Uganda Highlights - June 2025
Dates: June 14 - July 3, 2025
Leaders: Dion Hobcroft & Local Leader
E-bird
Total Species: 461 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
Our 2025 Uganda trip was yet another very successful tour, complete with great sightings in the wild of Shoebill, Chimpanzee, and Gorilla. We also recorded 43 species of mammals and some 11 reptiles. Beyond the Shoebill, we recorded another 460 species of birds!
There were so many highlights. At Mabamba Swamp, we had stunning views of Shoebill and Lesser Jacana. Later in the day, at Entebbe Botanic Gardens, a perched Bat Hawk and a glowing male Orange Weaver were two major highlights.
At Lake Nabugabo, we twitched the highly localized Angolan Colobus monkey. Lake Mburo produced an abundance of birds and mammals, with personal highlights for me including African Finfoot, White-backed Night Heron, Black-faced Waxbill, Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Penduline-Tit, and Green-capped Eremomela. We also had a great look at a Central African Rock Python. There were herds of Zebra, Impala, and Giraffe, along with schools of Hippopotamus.
At our key sites in the Albertine Rift at Buhoma and Ruhija, we enjoyed a relatively straightforward hike to see the Habinyanja group of Mountain Gorillas—a group of six with three males and three females. The dominant silverback was Ryumbo, 14 years old. We were extremely fortunate to spend our hour with the group in an open glade where they fed on ebombo herbage, played, and rested in the sun.
Birding was excellent, with so many great species: Black-billed Turaco, Western Tinkerbird, Dwarf Honeyguide, Bar-tailed Trogon, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Waller’s and Sharpe’s Starlings, Regal and Blue-headed Sunbirds, Strange and Brown-capped Weavers, and Kandt’s Waxbill, among many others. This area is considered the number one birding destination in Africa by many African birders. Guereza Colobus, Blue, Red-tailed, and L’Hoest’s monkeys were all seen very well.
Queen Elizabeth National Park also produced, with Giant Forest Hog right beside us, bull elephants clashing tusks, and superb bird sightings including Harlequin Quail, Black Coucal, African Crake, African Skimmer, and Red-throated Wryneck, to mention just a few. Every day, we recorded more than 100 species of birds, along with abundant sightings of Uganda Kob, Hippopotamus, and plenty of elephants, including some amazing bulls with incredible tusks.
In Kibale National Park, we completed our trifecta with a morning spent chimp watching. Hooting, shrieking, and only a few meters away, the experience is not easily forgotten. A real adventure took us deep into the forest, where we succeeded in finding the ultra-elusive Green-breasted Pitta. Forest birding was also productive, and our lodge gardens were amazing for bird diversity. White-spotted Flufftail, Black Bee-eater, Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Gray Parrot, Dusky Tit, Narrow-tailed Starling, and Yellow-mantled Weaver were some of the stars of the show. We also picked up key primates here, with Gray-cheeked Mangabey and Ashy Red Colobus new for our impressive primate list.
In the amazing Budongo Forest, we connected with the unusual Nahan’s Partridge (now considered an American wood-quail); after some intense searching, the highly prized Chocolate-backed Kingfisher; and the dazzling African Dwarf Kingfisher. Other great birds included Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, White-thighed Hornbill, and Yellow-breasted Forest Robin. No one will forget the large family of wild, unhabituated Chimpanzees that barreled across the road in front of us, with several alpha males standing upright to check us out. There were also many birds along the forest edge (Gray-headed Oliveback—wow!) and a large colony of Straw-colored Fruit Bats in Masindi town.
Murchison Falls National Park was our final destination, and it delivered five Leopard sightings, including some truly excellent views. We also found four Lion cubs at night. The north bank of the Victoria Nile is one of Africa’s great wildlife destinations, with impressive herds of diverse hoofed mammals (giraffe, buffalo, oribi, hartebeest, kob, and elephant) and countless great birds. We made an exciting discovery that extended the known range of the rare and poorly known Papyrus Yellow Warbler. Other major highlights included Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Red-necked Falcon, Gray-headed Bushshrike, White-crested Helmetshrike, Dusky Babbler, and the incredibly colorful Black-winged and Northern Red Bishops. At night, we observed an amazing male Pennant-winged Nightjar, a very tame Swamp Nightjar, and several Grayish Eagle-Owls. Patas Monkey was our final new primate.
