Ken Cross – May, 2014 Kenya-Uganda Birding Trip
OVERVIEW
This tour is designed to visit many of
the great birding and natural history locations in Kenya and Uganda. The sites
visited are selected for their birds and mammals and we should see an excellent
variety of birds, perhaps 500 plus species and approximately 50 species of
mammals, including such iconic species as Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Zebra, Buffalo, Mountain Gorilla and
Chimpanzee – to name a few. We will also pause for other animal species such as
reptiles, amphibians and butterflies while we visit many of the region’s
National Parks. In addition, as we travel through this varied countryside we
will, no doubt, encounter and experience many of the unique human cultures of
East Africa.
This will be a great bird trip plus an
outstanding natural history safari that will show us much of East Africa’s
scenery and biodiversity as well as providing many opportunities to learn and
reflect about the region’s history and culture. This is not a twitching trip
that aims at seeing every bird nor every endemic however we will visit many of
the best birding sites and we will see an outstanding variety of species.
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| Lion in the Mara |
THE REGION
Kenya –Kenya can justifiably be
described as a mecca for birders with over 1000 species recorded.
Kenya is similar to Texas in size and has
an estimated population of 32 million. The climate varies from warm and humid
along the coast and in the Lake Victoria basin, cool and humid in the central
highlands and hot and dry in the north and east. The terrain has low plains
rising to the central highlands bisected by the Great Rift Valley which runs
the length of the country from Lake Turkana in the north to Lake Natron on the
southern border with Tanzania. In the west, the land drops to the Nyanza
plateau which surrounds the Kenyan sector of Lake Victoria. The land elevation
is from sea level to the highest point Mount Kenya at 5,199 m, the second
highest peak in Africa. Kenya’s vegetation is as diverse as its climate and
topography would suggest and includes alpine moorland, grasslands, montane forests,
coastal forest, thorn bushland and woodland, semi-desert, wetlands and mangrove
swamps. The official languages are English and Kiswahili.
Uganda – Uganda, too, has over 1000 bird
species recorded. The country’s rich biodiversity results from its variety of
habitats and varied altitude ranging between the lowest point, Lake Albert at
621m and the highest point, Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley at 5,110 m. Uganda
has two wet and dry seasons each year and the climate is modified considerably
by the elevation above sea level. The south of the country has two rainfall
peaks in April - May and October - November. This pattern however becomes less
marked towards the North. The vegetation of Uganda includes Sudanian thicket
grasslands, mountain and bamboo forests, heath and moorland on the mountains,
lowland forest patches in the south-west and extensive wetlands in the Nile
Valley and Lake Victoria basin.
SUMMARY*
Day 1: 04-May-14 Arrive Nairobi Overnight
at Hotel Boulevard
Day 2: 05-May-14 Nairobi National Park Overnight at Hotel Boulevard
Day 3: 06-May-14 Olorgesailie Overnight at Hotel Boulevard
Day 4: 07-May-14 Nairobi - Gatamaiyu Forest- Nakuru Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge
Day 5: 08-May-14 Lake Nakuru National Park- Lake Baringo Overnight at Soi Safari Lodge
Day 6: 09-May-14 Lake Baringo Overnight at Soi Safari Lodge
Day 7: 10-May-14 Lake Baringo - Lake Naivasha Overnight at Lake Naivasha Country Club
Day 8: 11-May-14 Lake Naivasha Overnight at Lake Naivasha Country Club
Day 9: 12-May-14 Lake Naivasha - Masai Mara National Reserve Overnight at Mara Sentrim Tented Camp
Day 10: 13-May-14 Masai Mara National Reserve Overnight at Mara Sentrim Tented Camp
Day 11: 14-May-14 Masai Mara National
Reserve Overnight
at Mara West Tented Camp
Day 12: 15-May-14 Mara West - Kisumu Overnight at Victoria Comfort Inn
Day 13: 16-May-14 Kisumu - Kakamega Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre
