Itinerary
Day 1: Birding in Mabamba Wetland Swamp Entebbe and the National Botanical Gardens in Entebbe.
Meet your guide to transfer you to the Hotel in Entebbe, 7kms away from Entebbe international airport. Depending on the time of arrival, visitors will explore numerous bird watching sites in Entebbe like the National Botanical gardens opened in 1898 at the shores of Lake Victoria. The Botanical gardens in Entebbe offer excellent bird watching opportunities with aprox. 115 bird species. Top highlights including the black and white casqued hornbill, Ross’s Turaco, orange-tufted, red chested Sunbirds, Orange Weaver.
On the shores of Lake Victoria visitors will get an opportunity to see birds like; slender-billed gull, Northern Brown –throated weaver, yellow backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed, Black-headed and Vieillot’s black weavers, long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco and black-headed herons, hamerkop, African Open-billed Stork, yellow-billed duck, Grey headed gull, various terns, giant and Pied Kingfishers and swamp Flycatcher. Opt for a guided canoe on Lake Victoria to scan for Black-headed Gonolek and Red-chested Sunbird occur in the dense scrub covering the headland.
You'll see plenty of monkeys, including vervet monkey, black and white colobus, and tree squirrels too.
Opt for engine motorized canoe in Mabamba Wetland Swamp - there's about an 80% success rate for shoebill sightings at Mabamba Bay Wetland Swamp.
The Mabamba Swamp is one of the most convenient birding sites in Uganda to spot the highly sought-after shoebill in its natural habitat. Regularly featured on tourism brochures, these appealingly grotesque birds look like they've crawled straight out of the swamp (which they literally have); with their out-of-proportion features and massive dirty-yellow bill that resembles an old battered shoe. Bird watching is mostly via motorized canoe, where you’ll navigate waterways comprising lily pads and papyrus swamp. Among the 260 species in the mabamba swamp birding region, other notable birds include the papyrus yellow warbler, white-faced whistling duck, pallid harrier and blue swallow.
Dinner and overnight stay at Gately Inn Entebbe Airport Boutique Hotel, or Lake Victoria Guest House in Entebbe.
Day 2: Road Trip from Entebbe - Kampala- Jinja to Mount Elgon National Park.
Have breakfast and leave for Mbale, lunch en route. Stop at Sipi Falls and Enjoy views of Sipi Falls, the Walls of Death and the African sunrise across the Karamoja plains on these peaceful walks just outside Mt Elgon National Park.Dinner and overnight stay at Sipi river lodge.
Day 3: Forest exploration
After breakfast head for a forest exploration around the park expecting to see the Tacazze sun-bird, bronze napped pigeon, Hartlaub’s turaco and a good number of wild animals. Lucky hikers in Mt Elgon will enjoy being amongst the parks primates, birds and rare tree species. Trails lead past caves, viewpoints and waterfall on the mountain slopes. Dinner and overnight stay at Sipi River lodge.
Day 4: Transfer to Kidepo valley National Park.
After breakfast drive to Apoka rest camp, built with comfort as the materials are local craftsmen with natural canvas walls surrounded by a rocky kopje and endless views of the savannah. Lunch at Apoka lodge and go for an evening game drive around the park expecting to see the ostrich, Kori, Carmine and a variety of wild animals. Dinner and overnight stay at Apoka lodge.
Day 5: Birding and Game viewing in Kidepo Valley National Park.
After breakfast advance to the Narus valley for the attractive silver bird, small bands of yellow-billed shrike and other wide spread species like the Vinaceous dove, Nubian woodpecker, magnificent starlings, little weaver and red-cheeked cordon-bleu, Hoopoe, Mosque swallow and some wild animals such as the tree climbing lions, elephants, leopards, bush duiker and jackal. Have lunch at the lodge and head to Morungule Mountain for forest exploration with a ranger guide to enable you fully witness all the birds such as the ostrich, kori bustard, verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian vulture and pygmy falcon plus other wild animals like buffaloes, bush pigs, kavirondo bush baby and bush buck. Dinner and overnight stay at Apoka lodge.
Day 6: Birding and Wildlife viewing Kidepo Valley National Park.
A cup of tea and leave for the morning game drive around the park where you will have a spectacular view of the bat-eared fox, striped hyena, hunting dogs, aardwolf, caracal, cheetah, chandlers mountain reedbuck, klipspringer, greater and lesser kudu, dikdik and bright gazelle, warthog, Rothschild giraffe, eland, cape buffalo, oribi and Jackson’s hartebeest. Return to the lodge for breakfast and rest. After lunch travel to Kidepo valley to view several bird species found there like the 4 species of hornbills that is red billed, yellow-billed, Jackson’s hornbill and giant Abyssinian ground hornbill. Dinner and overnight stay at Apoka lodge.
Day 7: Nature walk and picnic.
A delicious breakfast and depart for a remarkable nature walk, you will visit the Karamajong “Manyattas” (homesteads), and kraals, you will see traditional costumes, stools, headdresses, bows, arrows, knives, spears and jewelry. Head to the picnic site on the sand and enjoy the soft sound of palm leaves in constant motion with the wind with fresh air to make your visit worth remembering. Then transfer back to Kampala.
Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe
After breakfast relax as you wait for your flight. Dinner and overnight stay at Gately Inn Entebbe Airport Boutique Hotel, or Lake Victoria Guest House in Entebbe.
DEPARTURE & RETURN
Departure Point
Your hotel
Departure Time
Between 6am and 8am; exact pickup time will be advised on reconfirmation
Return Details
Concludes between 6 and 9pm at your hotel on Day 4
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Some animal encounters are seasonal
- Minimum age is 12 years
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult
- According to availability, the itinerary can run in reverse or different route.
- Accommodation is on a double or single occupancy basis in a 3- star guesthouse or budget accommodation
- The maximum number of people per room is 2 in double and 1 in single occupancy
- According to availability at time of booking, accommodation will be in the mentioned hotel or in one of a similar standard and star rating in a similar area.
