12 Day Uganda &Rwanda Birding Safari /Gorillas &Birds
Uganda is one of Africa’s most extraordinary destinations a country that holds more bird species than the entire North American continent, shelters half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, and protects some of the continent’s most ancient forests. Paired with Rwanda’s misty highlands and legendary Nyungwe Forest, this 12-day Uganda Rwanda Birding safari is an experience that stays with you long after you return home. From papyrus swamps to volcanic hillsides, from chimpanzee country to gorilla forest, every day of this journey delivers something genuinely unforgettable.
Brief itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Day 2: Mabamba swamp Birding excursion.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest national park
Day 4: Kibale forest birding
Day 5: Bigodi wetland sanctuary
Day 6: Transfer to queen Elizabeth national park.
Day 7: Ishasha sector and transfer to Bwindi.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi and do bird watching.
Day 9: gorilla trekking and transfer to Kigali
Day 10: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park.
Day 11: Morning bird watching and canopy walk
Day 12: Drive to Kigali and fly out.
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Your Uganda adventure begins at Entebbe International Airport, beautifully set on the shores of Lake Victoria. A guide meets you on arrival, welcomes you then briefs you about the 12 days Uganda Rwanda Birding safari and transfers you to your lake shore accommodation.
Entebbe is a relaxed, leafy town a perfect gentle introduction to East Africa. If time allows, a short stroll through the nearby botanical gardens rewards early arrivals with kingfishers, sun birds, and grey-crowned cranes.
The cool breeze off Lake Victoria sets a peaceful tone for the journey ahead. Settle in, enjoy a lakeside dinner, and rest well. Tomorrow the birding begins.
Day 2: Mabamba Swamp Birding Excursion
An early morning drive brings you to Mabamba Swamp, one of the world’s best places to find the iconic shoebill stork. You board a flat-bottomed canoe and glide silently through channels of papyrus reed, scanning for this prehistoric-looking giant. The swamp is alive with birds African jacana, malachite kingfisher, purple heron, and the rare papyrus yellow warbler are all regulars here.
The experience of drifting quietly through the reeds as dawn breaks is deeply atmospheric. After your swamp excursion, return for a late breakfast before an afternoon in the Entebbe Botanical Gardens. A rewarding and unforgettable day on the water.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Today you drive west through Uganda’s beautiful rolling interior toward Kibale Forest National Park. The journey takes five to six hours, passing through tea plantations, crater lake districts, and small colourful market towns. Kibale protects one of Africa’s finest rainforests and hosts the world’s highest density of primates, including Uganda’s largest chimpanzee population.
Over 375 bird species have been recorded here, including six Albertine Rift endemics. Arrive at your forest lodge in the late afternoon and settle in with the sounds of the forest all around you. The Rwenzori Mountains loom to the west on clear evenings.
Day 2: Mabamba Swamp Birding Excursion
An early morning drive brings you to Mabamba Swamp, one of the world’s best places to find the iconic shoebill stork. You board a flat-bottomed canoe and glide silently through channels of papyrus reed, scanning for this prehistoric-looking giant.
The swamp is alive with birds African jacana, malachite kingfisher, purple heron, and the rare papyrus yellow warbler are all regulars here. The experience of drifting quietly through the reeds as dawn breaks is deeply atmospheric. After your swamp excursion, return for a late breakfast before an afternoon in the Entebbe Botanical Gardens. A rewarding and unforgettable day on the water.
Day 4: Kibale Forest Birding and Chimpanzee Tracking
This is an amazing day for your 12 days Uganda Rwanda Birding safari : Rise early for chimpanzee tracking with experienced ranger guides . Following the troop through the forest and spending an hour in their company is a genuinely thrilling experience.
The afternoon is dedicated to forest birding along Kibale’s network of trails. Target species include the dazzling African pitta, black bee-eater, African broadbill, and Nahan’s francolin. Expect to see monkey species such as Red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus overhead Your specialist birding guide tailors the walk to your wish list. It is a full, rich, deeply satisfying day in one of Africa’s finest forests.
Day 5 : Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Today’s drive south takes you from Kibale through the Rwenzori foothills and down into the floor of the Albertine Rift. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most celebrated wildlife destinations, combining savannah, wetland, forest, and volcanic crater lakes within a single sweeping landscape.