Day 14: 17-May-14 Kakamega Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre
Day 15: 18-May-14 Kakamega Forest - Entebbe, Uganda Overnight at Central Inn, Entebbe
Day 16: 19-May-14 Entebbe - Mabamba Swamp - Lake Mburo National Park Overnight at Mburo Safari Lodge
Day 17: 20-May-14 Lake Mburo National Park Overnight at Mburo Safari Lodge
Day 18: 21-May-14 Lake Mburo National Park- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Overnight at Trekker's Tavern
Day 19: 22-May-14 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Overnight at Trekker's Tavern
Day 20: 23-May-14 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Overnight at Silverback Lodge
Day 21: 24-May-14 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Queen Elizabeth National Park Overnight at QE Bush Camp
Day 22: 25-May-14 Queen Elizabeth National Park Overnight at QE Bush Camp
Day 23: 26-May-14 Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kibale Forest National Park Overnight at Chimps' Nest
Day 24: 27-May-14 Kibale Forest National Park Overnight at Chimps' Nest
Day 25: 28-May-14 Kibale Forest NP - Masindi Overnight at Masindi Hotel
Day 26: 29-May-14 Budongo Forest - Royal Mile - Masindi Overnight at Masindi Hotel
Day 27: 30-May-14 Masindi - Murchison's Fall National Park Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge
Day 28: 31-May-14 Murchison's Fall National Park Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge
Day 29: 01-Jun-14 Murchison's Fall National Park - Entebbe
* Hotels named are indicative only – accommodation may be in alternate similar accommodation.
Map showing approximate route
of Kenya / Uganda Tour [from Google maps]
Key
A / C = Nairobi Kenya
B = Olorgesailie, Kenya
D
= Lake Nakuru, Kenya
E = Lake Baringo, Kenya
F
= Lake Naivasha, Kenya
G = Maasai Mara, Kenya
H = Kisumu, Kenya
I = Jinja, Uganda
J = Lake Mburu National Park, Uganda
K = Bwindi Impenetrable NP,
Uganda
L = Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda
M = Kibale Forest Reserve, Uganda
N = Masindi, Uganda
O = Murchison Falls NP, Uganda
P = Entebbe International Airport
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DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive
Nairobi
Welcome to Nairobi, our gateway to Kenya
and East Africa. Our flights will arrive early and we will have an opportunity
to visit the Nairobi museum and / or to do some introductory birding near to
our accommodation: most likely the Nairobi Arboretum. Meals
for today remain at participants’ expense.
Overnight at Hotel
Boulevard
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| Crowned Crane |
Day 2:
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi is very lucky to have a National
Park on its doorstep that has a truly exceptional avifauna – over 500 species! Our
first full day in Kenya will be spent exploring this park. Expect to see some
hundred bird species and some great mammals.
Much of the park is grassed savanna with
scattered Acacia bushes so expect to view grassland bird species such as
Cisticolas, Widowbirds, Pipits, Larks and Longclaws. Common wetland species
plus some soaring raptors will also be encountered.
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| Secretary Bird |
We will see our first big game such as
Common Zebra, Giraffe, Impala and Buffalo. The park also boasts both species of
Rhino; White and Black. Small mammals such as Hyrax, Vervet and Blue Monkey may
also be seen.
Overnight at Hotel
Boulevard
Day 3: Olorgesailie
Today we have a full day trip driving
and birding down the rift valley to Olorgesaille where we have the option to visit
a small museum. Olorgesailie is a
Paleolithic archaeological site, noted for the large number of Acheulean hand
axes, associated with animal butchering, discovered there. These tools were
made by hominids between about 600,000 and 900,000 years ago along what was
then the shore of a now dried-up lake. Fossils of various animals have also
been found, including those of extinct species of hippo, elephant, zebra,
giraffe, and baboon. The museum interprets these artifacts.
