14 Days Primates & Birding Uganda Tour

• Uganda

Trip Overview

Day 1: Arrival for our Birding and Primate Tour
Day 2: Birding to Masindi
Day 3: Birding and Primate viewing to the Royal Mile
Day 4: Birding and Transfer to Kibale forest National park – Uganda
Day 5: Chimps and other primate tracking safari and Bird watching
Day 6: Birding and wildlife safari in Queen Elizabeth National park.
Day 7: Birding and Wildlife Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda
Day 8: Forest birding in Maramagambo forest
Day 9: Birding safari to Bwindi Via Ishasha
Day 10: Gorilla Tracking Safari
Day 11: Birding to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 12: Morning Birding on boat and transfer to Entebbe or Kampala
Day 13: Birding to Mabamba swamp.

Day 14: Birding to Lutembe and transfer to Airport.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival for our Birding and Primate Tour
Arrival, meet our representative and transfer to the hotel for overnight stay in Kampala / Entebbe. Note, On Early arrivals will visit the Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre, for a short birding activity where UWEC host a number of birds over 170 species of birds.

Day 2: Birding to Masindi
Early morning drive northwest through the famous Luwero Triangle birding enroute to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking after proceed to Masindi. Today we have excellent birding the savannahs looking out for specials northwards. Check in and overnight stay  will be in Masindi town.

Day 3: Birding and Primate viewing to the Royal Mile
We start early with a drive to the Royal Mile enroute we stop to look out for Cabanis Bunting, Dark Capped,Yellow Wabler, Grey Headed Olive Back, Black Bellied Firefinch, Brown Twinspot, White Thighed Hornbill, Brown-backed Scrub- Robin, and birds expected in the forest include the Forest and Chestnut Capped Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Narinas Trogon, Little Green, Collard, Olive and Green Sunbird, Western Black-headed Oriole, Dusky Long-tailed and African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Yellow and Grey Longbill, Forest Robin, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Ituri Batis, Tit Hylia, Yellow-mantled Weaver, Green Crombec, Crested and Red Headed Malimbe Red-headed Bluebill, Cassin’s Spine Tail and Hawk Eagle, Little Greenbul, Slender-billed Greenbul, White-throated Greenbul and Plain Greenbul, Sabine’s Spinetail, Yellow Billed, Hairy Breasted and Yellow Spotted Barbets, Black Billed Turaco, among the primates we expect the Blue, Valvet, Red Tailed monkeys, Olive Baboon and the Chimps. Back to the lodge for diner and overnight stay.

Day 4: Birding and transfer to Kibale Forest National park – Uganda
Today, we shall start after an early breakfast, checkout and begin our birding and wildlife safari with a long drive to Kibale National Park. We may have a chance of birding the main Road where we expect to encounter large crowds of Olive Baboons, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, red Colobus Monkey, Red Tailed and Velvet Monkeys. kibale National park is popular for hosting 13 primate species including the closest living cousins to man – the Chimpanzees. Check in and Overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 5: Chimps and other primate tracking safari and Bird watching
After Breakfast, go for chimpanzee tracking. Other primates include the L’Hoest’s, Red Colobus, Red-tailed, Olive Baboon, Gray-cheeked Mangabey and many others. In the Afternoon we shall visit Bigodi wetland which is managed by the local community. Here, we expect to spot the Elusive Sitatunga Antelope in the Papyrus and several other interesting species of birds like the White-winged warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Carruthre’s Cisticola etc. after back to the lodge for diner and Overnight stay.

Day 6: Birding and wildlife safari in Queen Elizabeth National park.
This day, we start very early and enter the forest, our main purpose will be to find the Green Breasted Pitta, other specials we look out for include the Long Legged Buzzard, Red Capped Robinchat, Brown and Scaly Breasted Illadopsis, Green Hylia etc, after we transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The journey takes us through Uganda’s beautiful scenic areas with a clear view of the Mountains of the Moon. We shall reach in the evening and a game drive enroute is always rewarding Queen Elizabeth national park, the second largest national park in Uganda. In terms of diversity this park has the biggest birding checklist in Uganda and perhaps the whole world with 612 species recorded. Special birds of this park include Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Red Capped Lark, African Crake, Common Buttonquail, Broad Tailed Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Amur Falcon. Primates include Olive Baboon, Valvet Monkey, Tantalus Monkey, in the kyambura gorge were we find the Chimps, Blue and Red Tailed Monkey. Check in, Dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge

