19 Days Pearl Sampler Uganda Safari Tour
UGANDA THE PEARL SAMPLER:
SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAMMALS , BIRD WATCHING AND HIKING THE SLOPES OF Mt. RWENZORI.
Day 1: Pick up and drive to Entebbe Botanical garden, bird the area and the neighboring lake Victoria shores. Bird the rest of the day guided by your Bird Guide. Evening return. Meals and Accommodations on this day are not part of the package.
Day 2: Morning pick and start a spectacular drive to Murchison falls National Park arriving for Lunch After Lunch we will transfer to the
Magnificent Top of the falls where the Mighty Nile is forced into a seven Meter crevice to thunder 45 meters below in a series of cascades. The Nile can be viewed at different, we will bird the surrounding grasslands and woodlands, where we should encounter: Secretary-bird,
Black-chested Snake and Tawny Eagles, Red-throated Bee-eater, Sooty Chat, Northern and Southern Red Bishops and flocks of noisy Helmeted Guinea fowl. Overhead we have a chance of observing African White-backed Vulture Bateleur, Walberg’s Eagle and Black-shouldered Kite. A number of other garden birds should also come our way to include: Yellow-throated Greenbul, Red-winged Grey Warbler and
Purple-banded Sunbird…
Day 3 and 4: After an early morning breakfast, embark on a half day game drive on the northern bank of the river Nile. Escorted by game
ranger, you may opt for a game walk while trailing animals and studying animal spoors. Game in this area include Giraffe, Elephant, Harte best, Lion, Uganda Kob, Oribi and a variety of savannah and woodland birds. After lunch, take a Nile Cruise for game viewing at close quarters. This is a paradise of the Hippo and Crocodiles. Bird life should be rewarding where the Rocky outcrops should attract Rock Pratincole, African Pied Wagtail and mixed flocks of White-headed Sawing, Horus Swift and Rufous-breasted Swallows. A nearby outlook is reliable for Palm nut Vultures and African Harrier Hawks, when walking on a number of trails here, we should encounter lots of other species to include: African Pygmy Kingfisher, Heuglin’s Robin Chat and Yellow-throated Leaf love. During our stay we will also have an opportunity to visit the neighboring Pabidi Forest where upon forest hikes should reward us with a number of Primates,birds,butterflies and lots on unfamiliar plant species which our guide will explain. Primates resident in this forest include l’ hoestes, red colobus, blues, red tailed monkeys and gray cheeked mangabeys. The guide will provide detailed explanations, not only about primates, but also on all the forest flora and fauna and will ensure that our walk is both informative and enjoyable.
Day 5: Breakfast early enough, then transfer to Kibale Forest. Kibale is one of Uganda’s famous Ornithological paradise, we should be able to locate Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-billed Barbet, Grey-capped and White-winged Warblers, Great Blue Turaco, Blue-headed Coucal and Papyrus Canary. In the afternoon we will have another opportunity of birding and tracking Chimpanzees and a number of other primates in the
forest itself, our bird list should tick off Birds the Narina Trogon,
White-headed Wood hoopoe, Yellow-spotted Barbet and Black-capped Apalis. By sheer lunch we may see the rare Grey Parrots and other very secretive species that require degree of luck to find such as the Dusky and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Thick-billed and Cassin’s Honey guides, Nathan’s Francolin, Green-breasted and African Pittas. Dinner and over night at Ndali Lodge.
Day 6: After breakfast, we will checkout of our lodge with an intention o having a further opportunity to visit Kibale forest for a half day Primate
walk in search of chimpanzees and some what other dodgy birds and primates we might have missed the previous evening. On the walk, we may see the Black and white colobus monkey, Red tailed monkey, Baboon, Grey cheeked mangabeys and chimpanzee. Return to our lodge for a relaxed afternoon in preparation for the next day’s long drive to the Mountain Gorilla home.
Day 7: Drive to Bwindi through the western Corridor of Ishasha, Lunch Enroute. we will drive through Africa’s most spectacular scenery that should only be second to Switzerland. The Late afternoon should see us in Bwindi. Bwindi Forest offers some of the best forest birding in Africa. The campgrounds before the main track attract Black Sawing, Pettit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Black and White and African Blue Flycatchers, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Luhder’s Bush-shrike, Mountain Greenbul, Black-billed Weaver, Variable Sunbird and Grey-crowned Negrofinch. We will spend the rest of the evening at leisure in anticipation for the following day which of course should make up our Safari highlight as we track the Mountain Gorillas. Dinner and over night at the Bwindi Tented Camp.
