The Tanzania and Uganda Birding Endemics Birding Tour.
Highlight Birds
Shoebill, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Green-backed Woodpecker, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Lühder’s Bush-shrike, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Fire-crested Alethe, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Equatorial Akalat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, White-spotted Flufftail, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Secretarybird, Beesley’s Lark, Rock Pratincole, Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird,
Kori Bustard, Saddle-billed Stork, Black-lored Babbler, Meyer’s Parrot, Fischer’s Lovebird, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Green Hylia, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, Common Ostrich, Hadada Ibis, Ashy Starling, Superb Starling, Plain-backed Pipit, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Dusky Crimsonwing, Dusky Twinspot, Grauerʼs (African Green) Broadbill, Grauerʼs Rush Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Banded Prinia, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Long-tailed Cisticola, Trilling Cisticola, Chubb’s Cisticola, Swahili Sparrow, Papyrus Gonolek, Chapin’s Flycatcher,
Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Little Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul, Ross’s Turaco, Great Blue Turaco, Black-and-white-Casqued Hornbill, Woodland Kingfisher, Golden-winged Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Dwarf Honeyguide, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Woodhouse’s Antpecker, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, African Green Pigeon, Narina Trogon
Highlight Mammals and others
Leopard, African Lion, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Savannah Elephant, Maasai Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Nile Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile
Habitats covered
Savannah, Highland Forest, Wetlands, Semi-arid Scrubland, Equatorial Forest, Albertine Rift
Photographic opportunities
Excellent
Special moments
Nature Walks, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Endemic Birds, Bwindi, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria
DAY 1:ARRIVAL IN TANZANIA AT KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport and Transfer to the lodge in Arusha for overnight. Our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour will start in Tanzania’s tourism capital, Arusha.
On this day, if we have an early arrival, we may explore local attractions around Arusha. Otherwise, we can relax and enjoy the nice Arusha birds from our lodge.
DAY 2 AND 3:BIRDING AT LARK PLAINS
After eraly morning breakfast transfer to the Lark Plains seeking the endemic Beesley’s Lark. You will spend the morning birding here, then proceed to Tarangire in the afternoon.
Day 3:TRANSFERT TO TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
After Lunch at the selected Tourist Hotel/Restaurant proceed to Tarangire National Park you will make some strategic stop-overs to add some few species on the way. Soon, you will enter Tarangire, the land of Elephants and Baobab trees.
Big game will also be encountered as you bird. The local Acacia woodland is very graceful and full of birds. Here you will enjoy birding. After wards drive to the lodge to check in for overnight.
DAY 4LAKE MANYARA TO NGORONGORO HIGHLANDS
After early morning breakfast go for early morning Game drive combined with excellent birding. You will leave your hotel early, carrying picnic lunches. Then drive to Lake Manyara, a pristine soda lake in the Rift Valley near Tarangire. The local Baobab trees will illuminate your journey through this lowland region.
Here you will see lots of birds and during good time, lots of Flamingos are seen in the soda waters. The local game is mainly composed of monkeys. Others include Savannah Elephants, Lions and much more.
In the afternoon, you will carry on with your safari, and proceed to the Ngorongoro Highlands. Ngorongoro Crater is nestled in a pristine natural forest, full of beautiful indigenous trees where you will have your night there.
DAY 5:NGORONGORO CRATERS
After early Morning breakfast descend to the crater floor for more birding. The mighty Ngorongoro is an amazing place. It is known as one of the wonders of Africa; and a great site for our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour. Descending down the crater floor takes you through great scenery and you get to experience the local Euphorbia tree varieties. Many birds will be encountered in the crater.
Herds of wild animals are plenty inside the crater as well as wonderful views of the crater walls. Look out for the local Lions, Black Rhinos, Common Zebras, assorted Gazelles, Nile Hippos and Wildebeests and have a night at the lodge in Ngorongoro.
