Guide: Marc Cronje
Uganda is often referred to as the “Pearl of Africa,” and after another remarkable journey through this beautiful country, it is easy to understand why. Combining breathtaking scenery, exceptional bird diversity and Africa’s greatest concentration of primates, Uganda offers one of the continent’s most rewarding wildlife experiences.
Over the course of our adventure, we explored lush rainforests, papyrus swamps, crater lakes, open savannas and mist-covered mountain forests, recording an outstanding variety of birds and mammals while enjoying the country’s incredibly warm hospitality. Every destination offered something unique, making this another unforgettable Nature Travel Birding adventure.
Arrival – Entebbe
Our tour began in Entebbe, where everyone arrived throughout the day before gathering for our welcome dinner. The beautiful Entebbe Botanical Gardens provided an excellent introduction to Uganda’s birdlife, with the spectacular Great Blue Turaco quickly stealing the show. Other excellent sightings included Ross’s Turaco, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Orange Weaver, Palm-nut Vulture, African Grey Parrot, Woodland Kingfisher and Black-headed Gonolek.
The nearby shores of Lake Victoria produced numerous waterbirds including Pied Kingfisher, Great White Pelican, African Fish Eagle, African Openbill, Little Heron, Great, Little and Cattle Egrets, while Klaas’s Cuckoo, Hooded Vulture, Rüppell’s Starling, Splendid Starling, Superb Sunbird and Brown-throated Wattle-eye kept the bird list growing. A fantastic sighting of a Spotted-necked Otter rounded off a wonderful first afternoon.
Mabamba Swamp – In Search of the Shoebill
After an early breakfast, we crossed Lake Victoria by boat to the famous Mabamba Swamp, one of Africa’s finest wetlands and undoubtedly the best place in Uganda to search for the legendary Shoebill.
Gliding quietly through the narrow papyrus channels in traditional wooden canoes, we were surrounded by an abundance of wetland birdlife. African Jacanas walked effortlessly across floating vegetation while Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, White-winged Warblers, Papyrus Gonoleks, Malachite Kingfishers, Black Crakes, White-faced Whistling Ducks, Yellow-billed Ducks, African Swamphens, Long-toed Lapwings, Purple Herons, Palm-nut Vultures, African Pygmy Geese and Sooty Chats kept everyone busy.
The anticipation continued to build as our local guides searched the marshes and, before long, we were rewarded with unforgettable views of a magnificent adult Shoebill standing motionless among the papyrus. Watching this prehistoric-looking bird at close range was undoubtedly one of the defining moments of the tour, providing superb photographic opportunities and leaving everyone thoroughly impressed.
The excitement continued with excellent views of a Lesser Jacana feeding out in the open, while a troop of Red-tailed Monkeys entertained us during lunch. For many participants, the Shoebill alone justified travelling to Uganda, and beginning the tour with such an iconic species ensured excitement remained high for the incredible wildlife still to come.
Kibale National Park
Our next stop was Kibale National Park, widely regarded as the primate capital of the world. Even the journey there was productive, with roadside birding producing Violet-backed Starling, African Harrier-Hawk, Speckled Mousebird and numerous colourful weavers and sunbirds.
Our Chimpanzee tracking experience certainly lived up to expectations. After following their vocalisations through the forest, we were rewarded with unforgettable views of several Chimpanzees feeding, grooming and interacting at close range. Making the experience even more special was that we had the group entirely to ourselves, allowing us to spend quality time with our closest living relatives.
Other primates encountered included Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Red-tailed Monkey, Black-and-white Colobus, Red Colobus, Blue Monkey and Olive Baboon—an impressive haul in a single morning.
The forest also produced some excellent birding. Highlights included Yellow-spotted Barbet, Western Crested Guineafowl, Tambourine Dove, Red-chested Cuckoo, brief views of Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Blue-breasted Kingfisher and Red-capped Robin-Chat.
One of Uganda’s finest community conservation projects, Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary once again exceeded expectations. Great Blue Turaco showed exceptionally well while Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler, Blue-throated Roller, White-spotted Flufftail, Hairy-breasted Barbet and African Paradise Flycatcher all delighted the group. The boardwalk also proved excellent for mammals, with several monkey species showing beautifully and countless butterflies adding colour throughout the morning.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Our journey continued to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where the scenery changed dramatically into open savanna dotted with beautiful crater lakes.
Game drives produced outstanding mammal viewing, including African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Uganda Kob, Topi, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Warthog and Giant Forest Hog. One of the highlights was an incredible sighting of a Lioness resting in a Euphorbia tree right next to the road. The park is world-famous for its tree-climbing lions, making this another unforgettable wildlife encounter.
The birding was equally impressive with Red-necked Spurfowl, Senegal Lapwing, White-browed Coucal, African Crake, Brown Snake Eagle, Blue-naped Mousebird, Grey Kestrel, Grey-backed Fiscal, African Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Marico, Red-chested and Copper Sunbirds, Golden-breasted Bunting, Black-bellied Bustard, Black Coucal, Bateleur, Western Banded Snake Eagle, African Hoopoe, Nubian Woodpecker, Grey-capped Warbler and Grey-headed, Woodland, Striped and African Pygmy Kingfishers all posing beautifully for the photographers.
The afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel proved to be one of the highlights of the safari. Thousands of waterbirds lined the shores while enormous pods of Hippopotamus shared the channel with massive Nile Crocodiles. Watching Cape Buffalo continuously coming down to drink was fascinating, while a herd of Elephants swimming, splashing and drinking along the shoreline provided unforgettable photographic opportunities.
The birding from the boat was exceptional. African Skimmers, Pink-backed Pelicans, Saddle-billed Storks, Knob-billed Ducks, Black-winged Stilts, Grey-headed Gulls, Gull-billed Terns, African Openbills, Hamerkops, African Spoonbills, Yellow-billed Storks, Goliath Herons and countless Pied Kingfishers were all enjoyed, while watching an African Fish Eagle successfully catching a fish was a real bonus.
Ishasha Sector
Travelling south through the Ishasha sector treated us to another sighting of one of Uganda’s most iconic mammals—the famous tree-climbing lions. Seeing a pride of six lions relaxing high in the branches of large fig trees is always an incredible experience and one that never gets old.
Other mammal highlights included Topi, Hippopotamus grazing well out of the water, magnificent Elephant bulls with enormous tusks, Cape Buffalo, Waterbuck, Banded Mongoose, Dwarf Mongoose, Vervet Monkey, Olive Baboon, Blue Monkey, Red-tailed Monkey and a beautiful troop of Mantled Guereza.
The surrounding woodlands also produced African Cuckoo-Hawk, White-backed Vulture, Rüppell’s Griffon, Common Scimitarbill, Little and Olive Bee-eaters, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Flappet Lark, Mosque Swallow, Sooty Chat and stunning Yellow-throated Longclaws displaying beautifully.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Few wildlife experiences compare with spending time alongside the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi. Our trek into the ancient forest was undoubtedly the emotional highlight of the tour.
Following experienced trackers through the dense vegetation, we eventually encountered the Rushegura Gorilla family peacefully feeding in the forest. We enjoyed incredible close-up views of the family, including a playful one-year-old youngster who completely stole the show. Watching these gentle giants at such close range is an experience that words simply cannot do justice.
Bwindi is equally famous for its birds, and we enjoyed an excellent selection of Albertine Rift endemics. Highlights included Handsome Francolin, Regal Sunbird, Mountain Masked Apalis, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, an incredible displaying African Broadbill, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Ansorge’s Greenbul, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Grey-headed Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Red-throated Alethe, Lühder’s Bushshrike, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Red-faced Woodland Warbler and Rwenzori Batis.
Several forest mammals were also encountered, including Black-and-white Colobus, L’Hoest’s Monkey, Red-legged Sun Squirrel, Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel, Carruthers’s Mountain Squirrel and the rarely seen Montane Shaggy Rat. A beautiful Montane Side-striped Chameleon was another fantastic find, while numerous colourful butterflies brightened the forest trails.
Lake Mburo National Park
Our final destination was Lake Mburo National Park, whose acacia woodlands provided a wonderful contrast to the forests we had explored earlier in the tour.
This park is famous for species absent from many of Uganda’s other national parks, and we enjoyed excellent sightings of Burchell’s Zebra, Common Eland, Impala, Topi, Defassa Waterbuck, Warthog, Hippopotamus, Dwarf Mongoose, Striped Ground Squirrel, Olive Baboon and Vervet Monkey.
Our night drive was particularly rewarding. We enjoyed an incredible sighting of a Leopard attempting to hunt Warthogs, with nobody else around—an unforgettable experience. Other nocturnal highlights included White-tailed Mongoose, African Savanna Hare, Brown Greater Galago, Large-spotted Genet, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, African Scops Owl, Swamp Nightjar, Fiery-necked Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar and Freckled Nightjar.
The daytime birding was equally productive, with Red-faced Barbet, Coqui Francolin, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Grey-crowned Crane, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Rufous-bellied Heron, Brown-chested Lapwing, Bateleur, Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Green Wood Hoopoe, Crested Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet, Greater Honeyguide, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and Holub’s Golden Weaver all adding to the impressive bird list.
Our final morning boat cruise was a fitting end to the tour. We enjoyed outstanding views of no fewer than eight African Finfoots, including a female with a chick, as well as fantastic open views of Papyrus Gonolek. It was the perfect way to conclude another memorable Ugandan adventure.
Tour Summary
Uganda once again delivered an extraordinary combination of birds, mammals and unforgettable wildlife encounters.
From tracking Chimpanzees in Kibale and spending precious time with the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi, to watching Shoebills in Mabamba Swamp and the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, every day produced something truly special. The spectacular birdlife of Bwindi, Bigodi, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo once again confirmed why Uganda remains one of Africa’s premier birding destinations.
For birders, Uganda offers an incredible diversity of habitats and species, including many Albertine Rift endemics found nowhere else on Earth. For mammal enthusiasts, few countries can rival the opportunity to see Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees and such an impressive variety of large mammals during a single journey.
As always, it was the wonderful people of Uganda, the magnificent scenery and the shared excitement of discovering Africa’s incredible wildlife and birds together that made this another truly memorable Nature Travel Birding adventure.
