Tour UG15: Butterflies in Uganda (17 Days)
Tour UG16: Birding in Uganda (8 Days)
Tour UG17: Bird watching in Uganda (15 Days)
Tour UG18: Best forest birding (20 Days)
Although Uganda is about the size of Britain, it has more than 1,000 bird species recorded, making it possibly the richest African birding destination - with over half the number of birds in the whole of Europe combined. Its location near the East African savannah, the Central African rainforest and the semi-desert of the north gives it a remarkable diversity.
Among these are many special birds, such as the shoebill and numerous spectacular endemics of the Albertine Rift Valley. Merit vacations' special itinerary, accompanied by one of our experienced guides, centred on Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Mgahinga, aims to let birders see over 500 species as well as other wildlife. (Gorilla tracking is possible at Bwindi and Mgahinga but requires a supplement to be paid at time of booking.) In Murchison Falls over 450 species have been recorded. Key species include the shoebill, secretary bird, bat hawk, red-necked falcon, Heuglin’s francolin, Denham’s bustard and Senegal thick-knee. In Kibale Forest 320 species of birds have been recorded including the Yellow-spotted nicator, Yellow rumped tinkerbird, Little greenbul, Green breasted pitta, the African pitta, the Crowned eagle and the Black bee-eater as well as various wetland species in Bigodi/Magombe wetlands nearby. In Queen Elizabeth National Park over 500 species of birds have been recorded. Key species include shoebill, martial eagle, black bee-eater, white-tailed lark, white-winged warbler and papyrus gonolek. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in Bwindi including several Albertine rift endemics – red-throated alethe, Archer’s robin-chat, Kivu ground thrush and montane masked apalis. Over 180 species of birds have been recorded in Mgahinga, including the Rwenzori touraco and the handsome francolin.
