Long Uganda Safari, 22 Days Wildlife, Gorilla Trekking, and Birding Uganda Safari Holiday.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Meet at the airport by our guide at the shores of Lake Victoria.

Day 2: Entebbe - Masindi (Murchison Falls National Park)
From Entebbe, we will drive northwards to Masindi for two nights stay enroute. We will pass through the capital Kampala which, like Rome was built upon seven hills and then drive through farmland interspersed with swamps and patches of woodland where herds of Ankole cattle with their magnificent horns are common. As we get further north, the landscape becomes noticeably drier and as we approach Masindi, we pass thorugh areas of grassland and open savannah woodland.

We should encounter a variety of birds along the way including piapac as well as widespread species such as cattle Egret, marabour stock, Hadada Ibis, black shouldred Kite, Yellow billed Kite ( split form black), hooded vulture African harrier Hawk, Lizard buzzard, wahlbergs and long crested Eagle, African green pigeon, blue spotted wood-dave, red eyed and loughing doves, brown parrot, Eastern Grey Plantine eater, African palm swift, speckled mousbird, Grey headed woodland and striped Kingfishers, Little Bee eaters, Yellow fronted tinkerbird, white headed barbet, African grey hornbill, lesser stripped Swallow, Yellow throated long claw, Dark caped bul-bul (spit from common) tawny-flanked prinia, grey backed camaroptera, common Drongio, Pied Crow Grey backed fiscal yellow-billed shrike, lesser blue eared, purple and ruppells long tailed starlings, black headed Holubs golden, yellow backed weavers, Northern Grey headed sparrow, Red checked Cordon-bleu bronze mankin and pin tailed Whydah.

Day 3: Game Viewing in Murchison Falls NP
This morning we will drive the short distance to the gate of Murchison falls national park and then spend the rest of the day exporting this huge sanctuary.

Day 4-5: Boat Rides, Game Viewing in Murchison Falls NP
In Murchison falls National Park, a boat to the delta on the Nile below the falls will be a highlight of our stay here and gives us a very good chance of seeing the bizarre shoebill or whale-headed stock. This extraordinary bird which is placed in a family of its won is confined to papyrus swamps and has its main stronghold in accessible swamps of Southern Sudan and central Zambia. A few pairs frequent a narrow strip of papyrus along the Nile and often allow a closer approach by boat.

Here we should also see African Darter, Squaco, Striatted (or Green backed Heron) Grey, purple and Goliath herons, little bittern, little, Yellow-billed and great Egrets, Hamercop saddle-bill stocks, white faced whistling duck, Egyptian-goose, Knob-belled duck, African fish, Eagle, Black Crake, Grey craned crane, African and lesser Jacana, Senegal thick-nee, Spur-winged and long toed plovers Rock Pratincole, Grey headed gul, Gul-bailed and white winged terns,, Blue headed cucouls, pied and giant Kingfisher, the tiny Malkite Kingfisher and the beautiful RRed throated Bee-eater, African wag-tail, the confiding swamp flycatcher, carruthers cisticola, papyrus gonelek and slender billed, Northern brown throated and yellow backed weavers as well as many hippopotamuses and some huge Nile Crocodiles.

Day 6: Drive to Fortportal
Today we will drive southwards to Fort-portal for a two nights stay making several stops for birds along the way. As we approach the town, we will get our first views of the distant Rwenzori Mountains.