The drive, through a variety of semi
arid habitats, should reward us with a variety of dry-land bird species such as
Cut Throat, Blue-capped Cordon-Bleu, Northern Crombec, Banded Parisoma,
White-bellied Canary, Crimson-rumped Waxbill,Grey Wren Warbler, Taita Fiscal,
Von der Decken's Hornbill, Fischer's Sparrow-Lark,Grey-headed Silverbill,
Grey-capped Social-Weaver, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Straw-tailed Whydah, Tiny
Cisticola, Crested Francolin, Spot-flanked& Black-throated Barbet,
Yellow-breasted Apalis, Eastern Violet-backed, Beautiful & Scarlet-chested
Sunbird, among many more.
Overnight
at Hotel Boulevard
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| Yellow-billed Hornbill |
Day 4:
Nairobi - Gatamaiyu Forest- Nakuru
Today we leave Nairobi and we aim west
for the Rift Valley where we will stay at a lodge near the town of Nakuru.
Enroute we will visit two main birding sites; Manguo Ponds and Gatamaiyu
Forest.
Manguo Ponds is a good birding spot
en-route to the Gatamaiyu Forest and it has a wide variety of waterfowl such as
the Yellow-billed, White-faced Whistling & Maccoa Duck, Little Grebe, Red-billed
& Hottentot Teal, Red-knobbed Coot,
Grey &Black-headed Heron, African Spoonbill and Long-tailed
Cormorant. Resident waders such as Black-winged Stilt, Blacksmith Plover and
Three-banded Plover are regularly recorded.
Gatamaiyu Forest is a central highland
mid-elevation forest and, as such, boasts several montane species including the
Chestnut-throated, Grey, Black-collared & Black-throated Apalis, Montane
Oriole, Narina& Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-fronted Bush-shrike,
Yellow-rumped& Mostached Green Tinkerbird, Scarce Swift, White-browed
Crombec. Also the Mountain Buzzard, Mountain &Cabanis’sGreenbul, African
Hill Babbler, White Starred Robin, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cinnamon Bracken
& Brown Woodland Warbler, Hunter’s Cisticola, Black-backed Puffback, Grey
Cuckoo-Shrike, Northern Double Collared Sunbird, Spectacle, Brown-capped
Weaver, Grey-headed Negrofinch, Yellow-bellied Waxbill among others.
Overnight at Lake
Nakuru Lodge
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| Impala in Lake Nakuru NP |
Day 5: Lake
Nakuru National Park- Lake Baringo Conservation Area
We will be spending much of our day
within Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is perhaps best known for huge
flocks of flamingos – mostly Lesser but some Greater however tThe alkaline
habitat, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers and inlets with marshes holds many
different resident species.
Birds may include Little Grebe, Great
White Pelican, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed, Whiskered Tern, Grey-headed
Gull, Cape, Red-billed Teal, Three-banded Plover, Little Stint, Long-crested,
Tawny Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Augur Buzzard, White-fronted Bee-eater,
Lilac-breasted Roller, Rock Martin, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush,
Wailing, Rattling Cisticola, Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starling, Rüppell's Robin
Chat, White-shouldered Cliff Chat, African Grey Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted
Apalis, Common, Grey-backed Fiscal, Tropical Boubou, Black Cuckoo-shrike,
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu among many others.
In addition, the park is rich in big
game that includes giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, eland, hippo, both Black and White
Rhino, lion, leopard and Spotted Hyena.
We plan to leave Nakuru to arrive at Soi
Safari Lodge, near Lake Baringo for dinner
Overnight at Soi
Safari Lodge
Day 6: Lake
Baringo Conservation Area
Other species could include Brown
Babbler, Northern Grey Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline-Tit, Violet-backed &
Beautiful Sunbirds, Heuglin's Courser, Bru-bru, Red-billed Hornbills, Little,
Vitelline-masked, Northern Masked & Jackson's Golden-backed &
White-billed Buffalo Weavers and Spotted
Eagle Owl.
Overnight at Soi
Safari Lodge
Day 7: Lake
Baringo - Lake Naivasha
After a
morning birding around Lake Baringo we’ll drive south to yet another Rift
Valley Lake, Lake Naivasha. Here we will stay at the Lake Naivasha Country
Club. Lake Naivasha Country Club became famous in the 1930's as a staging post
for Imperial Airways' flying boat service from Durban to London. The Old
Colonial architecture is solid and comfortable with accommodation in rooms and
cottage set in 12 hectares of green lawns shaded by mature acacias and
spreading fever trees.
