9-Day Uganda Birding Safari

Day 1 — Arrival & Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Background: Entebbe Botanical Gardens, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, cover 40 hectares of landscaped gardens, woodlands, and lakeshore wetlands. The gardens host over 200 bird species and offer an excellent introduction to Uganda’s lowland forest and lakeshore birdlife. Early mornings and late afternoons provide ideal birding conditions. The focus is on forest fringe species, Sunbirds, and Kingfishers along the shore.

🎯 Target Birds: 

African Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco, Malachite Kingfisher, Black-headed Gonolek, Splendid Sunbird, African Jacana, Red-chested Sunbird, African Hobby, Woodland Kingfisher. 🎯 Target Birds — Botanical Gardens

  Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)

  Splendid Starling (Lamprotornis splendidus)

  Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus chrysoconus)

  Weyn’s Weaver (Ploceus weynsi)

  Orange Weaver (Ploceus aurantius)

  Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

  Shikra (Accipiter badius)

  Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus)

  Ross’s Turaco (Musophaga rossae)

Click here to view the Full Bird List of Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Overnight: Luxury: Number 5 Boutique Hotel | Midrange: The Boma Hotel

Meal Plan: Full Board

Next Destination: Mabamba Swamp

Day 2 — Mabamba Swamp (Shoebill) → Return to Entebbe/Kampala

Mabamba Swamp is a globally recognized wetland (Ramsar site) famous for the elusive Shoebill. Papyrus channels, reed beds, and shallow pools host African Pygmy Goose, Papyrus Gonolek, and Lesser Jacana. Birding is usually by canoe, offering close views of birds in their natural habitat. The search for Shoebill often takes 3-4 hours in the morning when the bird is actively hunting.

🎯 Target Birds — Mabamba

  Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

  African Green Pigeon (Treron calvus)

  Lizard Buzzard (Kaupifalco monogrammicus)

  Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)

  Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)

  White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus)

  Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata)

  Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)

  Long-toed Lapwing (Vanellus crassirostris)

  Blue-breasted Bee-eater (Merops variegatus)

Click here to view the Full Bird List of Mabamba Swamp

 Return to Entebbe

Overnight: Luxury: Number 5 Boutique Hotel | Midrange: The Boma Hotel

Meal Plan: Full Board

Next Destination: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Day 3 — Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

 In the morning transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda to observe rhinos in the wild. Its wetlands, riverine forests, and open grasslands support raptors, kingfishers, and lapwings. The sanctuary provides excellent birding opportunities alongside wildlife viewing. The afternoon birding will be a combination of a bush walk and a short game drive through the savannah areas to look for raptors and bustards.

🎯 Target Birds:

 African Fish Eagle, Giant Kingfisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Black-headed Lapwing, White-crested Turaco, Crowned Hornbill, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-bellied Bustard, Red-headed Weaver.

Click here to view the Full Bird List of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Overnight: Luxury: Luxury Chalets | Midrange: Ziwa Rhino Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 4 — Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: Morning Canoe for Shoebill & Afternoon Birding

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is Uganda’s only location to see rhinos in the wild. Its wetlands, riverine forests, and grasslands support over 300 bird species.

Early morning canoe trips allow close observation of Shoebill and other waterbirds in Ziwa’s wetlands (specifically Lugogo swamp). Canoe trips allow close observation of Shoebill and other waterbirds. Forest trails and grasslands in the afternoon yield turacos, hornbills, and woodland species.

Later, trails through forest edges and grasslands reveal turacos, hornbills, and other woodland and open-country species. An optional night drive/walk can be arranged for nocturnal species like Verreaux's Eagle-Owl or nightjars.

🎯 Target Birds:

 Shoebill, African Fish Eagle, Malachite Kingfisher, Black-headed Lapwing, African Marsh Harrier, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Long-crested Eagle, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, African Broadbill (seasonal).

In the afternoon, drive to Masindi for an over nigh on the way to the Royal Mile. Budongo

Next Destination: Masindi

Day 4 — Drive to Masindi — Roadside & Wetland Birding

The scenic drive to Masindi passes wetlands, farmlands, and woodland patches, providing opportunities to spot raptors, hornbills, and other open-country species. Stops along rivers and roadside wetlands can reveal storks, herons, and larks. Key stops will focus on water bodies for species like Yellow-throated Longclaw and various plovers.

🎯 Target Birds: Long-crested Eagle, Yellow-throated Longclaw, African Grey Hornbill, Abdim’s Stork (seasonal), Denham's Bustard, African Black-headed Oriole, Grey Crowned-Crane.

Overnight: Masindi Hotel / Kabalega Resort

Meal Plan: Full Board.

Next Destination: Budongo Forest

Day 5 — Budongo Forest (Royal Mile) → Murchison Falls

Budongo Forest Reserve, one of Uganda’s largest lowland forests, is a hotspot for Guinea-Congolian forest biome species (Central/West African species). The Royal Mile trail is a wide, forested road that hosts turacos, hornbills, flycatchers, and forest robins. Following the forest visit, the drive to Murchison Falls passes savannah and riverine habitats, ideal for roadside birding. The Royal Mile birding will be a morning walk from 7:00 am to maximize sightings of the rare forest floor and canopy species.

