6 days Murchison and Kibale birding safari takes you to two of the best birding destinations in Uganda which include Murchison Falls National Park and Kibale National Park. Murchison Falls National Park is the country’s largest and oldest National Park with a variety of wildlife, famous for housing the world’s strongest water falls known as Murchison Falls after which the Park was named. This Park is an important birding site and a habitat to a wide range of bird species recorded to be approximately 451 bird types that are easily spotted in the Park. Whereas Kibale National Park harbors over 375 bird species that are easily spotted while on a chimpanzee trekking experience and in the Bigodi wetland which is the Park’s perfect spot to see a variety of bird species. Several primates will be spotted in their natural habitat since the Park harbors up to 13 primate species which is the highest of any protected area in the country.
Your safari guide will be waiting to receive you at the airport, take you through a briefing of your travel plan and immediately set off to Ziwa rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola. At Ziwa rhino sanctuary, you will head off on a canoe ride along Lugogo swamp as you lookout for several bird species including the elusive shoebill stork. You will retire off the canoe to embark on rhino trekking which is the Sanctuary’s major activity. An experienced ranger guide will brief you about the dos and don’ts of rhino trekking after which you will trek into the bush to find these majestic mammals. You will get up-close to about 6 to 7 meters while you learn about their habits, behaviors, watch them feed and take plenty of photos. Exit Ziwa and proceed to Masindi for your lunch after which you will be driven to Murchison Falls National Park where you will check-in at your lodge to have dinner and an overnight.
Wakeup very early for your breakfast and connect for a birding experience in the Park where you will look out for several bird species like the Abyssinian ground hornbill, yellow-fronted tinker bird, black-headed lapwing, Senegal thick-knee, long-toed lapwing and many more. Get back to your lodge to have lunch after which you will connect for the bottom of the falls boat cruise to increase your chances of spotting various water birds and animal. Among the bird species the bird species that will be seen include the giant kingfisher, giant herons, saddle-billed stork, Squacco heron, swamp fly-catcher, malachite kingfisher, veracious dove, weavers, warblers to mention but a few. Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay.
Get your breakfast served in the early morning and connect for a Royal mile walk in Budongo forest where you should expect to spot several forest birds like the blue-breasted kingfisher, forest kingfisher, African Darter, piapiac, wood peckers, martial eagles, pulm-nut vultures, read-throated bee-eater, secretary bird to mention but a few. You will have an en-route lunch before you connect to the top of Murchison Falls where you will be able to spot some bird species. Enjoy the views of the water falls while you capture the rainbow in the background and take plenty of pictures before you proceed to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight.
Enjoy your scrumptious breakfast and head off for game viewing in the Park’s northern section where you will look out for the big four mammals namely lions, elephants, buffaloes and leopards to complement the rhinos you saw at Ziwa rhino sanctuary. Other animals to lookout for include the giraffes, oribis, warthogs, Jackson’s hartebeest, patus monkeys to mention but a few. Connect back to your lodge for lunch after which you will checkout to embark on your drive to Kibale National Park. This a 4 to 5hours’ drive via Kyenjojo-Hoima road where you will be arriving in the evening to check-in at your pre-arranged lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight.
Have your breakfast served and report to the Park headquarters for a briefing about chimpanzee trekking. You will be led by ranger guides into the rainforests to embark on the search of a habituated troop of chimpanzees as you also look out for several forest birds such as the green-breasted pitta, Abyssinian ground thrush, African pitta, Black-capped appalis, black bee-eater, little greenbul, brown-chested alethe and many more. The chimp trek may last for about 2-5 hours after which an hour is allowed while you watch them go by their routine duties. Return to the lodge for lunch before you head off more birding in Bigodi wetland sanctuary also referred to as the home of the great blue turaco. Among the birds seen in this swamp are the black-crowned waxbill, hairy-breasted barbet, superb sunbird, western nicator, black bishop and many more. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight.
After your breakfast, checkout of your lodge to be driven back to Kampala with your en-route lunch along the way. Arrival will be in the late afternoon to be dropped off at your preferred destination in the city center or to Entebbe depending on your flight schedule.