Overnight at Lake
Naivasha Country Club
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| Rosy-breasted Longclaw |
Day 8: Lake
Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is one of the two fresh
water lakes along the rift valley and offers a superb birding site. The lake is
fringed by papyrus and is circled by acacia woodland habitats. The gardens of
our accommodation are rich with birds and the trees between the home and the lake
are often visited by Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys. Again care is needed in
the early morning as Hippos venture from the lake.
We’ll take a boat ride along the papyrus
shore of Lake Naivasha hoping to see Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Great
& Long-tailed Cormorant, Great Egret, Purple & Goliath Heron, Hamerkop,
Sacred & Hadada Ibis, Cape &Red-billed Teal, African Jacana, Pied
Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Three-banded & Long-toed Plover and up-close
Hippos as pictured above.
After breakfast we will bird the gardens
before heading to Crater Lake Sanctuary where we will search for an East African
endemic, the Grey-crested Helmet-Shrike as well as other more common birds and
animals.
Overnight at Lake
Naivasha Country Club
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| Hippos in Lake Naivasha |
Day 9: Lake Naivasha - Masai Mara National Reserve
From Lake Naivasha we drive south west
for the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve, a plain of rolling grassland
dotted with a mixture of acacia trees. The Masai Mara is an extension of the
same ecosystem protected in northern Tanzania by the Serengeti National Park.
In the Mara we will see the wildlife and the scenery that perhaps Africa is
best known for; Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Warthogs, Topis, Hartebeests,
Grants and Thompson’s Gazelles, Buffalo, Impala and, of course, Wildebeest.
Hopefully we will meet up with some of the carnivores of this ecosystem as well
- Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. Nile Crocodiles, a fair way from the Nile, will be
seen in the area’s wetlands and rivers. And there will be birds…………..
Day
10: A full day on safari in perhaps the most iconic
park in East Africa! This day is guaranteed to be one of the standouts on tour.
Make sure you have charged the camera!
Overnight
at Mara Sentrim Tented Camp
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| Young male lion on the Masai Mara |
Day 11: Masai Mara National Reserve
Today we drive – no walking I’m afraid -
across the Mara experiencing the area and its wildlife. We’ll find a host of
bird species and maybe we’ll see the ‘Big Five’ [Lion, Leopard, Elephant,
Buffalo and Rhino]. There are many smaller species of mammal from Hyraxes to
Squirrels to Jackals to Hyenas that we could encounter as well.
We'll ultimately stay on the western
part of the reserve along the Olololoo Escarpments. Here is a variety of
riverine, swamp, grassland and forested habitats. Specialties here could
include the Long-tailed & Rock Cisticola, Wattled Plover, Rufous-bellied
Heron, Penduline Tit and Pale Wren Warbler. Other birds could include
Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Ashy Flycatcher, Grey-rumped & Red-rumped Swallow,
White-headed, Lappet-faced &White-headed Vulture, White-naped Raven, Ross
Turaco, Black-backed Puffback, Croaking Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird,
Hildebrandt’s Starling, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Black & White Casqued
Hornbill, Lilac-breasted Roller, Common Wattle-eye, Silverbird, Plain &
Long-billed Pipit, Saddle-billed & Woolly-necked Storks and Yellow-fronted Canary.
Overnight at
Mara West Tented Camp
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| Kori Bustard |
Day 12: Mara West – Kisumu
After morning birding at the Olololoo
escarpment we will leave for a long drive north to Kisumu on the shores of an
eastern arm of Lake Victoria. Here the hotel staff will greet us with the
by-now familiar phrase, ‘kariboo’ [Swahili for welcome and as we make ourselves
comfortable the chefs will prepare fresh fish from Lake Victoria for our
evening meal.