DAY 6 AND 7:TRANSFER TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
After early morning breakfast you will then head to Serengeti National Park; a highlight on all your Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tours. The journey to the park passes through the Ndutu Plains and welcomes you to Naabi Area; the beautiful locations where the annual Wildebeest migration starts, by thousands of females calving on these plains.
We shall spend time scouting the vast Serengeti as we enjoy birds and mammals. We shall spend time looking around some of the famous rock outcrops, often referred as Kopjes. Look out for animals such as Leopard, Cape buffalo, assorted Gazelles, Maasai Giraffe, Wildebeest, Common Zebras, Savannah Elephant and Lions.
Here you shall also get an opportunity to learn all about the famous migration and get to follow in the steps of the Wildebeests in a lovely Kopje, modelled to imitate the migration cycle with Nights in Serengeti.
DAY 8:TRANSFER FROM SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK TO ARUSHA
After early morning breakfast you will you will enjoy more birding in Serengeti all morning. Later, drive back to Arusha picking some extra birds on the way.
Hope to pick any species we missed earlier in Ngorongoro Conservation Area; as we transect through and arriving in Arusha late in the evening to check in at the lodge
DAY 9:FLY FROM KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO ENTEBBE
After breakfast relax at the lodge as you prepare to drive to Kilimanjaro Airport to fly to Uganda arriving at Entebbe International Airport where our ground Team will be ready to receive you. You will then transfer to your Hotel in Entebbe
BIRDING ENTEBBE BOTANICAL GARDENS
This afternoon, you will enjoy a bird walk at the Entebbe Botanical Gardens; adding several new species to your Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour list with a night in Entebbe.
DAY 10:MABAMBA SWAMP TO LAKE MBURO
On this day, our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour takes a trip to the famous Mabamba Swamp, a nice place to search for the Shoebill. Here we shall enjoy a boat trip, in a traditional canoe. The swamp is very productive and holds a huge variety of birds’ species. We may also be lucky to find the rare Sitatunga Antelope.
In the afternoon, we shall drive to Lake Mburo; as we enjoy more birding on the way. On this day, we shall also get to cross the Uganda section of the Equator on our way. On arrival, we shall start picking our first birds of this vast area until sunset.
DAY 11:LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
We shall enjoy game drives the entire morning as we score more birds that we may have missed the previous day. Nice mammals will also be abundant including Burchellʼs Zebra, Oribi, Cape Buffalo, Uganda Topi, Nile Hippo, Cape Eland, Vervet (Tantalus) Monkey, Olive Baboon and Impala.
This will add a great number of mammal species to our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour. We shall later enjoy a boat ride to score more birds across the water. We may also find some Nile Crocodiles here, as they reside around the lake shore.
Night at Lake Mburo.
DAY 12:BWINDI NATIONAL PARK- RUHIJA
We shall cruise through the vast farmlands and bushes that pattern our drive south to Bwindi. We may be lucky to come across the famous Ankole cattle, with their very evident and long horns. We shall then carry on to the upper region of the famous Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
This mighty forest provides a home for many birds, including a great number of Albertine Rift Endemic species. This area is often a highlight on our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour. We shall start picking these species this afternoon, on the higher slopes of Ruhija.
Nights in Ruhija.
DAY 13:BWINDI NATIONAL PARK- RUHIJA TO BUHOMA
On this day we shall enjoy birding around Mubwindi Swamp. We shall then drive from Ruhija to the nearby Buhoma area, through “the neck” region. The roadside birding here can be phenomenal; and we shall stop for any bird parties.
Night in Buhoma.
DAY 14:BWINDI NATIONAL PARK- BUHOMA (OPTIONAL GORILLA TREKKING)
We shall continue our birding on the lower Bwindi Forest at Buhoma; where we shall have a chance to score more species and add to our already growing list. We may also add some more mammals such as L’Hoest’s Monkey, Carruther’s Mountain Squirrel and Boehm’s Squirrel.
