BIRDING ITINERARY 4 DAYS

Day 1: Bird to Murchison Falls National Park
Departing from Kampala, bird as you head to Murchison Falls National Park with a lunch stop at Masindi. After lunch, bird as you continue to Paraa via the top of Murchison Falls. Stretch your legs with a short walk around the top of the falls before it plunges over 40 meters in a majestic cascade. Look out for birds like raptors, Rock Pratincole, Crested Francolin, White crested Turaco, White-headed Barbet, Narina Trogon, Red-throated Bee-eater, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Silverbird, Red-cheeked Cordon blue, waxbills, finches, sunbirds and canaries, among others. Dinner and overnight at one of the lodges.

Day 2: Bird Murchison Falls National Park
After an early breakfast, take the ferry to the northern bank for a game drive. After lunch at Paraa or a picnic, take the launch trip up to the bottom of the falls, cruising past hundreds of hippos, crocodiles, and birds. Look out for the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-headed Plover, Rock Pratincole, Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater, Red-throated Bee-eater, Black-billed Barbet, Spotted Morning Thrush, Speckle fronted Weaver, White-browed Sparrow Weaver and more. You will also pass game such as the graceful Rothschild’s giraffe, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kob, defassa waterbuck, buffalo, elephant, warthog, hippo, oribi and – if lucky – leopard or lion. Dinner and overnight as before.

Day 3: Transfer back to Masindi via the escarpment
After breakfast with your packed lunch, proceed for the drive back to Masindi driving through the rift valley escarpment where you will have good views of Lake Albert. Bird the escarpment before proceeding to Busingiro Forest Centre, time permitting. Bird around the vicinity and the road. Drive through to Malinda where you will spend the night. Look out for birds like African Hawk-Eagle, Booted Eagle, Striped Kingfisher, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Black- billed Barbet, Cliff Chat, Spotted Morning Thrush, Northern Crombec, Red-faced Crombec, Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Rattling Cisticola, Foxy Cisticola, Red-winged Warbler, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Red-winged Ptyalin, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Black-faced Waxbill among others. Dinner and overnight at one of the hotels.

Day 4: Bird the Royal Mile
After an early breakfast, take packed lunch to bird Budongo Forest’s Royal Mile. Look out for species like the African Crowned Eagle, Hugli’s Francolin, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher, White-thighed Hornbill, a Selection of Tinkerbirds and Barbets, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Greenbuls, Fire-crested Alethe, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufus-crowned Eremomela, Whistling Cisticola, Black-throated Apalis, Black-capped Apalis, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Forest Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Western Black-headed Oriole, Purple headed Starling, Brown Twinspot among others. Primates like red-tailed and blue monkeys and the black-and-white colobus can also be observed here. Continue south to Kibale National Park, or return to Kampala.