Overnight at
Victoria Comfort Inn
Day 13: Kisumu - Kakamega
We cannot race past Lake Victoria, the
largest lake on the continent, and we will have a short early morning expedition
to its shores. Along the Papyrus
vegetation at Dunga Beach, an old fishing village, we should see some
specialties like the Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Greater Swamp and White-winged
Warblers. Other birds should include Little Egret, Yellow-billed Stork, Pied
Kingfisher, White-winged, Whiskered Tern, African Skimmer, Red-chested &
Copper Sunbirds, Shikra, African Thrush, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed,
Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed & Jackson’s Golden-backed Weaver,
Fan-tailed Widowbird, Southern Red Bishop and Black-billed Barbet.
Our accommodation tonight is named Rondo
Retreat, its homestead consists of the main house of clapboard and colonial era
corrugated iron, and five cottages in the same old style, whose proximity to
the forest makes for delightful accommodation. Rondo Retreat is a Christian run
rainforest lodge not a hotel and, as such, does not serve alcohol.
Overnight at
Rondo Retreat
Day 14: Kakamega Forest
Kakamega
Forest is the only true rain forest remaining in Kenya and was once a
continuation of the Guinea-Congolian rainforest, rich in species seen nowhere
else in Kenya. Spending a few days here we hope to see a good number of these
forest species that could include the Blue-headed Bee-Eater, Grey-winged Robin,
Yellow Spotted, Yellow-billed Barbet, Shelly's, Joyful, Toro olive, Cabanis'
Greenbul, African Blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-headed
Robin Chat, Common, Jameson's, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Olive Green Camaroptera,
Green, Cooper Sunbird, Mackinnon Shrike, Luhder's Bush-Shrike, Bocage's Bush-
shrike, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Black-necked, Dark-backed, Vieillot's Weaver,
Red-headed Malimbe, Red-headed Bluebill. In addition to the birds the forest is
very rich in butterfly species and we will also add a variety of small mammals
to our list.
Overnight Rondo
Retreat
Day 15: Kakamega Forest – Entebbe, Uganda
Today we will leave early as we have a long
five hour drive to Entebbe, Uganda. Hopefully we will have a little time for
some birding enroute. Just before crossing the Uganda border we will visit the
Busia Grasslands, our final Kenyan birding site. These Grasslands consist of a
chain of grassland patches surrounded by intensively cultivated lands,
primarily maize and sugarcane. The grasslands are seasonally flooded in rainy
season and are home to several range restricted or localized bird species; Blue
Swallow, Green Crombec and the Purple Starling. Overnight at Central Inn, Entebbe
Day 16 Entebbe - Mabamba Swamp- Lake Mburo National
Park
Today, on our first full day in Uganda,
we will visit yet another IBA, Mabamba Swamp, which is an extensive marsh
stretching through a long narrow bay, fringed with papyrus that has recorded
over 260 species. The key species here is the enigmatic Shoebill Stork.
We may stop en route at Mpigi Swamp for papyrus
specialties. Here, among other species, we may see; White-winged Warbler,
Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver and
Blue-headed Coucal.
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| Hammerkop |
At the Mabamba Swamp we will bird at
bird’s eye level, which in a swamp means in a canoe! As well as the Shoebill
we’ll look for Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamp Hen, African Water Rail,
Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, White-faced Whistling Duck,
Squacco Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding & Carruther’s Cisticola,
Goliath Heron, and Black Crake.
Following our swamp excursions we’ll
drive to Lake Mburu National Park where we’ll enjoy a two night stay.
Overnight at Mburo
Safari Lodge
Day 17: Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is a beautiful
park with a pleasing variety of habitats. It is dominated by tall grasses,
acacia woodland and euphorbia trees while along the river there are dense thorn
thickets.
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| African Green Pigeon |
Common birds we will encounter on our
journeys in and around Lake Mburo include Crested Francolin, Emerald Spotted
Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Blue-napped Mousebird,
Lilac-breasted Roller, Green Wood hoopoe, Common Scimitar Bill, African Grey
Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola,
Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Greater Blue-eared
Starling, and Marico Sunbird. Specialties include African Finfoot,
Brown-chested Plover, Southern Ground Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Northern
Black Tit, Marico Sunbird, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Crested & Coqui
Francolins, Red-necked Spurfowl, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away-Bird, Green
Woodhoopoe, African Grey & Southern Ground Hornbills, Nubian Woodpecker,
Fiery-necked, African White-tailed Nightjars, Rufous-naped & Flappet Larks,
Lesser Swamp & Greater Swamp Warblers and Southern Red Bishop.
