Uganda Birding and Wildlife Safaris

One week Uganda birding Tour

Amazing birding and wildlife tours in uganda

Experience One Week Uganda Birding Tour

One week Uganda birding Tour- An extraordinary 7-day Uganda birding tour, a journey through diverse ecosystems teeming with vibrant avian life. Uganda, known as the "Pearl of Africa," boasts over 1000 bird species, making it a premier destination for birdwatchers worldwide. Our expertly designed one-week birding itinerary takes you to some of the country's most renowned birding hotspots, offering unparalleled opportunities to spot rare and endemic species, including the iconic Shoebill Stork. Get ready to explore lush forests, vast savannahs, and serene wetlands, all while experiencing the warm hospitality of East Africa.

Birding hotspots on this tour

  • Mabamba Swamp – Home to the Shoebill and many wetland birds.
  • Murchison Falls National Park – A mix of savannah and riverine habitats, rich in bird and animal life.
  • Budongo Central Forest Reserve – A prime location for forest birds, including the rare Ituri Batis.
  • Queen Elizabeth National Park – One of the most bird-diverse parks in the world.

Notable Bird Species You Might See

  • Shoebill (Mabamba & Murchison Delta)
  • Papyrus Gonolek
  • Goliath Heron
  • Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
  • Red-throated Bee-eater
  • Martial Eagle
  • African Skimmer
  • Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl
  • Secretarybird
  • White-winged Warbler
  • Broad-tailed Warbler
  • Fox’s Cisticola
  • Dwarf Kingfisher
  • Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
  • African Fish-Eagle

Tour Overview

One week Uganda birding Tour - Experience Uganda’s incredible birdlife and wildlife on this 7-day adventure. This tour takes you through key Important Bird Areas, including Mabamba Swamp, Murchison Falls National Park, Budongo Forest, and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Expect to see a variety of bird species, iconic African wildlife, and stunning landscapes.

One week Uganda birding Tour itinerary

One week Uganda birding Tour

Day 1: Mabamba Swamp & Transfer to Murchison Falls

Begin with a canoe trip at Mabamba Swamp, targeting the Shoebill. Other birds include Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, White-winged Black Tern, African Skimmer, Malachite Kingfisher, Spur-winged Lapwing, and Goliath Heron.

Drive to Murchison Falls National Park, with a stop in Luwero to see Ross’s Turaco and White-crested Turaco. At Kaniyo Pabidi, look for Green-breasted Kingfisher and Puvell’s Illadopsis. Visit the top of Murchison Falls for breathtaking views.

Overnight: Red Chilli Rest Camp

Day 2: Game Drive & Boat Safari to Bottom of the Falls

Morning game drive to see African Elephant, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Uganda Kob, and possibly a Leopard. Birding highlights include Red-winged Grey Warbler, Black-headed Gonolek, Banded Snake Eagle, Spot-flanked Barbet, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, and Black-bellied Bustard.

Afternoon boat safari on the Nile, looking for Hippos, Crocodiles, Goliath Heron, Egyptian Goose, Red-throated Bee-eater, and the Shoebill.

Overnight: Red Chilli Rest Camp

Day 3: Birding to the Delta Point & Transfer to Masindi

Morning birding drive to Albert Delta, looking for Shoebill, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Saddle-billed Stork, Red-necked Falcon, Vinaceous Dove, and Black-headed Lapwing.

Evening birding en route to Masindi.

Overnight: Masindi Hotel

Day 4: Budongo Forest – The Royal Mile

A full day at Royal Mile, an excellent forest birding site. Key species include Ituri Batis, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Firest Warbler, and Blue-throated Roller. Possible primate sightings include Chimpanzees.

Overnight: Masindi Hotel

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Drive through scenic landscapes with views of the Mountains of the Moon. Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s top birding destination with 612 species recorded. Special birds here include Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, African Crake, Common Buttonquail, Martial Eagle, and Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl.

Overnight: Engiri Game Lodge / Bush Lodge

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth NP – Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Tour

Morning game drive and birdwatching for Secretarybird, African Skimmer, Black-headed Gonolek, Broad-tailed Warbler, and Lesser Swamp Warbler.

Afternoon boat safari on Kazinga Channel, home to Hippos, Elephants, and Nile Crocodiles. Birding highlights include African Spoonbill, Striated Heron, Yellow-throated Longclaw, and White-winged Warbler.

Overnight: Engiri Game Lodge / Bush Lodge

Day 7: Return to Entebbe

Birding en route with chances of Palm-nut Vulture, Lizard Buzzard, Yellow-billed Kite. Stop for lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre and visit Kayabwe for souvenirs. Drop-off at Entebbe International Airport for your flight.