Eventually, it was time to return to Entebbe and fly home. Special thanks to my good friend, the wonderful Davis Rukondo, and to our very talented site guides, including Zeph, Gordon, Milka, and Raymond. Thanks for traveling with VENT and me. It was an amazing adventure with a great group. Big hugs.
— Dion
Day-by-Day Summary
June 14 - Arrival in Entebbe, Uganda. Evening arrival and overnight near Entebbe.
June 15 - Birding at Mabamba Swamp and Entebbe Botanic Gardens. Highlights included Shoebill, Lesser Jacana, Bat Hawk, and Orange Weaver.
June 16 - Travel to Lake Nabugabo with birding stops en route and time to search for the localized Angolan Colobus.
June 17 - Full day exploring Lake Mburo National Park for birds, mammals, and reptiles including African Finfoot, Zebra, and Hippopotamus.
June 18 - Additional birding and wildlife viewing in Lake Mburo with chances for owls, waxbills, and savanna mammals.
June 19 - Scenic transfer through the Albertine Rift to Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with roadside birding along the way.
June 20 - Mountain Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, including time with the Habinyanja Gorilla group.
June 21 - Birding around Buhoma for Albertine Rift specialties including turacos, trogons, and colorful sunbirds.
June 22 - Transfer to Ruhija with birding in montane forest habitats and opportunities for endemic species.
June 23 - Morning birding around Ruhija before continuing to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
June 24 - Full day in Queen Elizabeth National Park with excellent birding and mammal viewing, including elephants and Giant Forest Hog.
June 25 - Additional exploration of Queen Elizabeth National Park and transfer to Kibale National Park.
June 26 - Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest followed by afternoon forest birding.
June 27 - Full day birding Kibale National Park with special focus on Green-breasted Pitta and forest specialties.
June 28 - Travel to Budongo Forest with birding stops and evening exploration of forest edge habitats.
June 29 - Full day in Budongo Forest searching for Nahan’s Partridge, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, and other key species.
June 30 - Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park with afternoon wildlife viewing along the Victoria Nile.
June 1 - Full day exploring Murchison Falls National Park with game drives, birding, and night excursion for owls and nightjars.
June 2 - Additional birding and mammal watching in Murchison Falls National Park, including chances for Leopard and Papyrus Yellow Warbler.
June 3 - Return drive to Entebbe and departure flights home.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri)
Guereza Colobus (Colobus guereza)
Angolan Colobus (Colobus angolae)
Central African Red Colobus (Piliocolobus oustaleti)
Olive Baboon (Papio anubis)
Gray-cheeked Mangabey (Lophocebus albigena)
Patas Monkey (Cercopithecus patas)
Tantalus Monkey (Cercopithecus tantalus)
Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus pygerythrus)
L’Hoest’s Monkey (Cercopithecus l’hoesti)
Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis)
Red-tailed Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)
Silvery Galago (Galago argentatus)
Straw-colored Fruit-bat (Eidolon helvum)
Yellow-winged Bat (Lavia frons)
Scrub Hare (Lepus saxatilis)
Striped Ground Squirrel (Xerus erythropus)
Carruther’s Mountain
Squirrel (Funisciurus carruthersi)
Boehm’s Squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi)
African Giant Squirrel (Protoxerus strangeri)
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Lion (Panthera leo)
Spotted Hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)
Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo)
White-tailed Mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda)
Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula)
Blotched Genet (Genetta tigrina)
African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Common Zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi)
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni)
Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
Nubian Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
Eland (Taurotragus oryx)
Oribi (Ourebia ourebi)
Uganda Kob (Kobus kob)
Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
Impala (Aepyceros melampus)
Kongoni (Red Hartebeest)
(Alcephalus busephalus)
Topi (Damaliscus lunatus)
REPTILES:
Bell’s Hinged Tortoise (Kinixys spekii)
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
African House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia)
Jackson’s Long-tailed Lizard (Adolfus jacksoni)
Five-lined Skink (Trachylepis quinquetaniata)
Blue-headed Tree Agama (Acanthocerus atricollis)
Red-headed Agama (Agama finchi)
Slender Chameleon (Chameleo gracilis)
Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus)
Central African Rock Python (Python sebae)
Emerald Snake (Haspidophrys smaragdinus)