Day 8 and 9: After breakfast and briefing by park ranger guides.
with our picnic lunches, we will start a 30 minutes – to 8 hours trek to find the Mountain gorillas with opportunities of birding on the way. The tracking starts at the area where the gorillas were the previous day. After a full hour with the gorillas, we will return to our Camp.
The next day should be spent with optional forest walks with birding and primate viewing.
If we choose to take the many tracks in the forest, we should end up at a waterfall, this trail is a reliable site for Red-throated Alethe, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher and Kivu Ground Thrushes. Other species recorded the main track on recent visits include Crested Guinea fowl,
Black and Cinnamon-breasted Bee-eaters, Bronze-napped Pigeon, Gabon and Elliot’s Woodpeckers… Dinner and Overnight.
Day 10: After breakfast, transfer to Mbarara arriving in time for
lunch at the Lakeview Hotel . Later head for Lake Mburo National Park. We enter the park through the Nshara gate, we will then enjoy n afternoon game drive along the Lakeshore track. This park, with its own eco system of game trails and cleared walkways is so rewarding in both Big game viewing, dry country birding and a taste of shore birds. The “Kigambara Loop” offers interesting guided lakeside walks where herds of zebra, Cape buffalo and eland, Oribi and Topi are easily approached. Along with a game drive, many visitors enjoy a boat trip on Lake Mburo. Self-guided nature trails are also available. Birdwatchers, will enjoy the more than 250 species of birds found in Lake Mburo including Papyrus Gonolek, Brown faced Lapwing. Carruther’s Cisticola, the extraordinary White winged Warbler and Bare-Faced-Go-Away bird. Return to Lake Mburo Tented Camp for candlelit dinners and first class service, all under canvas in the heart of the African Bush. In addition to un exhaustive array of Mammals, the bird will also include: Dwarf Bittern, Yellow-billed Duck, Nubian Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Spot-flanked and Black-collared Barbets, yet the seasonal marshland in the park will offer African Open bill, Sacred Ibis, Wattles Lapwing, and sometimes the African Water Rail, Greater Painted-snipe, Three-banded Plover and the
Malachite Kingfisher may also be encountered.
Day 11: We will have the entire day exploring the park. Dinner and over night at our Camp.
Day 12: We will drive out Lake Mburo Park driving to Queen Elizabeth National Park. In the early afternoon we will enjoy an enroute game viewing towards our Lodge. This afternoon game drive may reward us with views of lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, hyena and a variety of antelope species. Queen Elizabeth National Park ‘s diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Game drives in this park, with the massive Rwenzoris Mountains in its backdrop provides excellent opportunities to view a variety of African Big Game. After the afternoon excitement of Big game viewing we will check in at the Mweya Safari Lodge for Dinner and over night.
Day 13: During our stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park, we will Enjoy the unique boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and into lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos on the African continent and many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge. After the Boat cruise, we will embark on a drive on the northerly parts of the park along the Kasenyi track. This track should reward us with: African Moustache Warblers, Trilling and Croaking Cisticolas, Marsh Tchagra, Fawn-breasted and Crimson-rumped Waxbills. We will again have another opportunity to join in on an afternoon Boat cruise. This lunch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. All meals and over night at the Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 14: We will check out our lodge, game viewing enroute to the foothills of the mountains of the Moon. We will Check in at the Margarita Hotel for Lunch and overnight. The rest of the day shall be spent acclimatizing to the climate.
Day 15: Morning, transfer to Nyakalengija on to Ibanda and start your
5-6 hour Climb into the Mountains. You will climb through the thick vegetation arriving at the Nyabitaba Hut(2650metres) in the late evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Breakfast Early, then start a morning hike through the Kurt
Sharfer Bridge to marvel at the Mobuku River Confluence. A Climb through the Open Patches and Lobelia and the Heath Moss Forest before proceeding up to the John Matte Hut for overnight.
Day 17: Descend John Matte to Margheritta Hotel. Rest of the day at the Margheritta hotel.
Day 19: You will meet up with your driver and transfer to Kampala or Entebbe. Depending on the time available, we may visit the Mabamba swamp enroute to Kampala. The swamp is particularly important as a new site where the Gigantic Shoe Bill has been recorded recently. In addition we should see our last special birds that should include: The African Marsh Harrier, African Pygmy Goose, Black Crake, Purple Swamp hen, Allen’s Gallinule, African and more rarely Lesser Jacanas, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding and Carruther’s Cisticolas…We will then continue to Kampala or Entebbe. Accommodation and Dinner not part of the package
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