Uganda: Primates, Pachyderms and Plovers

Day 1: Arrive Entebbe

Arrival in Entebbe, Uganda, and transfer to your accommodation with a panoramic view of Lake Victoria. Early arrivals will visit the Entebbe Wildlife Education Center or enjoy a first day of wildlife scouting at the botanical gardens, good for birds as well as several varieties of Colobus Monkeys.

Day 2: Visit to Mabamba Bay -- Shoebill Storks

We start early and drive to Mabamba Swamp, 50km west of Kampala. Stop en route at Mpigi Swamp for papyrus rarities. Look for warblers, gonoleks, weavers, and other swamp specialities. At the swamp, most of the birding is on a canoe, paddled by our local site guides. Look for the Shoebill, both in the sky and down on the marsh. Like nothing else on earth, this bizarre avian wonder is the only representative in its family. It is truly a life-changing moment looking at this bizarre bird as it preens, showing off its huge, grinning, wooden-looking, clog-like bill. You may also have marvelous views of it as it soars on broad wings. Also watch for many other bird secies, including several types of jacanas and ducks. Return to the Garuga Resort Hotel for your overnight.

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast, drive north through the Luwero triangle to Murchison Falls conservation area with a stopover for lunch in Masindi. This park is the largest protected area in Uganda and is bisected by the Victoria Nile. Murchison Falls has three different ecosystems. This park has a variety of wildlife which includes, among others, the lion, leopard, reedbuck, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hartebeest, oribi, Uganda kob, chimpanzee, and many bird species, including the rare Shoebill. The African Bird Club lists this as one of the best birding sites on the continent.

Day 4: Game Safaris Murchinson Falls

After an early breakfast, you begin your safari with a game drive up to the Lake Albert delta point. Be alert for lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hartebeest, oribi and kob. A few of the many special birds found here include shoebills, bustards, lapwings and weavers. In the afternoon, a boat trip on the Nile takes you to the roaring waters at the base of the Murchison Falls and the river's biggest concentration of hippos and crocodiles, some more than 20 feet long. Scattered among the hippos and crocs, look for birds such as storks, plovers, bee-eaters, herons and more. Return to the Paraa Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Drive to Masindi

Today you will have one last morning safari in and around Murchison Falls. After lunch, depart for Masindi, visiting the Upper Falls en route. This visit involves a short hike to the upper edge of the falls. Night at the relatively simple, but atmospheric and historic Masindi Hotel, Uganda’s oldest hotel.

Day 6: The Royal Mile and Busingiro

Start early with a drive to the Royal Mile, one of the most famous primate and bird sanctuaries in Uganda. You will enjoy a slow hike through magnificent primary forest, searching carefully along the way for mammals and birds, including several varieties of monkeys, baboons and chimps, flycatchers, trogons, hornbills, sunbirds, cuckoos, malimbe, and turaco, among many others.

Day 7: Safari to Kibale National Park

Today, start after an early breakfast for a long drive to Kibale National Park with lots of stops for animals, birds, and photos along the way. You may encounter large congregations of baboons and monkeys as Kibale National Park is a popular habitat for 13 known primate species, including the closest living cousin of man, the chimpanzee.

Day 8: Primate Tracking in Kibale

After breakfast, go Chimpanzee tracking. Primates you may also encounter while seeking chimps include several varieties of baboon, the Gray-cheeked Mangabey, and others.

Day 9: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Journey through Uganda’s beautiful scenic areas with a potential clear view of the Mountains of the Moon, depending on the cloud cover. Nearing our destination, enjoy a game drive en route. Queen Elizabeth is the second largest national park in Uganda. In terms of diversity, this park is amazing, with 612 known species of birds. Special birds of this park include Harlequin Quail, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, and the Amur Falcon. Primates include Olive Baboon, Velvet Monkey, and the Tantalus Monkey. In the afternoon, embark on a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel where you get close to hippo, buffalo, and crocodiles. Elephants often swim here as well. The bird life is very rich and quite approachable, including the Saddle-Billed Stork, Malachite Kingfisher, both species of Pink-backed and Great Pelicans, and other migratory species. Overnight at the very comfortable Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day 10: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Morning safari in Queen Elizabeth Park. Return to Mweya for lunch and exploring around the lodge. Embark on an evening game drive in search of elephants, lions, buffalo, bushbuck. As we drive back late in the evening, we keep our spot lights out in the open, looking out for nocturnal mammals like the leopard and aardvark and nocturnal birds such as the nightjar. Return to Mweya Safari Lodge for the night.

Day 11: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After breakfast, begin our wildlife safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The seasonal Ishasha sector provides good chances for seeing tree-climbing lions, unique to this area. On a lucky day, you might also catch a glimpse of a leopard. Troupes of Olive Baboons also frequent the roads while we are on the lookout for interesting savannah animals and birds. Overnight at the Bwindi Forest edge at Gorilla Resort for two nights.

Day 12 - 13: Gorilla Tracking and Birding in Bwindi

Set off early, with packed lunch, to the park headquarters for a briefing prior to setting off to track and observe gorillas. It is an unforgettable experience to observe and photograph these highly-intelligent, gentle animals. Reaching the family group to which we are assigned may require walking anywhere from 20 minutes to three hours. Game scouts are likely to have pre-located them and radioed back their location to your guide, but the animals are wide-ranging, they move their nests nightly, and they don’t stick to the trails. 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 youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully-playful display. Gorilla tracking involves part or all of a day in the Impenetrable Forest. In rare instances, it can take an entire day of very hard trekking to locate, reach, observe, and return from a group. You need to be physically fit if you wish to maximize your chances. Very occasionally, in spite of all efforts, the gorillas prove elusive. Depending on the time at which we return, we might have an optional visit to the communities around the gorillas' habitat or evening birding around Buhoma. Return to our lodge for dinner.

Day 14: Lake Mburo National Park

Today after breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo National Park, one of the best savannah parks in Uganda, with a variety of game such as zebra, impala, topi, eland, buffalo, and more. For birders there are many species usually associated with northern Tanzania (e.g., cisiticolas, barbets, francolins, weavers, woodpeckers, and many more). Head to your lodge in the afternoon for your last evening in country.

Day 15: Kampala-Entebbe Onwards

After breakfast, you will depart for Kampala-Entebbe. Depending on your the flight time, lots of craft shops await to help you pass the time. Transfer to the airport in time for your homebound flight.