19-Day Uganda Birding Adventure: Shoebill, Special Birds & Gorillas

When you arrive in Entebbe, a friendly guide from Orugano Safaris will meet you and take you to your hotel for the night. Once you’ve settled in, it’s time to grab your binoculars! Your guide will take you to the beautiful Entebbe Botanical Gardens, right by Lake Victoria, the biggest lake in Africa. This peaceful garden is full of flowers, green plants, and playful pied colobus monkeys. As you walk around, you’ll start spotting lots of colorful and interesting birds. Look out for the red-chested sunbird, black weavers, long-tailed cormorants, herons, hamerkops, open-billed storks, grey-headed gulls, terns, kingfishers, swamp flycatchers, and the eye-catching black-headed gonolek. In the evening, your guide will join you for dinner and talk about the exciting plan for tomorrow—visiting Mabamba Swamp to search for the giant Shoebill!

Overnight: The Boma, or similar, Entebbe

Meal Plan: Dinner

Just an hour from Entebbe, Mabamba Swamp is one of the best places in Africa to see the amazing Shoebill. We’ll ride through the swamp in a traditional wooden boat, quietly gliding past tall grasses and watching for some of the 260 bird species that live here. Keep your eyes open for the Grey-crowned Crane (Uganda’s national bird), Red-chested Sunbirds, colorful weavers, coucals, and water birds like the Lesser Jacana and Swamp Flycatchers. After spotting the Shoebill, we’ll stop at a nearby place that’s great for seeing the bright Orange Weaver. We might also spot birds like the Eastern Plantain-eater, Ross’s Turaco, big flocks of Great Blue Turacos, Grey Kestrels, and the colorful Double-toothed Barbet. Later in the day, we’ll drive to Masindi, watching for birds along the way, and arrive at our lodge by late afternoon or evening.

Overnight: Kabalega Resort Hotel, or similar, Masindi

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today, we’ll explore the beautiful Royal Mile in Budongo Forest, a top spot for birdwatching with over 360 bird species! One special bird to look for is the Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, along with other small and rare flycatchers. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for the Fraser’s Forest Flycatcher, another exciting find. The Royal Mile is especially famous for its amazing kingfishers—the star being the colorful Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. You may also see the stunning Blue-breasted Kingfisher, the tiny African Dwarf Kingfisher, and more. Down on the forest floor, we’ll look for birds like the Red-tailed Ant Thrush, Fire-crested Alethe, and the shy Nahan’s Partridge. Up in the treetops, watch for birds like the Rufous-crowned Eremomela and White-thighed Hornbill. This forest is full of life, with many types of barbets, tinkerbirds, woodpeckers, and greenbuls. After enjoying this rich and peaceful forest, we’ll travel to the nearby Murchison Falls National Park for the next part of our adventure.

Overnight: Murchison River Lodge, or similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

In this amazing area, we’ll go on boat rides and safari drives, spotting lots of birds and animals along the way. There are over 76 types of mammals here, including Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Giraffes, and Hippos. It’s also a bird lover’s paradise, with more than 450 bird species! Look out for birds like the Black-headed Lapwing, Silverbird, Red-throated and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-headed Barbet, Meyer’s Parrot, and the majestic Bateleur eagle. One of the biggest highlights is Murchison Falls, where the Nile River is forced through a small gap in the rocks, creating the world’s strongest waterfall—it’s an incredible sight! While there, we might even spot rare birds like Pel’s Fishing Owl or a Bat Hawk. If conditions allow, we can also go on a night drive to look for secretive birds like the Long-tailed, Plain, and Pennant-winged Nightjars, and maybe even the mysterious Greyish Eagle-Owl.

Overnight: Murchison River Lodge, or similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After a tasty breakfast, we’ll go birdwatching in the Kaniyo Pabidi part of Budongo Forest. Our main goal is to find the rare Puvel’s Illadopsis—this is the only place in East Africa where it’s been seen! As we explore, we’ll also look for other special forest birds like the Western Crested Guineafowl, Spotted Greenbul, African Dwarf Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Forest Robin, and the colorful Yellow-mantled Weaver. After a great day of birding, we’ll head back to the same resort we stayed at earlier. There, we’ll enjoy a nice dinner, relax, and rest up for the next day’s adventure.

The drive from Masindi to Kibale Forest Park is full of stunning scenery. As we travel through the Albertine Rift, we’ll see tall cliffs, wide flat valleys, and amazing views of Lake Albert. In the distance, the beautiful Blue Mountains of Congo make the view even more magical. The trip takes about 5 to 6 hours, but with such breathtaking sights, the time goes by quickly. Kibale Forest is famous for having more primates than any other forest in Africa, and it’s also home to over 370 bird species. Our main goal here is to find the rare and colorful Green-breasted Pitta, which is easiest to spot early in the morning when it makes a special call to show its location—otherwise, it hides very well on the forest floor. While we search for birds, we’ll hear the wild calls of chimpanzees echoing through the trees. If you'd like, you can even trek into the forest to try and see these amazing apes up close, along with other monkey species we might meet along the way.

Overnight: Kibale Forest Camp or similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a beautiful 2-hour drive west to the amazing Semuliki National Park. This forest is special because it’s part of the West African jungle that stretches all the way from Equatorial Guinea to Congo—and it’s the only place in East Africa where you can find some of the birds that live in that region. Semuliki also has natural hot springs, and as we walk through the forest trails, you’ll feel the warm, steamy air—just like being deep in Central Africa’s jungle. The park is home to over 440 bird species, and we’ll search for rare birds from the Guinea-Congo biome like the Congo Serpent Eagle, Nkulengu Rail, Long-tailed Hawk, Red-chested Owlet, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Swamp Palm Bulbul, and Blue-billed Malimbe. We’ll also look out for special hornbills, including the Piping, Black Dwarf, Red-billed Dwarf, and White-crested Hornbills, plus the tiny African Piculet. After this unforgettable birding adventure, we’ll return to our hotel in Fort Portal to relax.

