6 days Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth exclusive birding safari will take you to Uganda’s smallest savannah National Park known as Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park which is the country’s most visited National Park and the biggest savanna national park that the country boasts with. The two National Parks are some of the birders’ paradises that were recognized by the International Birding Association. Lake Mburo National Park harbors over 350 bird species including the endemics, migratory, savannah birds, water birds and forest bird species whereas Queen Elizabeth National Park has over 619 bird species including those that are recognized internationally. Several bird species will be spotted during your game drives in the Parks’ savannah plains, nature walks and boat cruises.
You will be picked up from the Airport or any agreed location in Kampala and set off for your drive to Lake Mburo National Park with a stopover at the equator line in Kayabwe where you enjoy the atmosphere where the earth is divided into two equal parts. You will take as many photos as you can at the equator monument before you proceed to Lake Mburo National Park where you will check-in at your reserved lodge and have lunch. After lunch you will head off for a boat cruise along Lake Mburo where you will spot several bird species like the shoebill stork, saddle-billed stork, African wattled lapwing, African fin foot, papyrus Gonolek and many more. You will get back to your lodge for relaxation as you wait to have dinner and an overnight stay.
Wake up to a hefty breakfast, have your lunch packed and head off for an entire day bird watching experience in Lake Mburo National Park. You will be led by armed rangers and birder guides to areas of Mirit valleys and salt licks as you explore the Park on foot. If time allows, you will as well cover the Rubanga forest as you look out for several bird species like the Ross’s turaco, Nubian wood pecker, brown chested lapwing, white-headed barbet, grey crowned cranes, long-tailed cisticola to mention but a few. Vast animals will also be encountered for example giraffes, zebras, warthogs, elands, Uganda kobs, buffaloes and many more. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight.
Have your early morning breakfast served and hit the Park’s savannah plains for a game drive as you lookout for animals like the buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, duikers, Uganda kobs, bushbucks to mention but a few. Variety of savannah bird species will be spotted for example the helmeted Guinea fowl, coqui francolin, red-eyed dove, afep-pigeon, hadada ibis, grey-headed sparrow, black-bellied bustard and many more. This drive lasts for about 3 to 5 hours after which you will get back to your lodge for lunch. After lunch you will checkout of your lodge and be driven further to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will arrive in the late afternoon to check-in at your pre-arranged lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight.
Enjoy your morning breakfast and head off for birding in Maramagambo forest. Maramagambo forest is one of the best birding spots in Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will be led by a ranger and a birding guide through the forest as you lookout for several bird species like the dark-capped yellow warbler, Sulphur-breasted bush shrike, bat hawk, fawn-breasted wax-bill, ross’s turaco, white-napped pigeon, forest fly-catcher, Rwenzori turaco, African green pigeon and many more. Return to the lodge for lunch after which you will head off for a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel where you will spot birds like swamp nightjar, long tailed cormorant, black crake, shoebill, blue-napped mouse, kingfishers, papyrus Gonolek and many more. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight.
Wake up to a scrumptious breakfast and head off for a game drive in the Kasenyi plains where you will encounter large herds of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, oribis, bushbucks, lions, warthogs and many more animals. A variety of bird species will as well be seen for example cattle egrets, red throat spur fowls, grey-backed fiscal, white tailed lark, grey crowned cranes, martial eagles, African wattled eagle, brown snake eagle among others. Return to your lodge for lunch after which you will proceed to Mweya peninsular that harbors several birds like lesser masked weaver, kingfishers, diederik cuckoo, red caped lark, mourning dove, black-headed Gonolek, scarlet chested sunbird and many more. Get back to your lodge to have dinner and an overnight.
Today morning, enjoy your breakfast checkout of the lodge to be driven back to Kampala with a lunch en-route at Igongo cultural center and country hotel off Mbarara town. After your lunch make a visit to Igongo museum where you will learn about the Ankole culture and other Ugandan cultural groups. Proceeding to Kampala, arrival will be in the late afternoon to be dropped off at your hotel in the city center or at the airport for your onward flight and this will mark the end of 6 days Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth exclusive birding safari.
