12-Days Easter Uganda Birding Kidepo, Pian Upe, Mt Elgon

You'll spend the day birding at Mbamba Swamp and the neighborhood community bush. Local communities protect one of the few remaining productive wetlands in Uganda. Extensive papyrus swamps with labyrinth channels and lagoons, classified as an important bird area (IBA), it’s a home of multiple shoebills-Uganda’s most famous avian resident and the only representative in its family, is the amongst most sought-after birds in the whole African continent! It is only traced by canoeing through the channels with a wooden boat. Other likes of Mabamba include; papyrus gonolek, blue-breasted bee-eater, lesser Jacana, African Jacana, white-winged black tern, grey-headed gull, African skimmers, little egret, long-toed lapwing, spur-winged lapwing and a few more.

Accommodation: Forest Cottages or equivalent

Explore Entebbe Botanical Gardens, home to over 250 bird species like the great blue turaco and saddle-billed stork. Later, drive to Mabira Forest for more birding.

Accommodation: Griffin Falls Camp

The forest boasts over 350 bird species, and its diverse ecosystems provide a home for both forest and woodland birds. While on your birding tour in Mabira Forest Reserve, expect to spot birds such as the African grey parrot, Nahan's francolin, or the vibrant blue-throated roller, splendid glossy-starling, northern brown-throated weaver, slender-billed weaver, scaly francolin, green-backed heron, tawny-franked prinia, black and white-casqued hornbill, back kite, yellow-fronted tinkerbird, saddle-billed stork, open-billed stork, marabou stork, grey-caped warbler, pied crow, little egret, black-headed heron, cattle egret, spotted-backed weaver and many more.

Accommodation: Griffin Falls Camp

You'll enjoy birding in the morning at Mabira Forest to pick a few species that you could have missed on the previous day of birding. Later after breakfast, you'll drive straight to the Mount Elgon National Park area, and have a lunch break at Mbale town. Early arrivals will give you a chance to stroll around the lodge and pick a few species.

Accommodation: Home of Friends

You'll enjoy birding and wildlife viewing. Mount Elgon's forests are rich in birds, with a list of over 300 species. The park harbors 43 of the 144 species of Guinea–Congo Forests biome and 56 of the 88 species of Afro-tropical Highland biome that occur in Uganda. There are isolated records of the near-threatened species, the Taita falcon.

Accommodation: Home of Friends

Today morning, you will do limited birding around the lodge as you connect the Sipi Falls area for epic falls viewing and photography for those who are willing to. You'll have a lunch break at the Sipi Falls area before you transfer to the Pian Upe Game Reserve. Early arrival will give you a chance to pick a few species here before you report at the lodge.

Accommodation: Pian-Upe Bandas

You will wake up early for breakfast and start from the lodge birding into the park with the aid of an armed ranger guide. You'll be birding here for the whole day. The highlights of this park are not limited to fox's weaver (the only Ugandan endemic species), Karamoja Apalis, yellow-necked francolin, dark chanting gosh-hawk, rufous chatterer, Boran cisticola, and many other birds and mammals like elands, buffalos, cheetahs if you get chance for it. You'll have a hot lunch at the bandas.

Accommodation: Pian-Upe Bandas

Today, you will have both breakfast and lunch packed and drive to the Matheniko Reserve area. You will have breakfast as you pick some birds at the UWA headquarters compound. After breakfast, you will embark on serious birding in the park lookout for; straw-tailed, Eastern paradise, pin-tailed, steel-blue wydahs, chestnut sparrows, white-headed and red-billed buffalo weavers, and many other species. Mammals like lesser kudu and dik diks are also highlights of this park.

Accommodation: Kara-Tunga Safari Camp

Drive to Kidepo, stopping for birding along the way. Enjoy an evening game drive spotting birds like the foxy cisticola and mammals like zebras and elephants.

Accommodation: Apoka Rest Camp

Enjoy a morning birding session in Kidepo before heading to Gulu for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Acholi Inn

Drive to Kidepo, stopping for birding along the way. Enjoy an evening game drive spotting birds like the foxy cisticola and mammals like zebras and elephants.

Accommodation: Apoka Rest Camp

Take a detour to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for optional rhino tracking and birding. Have lunch and then drive to Entebbe Airport for your flight home.