Day7: Birding in Kibale Forest
Much of our birding at Kibale forest near Fort-portal will be done from the wide dirt road which bisects the forest and the network of small trails which pierce the forest interior at dawn and dusk flocks of noisy Grey parrots fy over head, the magnificent African crawed eagle soars over the conopy striking terror into troops of monkeys and flocks of purple headed starling gather to feed in fruiting trees where we may discover some subtly-plumanagedAfep pegions. Among the birds we will look for are tambourine doves African Emerald and Klasis cuckoos, yellow bill, black billed Turaco, Narina trogon sabines spinetal, black bee-eater. White headed wood hoopoe, yellow rumped and speckled tinker birds yellow spotted, hairy-breasted and yellow billed barbests thick billed honey guide, cassins grey fly catcher, cassins honey guide, mosque swallow, Mountain wagtail, velvet-mantled drongo. Red shouldered cuckoo-shike, joyfull greenbuls, little and slender billed greenbul yellow whiskered greenbul, western Nicator brawn iiadopsis, rufous thrush, white chined and banded prinia masked and buff throated apalises, green, crombec, green hylia, the striking black and white fly catcher, dusky tit western black headed oriole, pink footed puffback, chestnut winged starling superb, green headed, green throated, collored, green, olive green, and blue throated sunbirds, black necked weavers, red headed malimbe, Grey headed and white breasted Negro Finches and Red headed Blue Bill.

If we are fortunate, we will find rare white naped pigeon; perhaps watching one perched up high on an exposed snag. Kibale is a home to 13 primates and we should see red tailed and blue monkeys, grey-checked mangbey, guereza and central African red colobuses and olive baboons. Local guides keep a close watch on the activities of varios communities and there is a good chance that we will encounter a troop of these most human primates during our visit.

Day 8: Kibale Forest - Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning we will return to Kibale forest and then drive to Queen Elizabeth National park on the shores of Lake Edward for a two nights stay. Our route takes us through the foothills of the Rwenzoris. This mountain range is one of the wettest in the world and the snow-capped summits, including mount Stanley (5109m) are usually hidden behind a cape of low cloud and mist. If we are lucky and the weather is clear, we may catch a glimpse of the equatorial snow fields above the layers of cloud.

Day 9-10: Launch Trip, Game Viewing in Queen Elizabeth NP
Queen Elizabeth National Park is very varied with a mixture of West Africa tropical forest of East Africa. Some impressive craters reflect the turbulent geological history of the area and large herds of African elephants. The park is bisected by the Kazinga channel which flows between Lake George and Lake Edward and this waterway teams with Hippopotamuses as well as excellent variety of birds including great white and pink backed pelicans, yellow billed-stock, sacred and grossy Ibises, Black winged stilt, water thick-knee collored pratincole, African wattled, Kittkitz and three banded plovers , African skimmers and plain matin.

All of which we are likely to see during an enjoyable boat trip. Elsewhere, in the park, we will look for the superb brown chested plover as well as African white backed, Ruppells griffin, lappet-faced and white headed vultues, Brown snake eagle, Gabar Goshowk, Tawny and martial Eagles, Lanner Falcon, Black bellied bustard, Red necked spurfow, collared pratoncole, Senegal and crawned plovers, Ring necked Dove, Black coucal, Verreauxs Eagle owl, Madagascar Bee-eater, African hoopoe, common scimitarbill, lesser honey guide, gre woodpecker, rufous napped lark, plain backed pipt, banded martin, Angola swallow, arrow marked and black lored babblers.

Fan-tailed grassbird stout and trilling cisticolas, sulphur breasted Bushshrike, purple banded, scarlet chested and red chested sunbirds, lesser masked spectacled weavers, southern red Bishop white winged widowbird, green winged pytilia, brimstone canary and Golden breasted banting. African crake, Harlequin quail and both black rumped buttonquails occur in the lush grasslands but are usually hard to observe. At night we may find Gabon or African white tailed night jars feeding around the lights of the lodge.

Day 11: Queen Elizabeth - Bwindi Forest
Today we will drive to the lower section of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a three nights stay at Buhoma. As we approach Buhoma, we will see a forested mountains stretching as far as the eye can see towards the Congo Border.

Day 12-14: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi Gorilla Forest
The impenetrable forest is one of the largest in East Africa and has a remarkable altitudinal range of continuous forest from 1160m to 2650m. This splendid forest is considered to be the richest in East Africa for plants, mammal, birds and butterlfly species. Over 330 bird species have been recorded here. For example, the impenetrable is a wonderful evocative name and often appears in the ornithological literature for Africa. The forest as named not because it was any more densely vegetated than other forests, but because of the steepness of the hills which made progress almost impossible.