Also other wildlife is present such as
Elephant, Nile Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Cape Buffalo, Defassa Waterbuck among
others. In all some 68 species of mammal have been recorded in Lake Mburu
National Park.
Overnight at Mburo
Safari Lodge
Day 18: Lake Mburo National Park- Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park
After some last birding in and around
our tented camp we will begin our long drive to one of the greatest birding
destinations of all of Africa, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. With 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift
Endemics being found here it certainly offers one of the best birding
experience in any of Africa’s montane forests.
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|
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| Augar Buzzard |
Overnight at
Trekker’s Tavern
Day 19: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This is the
day!
Apart from the birds we’re here for the
Mountain Gorillas!
Perhaps one of the most keenly
anticipated African experiences for any naturalist is Gorilla Tracking and
today is your opportunity to do just that! After breakfast, we shall assemble
at the park offices for the pre-trek briefing. Gorilla tracking is a very
captivating yet challenging activity. It might take an hour, it may take eight
hours of walking through the wilderness to see these animals. So you must
seriously consider your fitness before embarking on this activity.
Eight people are permitted per group per day
so we will have to split up our group. On occasions the Gorillas prove elusive
but often can be found within an hour or two by the tracker guides. Each
encounter with the gorillas is different and has its own rewards, but you are
likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the
youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Overnight at
Trekker’s Tavern
Day 20: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
While Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
is perhaps most famous for being home to roughly half of the world's remaining
population of endangered Mountain Gorillas, this 321-km2 national park is a
superb birding site for any birder visiting Uganda. Ruhiija, where our accommodation is situated,
is likely to be one of the highlights of any trip to Uganda with excellent
birding in spectacular surroundings. Birds are both plentiful and easy to see;
many species associating in mixed feeding flocks that are active throughout the
day. An early start offers the best chance of finding the striking handsome
Francolin, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Western Green Tinkerbird, Mountain &
Yellow-streaked Greenbuls, Mountain- marked & Chestnut-throated Apalises,
Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Rwenzori Batis, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher and
many more.
Overnight at
Silverback Lodge
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| guess....... |
Day 21: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Queen
Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of
the most diverse ecosystems in Africa. The melting glacier waters of the
Rwenzori Mountains create a vast wetland system comprising of two main lakes;
George and Edward, as well as the connecting Kazinga Channel. Thousands of
Hippos populate these lake shorelines. Open savannah dotted with Acacia and
Euphorbia trees provide habitat for elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda Kobs and
big herds of buffaloes. Ten primate species including chimpanzees are present.
Among the many other animals seen frequently are giant forest hog. This
National Park boasts more bird species than any other park in Africa; 610
species!
As we travel into the national park we
go through the Ishasha section, an acacia studded savannah populated with Topi,
Buffalo and Uganda Kob, where we have the possibility of seeing the famous
tree-climbing lions that occasionally lounge on large fig trees.
Overnight at Queen
Elizabeth Bush Camp
Day 22: Queen Elizabeth National Park
We will have
a game drive in the morning before an exciting boat cruise in the Kazinga
Channel in the afternoon.
The game drive will allow us more
opportunities to see and photograph some of the area’s big game such as Lions,
Elephants, Buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Waterbucks, and other antelope species.
Primates are also here and include Olive Baboons, Black-and-White Colobus
Monkeys and Red-tailed Monkeys.
Birds possible here include Pink-backed
Pelican, Great and Long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco Heron, African
Open-billed Stork, White-faced Whistling and Knob-billed Ducks, Termnick’s
Courser, Collared Prantincole African Fish Eagle, African Wattled Plovers,
Shoebill, African Skimmer, Martial Eagle, Verreaux’sEagle Owl, Black Bee-eater,
Black-rumped Buttonquail, White-tailed & Red-capped Larks, White-winged
Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus & Brimstone Canary, Pin-tailed Whydah,
African Morning Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher, Grey-capped
Warbler, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird, Slender-billed,
Yellow-backed & Lesser Masked Weavers, Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars,
to mention a very small sample.