Day 7: Birding and Wildlife Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda
Early morning birding and later in the afternoon we embark on a boat ride along the Kazinga channel where we get close to big schools of Hippos, Buffalos, and Crocodiles close to the waterside. There is a variety of bird species, Including Saddle billed stork, both species of Pink-backed and Great Pelicans, and other migratory species. The African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler and Yellow-billed Ox-pecker are on the birding list to be sighted here, short evening game drive, back to the lodge for diner and overnight stay.

Day 8: Forest birding in Maramagambo forest
After an early breakfast, with a picnic lunch we head to the Kyambura gorge, another day in search for the chimps and other primates after which we proceed to the maramagambo forest for birding along the crater lake showers. A few specialties at maramagambo forest include the Yellow-bellied and Jameson’s Wattle-eyes, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, Brown and Grey-chested Illadopsis, Shinning Blue Kingfisher, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Narina Trogon, Least Honeyguide, Brown-chested Alethe, and the African Finfoot. Later in the evening back to lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 9: Birding safari to Bwindi Via Ishasha
After breakfast, checkout of the lodge and then start birding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Through the seasonal Ishasha sector which provides greater chances of viewing the tree climbing lions on a lucky day and the leopard is also sighted. We have stopovers to look out for interesting savannah birds. These include Black Lored and Arrow-marked Babbler, ovambo Sparrow Hawk, Stout, Zitting, Wing snapping and Trilling Cisticolas, Violet-backed Starling, Brown Snake Eagle, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Lesser and Greater Honeyguide, Grassland and Plain Backed Pipit, Black Cuckoo, Fork-tailed Drongo, Senegal Thick-knee, Blue-naped Mouse bird. Check in, Diner and Overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 10: Gorilla Tracking Safari
On this day, we set off early, with packed lunch, to the park headquarters for a briefing prior to Gorilla Tracking. The gorillas are gentle animals and it is an unforgettable experience to photograph them as they interact. It is a wonderful experience to stare in to the eyes of these gentle giants; watch them in awe as they play and go about their daily activities. It is indeed a “once in a lifetime” experience that you must never miss. Each encounter is different and has its own rewards; you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the babies’ frolic and swing from tree to tree in a delightfully playful display. Gorilla tracking involves part or one day in the Impenetrable Forest. Sometimes the gorillas can be located within an hour or so, but at other times it sometimes takes an entire day of quite hard trekking to find them and return, so you need to be physically fit if you wish to maximize your chances. Very occasionally, in spite of all efforts, the gorillas prove elusive. back to the Lodge for diner and overnight stay.

Day 11: Birding to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, we drive to Lake Mburo National Park. We shall reach the park late afternoon  and we have a game drive and we expect to encounter herds of zebras, topis, elephants, elands, impalas, buffaloes and primates like the Velvet and Tantalus Monkey and the Olive Baboons. Birds will include Bare-faced Go-Away Bird, White-headed, Red Faced and Spot-flanked Barbets, Black-headed Oriole, Green Capped Eremomela, Arrow-marked Babblers, Common Scimitar bill, Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike, Brubru, Trilling Cisticola, White-winged Tit, Chinspot Batis, Red-headed Weaver, Tabora Cisticola, Golden-breasted Bunting, Lilac-breasted Roller, Buff-bellied Warbler. Later we check in at Rwonyo Rest Camp or Arcadia Cottages. Check in, and Overnight stay at the Lodge.

Day 12: Morning Birding on boat and transfer to Entebbe or Kampala
Today we wake up early and do a morning walk while birding in this savannah park expecting to see what is mentioned on day 9 of this tour later we proceed for the boat, before transferring to Kampala. On the boat we expect the African Finfoot, Giant Kingfisher, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Herons and many other water birds. After Transfer to Kampala or Entebbe and stay where you will have a stopover for lunch at kayabwe at the equator after lunch you experience the equator experiment, then proceed to kampala or Entebbe for and Over night stay at the hotel.