Fortunately, it is possible to see most of the special birds of this wonderful area by walking along the roads or along gently slopping tracks, on only a few occasions, we will have to take to the steeper trails that follows a valley bottom through magnificent forest western bronze-napped pigeons and olive long tailed cuckoos call from the dense canopy bar-tailed trogons sit quietly overhead and grey throated barbets inspect dead trunks and boughs. But the real prizes of this forest skulk in the undergrowth and we will need patience to get views of Grey chested Illadopsies, red-throated Alethe (which often need patience to get views of Grey chested Illadopsies, red-throated Alethe (which often attends ant swarms), Equatorial Akalat and white bellied robin Black-faced Rufus warbler, the elusive grauers warbler (with its insect like call).

The rare short tailed warbler, fruiting trees often attract an interesting selection of starlings including the slender-billed wallers, Narrow-tailed and stullmans. Other species we can hope to see in the forest include; cinnamon chested bee eaters, Wilcox honey guide, green backed, cardinal and Alliots woodpeckers, African Broadbill (a bird with a remarkable display, Arsoges and Cabanas and Red-tailed greenbul white tailed ant thrush, Grey and black and the rare champins fly catchers, white bellied, crested fly catchers. Many colored bush like lunders and boscages, bushrikes. Blue-headed and northern double colored sun-birds and black-billed and brown caped weavers.
Exposed perches at the forest edge are favored by blue-throated roller while in the cut over clearings we may find duetting chubs cisticolas, cape wagtails, Mackinnons fiscal and Western citril (split from Africa). The attractive Lhoest monkey may be seen here and the impenetrable forest is also home to a healthy population of Gorillas.

Day 15: Birding in Bwindi Gorilla Forest
After two full days at lower levels we will transfer the higher section of the park, passing through the neck, a narrow corridor of ofrest that connects the two forest blocks. We will spend some time birding alosng the winding track at intermediate altitudes where flowering leonitis often attract bronze and variable sunbirds and other responsibilities include, African gashowk, augur buzzard, scarse swift, red throated wryneck.

Day 16; Bwindi impenatrable national park
In the higher parts of the forest, the mist lingers in the valleys until late morning and this perpetual dampness is reflected in the profusion of hanging mosses and epiphyte-entrusted in branches. This mountainous forest is a centre of avian endemism which developed around the Albertine Rift, an ancient branch of the Great Rift Valley. A number of birds are unique to this region, including Hands on Francolin, Archers robin chat, collored apalis, red faced woodland warbler, Rwenzori Batis, striped breasted Tit, regal sunbird, the unbelievably plumaged purple breasted sunbird, strange weaver, Dusky Crimson wing and the uncommon Kivu ground Thrush.

We have a good chance of seeing most of these exciting birds during our stay and shall also make a long trek up and downhill to Mubwindi swamp where we will hope to relocate the rare Grauers rush warber (a species confined to high altitude swamps in the Albertine Rift and of course the most sought after bird of the impenetrable forest, the African green broadbill. We have a fair chance of seeing this little known species which has been seen by comparatively few living ornithologists. Among the other birds that we will look for in the forest are mountain buzzard, Ayres hawk Eagle, Olive pigeons, Brown necked parrot, barred long tailed cuckoo, Rwenzori night jar Western green tinkerbird, fine banded woodpeck, rock matin, montane oriole, Grey cuckoo shrike, Rwenzori hill babbler (split from Africa) mountain illadopis, mountain and yellow streaked green buls, white stared robin, Northern Olive thrush, chest-nut throated apalis. Evergreen forest, cinnamon bracken and mountain yellow warbler, white tailed blue fly catcher, white tailed crested fly catcher, mountain sooty Boubou, sharpes stalling, Kandts waxbill (split from balck headed waxbill) thick biled seed eater, Oriole finch and yellow crowned canary. Chimpanzee and gorillas also occur in this section of the forest but they are hard to see in this difficult terrain.