Day 7: Muko Swamp – Transfer to Kigali or Entebbe

After breakfast, drive 45 minutes to Muko Swamp, searching for Red-chested Flufftail, White-winged Warbler, and other species. Then, transfer to Kigali International Airport for your flight home. Alternatively, you can return to Entebbe International Airport

Tour price includes

  • Park fees for non-residents
  • All activities listed
  • Accommodation
  • Professional birding guide
  • Transportation
  • Airport transfers
  • Meals (as per itinerary)
  • Drinking water

Tour Price Does Not Include

  • International flights
  • Additional accommodation before/after the tour
  • Tips
  • Personal items (souvenirs, insurance, visas)
  • Government-imposed tax/park fee increases

Why Choose Our One Week Uganda Birding Tour?

  • Expertly Guided: Our tours are led by experienced local birding guides with extensive knowledge of Uganda's avifauna. They'll help you identify even the most elusive species.
  • Prime Birding Locations: We've carefully selected the best birding destinations in Uganda for a comprehensive and rewarding experience in just one week.
  • Comfortable Accommodations: Enjoy comfortable and strategically located lodges and accommodations that enhance your safari experience.
  • All-Inclusive Package: Our one-week birding tour typically includes transportation, accommodation, meals, park fees, and guiding services for a hassle-free adventure.
  • Small Group Sizes: We maintain small group sizes to ensure personalized attention and optimal bird viewing opportunities.
One Week Uganda Birding Tour

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Birder's Feedback

( What Our Satisfied Birders Are Saying! )


We're thrilled to have this amazing testimonial from Mr Jonathan and Bennett Nikkila (United States), who just returned from their unforgettable Uganda and Rwanda birding adventure with one of our most regarded bird guides, "Davis"

