DAY 1: ARRIVAL ENTEBBE

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and after finalising the formalities, our friendly guide will be there to welcome you and drive you to your hotel.

DAY 2: BIRDING IN MABAMBA SWAMP

After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Mabamba Swamp, 50kms west of Kampala. Do some birding en-route looking out for species such as the papyrus gonolek and white-winged warbler. Most of the birding here is done from a canoe as we look for the rare shoebill stork. Later in the afternoon, you will visit Kasenyi, a local fishing village, and take a walk into the market.

DAY 3: KAMPALA TO MURCHISON FALLS

After breakfast you'll leave Kampala, heading to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a walking safari to see white rhinos that have been re-introduced to Uganda. In the afternoon you will drive to the legendary Murchison Falls National Park.

DAY 4: MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Today, you will spend the whole day birdwatching in Murchison Falls National Park. Key species of this park include the shoebill stork, secretary bird, bat hawk, red-necked falcon, white-crested turaco, Egyptian plover, Bruce's pigeon, Pel's fishing owl and bar-breasted firefinch, among others. In the afternoon, you will cruise to the bottom of the falls, birding along the way, followed by a hike to the top of the falls.

DAY 5: DRIVE TO BUDONGO FOREST, BIRDWATCHING FROM THE ROYAL MILE

After breakfast you will drive to Budongo Forest for a birding experience in the famous Royal Mile. Common birds seen include white-thighed and black-and-white-casqued hornbills, yellow-spotted and yellow-billed barbets, western black-headed oriole, along with red-tailed and blue monkeys. Overhead, Sabine’s and sometimes Cassin’s spinetail soar over the clearings.

DAY 6: DRIVE TO KIBALE NATIONAL PARK – BIGODI SWAMP WALK

Today you will drive to Kibale National Park, passing many tea plantations as you go. Later in the afternoon you will have the chance for some birding in the Bigodi Swamp area, watching out for the scaly francolin, marsh tchagra, black-bellied seedcracker, green-backed twinspot, bicoloured mannikin, and the white-naped pigeon.

DAY 7: BIRDWATCHING & CHIMPANZEE TRACKING

Kibale National Park is home to more than 375 species of bird including the African pitta, green-breasted pitta, Afep pigeon, white-naped pigeon, crowned eagle, red-chested owlet andblack bee-eater, among others. You'll enjoy birding in the morning and later in the afternoon will embark on some chimpanzee trekking. The forest has a high density of primates with 13 species including the black and white colobus, blue monkey and grey-cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkey, bush babies and pottos.

DAY 8: BIRDWATCHING IN SEMLIKI NATIONAL PARK

After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to Semliki National Park. The forest hosts a number of typical bird species that are unique to Uganda such as the Nkulengu Rail, yellow-throated cuckoo, piping hornbill, and the red-billed dwarf hornbill among others.

DAY 9: QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK, BOAT RIDE

After breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park stopping at several birding hotspots along the way. In the afternoon you'll head out on a boat trip down the Kazinga Channel. This area offers stunning views of pink-backed pelican, saddle-billed stork, hamerkop, African spoonbill, yellow-billed stork, water thick-knee, African skimmer and migrant Paleo-Arctic shorebirds. You will have an evening game drive searching for Gabon and slender-tailed nightjars, as well as owls.

DAY 10: FULL-DAY GAME DRIVES AND BIRDWATCHING

Today you'll embark on a full-day safari exploring Mweya peninsular, watching out for the grey-headed kingfisher, African broadbill and brimstone canary as you go. During the drive on the famous Kasenyi Track, winding through grassland dotted with trees and nearby crater lakes along the road, you may find scaly francolin, red-necked spurfowl, a variety of plovers, harlequin and common button quail.

DAY 11: BIRDWATCHING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Today you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is a bird haven that's home to 348 species of birds, 90% of which are endemic to the Albertine rift. Species include the short-tailed, rusty facedm woodland and Grauer’s rush warblers, bar-trailed Trogon, Wilcock’s honeyguide and yellow-eyed black flycatcher, among others. An experienced birdwatcher can identify up to 100 species a day.

DAY 12: GORILLA TREKKING & BIRDWATCHING

This morning you will get up very early to go gorilla trekking to encounter mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The trek will take between 2 and 6 hours, but is well worth the effort. You will be led by an experienced ranger who will tell you interesting facts about flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the gorillas. After your trek, you will be able to do some additional birdwatching.

DAY 13: DRIVE TO LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK

Today, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park, birding as you go. The park's diverse habitats are home to 313 bird species including the flame-headed barbet, long-tailed zitting cisticola (tabora), collared barbet and binding bush singer.

DAY 14: BIRDWATCHING & BOAT RIDE

Today, you will enjoy a morning boat ride on Lake Mburo. The lake attracts various species including white-backed night heron, red-faced barbet, Cocqui francolin, green wood hoopoe, emerald spotted wood dove, papyrus gonolek, rufous-bellied heron and white-winged warbler, among others.

DAY 15: DRIVE TO ENTEBBE AND DEPART

You will have a morning nature walk after which you will start your journey back to Kampala, crossing the equator en-route. After lunch in Kampala you will depart for the airport to take your flight back home.