Top Bird Watching Destinations In Uganda To Visit In 2021

Uganda is typical bird-watching destination in East Africa, and our Uganda birding tours feature the country’s wide array of available birding spots, for every visitor to view some special bird species.

Just like Great Britain, Uganda’s unique geographical positioning in the Great Rift Valley makes the country a home of a bigger percentage of birds in Africa. The fresh waters, equatorial forests, Savannah, rivers, and crater lakes combined make Uganda the best home for over 1,060 species and you will be one of the lucky ones to view all the different species.

Mabamba wetland

Uganda has various birding sites and Mabamba swamp is one of them, it is located northwest of Entebbe town 40km from Kampala city on the edge of Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the home of numerous water birds. The swamp has a number of bird species that you would not want to miss out Mabamba wetland is one of the best places to do bird watching and here tourists view the exclusive shoe bill, the blue swallow and papyrus gonelek malachite kingfisher, pied kingfisher, black-headed heron, black kite, African open-billed stork, African jacana, lesser jacana, winding cist cola, Veillot’s black weaver, grosbeak weaver, black-headed weaver and African marsh harrier. Among others, .birds are easily spotted in the morning because they stand for longer hours waiting for their prey.

Tourists sighting birds can also enjoy other activities like boat ride. it gives a clear view of different bird species and also a beautiful view of Entebbe city, the fishermen and Lake Victoria.Have a safe trip with Uganda Car Rental Booking

Budongo forest

The forest is located in the north western part of Uganda. On road to Murchison falls national park, it lies at the edge of Albertine rift valley. Budongo forest has 360 bird species but Yellow-footed Flycatcher is only known from Budongo in Uganda, others include Sabine’s Spine tail, Cassin’s Spine tail(rare),Pygmy Crakes, Kingfishers( Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted, Dwarf), White-spotted Flufftail, Ituri Batis, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Brown Twinspot, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Crowned Eagle, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Forest Robin, Little Green Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Olive Green Camaroptera, Blue-throated Roller, African Pied , Piping, Black and White Casqued Hornbills, Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Cassin’s, African Shrike Flycatcher, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Carmaroptera and many others.

Murchison falls national park

The Murchison falls, Uganda’s largest national park is also home to over 450 recorded birds’ species including the rare shoe bill stork. The park is also home to 23 Alerting rift endemics given its location in the western arm of the east. The park is approximately 5 -6 hours and 283 km North West of Kampala capital city by road. Visitors accessing the park from Kampala can use Masindi town as the shortest route with approximately 85km to the park main gate. There numerous bird species in the park of which some are rare, common, and occasional and among these are  the Gray crowned crane, Giant Kingfisher, Giant Heron, Shoe bill stork, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Nightjars, Marabou stork, Black headed lapwing, Back-bellied Bustard among other.

Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth National Park settles on districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Bushenyi. The park can easily be accessed via Mityana – Mubende road as the shortest route with driving time between 5-6hrs.Uganda’s top birding spots. A place to over 600 bird species, the enthusiastic bird watcher is in for a major delight at the park. Some of the birds likely to grace your photographic memories include the; Sedge warbles, Papyrus canary, the martial eagle, Pink backed Pelican, Yellow throat-ed Cuckoo, and the Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, all which inhabit the park’s expansive grasslands, forests and wetlands. Do not miss the flamingos found at the Katwe and Bunyampaba salt lakes.

Kibale national par

Kibale forest National Park is approximately 300km and 5hrs from Kampala Capital city to the west. Some of the main points of interest close to the park is fort portal town which is the closest town to the park. Bigodi wetland could be another reason to stay longer at Kibale forest national park known for its welcoming and gracious bird watching wetland for the visitors interested in knowing and seeing more of birds of Uganda .Bigodi wetland is an ideal birding spot with a large population of birds including the elusive shoe bill

Lake Mburo national park 

The park is located in western Uganda, kiruhura district situated about 30 kilometers from Mbarara Lake Mburo national park has over 300 bird species at 260 square. Species observed at these location include the Rufous-bellied Heron, Bateleur, Coqui Francolin, Grey Crowned Crane, Black-bellied Bustard, Brown-chested Lapwing, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brown Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Ross’s Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Green Wood-hoopoe, Common Scimitar bill, White-headed Barbet, Red-faced Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Long-tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged Tit and Finfoot among others.

Rwenzori national park

The park is located in Kasese district western part of Uganda and it takes about 5 hours and a half to reach the park by road. Rwenzori Mountain National park has a total of 217 species of birds recognized There are many bird species to lookout for among which include:- Albertine Rift endemics like; Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Montane (Rwenzori) Nightjar, Dwarf Honey guide, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Kivu Ground Thrush, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Montane Masked and Collared Apalises, Stripe-breast Tit, Rwenzori Batis, (Grauer’s Cuckoo-shrike ), Blue-headed, Regal and Purple-breasted Sunbirds, Strange Weaver, Dusky and Shelley’s Crimson wings.

Mgahinga national park

 Mgahinga Gorilla national park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda. The park was gazetted in 1991 and lies in the Virunga Mountains which encompass three inactive volcanoes, Mount Muhabura, Mt. Gahinga and Mt. Sabyinyo.  It takes 510km on road from Kampala to the park. over 295 bird species and can be easily seen in the viruga mountains, the bird species include the Rwenzori Turaco, Crowned Hornbill, Black Kite and Crowned Crane, Handsome Francolin, Dusky Turtle Dove, Alpine Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Montane Double-collared Sunbird.

Semuliki national park

Bird watching is one of the greatest activities a tourist can do in Semuliki national park. The park is located in fort portal and it can take you only 4 to 5 hours on road from Kampala via Mubende. Semuliki is characterized by savannah grass land and the tropical forest which is a home to over 441 bird species, 144 guinea-Congo forest blome species, white tailed and the piging horn bill were recorded common in the park. While birding you may be able to spot other birds which include white-crested hornbill, red-billed dwarf hornbill, piping hornbill, yellow-throated nectar, great blue and Ross’s turaco.

Bwindi impenetrable national park

The park is located in southwestern Uganda. The park is known for harboring a lot of bird species which has made bird watching an exciting activity. Bwindi forest provides 348 bird species and many others such as the hornbill and the turacos, ameson’s Antpecker, Pink-footed Puff back Waller’s Starling, Crested Guinea fowl,Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo,Grey Crowned Crane,White-headed Saw-wing, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, African Olive-pigeon, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike, Cassin’s Flycatcher, Ruwenzori Batis.

Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi is also one of the best birding site in Uganda, it is located in Kisoro-Kabale the second deepest lake in east Africa and has lots of islands with almost 300 bird species. Tourists travel on canoes from one island to another watching the different bird species.

Panning to visit Uganda for a birding safari adventure, the above destinations are guaranteed to give you the best birding experience in Africa. Send us an email to info@ugandacarrentalbooking.com for more information.