Mabamba Shoebill Watching Uganda

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
  
 Based on 26 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Piotr K 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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 
 
 
 
 Verified 
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!