12-Day Birding Uganda’s Albertine Rift Endemics Safari

Arrival for our 12-Day Birding Uganda’s Albertine Rift Endemics Safari, where you will get transferred to your booked hotel in Entebbe for dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel (Luxury), 2 Friends Beach Hotel (Mid-range), Papyrus Guest House (Budget)

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Wake up early, have breakfast, and drive southwards along the Masaka-Mbarara highway. Along the way, you will have stops as you enjoy spotting several bird species with an enroute lunch before arriving at Kisoro. Upon arrival, check in at your hotel / Lodge and relax until dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mountain Gahinga Lodge (Luxury), Mutanda Lake Resort (Mid-Range), Travellers Rest Hotel (Budget)

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, drive to Ntebeko Camp for birding in Uganda. You will take the gorge trail halfway up Mt. Sabinyo, exploring different montane habitats. We expect to see birds like the Kivu Ground Thrush, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Dusky Turtle Dove, Lagden’s Bush-Shrike, White Starred Robin, Rwenzori Turaco, Shelly’s Crimson-wing, Yellow-Crowned Canary, Olive Woodpecker, and Shelly’s Crimson-wing, Streaky and Thick-billed Seedeater, among others. Dinner and overnight at the will be at Travelers Rest Hotel, where we will stay overnight.

Accommodation: Mountain Gahinga Lodge (Luxury), Mutanda Lake Resort (Mid-Range), Travellers Rest Hotel (Budget)

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, begin birdwatching in the Rift Valley Area, stopping at a nearby swamp to look for the Little Rush Warbler and the rare Grauer’s Rush Warbler. We will also stop along the way to Ruhizha to see birds like the Handsome Francolin, Augur and Mountain Buzzard, Dusky Twinspot, Dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow Bellied Waxbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, and Common Stonechat, among others. Near the camp headquarters, we hope to spot various birds, including the Handsome Francolin and Olive Pigeon. Dinner and Overnight at the Lodge.

Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge (Mid-range), Broadbill Safari Lodge (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Today, our birding will begin early. We will focus on many birds, including the Mountain Yellow Warbler, Broadbill, Grauer’s Broadbill, Chestnut-throated Collard, Black-billed Turaco, Black Throated Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Batis, Olive, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Shelley’s, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, African Hill Babbler, and Regal Sunbird, among others. Return at your lodge to relax, have dinner, and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge (Mid-range), Broadbill Safari Lodge (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast, start driving to Buhoma in southern Bwindi while birdwatching along the way. Look for various birds, including the Mountain Masked Chestnut-throated, and Grey Apalis, Black Bee-eater, Strange Weaver, Dusky Twinspot, Red-throated Wryneck, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Mountain Wagtail, MacKinnon’s Fiscal, Collared, Stripe-breasted Tit, and many others like the Olive Thrush and Regal Sunbird. Enjoy dinner and stay overnight at your booked lodge.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs (Luxury), Buhoma Community (Mid-range), Ride 4 A Woman (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Today, we explore the Bwindi Buhoma area searching for various birds, including the Equatorial Akalat, Pink-footed Puffback, Yellow-billed Barbet, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Bar-tailed Trogon, Cassin’s and Scaly-throated Honey Guide, Black Bee-Eater, Short-tailed Warbler, African Broadbill, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Red-throated Alethe, Bocage’s Bush-Shrike, Black Billed Turaco, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, and many others. This area is rich in birdlife, providing an opportunity to see species like the African Broadbill and Magpie Mannikin, among others.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs (Luxury), Buhoma Community (Mid-range), Ride 4 A Woman (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast, head to Rwenzori National Park with a packed lunch. Bird species to explore include Ayres and Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, 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, and many more are among the unique birds we search for while there. We remain in Mount Rwenzori’s basement.

Accommodation: Hotel Margherita (luxury), Elephant Plains lodge, Uganda (Mid-range), Rwenzori International Hotel (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

We will spend another morning birding before moving to Fort Portal, where rare birds can be seen. The African Long-eared Owl is found in only two places in East Africa, including this area. The Greater Double-collared Sunbird may be seen here and is common in bamboo and heath. The Rwenzori Turaco is also easier to spot here. We hope to see the rare Grauer’s Cuckoo-shrike. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel Margherita (luxury), Elephant Plains lodge, Uganda (Mid-range), Rwenzori International Hotel (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After an early breakfast, bird to Semuliki National Park, getting there in time to bird the trails around the hot springs. This gives us a great introduction to the Semliki birds like the Hornbills, Chestnut Breasted Negro Finch, Black Bellied Seed Cracker, and others, then transfer to Bundibugyo.

Accommodation:  Rainbow Guest House or Vanilla Hotel (Mid-range), PMK Resort and Conference (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast, spend the entire day birdwatching on the Kirumia trail. The region has excellent birding opportunities, especially in good weather, featuring many species from West Africa. Look for birds such as the Black dwarf Hornbill, Black-casqued wattled Hornbill, Swamp palm Bulbul, White-thighed Hornbill, Blue Billed and Crested Malimbe, and Blue-headed Crested-flycatcher. Rare sightings may include the Capuchin Babbler and African Piculet. Return for dinner and stay overnight as usual.

Accommodation:  Rainbow Guest House or Vanilla Hotel (Mid-range), PMK Resort and Conference (Budget)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast, bird your way to Entebbe town to mark the end of your 12-Day Birding Uganda’s Albertine Rift Endemics Safari.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Inclusions:

• All ground transfers in a 4×4 wheel safari vehicle with fuel for 12 days.
• A Professional English-speaking driver guide/guide
• Rwenzori Bottled drinking water for 12 days
• All accommodation for 11 days
• All en route meals
• All park entrance fees

Excludes:                                

• Travel Insurance
• International air flight tickets
• Visa Ticket
• Drinks (Alcoholic and soft drinks)
• All optional activities are not included in the itinerary.
• All Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, hiring a porter, laundry services, and tips, among others.