Birding in the Pearl
With more than 1073 bird species recorded, Uganda offers a feast of rare and colourful species making up 50% of Africa’s bird species and 11% of the world species within a range of habitats; montane forests, wetlands, agricultural lands, lakes and savannahs. Coupled with the country’s strategic ecological location, this bird diversity within a small territory of only 90041 square miles (about the size of Britain) makes the country arguably one of the highest concentration of birds per square kilometers in Africa and massive birding destination by any standard.
Limited to 12 guest
10 days from $18,626 per pair
INCLUDED WITH EVERY LUXURY SMALL GROUP JOURNEY
Experience the richness and depth of Uganda’s forest cover making up around 50% of Africa’s bird species in an all out exclusive Birding experience. With more than 30 birding areas, get an all round colourful experience with more than 1,090 bird species including but not limited to mesozoic era-like looking and extremely rare shoebill stork.
ARRIVE IN ENTEBBE, UGANDA
BIRD MABAMBA AND ENTEBBE BOTANICAL
BIRDING LAKE MBURO
BIRDING LAKE BUNYONYI
BIRDING THE RUHIJA
BIRDING BUHOMA
BIRDING ISHASHA
GAME DRIVE + BIRDING THE MARAMAGAMBO IN QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
FULL DAY QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK AND KAZINGA
TRANSFER TO KIBALE NATIONAL PARK AND BIRDING
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
BIRDING BUDONGO FOREST
BIRDING ZZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY
TRANSFER TO MABIRA FOREST
BIRDING MABIRA FOREST
TRANSFER TO ENTEBBE AND DEPARTURE
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE
Read more about our flexible booking policy.
COMPLIMENTARY SAFARI DUFFEL
Guests on this journey receive a custom-crafted Tour Sokoni safari duffel. Learn more
Luxury Tailor Made Journeys depart on the dates that work for you and feature expert local guides throughout your journey. The itinerary below can be customised to your interests.
ARRIVE IN ENTEBBE, UGANDA
Upon arrival in Entebbe, you are met by a Tour Sokoni representative and transferred to your tranquil hotel fronting Africa’s largest lake. Soak up the stunning greenery that envelops this nation.
BIRD MABAMBA AND ENTEBBE BOTANICAL
Following a luscious breakfast, plough the Mabamba Wetlands on the shores of Lake Victoria, an extensive papyrus swamp with its labyrinth of channels and lagoons classified as an important bird area. You will use a motorised boat to enjoy one of the few remaining swamps in the country protected by the local communities. Encounter the charismatic shoebill stork, one of Uganda’s most famous avian residents. Proceed to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens and spot the colourful malachite kingfisher; blue-cheeked bee-eater; common, wood and green sandpipers; long-tailed cormorant; black crake; and several other open woodland species.
BIRDING LAKE MBURO
Transfer to the diverse Lake Mburo birding area that comprises open acacia woodlands, papyrus-lined lakes and swamps. Here you will encounter the lonesome black-headed squacco; rufous-bellied herons; hadada ibis; yellow-billed (black) kite; spur-winged goose; comb duck; black-chested snake-eagle; lizard buzzard; palm-nut and white-backed vultures. You may even spot the nomadic weyn’s weaver.
BIRDING LAKE BUNYONYI
This morning, explore the lake by wooden canoe, keeping your eyes peeled for grey crowned cranes, levaillant’s cuckoo, white tailed monad, slender-billed baglafecht, weavers, african harrier hawk and other beautiful feathery friends.
BIRDING THE RUHIJA
Rise before the sun and head out of Lake Mburo National Park, a copious sector for good birding experience. You could have a glimpse of bird species like the african goshawk; african pygmy kingfishers; short-tailed warblers; Shelley’s crimson wings among others. You will also encounter a few species in an exquisite montane forest birding experience while in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi National Park. These may include African Cuckoo-hawk, Coqui Francolin, Scaly Francolin, Lilac Breasted Roller, Crested and Black-collard Barbet.
BIRDING BUHOMA
For the next two days, discover the enormous richness of the Buhoma section canopy, a narrow stretch that offers excellent forest birding. Key species to look for include the handsome francolin; rwenzori nightjar; dwarf honeyguide; african green broadbill; archer’s robin-chat; red-throated alethe; yellow-eyed black-flycatcher; red-faced woodland, short-tailed and grauer’s warbler; mountain masked apalis and the stripe-breasted tit among others.
BIRDING ISHASHA
Set out to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park where you may encounter the white-browed coucal; white- browed robin-chat; common bulbul and greater honeyguide all sucking in the sun upto the dusky hours of the day. You may also catch a glimpse of the mythical flying bats and the yellow winged bats. Wind up the day in Ishasha as you witness the sunsel trigger black shouldered nightjars; swamp nightjars and the african scops owl’s distinct echoes.
GAME DRIVE + BIRDING THE MARAMAGAMBO IN QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Today you will enjoy a game drive featuring some of Uganda’s largest elephant herds; the indelible tree-climbing lions; hippos; buffalo and baboons. Along your path, keep your eyes peeled for some of the rarest of bird species including the rwenzori turaco, white-naped pigeons and other riveting species like grey-capped warbler; african long crested eagle; augur buzzard; mackinnon’s fiscal; black-headed waxbill; black and white manikin; senegal coucal and red-chested cuckoo. In the late afternoon, you will continue your birding experience, catching a glimpse of the famous bat caves of Maramagambo forest and few other nocturnal birds like the bat hawk and nightjars.