Day 17; Bwindi to Mgahinga
After some early morning birding in the impenetrable forest, we will drive South towards Mgahinga National Park where we will stay for two nights. We will stoop along the way in patches of the remnant montane forest and bamboo stands and will have a further opportunity for finding several of the elusive Albertine rift Endemics. We will also examine some papyrus areas where as well as having another chance to see the more widespread papyrus specialities; we could also find the Victoria masked weaver and thus the little known papyrus yellow warbler.

Day 18; Mgahinaga national park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a remote park, nestled in the extreme South Western corner of Uganda that forms part of the 434 square kilometers of the Virunga conservation is a protected area that straddles political boundaries to include the parc-de virunga, the three extinct volcanoes within Uganda section, the tallest rising to over 4100m, great scenery that can only be described as breathtaking. The volcanoes are draped in extensive afro. Alpine forests, vast bamboo stands and at higher altitudes moorland domnated by towering giant Lobelias.
Fortunately, we do not have to climb high up these unrelenting peaks to find our avian targets. Lower trails lead us through habitat where we will concentrate on finding the bizarre Rwenzori Turaco and the beautiful Rwenzori Double-collored sunbird. Today we will also have another chance of finding other Albertine rift Endemic as such as the elusive Handsom Francolin, Kivu graund thrush and Ladgens Bush Shrike. The rare Shelleys Crimson wing, arguably one of the worlds most beautiful but elusive seed eaters occurs in the area, but we will count ourselves extremely fortunate if we come across this rarely seen species.
Other birds which we will look out for include, Dusky turtle Dove and Cape Robin Chat, the beautiful golden monkey, a localized form of the blue monkey, occurs in the bamboo zone and mountain gorillas are seasonally resident in the park (although we are unlikely to see one).

Day 19-20; Lake Mburo national park
Today we will drive to Lake Mburo National Park for two night s stay. We will make several stops amongst the open plains and by the rocky hillsides in the hope of finding such species as, Grey Kestrel, speckled pigeon, African Black SAwift, Red rumped swallow, grassland pipt, red tailed chat, African stone-chat and wing snapping cisticola. Lake Mburo National park is an attractive area consisting of the lake itself, papyrus swamp and open grasslands with dense clumps of bushes and open acacia woodland. In the drier hinterland, lilac breasted rollers perch on high vantage points and parties of which winged black tits feed in the flowering acacias and at this time of the year, we will have an excellent chance of finding the very restricted range Red faced Barbet. Other lively species include:- long tailed cormorant, spur winged goose, yello billed duck, African mash harrier, African hawk Eagle, Coqui Francolin, Emerald. Spotted wood Dove, bare-faced go way bird, green wood hoopoe, spot flanked Barbet, white browed scrub Robin, Long tailed or ( Tabora Cisticola) Yellow breasted Apalis, Red faced Crombec, lead collored flycatcher, African pendiculine Tit, black headed oriole, white crested helmite shrike, Brubru, black cuckoo shrike, greater blue eared and wattled starlings. Marico sunbird, red headed and little weavers. Shy oribis, graceful impalas and common zebras can be found amongst the open, park like woodland.
At night, African scops owls call around our accommodation and we have a good chance of seeing one. While if we are lucky, we will also come across a black shouldered jar.

Day 21; Lake Mburo to Entebbe
After some final birding at Lake Mburo, we will return to Entebbe for an over night stay.

Day 22; Departure
Our final birding at Entebbe botanical gardens on the shores of Lake Victoria. We will visit the beautifully landscaped botanical gardens on the shores of Lake Victoria to look for the localized Orange weaver, bird (which nests in small in the dense water side vegetation)

End of the 22 Days Uganda Safari Trip