8 Days Murchison Falls & Budongo Forest

Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest boast rich avifauna, with over 460 bird species and 76 mammal species due to a wide range of habitats.

  • Birding Entebbe Botanical Gardens
  • Birding The Nile Delta in Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding Game Drive in the Northern Bank of Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding Nature Walk in Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding Boat Cruise on the Victoria Nile in Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding Game Drive in the Southern Bank of Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding Budongo Forest Reserve in Murchison Falls National Park
  • Birding the Royal Mile Trek
  • Game Viewing drive In Murchison Falls National Park
  • Visiting the top of the Fall
  • Game Viewing Boat Cruise In Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest boast rich avifauna, with over 460 bird species and 76 mammal species due to a wide range of habitats. It is certain that the bird species list is incomplete and many more can be expected with more intensive research. The destination is a home to 20 species from three non-qualifying biomes and 6 species of the Afro-tropical Highlands, 11 species of Guinea-Congo Forests, and 3 of the Somali–Masai biome. Some other bird species include Marabou Stork, Secretary Birds, Black-bellied Bustards, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Open-billed Storks and Francolin, Hornbills, Grey heron, Widow Bird Giant, and Malachite Kingfishers, Hamerkop, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers Crombecs and Warblers, Shrikes Flycatchers, the riverbanks are also home to ducks, stilts, geese, and plovers. The Giant, Pied, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, Malachite, Stripped, Woodland and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, Lesser Striped Swallow, Ethiopian Swallow, Angola Swallow, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-chested Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Black Scimitarbill, and much more inclusive of mammal species like the lions, elephants, buffalos, antelopes and chimpanzees and other primates in Budongo forest.

Day 1 – Arrival and Bird Watching Transfer to the Hotel

On this day, Arken Safaris Africa bird guide will pick you from the airport to your hotel for the briefing about 8 Days Birding Murchison Falls and Budongo Forest in Uganda, depending on your arrival time at Entebbe, we set off for bird watching Entebbe botanical gardens.

Day 2 – Uganda Birdwatching Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

After your breakfast, we set to a bird-watching transfer to Uganda’s largest National Park. We stop at Kabalega dinners for lunch then continue with the journey to the top of the scenic falls.

Day 3 – Whole Day Birding on a Game Drive Murchison Falls National Park

We have an early morning breakfast at the lodge then go birding on a game drive, we take the best trails, and to the Nile delta, we bird. We carry picnic packed lunch with us so we shall waste no moment if we are to spot a bigger number of savanna bird species alongside other wildlife. Among the many species you should expect include; The Giant, Pied, Malachite, Stripped, The Secretary Bird, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Lesser Striped Swallow, Woodland, and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, Ethiopian Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-chested Swallow, Angola Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Whinchat, Common Redstart, Pied Wheatear, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Isabelline Wheatear, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and the Black and Penduline Tits, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, Nubian Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Cardinal Woodpecker, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Green Wood Hoopoe, a number of Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Black Scimitarbill, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Warblers, Bee-eaters and so forth.

Day 4 – Bird Nature Walk and Launch Cruise Safari in Uganda

Wake up early, bird on foot with a game ranger for the early and late morning active birds. We get back to the hotel for lunch then take a launch cruise to the bottom of the falls. Here, your list should include; The Shoebill Stork, Little Grebe, Great White, and the Pink-backed Pelicans, Red-knobbed Coot, African Water Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, African Crake, Black-crowned Crane, Southern Pochard, The Egyptian, African Pygmy, and the Spur-winged Gooses, Storks like; the Saddle-billed, Open-billed, Abdim’s, White, Yellow-billed, Marabou, and the Woolly-necked, the Little and Dwarf Bitterns, Night Heron, Black Heron, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Green Backed Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Cormorants, the African and Eurasian Spoonbills, the Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Jacana, African Finfoot, Painted Snipe, Wattled Plover the list is very long.

Day 5 – Birding Game Drive and Transfer to Budongo Forest

Drive through to Budongo Forest.

Day 6 – Birding Tour in Budongo Forest Reserve

Here is a Prolific birdlife with two species on residents to this forest and not elsewhere in the whole of east Africa, 144 species Guinea-Congo Forests biome,10 of the 22 species of Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome and 93 of the that occurs in Uganda have been recorded at this site. Rare species to catch here will include the Nahan’s Francolin, and Puvel’s Illadopsis, the Chocolate–Backed Kingfisher, White-headed Saw-wing, Little Crake, Yellow-billed Barbet, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, White Wagtail, Black-eared Ground-Thrush, African Paradise Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Lemon-bellied Crombec, African Moustached Warbler, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Green-backed Eremomela, African Citril, African Golden-breasted Bunting, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Black-crowned Waxbill, Black-billed Bluebill, Black-winged Red Bishop, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Black-necked Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Compact Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Purple-headed Starling, Splendid Starling, Purple Starling, Northern Puffback, Isabelline Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Tropical Boubou, and many more.

Day 7 – Bird Watching Transfer to Entebbe

We bird-watching transfer Entebbe for the last night on your 7 days Uganda bird watching safari.

Day 8 – Departure

End of Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest safari.