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| Piapiac |
The afternoon boat trip along the hippo
crowded banks of Kazinga Channel gives visitors another unique wildlife
experience. Excellent views of Hippos are assured as are great views of a
variety of resident water birds. Two of the big five – Elephants and Buffalo
are regularly seen at the waterside from the boats and occasionally other
animals are seen drinking as well. Crocodiles, no doubt counting on other
creatures coming to drink, are commonly seen.
The boat trip also provides another
opportunity to record the Shoebill Stork. African Fish Eagles and African
Skimmers are seen in and around the waterway as well.
Overnight at
Queen Elizabeth Bush Camp
Kibale National Park is an extensive
national park, protecting a large block of rainforest that offers excellent
flora and fauna. With lush tropical rain forest and fascinating diversity, it
is one of the most beautiful and stunning forests in Uganda. It harbours the
greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa.
It is a home to the largest number in Uganda to the endangered Chimpanzee as
well as the Red Colobus monkey.
As soon as we arrive we will begin
birding, probably along some of the main roads entering the park. Some birds that are seen here and are
difficult elsewhere include Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis's & Joyful Greenbuls as well as White-spotted
Fluff tail, Dusky & Olive Long tailed Cuckoo, Lesser Honey guide,
Blue-shouldered Robin Chat, White-chinned Prinia, Grey Apalis, Olive-green
Camaroptera and White-collared Olive back.
Overnight at
Chimp’s Nest
Day 24: Kibale Forest National Park
This morning we have the opportunity for
Chimpanzee trekking. And like the Gorilla trekking it is hard to predict exactly
how long the search will take; however it will be a unique experience to see
Homo sapiens’ closest living relative in its natural habitat.
Surprisingly birding will be on the
agenda for the afternoon aiming for such species as Grey-winged Robin,
Yellow-spotted Barbet, Black-billed Turaco, White-naped Pigeon, Green-breasted
& African Pitta, Red-chested Flufftail, Grey-throated Flycatcher,
White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Masked Apalis, Nahan Francolin, Tiny Sunbird,
White-thighed Hornbill, Black Bee-eater, Yellow-spotted Nicator, Little
Greenbul, Bar-tailed Trogon, Fine-banded Woodpecker, White-bellied Crested
Flycatcher and Red-faced Crimson-wing.
Overnight at
Chimp’s Nest
Day 25: Kibale Forest National Park –Masindi
Today after some birding in and around
our accommodation at Kibale we will leave for a long drive to the town of
Masindi. Here we will stay in the town at the historic Masindi Hotel, the
oldest in Uganda, built in 1923, for two nights. Celebrities of yester-year
stayed at the Masindi Hotel including Earnest Hemmingway while Humphrey Bogart
and Catherine Hepburn stayed here during the filming of the classic,
"African Queen".
The Masindi Hotel has a reputation for
good food and we may be able to try some ‘genuine’ African cuisine.
Overnight at
Masindi Hotel
Day 26: Budongo Forest National Reserve – The Royal
Mile –Masindi
From our base in Masindi we will visit
the Budongo Forest National Reserve, East Africa’s largest natural forest under
protection that boasts a bird list of over 350 spp. Part of the forest that we
will visit is the Royal Mile, so named because it is historically the known
leisure spot for the traditional King. Specialties here includes Cassin’s
Hawk-Eagle, Nahan’s Francolin, Black-collared Lovebird, Cassin’s and Sabine’s
Spinetails, Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted and African Dwarf Kingfishers,
Piping Hornbill, Red-sided Broadbill, Green-breasted Pitta, Spotted Greenbul,
Fire-crested Alethe, Black-eared Ground Thrush, Black-capped Apalis,
Brown-crowned Eremomela, Grey and Yellow Longbills, Lemon-bellied Crombec,
Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Chestnut-capped
Flycatcher, BownTwinspot and Grey-headed Olive-back.