The park is home to lions, elephants, leopards, hippos, buffalo, and over 600 bird species. Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon and take in your first views of the famous Kazinga Channel. Sunset over the water with hippos grunting in the shallows and fish eagles calling overhead is one of Uganda’s signature scenes.
Day 6 :morning game drive and evening boat cruise.
Day 7: Ishasha Sector Game Drive and Transfer to Bwindi
The remote Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth Park is famous for one extraordinary phenomenon: lions that climb trees. This morning’s game drive takes you across open golden plains dotted with ancient wild fig trees, searching the branches for these magnificent and unusual cats.
Uganda kob graze in large herds across the grassland, topi stand on termite mounds, and giant forest hogs cross the road with unhurried confidence. After the game drive, you continue south as the landscape transforms dramatically dry savannah giving way to dense, layered green as you climb toward Bwindi. Arrive at your lodge on the forest edge as evening falls.
Day 8: Bwindi (Birding in Bwindi Swamp)
12 Days Uganda Rwanda birding safari : Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa’s most ancient forests over 25,000 years old. Today is devoted to birding at Mubwindi Swamp, arguably the finest single birding site in all of East Africa.
Target species include the globally rare African green broadbill, Shelley’s crimsonwing, Grauer’s rush warbler, bar-tailed trogon, and Chapin’s flycatcher. Bwindi holds 23 Albertine Rift endemics cmore than any other single location in the region. Your specialist forest guide navigates by ear as much as by eye, knowing exactly where each species prefers to hide. A landmark day for any serious birder.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking and Transfer to Kigali
This is the day that defines the journey. After an early briefing at park headquarters, you follow experienced trackers into the forest in search of one of Bwindi’s habituated mountain gorilla families. The trek can take anywhere from one hour to a full day depending on the gorillas’ movements. When you find them, you spend one extraordinary hour in their presence watching a silverback move through the undergrowth, a mother nurse her infant, juveniles tumble in play. Fewer than 1,100 mountain gorillas remain on earth. After trekking, you cross into Rwanda and drive to Kigali, arriving in the late afternoon. A day unlike any other.
Day 10: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
This morning you leave Kigali and drive southwest through Rwanda’s spectacular terraced hillsides toward Nyungwe Forest National Park. One of Africa’s oldest montane rainforests, Nyungwe has been growing continuously for over 70,000 years and is the source of the longest branch of the Nile River. The drive takes four to five hours, with a beautiful lunch stop at Lake Kivu one of Africa’s Great Lakes, set in a volcanic landscape of extraordinary beauty. Arrive at your forest lodge in the mid-afternoon and listen to Angola colobus monkeys crashing through the canopy above your room. The forest here feels ancient, alive, and deeply wild.
Day 11: Nyungwe Morning Birding and Canopy Walk
Begin early with a guided birding walk through Nyungwe’s trail network before the canopy walkway opens. The forest holds over 300 species, including 29 Albertine Rift endemics the highest concentration of any forest in Africa.
The Rwenzori turaco, red-throated alethe, grauer’s warbler, and strange weaver are among the sought-after targets. The canopy walk itself is one of Rwanda’s signature wildlife experiences a series of suspension bridges that carries you 50 metres above the forest floor, with unobstructed views across an endless green horizon. Angola colobus monkeys swing casually through the branches below your feet. A truly magnificent final full day in the wild.
Day 12: Drive to Kigali and Fly Out
After a final breakfast with the forest sounds all around you, take one last walk along the tree line before loading up for the return drive to Kigali. The four-to-five-hour journey gives you time to reflect on everything you have experienced over the past twelve days. You may wish to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial on arrival a profoundly important site that provides essential context for understanding modern Rwanda’s remarkable story. Transfer to Kigali International Airport for your international departure, carrying with you memories of ancient forests, rare birds, and the eyes of a mountain gorilla that looked back at you and knew exactly what you were.
Tour inclusions
A professional English speaking guide
A comfortable 4×4 safari vehicle
A gorilla permit
Birding fees
A Chimpanzee permits
all activities specified above
Tour exclusions
International fights
Tips and laundry
Any items not specified on the itinerary
personal items like souvenirs