Overnight: Mountains of the Moon Hotel or similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

On our way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, we’ll stop at Queen Elizabeth National Park and stay on the beautiful Mweya Peninsula by the Kazinga Channel. This park, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1954, is famous for its tree-climbing lions and is home to nearly 100 mammal species and over 600 bird species. One of the best parts of our visit will be a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, where we’ll see Nile Crocodiles, Hippos, and plenty of waterbirds. We’ll also spot mammals like the Common Warthog, African Buffalo, Uganda Kob, and more, with the Forest Hog often being the star of the show!

Overnight: Bush Lodge or Similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

The Mountain Gorillas in this park roam freely between Uganda, Rwanda, and the DR Congo. While we might be lucky enough to spot them here, we’re more likely to encounter them later in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. One of the main reasons we visit this park is to search for the beautiful Rwenzori Turaco. The park also has large bamboo forests, where we’ll look for the shy Abyssinian Ground Thrush. We might also spot the rare Shelley’s Crimsonwing, which is an Endangered species (according to the IUCN). It’s becoming harder to find, but it’s not because of human activity. We may also catch a glimpse of some Albertine Rift endemics here, though many of these will be easier to see when we reach Bwindi for a closer look.

Overnight: Orugano Bwindi Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

We’ll explore Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one of Africa’s richest forests for wildlife, birding in the Ruhija section. As soon as we arrive, we’ll begin birdwatching on the forested hills, hoping to spot the colorful Black Bee-eater and maybe even the Grauer’s Swamp Warbler by the roadside. Finding the warbler here will make our walk on day 14 easier since it’s usually found in the lower part of Mubwindi Swamp. However, we’ll still need to trek down to the swamp because it’s home to the beautiful and rare Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill. The hike to see the broadbill and back will take most of the day, but it’s one of the best birding experiences on the tour. Throughout the day, we’ll likely spot many Albertine Rift endemics—birds that can only be found in this region. After this exciting day, we’ll stay at Gorilla Mist Camp or somewhere similar, and enjoy a hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Overnight: Gorilla Mist Camp or Similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

As we travel from the higher Ruhija area to the lower Buhoma sections of the park, we’ll stop at a great birding spot called "The Neck". This is a place where we can find some special birds that aren’t found anywhere else. Here, we’ll easily spot the Black Bee-eater and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater. We might also hear the song of the Chubb’s Cisticola from the bushes and see the busy Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, which is known for its loud calls and constant movement. The male has striking black-and-white feathers and bright yellow eyes, while the female has chestnut and white feathers. We may also spot birds like the Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Bronzy Sunbird, African Grey Woodpecker, and the impressive Augur Buzzard. In addition to these, we’ll look for rare forest birds that are mostly found in this area, like the Bar-tailed Trogon, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Lühder’s Bushshrike, and Red-throated Alethe. If you're interested, you can also go on a Mountain Gorilla trek in Buhoma for the day. If you’d rather not join the trek, you’ll have time to enjoy more birdwatching, relax, or take pictures of the birds around the lodge.

Overnight: Haven Lodge, Buhoma or Similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

We’ll start the day with an early breakfast and then check out, saying goodbye to the wonderful lodge staff. Our next stop is Lake Mburo National Park, which is about a 5 to 6-hour drive northeast. Along the way, we’ll make stops for birdwatching and take breaks when needed. When we arrive at the park through the Sanga Gate, we’ll see the famous long-horned Ankole cattle—a great sight for some memorable photos. After checking into our lodge, we’ll enjoy a tasty late lunch. The day will end with a fun evening game drive where we’ll search for Lake Mburo’s 350 bird species, and we might also spot Plains Zebra, Impala, Common Eland, African Buffalo, Oribi, Waterbuck, Leopard, Hippos, Spotted Hyena, and Topi. Lake Mburo is a great place to find birds that live in dry areas, such as the Blue-naped Mousebird, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Golden-breasted Bunting, and the rare Red-faced Barbet, along with the more common Spot-flanked Barbet. After a day full of birdwatching and wildlife spotting, we’ll head back to the lodge to freshen up and enjoy a delicious farewell dinner while the peaceful African night settles over the waters of Lake Mburo.

Overnight: Rwakobo Rock, or similar

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and Dinner

After a tasty early breakfast, we’ll enjoy a short boat cruise on Lake Mburo—our last “safari activity” of the tour. This peaceful and beautiful cruise will give us a chance to relax and enjoy the surroundings while spotting a few final bird species, like the African Finfoot, African Fish Eagle, Squacco Heron, Water Thick-knee, Pied and Giant Kingfishers, and plenty of Hippos. Once the boat cruise is over, we’ll start our journey back to Entebbe, which is about 4 to 5 hours away. But before we reach the airport, we have one last fun stop! We’ll visit the Ugandan Equator crossing at Kayabwe, where you can stand with one leg in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern Hemisphere—a perfect photo opportunity and a great place to grab a souvenir to remember this amazing birding adventure. Then, we’ll head to Entebbe Airport, where we’ll say our goodbyes after an unforgettable journey. If your flight is later in the evening, we can arrange a day room in Entebbe for you to relax before you leave.