Birding safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Birding safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park : Uganda is a well-known birding destination in Africa with over 1000 species of birds hosted in various habitats around Uganda including savannah, rainforests and swamps around water bodies.

Uganda is a haven for birding enthusiasts and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the best sites to visit for bird watching, in 2011 Bwindi was voted Africa’s number one leading birding site.

Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in the Southwestern region of Uganda stretching along the edge of the rift valley, along the border of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bwindi impenetrable national park is magical Uganda safari destination and a fascinating place where mists hang mosses and luxury vegetation, the park is dominated by rainforest and montane forests stretching across valleys and over a ranger of steep ridges which form the Albertine Rift Valley Eastern edge.

Bwindi impenetrable National park is one of the most biologically rich forest in Africa and one the best birding spots on the continent, the forest is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site but also an Important Birding Area.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to about 350 different bird species with 14 of species only seen in Uganda, 24 Albertine Rift endemics, 7 seen IUCN red data list species and globally threatened species.

birding in Bwindi

ALBERTINE RIFT ENDEMIC SPEICES IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Albertine Rift endemic species in Bwindi impenetrable national park include Archer’s Robin-Chat, Lagden’s Bush-shrike, Dusky Crimson-wing, Strange Weaver, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Neumann’s Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Collared Apalis, Montane Masked Apalis, Kivu Ground Thrush, Red-throated Alethe, Stripe-breasted Tit, Rwenzori Nightjar, Rwenzori Turaco, Yellow-crested Helmet Shrike, Handsome Francolin.

NOTABLE BIRD SPEICES IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Other notable bird species in Bwindi impenetrable National Park include Wood Warbler, Handsome Francolin, Evergreen Warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Rwenzori Batis, Buff-throated Apalis, African Pitta, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Cardinal Woodpecker, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Cassin’s Honeybird, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Collared Sunbird, Common Bulbul, Compact Weaver, Coppery Sunbird, Crowned Hornbill, Dark-backed Weaver, Dusky Crested Flycatcher, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Dusky Tit, Stripe-breasted Tit, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Red-headed Malimbe, Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Blue Turaco, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Green Crombec, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Brown Woodland Warbler, White-browed Crombec, Green Hylia, Green-headed Sunbird, Tiny Sunbird, Green-throated Sunbird, Grey Apalis, Grey-backed/Green-backed Camaroptera, Grey-headed Negrofinch, White-breasted Negrofinch, Grey-headed Sparrow, Grey-throated Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Honeyguide Greenbul, Klass’ Cuckoo, and many more

Birding safari experience in Bwindi impenetrable National Park

Birding safaris in Bwindi impenetrable national park is done using several trails running through the jungle of Bwindi such as the River Ivi trail, Munyaga River trail, Ruhija’s bamboo trail and the Mubwindi Swamp trail.

Birding experience are done either in the morning hours or late evening hours of the day when the birds are more active.

The River Ivi trail

The River Ivi Trail in Bwindi is a famous trail for birders, this trail is of a distance of 14 kilometers and takes about 7 hours to explore it to completion. The trail passes through the Mukempen “a place of pigs”, this trail can be hiked from Nkuringo to Buhoma. During bird watching experience on this trail include Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Dusky Tit, Stripe-breasted Tit, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Red-headed Malimbe, Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Blue Turaco, Greater Blue-eared Starling among others.

bwindi river trail

Munyaga River trail

Munyaga River trail runs along the River Iv- river and passes through the Nkuringo sector bwindi, this trail leads to 3 impressive waterfalls and you will be able to see variety of birds such as Hammer Kop, Hadada Ibis, Black Kite, Africa fish eagle, brown snake eagle, northern pin tail among others.

Ruhija’s bamboo trail

The Bamboo Trail takes approximately 7 hours of hiking offering rewarding views of the Rwamunyonyo hill standing at 2,607 meters above the sea level, from this spot you are also treated to magnificent views of Lake Bunyonyi.

This trails runs through the Ruhija Sector of Bwindi and can connect to Buhoma within an hour, on this trail you will spot many birds includingGreater Blue-eared Starling, Green Crombec, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Brown Woodland Warbler, White-browed Crombec, Green Hylia, Green-headed Sunbird, Tiny Sunbird, Green-throated Sunbird, Grey Apalis, Grey-backed/Green-backed Camaroptera, Grey-headed Negrofinch, White-breasted Negrofinch among others.

The Mubwindi Swamp trail

Mubwindi swamp is one of the best birding spots in Bwindi impenetrable National Park and is explored on Mubwindi Swamp trail taking about 4-5 hours, some of the birds to lookout for including White tailed blue, Fly catchers, African green pigeon, African harrier hawk, Cinnamon-chested bee eater, Crowned hornbill and Giant kingfisher among others.

bwindi birds

Best time for birding safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Birding safari in Bwindi Impenetrable national park can be done all year round, however the best time to do this safari experience is during November – April, December to February and May and June.

In November – April, migratory bird species are present in Bwindi forests
December to February – this is the best time for birding as there are less rains in the park, this means the trails used for birding are relatively dry and less muddy.
May and June – there is enough food for the birds and is the main nesting season for birds

What to Pack for Birding safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Comfortable hiking boots – for a comfortable hiking, the boots need to be well – fitting, close and water resistant if possible.

Pack enough water and snacks – to keep you hydrated and energized during the birding experience

Warm clothing – Bwindi is dominated by a thick rainforest so you should expect it to be cold that is why you need a sweeter to keep you warm.

Water proof bags to protect your gadgets – it can rain at any time in Bwindi forest that is why you need to have a waterproof bag to protect your items and a gadgets.

Binoculars and camera – to capture beautiful shots of the birds and a pair of binoculars to see birds at a far in the jungle.