Albertine Rift Endemic And Gorilla Trekking Itinerary Guide
10 Days special Albertine Endemic birding Uganda and primate tracking itinerary is most suitable for those interested in searching for the Albertine rift endemic bird species combined with primate tracking. Albertine rift region of the country has special bird species with 25 endemics, this makes the region one of the must-visit areas during Uganda birding safaris.
10 days/9 nights special Albertine birding safari in Uganda is perfect for birders who would like to customize their bird-watching experience with mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, and wildlife viewing. Have a birding experience that is very much rewarding as the itinerary destinations are well selected for the best of Uganda birding tours.
Albertine Rift Endemics
Albertine Rift Endemic And Gorillas: Itinerary Highlights
- Day #1: Arrival and pick up from the Entebbe International Airport
- Day #2: Birding in Mabamba in search of the shoebill and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day #3: Morning boat cruise and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Day #4: Whole day birding the Mgahinga Forest
- Day #5: Mountain gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day #6: Birding Mubwindi swamp of Bwindi
- Day #7: Whole day birding up to the Buhoma waterfall trail
- Day #8: Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day #9: Birding in Kibale Forest
- Day #10: Transfer back to Entebbe International Airport for a departure flight
Albertine Rift Endemic And Gorillas: Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and pick up from the Entebbe International Airport
On arrival at the Entebbe International Airport, your Uganda birding safari guide will be ready to pick you up for a drive to a hotel. Depending on your time of arrival, you will relax from jet lag at your hotel or visit the botanical gardens for birding. At the botanical gardens, you expect to see birds like the Yellow-billed Stork, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Yellow White-eye, Purple-banded Sunbird, African Jacana, Lesser Jacana, Yellow-billed Duck, Glossy Ibis, African Open-billed Stork, Malachite Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Black Crake, Long-tailed Cormorant, Crowned Hornbill, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Woodland Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Africa, and Red-billed Firefinch, Black-and-white-Casqued Hornbill, Senegal Coucal, Little Stint, Little Weaver, Striated Heron, Ruff, Gull-billed Tern, White-winged Tern, Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoos, Green Crombec, Tambourine Dove, Cameroon, Little and Tooro Olive Greenbul, Water Thick-knee among other species.
After birding, you then transfer back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Birding in Mabamba in search of the shoebill and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
“Majestic Shoebill” – Amazing Birding in Mabamba Swamp and Entebbe, Uganda
After early breakfast at the hotel, you will then transfer to Mabamba wetland on the shores of Lake Victoria for birding. Birding Mabamba for the shoebill search and other water birds like Lesser-Jacana, Purple Swamphen, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Squacco Heron. After bird watching in Mabamba, you have lunch then later on transfer to Lake Mburo National Park with a brief stop at the equator line.
Lake Mburo National Park is home to bird species like Rufous-bellied Heron, Bateleur, Coqui Francolin, Grey Crowned Crane, Black-bellied Bustard, Brown-chested Lapwing, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brown Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Ross’s Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Green Wood-hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, White-headed Barbet, Red-faced Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Long-tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged Tit and African Finfoot among others.
Later on, return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning boat cruise and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Morning boat cruise on Lake Mburo then later transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park birding along the Echuya Forest reserve for special birds like Handsome Francolin, Ruwenzori Turaco, Ruwenzori Nightjar, Kivu ground-thrush, Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s robin-chat, Collared Apalis, Black-faced Apalis, Grauer’s swamp-warbler, Red-faced woodland warbler, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Ruwenzori batis, stripe-breasted tit, blue-headed sunbird, regal sunbird, purple-breasted sunbird, dusky crimson-wing, strange weaver.
Arrive later in the evening for check in at hotel, refresh, have dinner and rest.
Day 4: Whole day birding the Mgahinga Forest
You will spend this whole day birding the Mgahinga Forest in search of many Albertine Endemic birds and other species. Sightings here mostly include the Ibis, Pin-tailed Whydah, Speckled Mousebird, Stone Chat, Grey-capped Warbler, Wax Bills, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Firefinch, White-naped Raven, Black Kite, Rwenzori Turaco, Blue-headed Coucal, Paradise Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Double-collared Sunbird, and Rwenzori Nightjar.
After birding in Mgahinga, later in the evening take a short drive to the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Arriving in the evening, you check into a hotel, have dinner and spend the night.
Day 5: Mountain gorilla trekking and birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
“Great Apes” – Amazing Gorillas and Birds in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
After early breakfast at the hotel, you will go gorilla tracking in the morning within the Rushaga sector of the Bwindi forest. Have briefing from the park rangers on the guidelines of gorilla tracking and get allocated a gorilla family to trek along with 7 other tourists. Spend several hours trekking through the mountain gorilla habitat and a maximum of 1 hour watching the gorilla family interact.
After 1 hour with the gorillas, you then trek back to the start point where you meet your Uganda safaris driver-guide for a transfer to the Ruhija sector of Bwindi while birding along the way and at the edge of the forest.
Have dinner and spend a night at the booked hotel.
Day 6: Birding Mubwindi swamp of Bwindi
After breakfast, you go to Mubwindi swamp for birding the whole day. Birds that can be spotted in this area include the Montane Oriole, Waller’s starling, Black-billed turacos, barbets, Carruthers’ Cisticola, Red-chested Flufftail, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Dwarf Honeyguide, Oriole Finch, and Bar-tailed trogon.
Ruhija area also has birds like the Red-tailed and Shelley’s Greenbul, Grey-throated Barbet, Common Buzzard, Black Bee-eater, and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Red-throated Alethe, African Shrike-flycatcher Ayres’s Hawk-eagle, to mention but a few.
After the bird watching experience, in the evening transfer to Buhoma sector for check-in at the lodge, dinner, and overnight.
Day 7: Whole day birding up to the Buhoma waterfall trail
African Emerald Cuckoo seen at Buhoma, Bwindi, Uganda
Spend the whole day birding up to the waterfall trail searching for more special Albertine Endemics like Blue-headed Sunbird, Purple-breasted sunbird, White-tailed Ant Thrush, Dapper Francolin, Black Bee-eater, Yellow-eyed Black, Short-tailed Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, African Green Broadbill, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, and African Sooty Flycatchers.
Later on, transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Transfer to Kibale National Park
From Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park birding along the way in search of more special birds. Arrive in time for check-in to the hotel for relaxation.
Day 9: Birding in Kibale Forest
Chimpanzees of Kibale and Budongo Forest and Birding in Bigodi Wetlands, Uganda
Early Morning Green-breasted Pitta search and other special species then later do an afternoon chimp tracking. Kibale is a birdwatcher’s paradise. More than 370 species have been recorded and many are forest specials, including the sought-after African pitta. Four bird species have not been recorded in any other National park of Uganda: Cassin’s spinetail, blue-headed bee-eater, Nahan’s francolin, and Masked Apalis.
Day 10: Return to Airport for departure flight
Early morning Bigodi swamp walk and bird watching. The best bird-watching spot is the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary – a community project where experienced guides take you on a four-hour trail. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
After bird watching, you later transfer back to Entebbe International Airport for your safe flight back home.
End of 10 Days special Albertine birding Uganda