FULL DAY QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK AND KAZINGA
Today, you ply the Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, trailing over 60 different bird species along your path. You may be fortunate to be bedazzled by the strength of the raptors, or be engulfed by the diederik cuckoo’s persistent call. You may also come upon the african mourning dove; the squire-tailed; slender-tailed and swamp nightjars; lesser-masked, slender-billed and yellow-backed weavers; scarlet-chested and red-chested sunbirds among so many more birding delights.
TRANSFER TO KIBALE NATIONAL PARK AND BIRDING
Today, you will enjoy a pleasurable drive to Kibale national park. Besides enjoying one of the most lovely and most varied tracts of all tropical forests in Uganda, you will spend the rest of the day viewing some of the country’s celebrated primate population. The following day may gloriously start with a sight of some the forest’s recognised bird species including; the african pitta, green-breasted pitta, black bee-eater, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, little greenbul, black-eared ground-thrush, brown-chested alethe, blue-breasted kingfisher, abyssinian ground thrush, and the crowned eagle, some of which are native to the Albertine rift region.
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you drive northwards to Murchison Falls National Park birding through the escarpment. special birds include cliff chat, yellow-fronted tinkerbird, grey-headed bush-shrike, singing cisticola, namaqua dove, green-winged pytilia, crested francolin, northern and black-winged red bishops, black-bellied firefinch, black-faced waxbill and march tchagra. On the next day, you will take a boat trip to immerse yourself in a water-associated bird experience. You may even catch sight of some migratory birds that are present from November through to April.
BIRDING BUDONGO FOREST
Today more time is spent on the road up north with sporadic birding breaks. Be keen to see two species of birds found in Budongo Forest and not found anywhere else in East Africa: the yellow-footed flycatcher and Puvel’s illadopsis. You will also explore ‘The Royal Mile’ at Busingiro, the best location for bird watching in the forest.
BIRDING ZZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY
Today you experience all four bird trails within the sanctuary covering woodlands, swamp and savannah. This birding activity will include both gleeful walks and canoe paddles seeing species such as palm nut vultures; barbets, Ross’s Turaco; Abdim’s stork; African black crake; White-crested Turaco; speckled breasted woodpecker; blue-spotted dove; giant kingfisher; and the mediaeval looking shoebill stork, an absolute delight for any bird lovers!
TRANSFER TO MABIRA FOREST
Today, you will take a flight from the west of the country to the administrative central region, meeting the largest of Uganda’s forest cover and your repose location for the rest of the day.
BIRDING MABIRA FOREST
Early start of the day as we set out to one of Uganda’s exceptionally well-established trails, spotting species like Cassin’s hawk-eagle; white-spotted flufftail; Afep pigeon; grey parrot; dusky long-tailed cuckoo; black-shouldered nightjar; sabine’s spinetail; cassin’s spinetail; blue-throated roller; African dwarf-kingfisher; white-bellied kingfisher; forest woodhoopoe; African pied hornbill among many others. Get ready to indulge in the search for Nahan’s Francolin, a species that’s indexed on the IUCN Red list of endangered species.
TRANSFER TO ENTEBBE AND DEPARTURE
Drive to Entebbe airport where you take an International flight home.
This program entails active elements such as hiking through isolated jungle regions.
Enhance Your Journey
Tour Sokoni PHILANTHROPY VISIT: BWINDI COMMUNITY HOSPITAL & NURSING SCHOOL
Visit the rural village of Bwindi to see how the community has partnered with Tour Sokoni Philanthropy to grow a remote medical outpost into a thriving health care oasis serving 100,000 Ugandans. After a tour of the children’s ward and maternity wing, meet the local nursing school’s students and explore their learning lab, gaining insights into their training and inspiring personal goals.
Tour Sokoni PHILANTHROPY VISIT: EBENEZER PRIMARY SCHOOL
Visit with the students and staff of Ebenezer Primary School, learning how the local community has partnered with Tour Sokoni Philanthropy to provide a safe learning environment for the local children. Your visit bears witness to a project in its infancy, providing an unvarnished glimpse into the challenges faced all too often by rural African communities such as this.
Jul-Sep; Priced from $4,695
Jan-Mar, Jun, Oct; Priced from $3,995
Gorilla permits are an additional $1,400
Internal Air from $725
Entebbe/Kihihi (Bwindi)/Entebbe
Prices are per person, double occupancy for the itinerary as published for 2022 travel, and subject to availability.
Pricing reflects Tour Sokoni’s recommended months of travel of this itinerary. Supplements may apply over holiday periods, festivals and special events. International and internal air not included.
Request Your Tailor Made Journey
Preparing for Your Journey
Review Tour Sokoni’s quick travel tips to ensure you are prepared for your journey.
Destination Information
Download important information about your destination(s), including passport and visa requirements; vaccinations; baggage restrictions; a packing list; and tipping guidelines.
Passports & Visas
See passport requirements and Tour Sokoni’s recommendations for obtaining necessary visas.
Health Information
Familiarise yourself with health and vaccination requirements for your destination, at the Centers for Disease Control’s website.
