DAY 1
An Early start from either kampala or Entebbe as u head to the best habitat of one and only the shoebill in the mabamba swamp with our Tourist birding and driver guide will lead u to the dream coming true. At the swamp, most of the birding activity is by canoe, paddled by our local site guides. Look for the Shoebill both in the sky and down on the marsh. This most famous and bizarre avian creature is the only representative in its family. Prepare to be mesmerized by watching the bird as it preens, showing off its grinning, wooden clog-like bill. You may also have marvelous views of it as it soars on broad wings.
Also watch for the; Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco, Rufous-bellied and Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Black Crake, African Marsh Harrier, Hamerkop, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Intermediate Egret, Osprey, Long-toed Lapwing, African Pied Wagtail, and Red-billed Fire-finch.
Keep your eyes open for the White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Yellow-backed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal, and other swamp specialties.
Laiter transfer to Entebbe for lunch and in the afternoon go for the Entebbe botanical birding.
There u are likely to see more of the water birds as u will be on the showers of the lake Victoria.
Right at the entrance in the tall trees you usually find a pair of Verreaux’s eagle owls. Birds of the gardens include the orange-tufted and red chested Sunbirds and Orange Weaver. The latter breed in the bushes on the shores of Lake Victoria along with slender-billed Northern Brown –throated, yellow backed, Jackson’s Golden –backed , Black-headed and Vieillot’s black weavers . The rocky headland along the Lake making an ideal observation point . On the lake and around the shore look for long-tailed Cormorant , Common Squacco and black-headed herons, hamerkop ,African Open-billed Stork , yellow billed duck , Grey headed gull , various terns ,giant and pied Kingfishers and swamp Flycatcher . Scan the boats at the large jetty where you often find Pratincoles (2-3 pairs are usually present). Black-headed Gonolek and Red- chested Sunbird occur in the dense scrub covering the headland.
Later in the evening transfer to Kampala for an overnight stay as u go through the busy streets of Kampala to the hotel of ur choice.
DAY 2 Kampala Birding tour
Early morning start u will meet our professional tourist driver guide(birdwatcher) will meet you and head to the first destination 0f the day which is Makerere gardens.
The trade school that became Makerere University began operating in 1921 with the first classes in carpentry, building construction and mechanics. In 1922 it was founded as the “Uganda Technical College” with additional courses in the arts, education, agriculture and medicine. That same year it was again renamed as Makerere College. In 1928, the vocational classes were separated from the college and renamed Kampala Technical School. In 1937 the college began offering post-secondary education certificate courses. In 1949 Makerere College was granted university status and its name became Makerere College, University of East Africa
Biding around the beautiful gardens of Makerere is one of the most interesting activity for our tourists I and around the city, where by there is a lot of beautiful species u find and these are;
Black kites, woodland kingfishers, Fork tailed drongos, double toothed barbet, ruppels long tailed starlings, sunbirds, parrots both grey and brown parrots, black and grey headed herons, and a lot more .
Our guides are always there to ensure your dreams come true and fulfill your wish list is all covered. There is a lot to see in these gardens.
Laiter proceed to the Bahai temple gardens for birding.