Those who would like to enjoy tracking the amazing Mountain Gorillas will have the opportunity on this day. This is a highlight for our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tours. The trek may take between two to eight hours, depending on how far the apes have travelled during the previous night.
Those who choose to enjoy birding all day will continue exploring the trails around Buhoma, seeking the local specials.
In the afternoon, we shall continue birding as one group.
DAY 15:TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
We shall start the day early and head towards the Ishasha region in southern Queen Elizabeth National Park; for our next leg of the Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour. This area is famous for the local tree-climbing Lions. We may be lucky to find these beautiful cats among an array of other big game and birds.
Later, we shall arrive at the main Queen Elizabeth National Park area, where more birds and mammals await us. Mammals to expect here include Uganda Kob, Nile Hippo, Lake Chad Buffalo, African Elephant, Leopard and Spotted Hyena.
Night at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
DAY 16:QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
We shall spend the day enjoying more game drives in this park. We hope to add more species that we missed the previous day.
In the afternoon, we shall enjoy a boat cruise along the famous Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George. Here many birds will be present and we shall take time to enjoy them.
Night at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
DAY 17:TO KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Leaving early, we shall head to Kibale Forest. We may still find some additional species as we exit Queen Elizabeth National Park. We shall stop on the way to enjoy any special birds we come across.
In the afternoon, we shall enjoy birding around Kibale Forest.
Night at Kibale.
DAY 18:KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK (OPTIONAL CHIMPANZEE TREKKING)
We shall enjoy birding the forest trails as we add species we may have missed the previous day. We shall also visit several wetlands around the forest including Sebitore Swamp and Bigodi Swamp.
For those who would like to enjoy tracking the amazing Chimpanzees; there will be an opportunity this afternoon. This is another major highlight on our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tours.
After the Chimpanzee trek, we shall rejoin as one group and continue with our birding walks.
We may also be lucky to find other mammals as we walk in the forest, such as the Central African Red Colobus, Guereza Colobus, Red-tailed Monkey, L’Hoest’s Monkey and Grey-cheeked Mangabey.
Night at Kibale.
DAY 19:KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK TO ENTEBBE
Continuing towards Entebbe, we shall keep an eye for more birds that we may not have seen on our Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour.
In the afternoon, we shall arrive in Entebbe. We shall then take our airport transfer for the evening flights home- marking the end to our lovely Tanzania and Uganda Birding Tour.
Highlight Birds
Shoebill, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Green-backed Woodpecker, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Lühder’s Bush-shrike, Many-coloured Bush-shrike, Fire-crested Alethe, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Equatorial Akalat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, White-spotted Flufftail, African Emerald Cuckoo, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Secretarybird, Beesley’s Lark, Rock Pratincole, Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird,
Kori Bustard, Saddle-billed Stork, Black-lored Babbler, Meyer’s Parrot, Fischer’s Lovebird, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Green Hylia, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, Common Ostrich, Hadada Ibis, Ashy Starling, Superb Starling, Plain-backed Pipit, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Dusky Crimsonwing, Dusky Twinspot, Grauerʼs (African Green) Broadbill, Grauerʼs Rush Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Banded Prinia, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Long-tailed Cisticola, Trilling Cisticola, Chubb’s Cisticola, Swahili Sparrow, Papyrus Gonolek, Chapin’s Flycatcher,
Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Little Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul, Ross’s Turaco, Great Blue Turaco, Black-and-white-Casqued Hornbill, Woodland Kingfisher, Golden-winged Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Dwarf Honeyguide, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Woodhouse’s Antpecker, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, African Green Pigeon, Narina Trogon
Highlight Mammals and others
Leopard, African Lion, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Savannah Elephant, Maasai Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Nile Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile
Habitats covered
Savannah, Highland Forest, Wetlands, Semi-arid Scrubland, Equatorial Forest, Albertine Rift
Photographic opportunities
Excellent
Special moments
Nature Walks, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Endemic Birds, Bwindi, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria
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