Uganda: Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Shoebills

Uganda is one of Africa’s most spectacular wildlife destinations, a lush and varied country where rainforest, savanna, volcanic highlands, and enormous freshwater lakes converge. This special Cornell Lab of Ornithology departure traces a highlights route through southern and western Uganda, offering remarkable opportunities to observe Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and the prehistoric-looking Shoebill, alongside an impressive list of mammals and birds found across East Africa’s most biodiverse regions.

Our journey begins in Entebbe, where the papyrus-lined channels of Mabamba Wetlands provide an early wildlife highlight: close views of Shoebill as it hunts quietly through flooded marshes. From there we make our way through a succession of Uganda’s premier national parks. In Lake Mburo, we encounter Zebra, Eland, and topi on bright green savannas. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest—one of the world’s richest biological hotspots—we trek through towering rainforest in search of Mountain Gorillas and explore the Albertine Rift forests where endemic greenbuls, sunbirds, and warblers gather in colorful mixed flocks.

Continuing north, Queen Elizabeth National Park offers classic East African scenery with Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, Elephants, Buffalo, and a rich assortment of antelope. Boat excursions reveal basking Hippos, nesting kingfishers, and enormous Nile Crocodiles along the Kazinga Channel. Our route concludes in Murchison Falls National Park, where the Nile sweeps powerfully through a narrow gorge and vast savannas support Giraffe, Oribi, hartebeest, and diverse raptors.

The tour also offers opportunities to learn about the Cornell Lab’s research and conservation work, and time with VENT and Bird Uganda Safaris guides enhances every day in the field. With comfortable lodges, warm hospitality, and some of the continent’s richest wildlife viewing, Uganda provides an unforgettable natural history experience.

Uganda’s March landscapes are at peak lushness as the long rains begin. Mabamba’s papyrus wetlands surge with waterbirds and Shoebills. Bwindi and Albertine Rift forests burst with fruit and flowers, drawing mixed flocks and supporting active gorilla and chimpanzee groups. Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls savannas green dramatically, dispersing elephants and predators across the plains. Kibale and Budongo forests teem with chimpanzees and breeding rainforest birds. The combination of wetlands, montane forest, Rift Valley savannas, and riverine ecosystems produces exceptional biodiversity.