Overnight at
Masindi Hotel
Day 27: Masindi - Murchison's Fall National Park
Either today or
tomorrow we will schedule a boat trip to see the actual falls. The boat cruise
is an excellent opportunity for viewing the large resident populations of
hippos and crocodiles, as well as other wildlife and extensive birdlife,
including a wide range of waterbirds, and a huge colony of cliff-nesting red
throated bee eaters, along the way.
Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge
Day 28: Murchison's Fall National Park
Murchison Falls National Park derives
its name from the Murchison Falls where the mighty River Nile explodes through
a narrow gorge and flows down to become a placid river whose banks are thronged
with hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks and buffaloes. The vegetation is
characterized by savannah, riverine forest and woodland. Wildlife includes
Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Hartebeest, Oribis, Uganda
Kobs, Chimpanzees and many bird species including the rare shoebill.
 |
| Shoebill |
The park has a variety of habitats;
riverine, ironwood forests, savanna with Borassus Palm, Papyrus Swamps, lakes
and rivers, dry and moist woodlands. Specialties here includes Shoebill,
Secretary bird, Bat Hawk, Red-necked Falcon, Heuglin’s Francolin, Denham’s
Bustard, Senegal Thick-knee, Egyptian Plover, Rock Pratincole, Black-headed
Plover, African Skimmer, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Bruce’s Green Pigeon,
Vinaceous Dove, White-crested Turaco, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Long-tailed&
Pennant-winged Nightjars, Red-throated, Swallow-tailed & Northern Carmine
Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Roller, Black Scimitarbill, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill,
Black-bellied Barbet, Black-faced Cisticola, Red-winged Grey Warbler,
Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow-billed & Emin’s Shrikes, White-breasted
Cuckoo-shrike, Lesser Blue-eared & Bronze-tailed Starling, Northern-Red
Bishop, Grey-headed, Olive-back and Red-winged Pytilia.
Overnight at
Paraa Safari Lodge
Day 29: Murchison's Fall National Park – Entebbe
Our final day in East Africa has us driving
back to the international airport at Entebbe in time for our flight. Depending
on flight time we may have some opportunities for some final birding along the
way.
*
All photos included were taken by Chege Kariuki [Ock images] or Ken Cross
Our
Head Guide – Chege Kariuki
Suggested Reference Books for East Africa
Field Guide to Birds
of East Africa, Terry Stevenson & John Fanshawe, Poyser, Softback.
Helm Field Guide
covering Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The first complete
guide to this region. 3400 images of 1388 species illustrated on 287 superb
new colour plates by Brian Small, John Gale and Norman Arlott. The text plus
distribution map and the illustrations for each species are on facing pages.
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Jonathan Kingdon
New pocket identification guide to all African land mammals by one
of the world's leading naturalists. It is an adaptation of the original Kingdon Field Guide to
African Mammals. The greatly condensed text focuses on essential information such
as identification and distribution, while the author's superb illustrations
have been rearranged into an easy-to-use plate format and placed opposite the
text. Complex and more obscure groups like the bats and certain rodent families
are summarised by genera.
Pocket Guide to the Reptiles &
Amphibians of East Africa
This new portable photographic guide has been partly adapted from
the popular and highly acclaimed Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa by
the same authors. It covers the most prominent 150 reptiles and 80 amphibians
found in the region (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi) with concise
text, photographs and maps for each, this is a convenient and attractive pocket
guide for a diverse and often conspicuous and attractive group of animals. A
further 316 species are briefly described.
To be released. [early
2014?] Perfect companion to Field Guide to Birds of East
Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe. This DVD-R features high quality MP3
recordings of more than 1350 species of birds in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi).
Welcome to xeno-canto Africa, the community database of shared
bird sounds from Africa.
The
Birds of East Africa by Stevenson & Fanshawe is now on iTunes as an
iphone/ipad app. Reasonably priced at about $30; features some 1300 species
plus about 1000 calls and songs.
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