🎯 Target Birds — General

• Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

• Chestnut-capped Flycatcher

• Forest Robin

• Narina Trogon

• Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill

• Nahan's Partridge (rare)

• Blue-breasted Kingfisher

• Ituri Batis

• Puvel's Illadopsis (Uganda/East Africa Endemic)

• White-thighed Hornbill

🎯 Target Birds — Royal Mile, Budongo Forest

Canopy & Undergrowth Species

• White-thighed Hornbill

• African Dwarf Kingfisher

• Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

• Chestnut-capped Flycatcher

• Ituri Batis

• Forest Flycatcher

Edge & Transitional Habitats

• African Firefinch

• Black-bellied Firefinch

• Cabanis’s Bunting

• Golden-breasted Bunting

• Grey-headed Oliveback

• Compact Weaver

Click here to view the Full Bird List of Budongo Forest

 Proceed to Murchison Falls National Park.

En Route Birding Highlights:
• Northern Red Bishop
• Beautiful Sunbird
• White-fronted Black Chat
• Violet-backed Starling
• Foxy Cisticola
• Whistling Cisticola
• Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver
• Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow
• Cut-throat Finch
• Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
• Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
• Dark-chanting Goshawk
• Bronze-tailed Starling
• White-rumped Seedeater

Overnight: Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge / Nile Safari Lodge | Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Next Destination: Nile Delta

Day 6 — Nile Delta Boat Trip & Evening Birding, Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest and oldest park (3,480 km²). The Nile squeezes through an 8-metre gorge into the Devil’s Cauldron, creating a spectacular roar and rainbow mist.

Home to 76 mammals and 451 birds, it offers diverse habitats from savannah to wetlands. Highlights include the shoebill stork, Goliath herons, and Grey Crowned Cranes, while trails like Baker’s Trail provide stunning views of the Nile, Murchison Falls, and Uhuru Falls — a must-visit for wildlife and nature photography.

Morning: The Nile Delta (Lake Albert Delta) supports papyrus swamps and open water habitats, attracting species such as Goliath Heron, African Skimmer, and occasionally Shoebill. Evening savannah birding along riverbanks adds raptors and open-country species to the list. The Delta Boat trip is specifically for the Shoebill and other riverine specialists like the Red-throated Bee-eater, which nests in the riverine cliffs.

🎯 Target Birds: Shoebill (rare on this route, but possible), Goliath Heron, African Skimmer, Pink-backed Pelican, Giant Kingfisher, African Fish Eagle, Red-throated Bee-eater, Rock Pratincole, Standard-winged Nightjar (seasonal).

Click here to view the Full Bird List of Murchison Falls NP

Overnight: Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge / Nile Safari Lodge | Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 7 — Morning Birding  and Afternoon Boat Cruise to Base of Falls

Morning Game Drive — Northern Sector
🎯 Birds:
• Heuglin’s Francolin
• Speckle-fronted Weaver
• Red-necked Falcon
• Denham’s Bustard
• White-headed Vulture
• Northern Carmine Bee-eater
• Black-headed Lapwing
• Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Wildlife: Rothschild Giraffe, Lelwel’s Hartebeest, Oribi

Afternoon Boat Cruise to Base of Falls
🎯 Waterbirds & Riverine Birds:
• Giant Kingfisher
• African Skimmer
• Pel’s Fishing Owl
• Red-winged Grey Warbler
• Saddle-billed Stork
• Rock Pratincole

Overnight: Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge / Nile Safari Lodge | Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board.

Next Destination: Entebbe/Kampala

Day 8 - Top of Murchison Falls & Transfer Kampala

Morning at Top of Murchison Falls

🎯 Target Birds: Rock Pratincole, Bat Hawk, Western Banded Snake Eagle

Standing atop Murchison Falls offers breathtaking photo opportunities — rainbows arching through the mist, sweeping Nile vistas, and the thunderous plunge of the world’s most powerful waterfall. Nearby lies Uhuru Falls, a graceful cascade formed by the 1960s floods, adding another layer of drama to the scene.

This is a full-sensory adventure: the roar of the Nile, the spray of rainbow mist, and the sheer power of the water carving through the gorge — a moment that captures why Uganda is, indeed, the Pearl of Africa.

 En Route to Kampala

The return journey offers additional roadside and riverine birding. Stopovers at wetlands and forest patches can reveal species not yet seen, such as hornbills, bee-eaters, and vultures. A final game drive in the northern sector of Murchison Falls National Park will be conducted to target savannah specials like Secretary Bird and raptors before the drive south.

🎯 Target Birds: 

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-headed Barbet, Red-throated Bee-eater, Lappet-faced Vulture, Secretary Bird, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Black-bellied Bustard.

Overnight: Luxury: Number 5 Boutique Hotel | Midrange: The Boma Hotel

Meal Plan: Full Board

Next Destination: Departure

✈️ Day 9 — Departure

Optional early morning birding at Entebbe Botanical Gardens or along Lake Victoria’s shores. Last chance to capture final sightings before airport transfer. The focus will be on last-minute common species like Grey-crowned Crane and various weavers near the hotel grounds.

🎯 Target Birds: Malachite Kingfisher, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Black-headed Heron, Cattle Egret, Marabou Stork, Common Bulbul.