This short birding safari takes you through the tropical Budongo Forest and the dry savannah, giving you the opportunity to see a range of birds and animals. From rhinos and blue monkeys to Shoebills and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, you will be able to explore some of the spectacular wildlife Uganda has to offer.
Day 1: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Travel to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda to see rhinos. On your 1–2-hour trek you will have the opportunity to do some birding. Continue to Murchison Falls National Park.
Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park for birding and game safari and boat cruise
A full day birding safari in the Park, including crossing the River Nile onto the north bank for a game drive. Enjoy a boat cruise along the River Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls. Hike for 45 minutes to the top of the Falls.
Day 3: Boat trip along the delta
Take a boat along the Nile towards the delta to look for Shoebill. Continue to Lake Albert for more birding. Alight at Wanseko fishing village and continue your journey to Masindi via the Albertine Rift Valley escarpment and through parts of Budongo Forest.
Day 4: Birding at Budongo Forest
Travel to Budongo Forest for some excellent forest birding.
Day 5: Return to Kampala
Drive for 4–5 hours back to Kampala, birding along the road as you go.
END OF THE TOUR
NB: wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. If you have a particular bird/s that you want to see, let us know and we will tailor your itinerary to maximise your chance of spotting it.
Guide price
USD 940 per person based on a group of 6 people traveling, prices are subjected to change.
Price includes:
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Price does not include:
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Why do we use guide prices?
The price for every safari depends on the number of people travelling, their ages, the time of year, whether or not international flights are included, the type of transport and accommodation used and the activities undertaken.
We calculate according to the specific dates of your booking because after we publish our itineraries some things may change. For example, hotels may increase their prices, the government may introduce new taxes or some discounts may become available. Unfortunately, we also have to pass on surcharges imposed on us by, for example, airlines when fuel prices or airport taxes are unexpectedly increased.
We would be happy to prepare a quotation, based on your requirements. We normally include most costs in the price so all you need to bring with you is ‘pocket money’ for items like drinks, tips and personal shopping e.g. souvenirs.
Insurance
AMREF flying doctors provide a medevac service in case of illness or injury during your safari. This costs $25pp for 31 days. We recommend this service and can include it in your package price.
Booking
Once you have selected one of our safari packages you need to send us a booking form. When we receive this we will check availability and inform you if any changes are necessary and issue an invoice for a 50% deposit plus the full cost of any tracking permits (in case of cancellation permit fees are non-refundable). Only once this payment is received can we guarantee availability and issue a booking confirmation. Full payment is required 70 days before travel.
Payments and cancellation
We charge in US dollars. Payment is by bank transfer into our Standard Chartered USD bank account in Uganda. You can also pay by credit card although there is a 5% administration charge. For those booking from within Uganda, cash payments are possible at our office.
When we book your safari, we have to pay non-refundable deposits on your behalf, for example to hotels. Therefore, we charge cancellation fees as follows:
30% of reservation costs if you cancel more than 50 days before your arrival date
100% of reservation costs if you cancel less than 50 days before your arrival date
We strongly recommend that you include cancellation cover in your travel insurance.
Disclaimer: We enter into an agreement with you in good faith but we sometimes encounter unexpected changes in local conditions which can affect your itinerary or price. These changes are beyond our control and we are not liable for them. While we endeavour to protect you against the effects of these changes, we reserve the right to amend the agreed itinerary and price in response to them. Such changes include but are not limited to weather conditions, road conditions, supplier price increases, fuel increases, government tax increases, supplier service changes e.g. cancellation of ferry services for river crossings or national park operations (track maintenance, animal translocations). We assure you that, we will always give you as much notice as possible of changes, suggest alternative plans and keep additional charges to a minimum.
Accommodation
To help us select the right accommodation for your safari (and in the absence of a complete national hotel classification system e.g. 1*–5*) we use four levels: high-end, mid-range, budget and backpackers. These terms can mean different things to different people but are helpful to an extent.
Air-conditioned rooms are not available in all hotels. Where AC is available, there is usually an extra charge.
Some locations have a limited choice of accommodation and so, to stay there, you must accept what is available. Where possible we prefer to work with responsible accommodation providers. This means hotels and lodges which are locally owned, employ local staff, support their community and protect the local environment.
Transport
As standard, we use a spacious 7-seater, 4×4 safari Land Cruiser, with pop-up roof, fridge and phone/camera charging facilities. This is the perfect safari vehicle.
Alternatively, we offer a slightly cheaper 7-seater, 4×4 safari van with a pop-up roof.
5-seater versions of both Land Cruisers and vans are also available.
For large group tours we use small buses called Coasters. These usually seat around 28 people, including 5 jump (fold-down) seats in the aisle. They do not have a boot/trunk so luggage is carried on the back seats which reduces the seating capacity. The overhead luggage shelves are small and can only accommodate small bags. Therefore, we recommend you do not over pack.
All vehicles include a driver/guide and fuel for your itinerary. Additional activities, not included in your itinerary, may incur an additional fuel charge. Our vehicles are comprehensively insured, in good mechanical condition and have seat belts fitted.
Please let us know if you have any special travel requirements. For example, if your group has disabled members we will do our best to accommodate your needs.