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Piotr K
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Fantastic birding with Davis Kibuga. The July birdwatching trip to Uganda exceeded my expectations, both in the number of birds and the diversity of species we observed. Kibuga Davis delivered the planned itinerary and also added several extra birding hotspots along the way, giving us the chance to see species that were not originally expected. When our plans had to change because the target birds were not found in Semuliki National Park, Kibuga quickly adapted the itinerary. Thanks to his flexibility, we were able to visit both Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park, making excellent use of the extra time. Forest birding is never easy, but Kibuga's outstanding knowledge, experience, and local network made the trip highly successful. The birds we saw were a direct result of his expertise and dedication. I highly recommend Kibuga Davis as a birding guide and tour organizer. He is professional, resourceful, and truly committed to helping his clients achieve their birding goals. I would happily join another trip with him.
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Bruce L
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Superb birding and wildlife experience in South East Kenya I have just returned to Nairobi after a 14-day birding tour of south east Kenya with Davis Kibuga of Wide Birding Eco Tours. It was my first ever birding tour, and covered the national parks of Amboseli, Tsavo west and east, the Taita and Shimba hills and coastal forests and estuaries around Watamu. It was hardcore birding, pre-dawn to sunset, catching a total of 311 bird species, but we also saw plenty of other African animals including five cats - lions, leopard, cheetah, caracal and serval. Often we had additional expert guides for specific regions, the highlights being John in the east and William at Arabuko Sokoke Forest, who located a cute pair of endangered Scops Owls. All of these guides, and Davis in particular, could identify birds from 100 metres away, direct you to them, and if the birds complied, gave you ample time to photograph them. It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend Davis and his friendly and professional team for a wildlife tour of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania or Rwanda. Certainly, if you are interested in the beautiful birds of east Africa, you should give Davis the opportunity to design the perfect tour
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Resort01539035623
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Northern Tanzania and Usambara birding We were really happy with our birding guide Isaac and driver Baraka on our recent 16 day trip to northern Tanzania and the Usambara mountains. Isaac was very patient and a great teacher for us on East Africa birds. As a birder he is highly experienced and his fieldcraft was outstanding. He knows lots of hotspots intimately and he knows where and how to locate lots of highly restricted east African endemics. We found him to be impressive technically, and he was very comfortable to discuss races and potential splits and lumps. We found Isaac to be a dedicated professional - he does not like us to miss anything. He also enjoys having fun as well and the banter with him and Baraka was a very positive part of the trip. Most importantly we found them to be very good company over a pretty intense 16 day trip. Summing up, I would recommend Isaac to any serious birder wanting to see Tanzania and other parts of east Africa too. Credit too to Davis for the overall coordination of the trip. Together you all gave us a marvellous experience that we will long cherish.
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Laurel S
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Fantastic solo birding afternoon! Wonderful! Davis was able to fit me in for a few hours of birding between when my plane landed and others in my group arrived with different plans in Uganda. I was so happy to be able to see and identify birds during my trip thanks to him! He was responsive, flexible and it was a great value. He is knowledgeable and fun to talk to. He really went the extra mile and spent more time to show me many different habitats and birds. I had hesitated to contact the company because they usually do long trips, but it turned out to be a good time for him and I was able to have a solo tour!
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Krista O
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Short but perfect solo tour After looking at a few options in East Africa for an unfortunately quick (5 night, 6 day) tour I could do in East Africa, I decided to go with Wide Birding Eco Tours. Davis was very quick to respond, and tailored a trip precisely to all my requests, managing to squeeze an incredible amount of locations into a very short time-span. He even switched up the tour en route after I gave him my list of hopefuls (which I should have done right from the start). We saw nearly all my hoped for birds, with some actually pretty impossible :) , and picked up the main big ones you hope to see going to western Uganda for such a short time. Davis was the perfect combination of friendly and also giving me my own space, and was accommodating about my desire to not use playback. We had a few local guides (in Budongo, Kibale, and Semulike) that were obvious specialists to their areas, and the food & accommodation were all fantastic.
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Rebeccakwchau
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400 Bird Species, Gorillas, and Great Memories: Our 14-day Uganda Tour Our group of five birders joined a 14-day private birding tour that also included gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. We were thrilled to see over 400 bird species, and the gorilla encounter was unforgettable — it came within just two metres of us! We are very satisfied with Alex, our bird guide. He is exceptionally professional and deeply passionate about Uganda’s birds. The birding route was very well planned and easy to follow, even for the three members of our group who are over 70 years old. The accommodations were excellent, meeting Western standards, and the food was consistently good with Western-style menus. All the birding sites felt completely safe. We highly recommend their tours to anyone interested in birding and wildlife in Uganda.
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Y2438NTstephenb
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ULTIMATE Uganda Birding Tour I had an amazing birding tour led by my guide Davis Kibuga exceeding our 600 species goal! My full trip report can be seen on ebird. Davis was incredible, his enthusiasm, professionalism and birding knowledge was outstanding. Always going the extra mile to find that target bird. His network of experienced local guides helped to ensure that we maximised our time finding those elusive specials ! His excellent 4x4 ensured that we were able to access all areas even those where roads were non existent. In keeping with my requirements we stayed in the main at locally owned and run guest houses or community lodges. These were budget friendly, clean comfortable with good quality simple home cooked meals. I would strongly recommend Davis to anyone looking for an exemplary guide who is dedicated to delivering an unforgettable tour.
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Alain M
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10 days Birding Tour and mammals The communication for planning the tour was easy. Payments of the birding tour were tracked by invoices. Excellent value for money included the community lodges which offered a different perspective of the country. The planed itinerary (10 days) was followed, the lodges were good to very good and the food was always excellent. The guide Alex was excellent to detect all birds and mammals. Despite some issues with the car at the beginning of the tour we had an unforgettable 10 days birding tour with the team of Wide birding Eco Tour Akuna matata with Davis and Wide birding Eco Tour
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Edmund S
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2 week birding and wildlife trip to South-West Uganda My wife and I enjoyed a great 2-week trip with Davis in January 2026. The trip was about 50% serious birding and 50% other wildlife, such as Gorillas, Chimpanzees and various general safaris, day and night. Davis spent time on Teams meetings with us months before the trip to make sure everything was what we wanted. He took all of our requests into account and was flexible on the ground in Uganda also. Davis knows everybody in Uganda and is liked by everyone! This has enormous advantages, such as him being able to fix it so we got to see one of the better Gorilla groups with 13 individuals 2 silverbacks and some babies. It was very nice to be welcomed wherever we went, as everyone is happy to see Davis again. From a birding point of view, Davis arranges local specialists at each site: Raymond at Budongo, Perez at Kibale, Amos at Ruhija and Goodwin at Mgahinga. Their extreme expertise on their home patch made a considerable difference. Davis is excellent company, has a good sense of humour and is a great Mr Fix-it with the inevitable trouble-shooting required on a trip like this. On top of all this, everything was done at a very competitive price in pleasant accommodation with good food throughout. 10/10 and highly recommended.
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marctravel2018
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Outstanding birding in Uganda with Davis Kibuga and Wide Birding Eco Tours — highly recommended! We have recently returned from an incredible 16-day birding trip with Wide Birding Eco Tours Uganda. We can highly recommend our guide, Davis Kibuga. From our very first enquiry and throughout the trip, his professional demeanour put us instantly at ease, and this continued for the entire journey. His knowledge of Uganda’s birds is truly exceptional. His ability to identify calls and locate species before we even knew they were there was remarkable. What stood out most was Davis’s helpfulness and dedication — requests for earlier-than-usual morning starts, changes in accommodation, and other adjustments were never too much trouble. He was always enthusiastic, professional, and passionate about sharing Uganda’s natural wonders with us. We also travelled in a comfortable LandCruiser, well suited for birding, and appreciated having a cooler on board, which was a welcome touch on long days in the field. If you are planning a birding trip to Uganda, we strongly recommend using the services of Wide Birding Eco Tours and Davis Kibuga. What an amazing experience!

WIDE BIRDING ECO TOURS

The Unflappable Team


Birding Tours in Africa: Our team of highly skilled safari specialists serves as our local tour guides based throughout the East African region. We work with well-trained and experienced guides who are not only authentic and professional but also bring a passionate touch to your safari.