5 day Uganda birding safari offers excellent opportunities for birdwatching around Uganda. The opportunity leads you to part of the 1057 species within Uganda. Within the country, there are a number of areas that are known to host a phenomenal number of birds. These areas are labelled to be of a great significance and are identified as Important and endemic Bird Areas by Birding International. Three endemic bird areas (EBAs) are known to partly lie within Uganda. These include the Albertine Rift mountains, the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lowlands; and the exciting Kenyan mountains. The country has over 30 restricted range species, 24 of which can only be spotted within the Albertine Rift. On top of these endemic bird areas, the country also glows with a number of Important Bird Areas which are 30 in number and cover 7% of the country. These IBAs are distributed within five regions of the country: West, South west, East, north-west and south-central region (Lake Victoria Basin.) The west, near Uganda’s border with DRC has 6 IBAs, the Southwest has four, the south-central has eight, the East has 7 and the northwest has five. Examples include, Queen Elizabeth National Park (west) Bwindi Impenetrable National park (southwest) Mabamba and lutembe bay (south-central) Budongo forest (northwest) and Mount Elgon national park in the East.
This 5 day Uganda birding safari will offer you an exclusive experience at Mabamba swamp. Mabamba Shoebill Excursion is the most popular birding site in Uganda to observe the rare Shoebill stork, which is the most sought-after bird in Uganda. The 25 square kilometre large and extensive wetland is located along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, near Entebbe town. The marsh stretches through a narrow and long bay that is fringed with papyrus towards the main body of Lake Victoria and is punctuated by over 260 bird species. The bay has grown into an exceptional and phenomenal birding site and was awarded the title RAMSAR and as well labelled an Important Bird Area and a wetland of International Importance. The place has both migratory and resident birds, some of which are globally threatened. Examples include the Blue swallow and the Papyrus Gonolek among others.
After great experiences at Mabamba swamp, you will be transferred to Masindi for a Uganda African bird experience. You will have an encounter with forest birds at Budongo forest in the royal mile trail. The trail is famous for being home to some of the amazing birds. Some of such birds include: Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Greenbuls, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufus-crowned Eremomela, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher and the African Crowned Eagle among others. You will also have chances of witnessing some of the primates within the forest like the blue monkeys and the colobus.
After the Budongo experience, you will have birding experiences at Murchison falls National Park. The largest park in Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park is the prime destination for wildlife and big game viewing safaris in Uganda. It is located along the Nile, covering 3,480 square kilometers of various habitats ranging from forest, grassland, riverine woodland, borassus palms, acacia savanna, water. The park has over 460 bird species, including the rare shoebill. The three main spots for bird watching are: The Nile Delta at Buligi, the virgin woods of Kaniyo Pabidi, and the area around the falls. Pabidi is a good place to see the endemic bird species. The Nile Delta is home to the Shoe Bill and other stunning water loving bird species. The Murchison Falls area is a good spot to watch the riverine and savannah forest birds. Bird watching is usually done with an accompanying activity. Hiking, boat rides, nature walks and hot air ballooning all offer great opportunities for bird watching. Examples of Bird species found at the Park include; African Fin Foot, Green-winged Phitilia, African Paradise Fly Catcher, Augur Buzzard, Barn owl, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Marsh Tchagra, Grey backed Camaroptera, The African Crake Crex, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, African Jacana, Lesser Moorhen, Glossy Ibis, Laughing Dove, The African Crake Crex, and many others. You will also have a boat cruise at Murchison falls and several game drives that will expose you to a number of animal species. This will bring your 5 day Uganda birding safari to an end!