5 days birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park with Bwindi Gorilla trekking will give you the best opportunity to discover the best parts about the ‘Pearl of Africa’ and confirm why it is so inclusive of its amazing beauty. The diversity of Queen Elizabeth with over 600 bird species, 95mammals and the second biggest conservation area in Uganda combined with Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park which has more than half of the world’s remaining population of the beautiful mountain gorillas making a popular spot for gorilla trekking and beautiful scenery makes the 5 days a trip one must have. The safari will give you a chance to see four of the big five; lions, elephants, buffaloes and leopards and other animals like hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, bushbucks, giant forest hogs; primates like the endangered mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys; birds like hornbills, shoebill storks, king fishers, stranger weavers, regal sunbirds, fly catchers, green pigeons, robin chats, warblers; the beautiful scenery with the impenetrable forest, world’s most powerful falls, lakes, crater lakes and the vegetation. The trip will start from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest then Queen Elizabeth national park and back to Kampala.
You will get to your agreed point and will be met by a driver guide from Glory Summit Tours who will also brief you on how your trip will be after which you will set off for Bwindi which will take 8-9 hours. During the journey you will make one stop at the Igongo Cultural Center for lunch and also learn a little bit about the Ankole culture after which you will continue to Bwindi and arrive in time for dinner and check in the lodge for the night.
You will wake up early and have breakfast and head to the briefing spot by 7:30am where you shall be given the guidelines and safety precautions to be followed by a guide to ensure a smooth trek before you head into the forest to experience it. Depending on the targeted Gorilla families given to you to trek, gorilla trekking will take between 30 minutes-6hours, it’s in this time that you shall get to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, how they live, care for each other, care for their young, how and when they eat, all this will be done with a guide and armed ranger on route with you. During the trek you will be given water and a snack for when you need it and you will have a chance to see birds like the African green broadbill, Rwenzori turaco, great blue turaco, handsome francolin, black collared apalis, blue-headed sunbird, yellow-eye black flycatcher, black-billed turaco and more. When done with the trekking, you will go back to your lodge and freshen up then have lunch. There after you will visit the Batwa people for a community tour. With the help of a local guide, you will be involved in different community activities like music, dance and drama, crafting and honey harvesting. Story telling will also be key as a way to learn the Batwa people’s history and what makes them an interesting group people. You will the return to the lodge, have dinner and end the day.
After breakfast, you will checkout of your lodging and exit Bwindi forest for Queen Elizabeth which will take about 6hours with a lunch stop in Mbarara. As you travel through the countryside, you’ll pass through rolling hills and verdant farmland. The landscape is dotted with small villages and homesteads, where locals tend to their crops and livestock against the backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance and as you approach Queen Elizabeth the scenery transitions to open savannah plains dotted with acacia trees making a habitat for a variety of wildlife. You will arrive in the evening, check into your lodging for the night, have dinner and then retire for the night.
You will enjoy your breakfast then head out to Maramagambo forest for bird watching which will take about 3-4hours with a guide who will help with naming birds and any other information you might need in regards to the avian life. With the biggest number of bird species in Uganda you will see marabou stork, black cuckoo, little grebe, African finfoot, black coucal, Rwenzori turaco, blue-breasted king fisher, yellow bill, red-chested cuckoo, warblers, African green pigeon, papyrus gonolek, ross’s turaco, and many more. During the hike you will also see other chimpanzees, monkeys, elephants and bush pigs; after the hike you will head back to the lodge for lunch and after lunch you will head to Kazinga Channel for a launch cruise, the cruise will tale 3-4hours with a guide to avail answers for any questions you might have during the boat cruise and during the cruise you will see water animals like the hippopotamus, buffaloes, water bucks, crocodiles and bird species like African fish eagles, African skimmers, yellow-billed stork, martial eagle, white-tailed lark, little bee-eater, swamp nightjar, grey-capped warbler and many more. You will head back to the hotel in time for dinner and after dinner you can enjoy the evening by the fire as you relax for the night.
With breakfast done, you will check out of the hotel and exit the park for Kampala. On your way to Kampala you will enjoy the beautiful scenic views of the countryside and also have a chance to take some pictures while at it. A stopover in Mbarara for lunch and another at the Equator for more pictures and exploring the craft world will be done. Then proceed to Kampala at an agreed point for drop off which will mark the end of the 5 days birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park with Gorillas.
