lira a long stretch with a few birding stops where we expect the Red-winged Warbler, Banded Snake Eagle, Abyssinian Roller, Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, the largest crested Great Spotted Cuckoo, Red-billed Wood Hoopoe, Black Scimitarbill, Green-wood Hoopoe, The stubby, black billed Parasitic Weaver should be keenly sought. The swamps towards and after Soroti are good for the Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird and Black Coucal, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Northern-brown Throated Weaver, the Saddle Billed Stork will be among the sightings on this route. Dinner and overnight stay at Mt. Elgon Hotel. FB

Today is very special on this 21 days best Uganda birding safaris as we drive and explore the least visited haven of Eastern Uganda Birding. The Virgin grasslands and wooded habitats have created an incredibly welcoming habitat for dry country birds and unique mammals that are highly sought after not leaving out the Roan Antelope and Cheetah. Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve being dotted with the Red acacia and Bush willows with Harrisonia abyssinica coupled with the skies as a great habitat for many birds of prey, on the search look out for Secretary Bird, Four Banded Sandgrouse, the strange and small courser or Lark like looking Quail-plover, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Fawn-coloured Lark, the small and neat Abyssinian Scimitarbill, the Fox’s Weaver has plenty of nests on the main road trails and being the only bird endemic to Uganda, will lighten up our birding which make Pian Upe one of the birding havens in the country, almost a must see as they are breeding around Feb/March, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Jackson’s Hornbill, the almost endemic and uncommon Karamoja Apalis, Hunter’s and Beautiful Sunbird, the rare Ostriches which are better seen while in this reserve related to Kidepo valley national park, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Red-fronted Warbler, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Wailing Cisticola, Pygmy Sunbird, Yellow-billed Shrike, to mention but a few. Dinner and overnight stay at the Pian Tented Camp. FB

Depending on the luck of day 19, we could spend today’s morning before departure looking out for what might have been missed then our 21 days best Uganda Birding safari takes us to Jinja where we shall spend our night at Mabira Rainforest Lodge (Luxury) or Sunset Hotel. FB

After early breakfast we take a short drive to Mabira Forest, although isolated by the surrounding banana and sugar plantations, this remarkably productive forest is possibly the richest in the country with well-maintained trails that make birding easy though with a few boda-boda interruptions mostly on the Sanga Trail. Mixed flocks are often found along the broad tracks, and noisy groups of the near-endemic Weyns’s Weaver, arguably the most attractive of the group, busy themselves in the forest canopy. We can also hope to see African Pied Hornbill and the white lacking families of Forest Wood-Hoopoe, while the seasonal pools can attract White-bellied, Blue-breasted, Dwarf and Shining-blue Kingfishers. Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds live in the canopy and Toro Olive Greenbul and Green-tailed Bristle bill are secretive interior inhabitants. If there are safari ants on the match, Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Robin and Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat may be in attendance. Other interesting species include the very uncommon Tit-Hylia, Grey and Yellow Longbill, Forest Robin, Brown-eared, Buff-spotted and Yellow-Crested Woodpecker, Narina Tragon, Purple Throated Cuckoo-shrike, White-spotted Flufftail among other and later transfer to Entebbe for your flight back home, end of our 21 days best Uganda multi habitat Birding safari. BL