Day 13: Wildlife and Primate tour to Mabamba
We start early with a drive to the Mabamba bay our main target being the Shoebill Stork, papyrus Gonolek and the White Winged Wabler. Around July we expect the Blue Swallow, Pallid harrier and other water birds. Back to the hotel for diner and overnight stay.

Day 14: Birding at Lutembe Bay and transfer at the Airport.

After early morning breakfast, head out to lutembe bay where you will spot a number of migratory birds as you wait your flight time, after the activity later afternoon you will head back to your hotel for refreshment then Later be transfered to Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight back home.

End of our birding and primate watching safari.

 

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

Ground transportation in 4×4 safari jeep

Accommodation for 14 nights

Meals on booked program

1 permit for gorilla trekking

2 permits for chimpanzee trekking (kibale and kyambura)

Rhino tracking

Professional birding guide

Park entry fees

Bottled water

 

PACKAGE EXCLUDES

International flight

Visa

Tips and souvenirs

Things of personal nature like alcohol, activities not mentioned in the programe.

NOTE: come with a pair of binoculars and a pointer

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended readings
Stevenson, Terry and John Fanshawe. A Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Academic Press, 2001.

The Safari Companion – A Guide to Watching African Mammals by Richard D Estes. illustrated by Daniel Otte, (Russell Friedman Books, JHB 1993) This book has been described as the tool to make us all instant experts in animal behavior, and it should quickly assert itself as the principal reference on animal behavior for game rangers, safari guides and nature lovers. The book will enable safari-goers to recognize and understand interesting behavioral displays such as courtship rituals, territorial marking, aggression and care of young. Only recommended for serious naturalists, as the book is heavy on detail, much of it presented in ‘hard -to-digest’ scientific format, with frequent use of symbols and icons.

Land Mammals of Southern Africa: a field guide by Reay Smithers (Macmillan) 229 pages. If you’re going to buy only one mammal field guide for southern Africa, it may as well be this one. Based on the late Reay Smithers’ comprehensive mammal handbook, this excellent little guide, delightfully illustrated by artist Clare Abbott, covers 197 land mammal species most likely to be seen, with clear distribution maps. Scholarly and accurate, yet concise, this book is interesting and very readable. A revised edition of this book – co-ordinated by Peter Apps – is now available.

Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa by Chris and Tilde Stuart (2nd edition Struik 1993). A good companion to the above field guide. The Stuarts’ book, which is copiously illustrated with an excellent array of photographs, and clear distribution maps, also contains a section on marine mammals.

Southern, Central and East African Mammals: A Photographic Guide by Chris & Tilde Stuart, 1992. This well-illustrated, compact guide suffers from inadequate research: the selection of mammals & the reserves in which they can be seen is inconsistent.

Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Dorst & Dandelot. 1990.
Collins Field Guide to Mammals of Africa including Madagascar (Haltenorth & Diller, 1992).

The Behavior Guide to African Mammals by Richard Estes. (University of California Press 1991 (hard cover) 1992 (paperback). A more detailed version of Estes’ Safari Companion, this book is on the heavy side, but considered by many to be the best African mammal guide.

Guide to Southern African Game & Nature Reserves by Chris & Tilde Stuart (Struik, 2nd Ed, 1992) The book contains detailed, practical information on more than 400 reserves in southern Africa. If you’re going to spend more than just a week or so in southern Africa, this book will help you make the most of your journey. It contains many maps, opening and closing times, information on accommodation and facilities offered and many references to birds and mammals to be seen.

 

 

EQUIPMENT:
You should pack a pair of binoculars in good repair, along with a belt pack or backpack (for carrying books, sunscreen, extra film, etc.). As a precaution, it is a good idea to pack your binoculars, a change of clothing, toiletry items, medication, and travel documents in your airline carry-on bag. Your leader will have a spotting scope; however, if you have one and wish to bring it, you are encouraged to do so. You will want to pack an alarm clock, a water flask or canteen, a strong flashlight, a washcloth, film and batteries for your camera, and between-meal snacks such as trail mix. A small daypack for carrying essentials in the vehicles on game drives and bird walks is useful. Insects are generally not a problem. Bring your preferred insect repellent and plenty of sunscreen. You should also bring a supply of indigestion and diarrhoea medicines in case they are needed.