Wide-scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa was observed to begin in the 1950s and extend in the 1960s After the conference in February 1953 Bill and Marguerite Sears arrived in September 1953 visiting from Johannesburg for an extended stay into October giving many classes and traveling to many villages.It was also during this time the first pioneer from Uganda went to Mwanza, Tanganyika. In 1954 Uganda had 500 Bahá’ís in 80 localities, including 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies, representing 30 tribes, and had dispatched 9 pioneers to other African locations n 1955 there were over 800 Bahá’ís having just added seventeen assemblies. In 1956 Olinga was elected as Chairman of the North West regional Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly and the Ugandan Bahá’í community came under the newly formed regional National Spiritual Assembly of Central & Eastern Africa,[of which Nakhjavani was the Chairman and the Ugandan community alone topped 1000 members. The other members of the regional assembly over Uganda were Philip Hainsworth, Hassan Sabri, Oloro Epyeruj, Aziz Yazdi, Jalal
Nakhjavani, Tito Wanantsusit, Sylvester Okurut, and Max Kenyerezi In early 1957 Olinga attended the laying of the foundation stone of the first Bahá’í House of Worship of Africa (which was in Uganda) and in the fall he was appointed a Hand of the Cause and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Clare Gung, formerly of Germany, moved from Tanganyika to Uganda where she founded a multi-racial kindergarten nursery.Systems were initiated to deal with the rate of growth of the religion – weekend Bahá’í schools were set up for any Bahá’í who could attend and individuals who were judged to have a substantial understanding of the religion and were able to travel were selected for training as presenters who would then travel locally in their area to make presentations on many of the same themes. By the summer of 1957 13 weekend schools had been held. It was believed these schools lent impetus to the continued growth of the religion in the area by empowering local members of the religion and the schools were repeated in 1958.And the same year regional and local assemblies were registered with the civil government in 1957 a lone Bahá’í, a member of the Tesa, Yokolamu Okello, reached the relatively remote and pagan region of Moroto in Karamoja and in 1958 the first spiritual assembly was formed there.Conversions to the Bahá’í Faith in Uganda even reached into the prisons where Shoghi Effendi, then head of the religion, responded to letters by encouraging the inmates to use their “stumbled” history not to become “embittered or defeated” but “determined to make it a means of purifying your natures, improving your characters, and enabling you to become better citizens in the future.”The quick growth of the religion in Uganda was attributed by Bahá’ís to the sincerity of their purpose and to the demonstrated lack of racial prejudice.
Bahai gardens is one of the best gardens best for birding in and around kampala, where u find a lot of species including, African pied craw, falk tailed drongo, paradise fly catcher,pied wagatail, black kite, woodland kingfisher, great blue turaco Rossi’s turaco,and many more others.
Depening on how the bahai gardens will be productive then laiter proceed to the lunch sport and have lunch u will have chance to try the local food try the buffet.aand in case u happen to get time u can try the Ndelle centre gardens for more biding for some good species
laiter transfer to the kabaks lake
The Magnificent views of the lake are enhanced with the frequent the surrounding air later on settling on the green island in the middle and the outstanding Kabaka’s palace. Occasional crossing of people in dugout canoes is also evident on the lake.
In the yearly Buganda tourism expo (normally around august), as it is in Buganda the Kabaka appreciates to grace his subjects with his presence to officiate water sports on the lake. He is normally escorted by not only his solders (abambowa) clad in traditional attire and armed with local spears and shield but also with his ministers and other dignitaries. However with the changing times more trained security personnels have been added to his convoy.
Kabaka Mwanga ordered for the digging of this Lake for a number of reasons including an escape plan in case of any conflicts it would connect to Lake Victoria. Mwanga had two paces one in Munyonyo which was built by his father Mutesa and then the current one in Lubiri Mengo – he wanted an easier means of transport to connect to both palaces and digging a water channel seemed the most appropriate. The process of digging this lake was begun in 1885 by the King’s pages but was however interrupted by the religious wars and was never completed. In addition to creating a water way, the Kabaka also loved fishing and swimming.
The lake was dug all the way from Lubiri-Najjanankumbi -the king initially Kamya Ndikumulaga a well-built gentle because of his incompetence. Ll the 58 clans of Buganda was mobilized to take part in this exercise and encouraged them to dig the lake to the depth and width. However in the beginning the parish chiefs and princesses/princes did not take part in the project, so Ndikumulaga reported this to the Kabaka.
The Kabaka was not very pleased he thus took to the tusk himself and got himself dirty. Out of shame the chiefs and royalty had to join him as there was no alternative for them apart from digging along with him. At the time when the project came to a hault, moulds of soil waiting to be carried away because most of the soil had been cleared for the lake. Today if you vist some of these areas like Ndeeba, you will notice some of the heaps.
That’s the lce in town where unwell sport water birds like, long tailed comrant, pied kingfisher, cattle egglets, and many more others.
That marks the end of the trip.