Albertine Rift  Bird watching holiday in Uganda - 14 days

Day 1
Arrival

Meet our professional bird guide. Transfer to the hotel in Kampala for overnight stay. Early arrivals may wish to go birding in the botanical gardens at Entebbe.
Hotels of choice: Lindsay Cottages, Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel, Botanical Beach Hotel and Sheraton Hotel.

Day 2
Birding to Semliki.

After an early breakfast, proceed to Semliki. Lunch on the way. Check into Semliki Safari Lodge in the evening.

Day 3
All-day birding Semliki National Park

We start at dawn after an early breakfast. We carry a parked lunch. A whole day birding in the Forest or Kirumira Trail. The Forest is home to some of the Congo biome species. These include, Red-billed, Black- wattled, Black-billed and White-crested Hornbill, African Piculet, Zenkel Honey-guide, Black-chested Cuckoo, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Nkurengu Rail, White-bellied, Dwarf, and Pygmy Kingfishers, Piping, White-thighed, Black and White-casqued, and African Pied Hornbills, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-bellied and Blue-billed Malimbe, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Forest Scrub Robin, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Leaf Love, Red-breasted Sparrowhawk, Long-tailed Hawk, Pale-fronted and Chestnut-breasted Negrofinches, Black-winged Oriole, and others.

Day 4
All-day birding Semliki National Park

We again leave early for the Semliki National Park. Depending on the results of the previous day, a choice remains for the group to decide either to again bird the main road, Kirumira Trail or Sempaya Trail.

Day 5

Birding to Kibale Mational Park: Sebitoli Wetland

Start after breakfast and head for Sebitoli birding site. This part of Kibale National Park has now been recommended as one of the best birding spots in this forest. Birding on the main road  can be very satisfying. Specials in this park include Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Black Duck, Joyful, Cabanis, Toro Olive and Cameroon Sombre Greenbuls, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Tiny Sunbird, Green Twinsport, Brown and Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Green-throated Sunbird, Blue-throated Sunbird, Green-breasted Pita, African Pita, White-throated Greenbul, Yellow Whiskered Greenbul, Red-tailed Bristle Bill, Red-capped Robinchat, Dusky Tit, Green-headed Sunbird, Brown-capped Weaver, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Bocage's Bush-shrike, Pink-footed Puffback, Ludher's Bush-Shrike.
We stay at Margherita hotel in the foothills of Mountain Rwenzori in Kasese town.

Day 6
All-day birding Rwenzori National Park

After breakfast, with packed lunch, leave for Rwenzori National Park. Special birds of the day include purple breasted sunbird, Abyssinian, Red faced, Shelly's and Dusky Crimson-wing, Red-bellied seed cracker, Woodhouse Antipecker, Stripe-breasted Tit, Forest Flycatcher, Grey Apalis, Ayres and Cassin's Hawk-eagle and many others.

Same accommodation 

Day 7

Birding to Bwindi

Today we head further South to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Depending on the season we may choose to go through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where there are chances of encountering the Tree-climbing Lions at Ishasha sector. Packed lunch will be arranged in advance to enjoy later as we travel.

Depending on the time of arrival, we may enjoy birding on the self-guided Munyaga trail.
Forest Birding at Bwindi provides some of the best birdwatching in Uganda and Africa as well, having been voted as Number One Hotspot in Africa by African Bird Club Members. It is home to over 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics.

Special birds include Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer's Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black-faced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red-throated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin's Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Rwenzori Batis, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Dusky Tit, Blue-throated Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon's Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback, Doherty's Bush-shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann's Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller's Starling, Strange Weaver, Brown-capped Weaver, Black-billed Weaver,
Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Magpie Mannikin, Yellow-crowned Canary, Thick- billed Seedeater, Streaky Seed-eater, African Green Broadbill, Shelly's Crimsonwing, Oriole Finch, Mountain Buzzard, Ayre's Hawk-eagle, Handsome Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, African Wood-Owl, Rwenzori Nightjar, Scarce Swift, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, (Western) Bronze-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Owlet, Tullberg's Woodpecker, Elliot's Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Green Broadbill, Lagdens Bush Shrike, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Archer's Ground Robin, Toro Olive-Greenbul, Ansorge's Greenbul, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-chat, Olive Thrush, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Grauer's Rush-warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Neumann's Warbler and Red faced Woodland-Warbler.

Choice of Lodges: Gorilla Resort, Buhoma Homestead and Gorilla Forest Camp.

Day 8

All-day birding Bwindi - Buhoma

We start after breakfast, and explore the Buhoma Forest section.

Day 9

All-day Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi - Buhoma

The park's headquarters are at Buhoma, and it is from here that we shall set out on our gorilla trek. A great deal will depend upon where the Mountain Gorillas are, as to how far one has to trek, but one should expect to be in the forest most of the day. You will be allowed an hour with the gorillas and it is sure to be a very rewarding experience.

Day 10

Birding the Neck continuing to Ruhiija.

Key species include: Mountain Wagtail, Red-tailed and Shelley's Greenbul, Cassin's Flycatcher, Black Duck, Banded Prinia, Grey-throated Barbet, Common Buzzard, Tree Pipit, Chin-spot Batis, Black-billed Turaco, Fine-banded Woodpecker, Dwarf Honeyguide, Red-tailed Greenbul, and we should come across Bee-eaters including Black Bee-eater and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Many-coloured Bush Shrike, Ayres's Hawk-eagle, Bronze-naped Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Honeyguide Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Gray Apalis, African Shrike-flycatcher and Red-headed Malimbe and in areas of dry fern vegetation, Dusky Twinspot.

Stay at Ruhiija Hostel.

Day 11

All-day Birding to Mubwindi Swamp

After breakfast we head for a whole day birding to the Mubwindi Swamp. The 4km trail to Mubwindi Swamp drops from 2350m to 2050m and is the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all rift endemics including Grauer's (African Green) Broadbill the beautiful Regal Sunbird and Archer's Robin-Chat.

Mubwindi Swamp is home to Dwarf Honeyguide, Stripe-breasted Tit, Ruwenzori Apalis and African Hill Babbler (sometimes treated as a separate species from Rwenzori Hill Babbler), the rare and localized Grauer's Scrub-Warbler and Carruthers' Cisticola, including very difficult to see species Fraser's Eagle-Owl, African Green Broadbill, Grauer's Rush Warbler, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Grauer's Broadbills, Archer's Robin-chat, Eastern Mountain-Greenbul, Strange Weaver, Black-headed Waxbill, Bar-tailed Trogon, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Waller's Starling, Stuhlmann's Starling, Ludher's Bushshrike, Handsome Francolin and Montane Nightjar.

Day 12

All- day birding the Bamboo Section

Birding along the main road through the bamboo area for more chances of Albertine rift and Highland Endemics.

Day 13

Birding to Kampala (windin-up our holiday)

We shall have several stops on the way in order to strech legs and look at some interesting birds. Accommodation of Choice: Sheraton Hotel, Lindsay Cottages, Botanical Beach Hotel, Windsor Lake Victoria.

Day 14

End of holiday / Departure

Contact us for more holiday details and the costs.