Wild Uganda: Albertine Endemics

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to your lakeshore hotel. In the late afternoon, take a boat into the famous Mabamba Swamp on the shores of Lake Victoria, the most reliable place on Earth to see the prehistoric Shoebill. Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, papyrus Gonoleks and the endangered Papyrus Yellow Warbler add to an unforgettable first day.

Drive west to Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda's finest savanna park, ringed by lakes and wetlands. An afternoon game drive introduces acacia-country specials including the Lilac-breasted Roller, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Red-throated Coucal and the localized African Finfoot on the lake margins. Zebra, impala, buffalo and the rare eland roam the grassland.

A morning boat trip on Lake Mburo targets the African Finfoot and White-backed Night Heron among the papyrus, before the long drive through the terraced hills of Kigezi to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Arrive at Buhoma in the late afternoon and take a first walk along the forest edge as the sun sets over the valleys.

A full day inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of Africa's greatest birding forests and home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas. The forest trails yield a stunning succession of Albertine Rift endemics - Black-faced Rufous Thrush, Shelley's Rufous Thrush, Handsome Francolin, the scarce African Green Broadbill, Rwenzori Batis and a galaxy of sunbirds and greenbuls.

An early session in Bwindi for the Doherty's Bushshrike, Grauer's Broadbill and White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, then drive north to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving at the remote Ishasha sector in the afternoon. Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions, and the riverine forest holds African Fish Eagles, Ross's Turacos and the localized White-naped Pigeon.

A dawn game drive through the Ishasha sector, then transfer to Mweya for the afternoon highlight - a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel, which hosts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Huge pods of hippos, elephants on the banks, and a breathtaking array of birds including African Skimmers, Grey Crowned Cranes, Great White Pelicans, Shoebills and twelve species of heron and egret.

Morning birding around the Mweya Peninsula and the crater lakes, where the scarce African Skimmer and Papyrus Gonolek are the targets, then drive to Kibale National Park through the tea plantations of Fort Portal. Arrive at Primate Lodge in time for a first evening walk in the Bigodi Swamp, listening for Great Blue Turacos and Yellow-billed Barbets.

A full day in Kibale, Uganda's primate capital and a superb forest birding destination. Chimpanzee tracking in the morning is followed by a dedicated session in the Bigodi Swamp, where the targets include the Great Blue Turaco, Grey-winged Robin-Chat, Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Blue-throated Roller and the prized Green-breasted Pitta. White-naped Pigeons and a host of greenbuls complete the forest list.

A final early morning session in the forest around Kibale for any remaining Albertine endemics, then the long drive back across Uganda to Entebbe. Depending on flight times, there may be a last opportunity to visit Mabamba Swamp for a final Shoebill sighting before transferring to the airport for departure.