

Uganda is popularly known for not only Uganda gorilla safaris and Uganda wildlife safaris but also for bird-watching safaris Uganda.
About 1069 bird species are known to be within the boundaries of Uganda. Uganda birding safaris have been so popular of recent because of the beautiful birds easily seen on Uganda tours.
Is Uganda your next Africa safari destination? Planning for your Uganda safari tour is one of the first things you must do before you travel.
Planning for a short or Long Uganda birding safari requires prior preparations from choosing a Uganda tour operator, what to wear, what to pack, where to go and when to go.
Packing for a safari means taking along your trip the essentials that you will need throughout your trip. Before going for a birding watching safari in Uganda, familiarize yourself with the bird species in this area by buying a bird guide book and reading through to know which birds you will actually find and probably list those that you are interested in. Learn how to differentiate them by sound or colour.
This doesn’t mean that you will have to spot the birds yourself because your Uganda safari guide will do that for you but having prior knowledge makes the trip lively.
How to Plan the best Uganda birding safari trip in Uganda
Book your Uganda birding Safari with a Uganda tour operator
Planning, of course, involves prior booking especially when you are going to a new country or travelling for the first time.
Uganda has different Uganda tour operators online but Prime Uganda Safaris & Tours is the leading Uganda birding safari tour operator in Uganda.
Once you start your Uganda tour preparations with them, they ensure all preparations like hotels or your Uganda safari accommodation bookings, transport or 4×4 safari vehicle for hire in Uganda are booked early.
Besides hotels in Uganda and transport, Prime Safaris & Tours Ltd will give you a professional Uganda birding safari tour guide.
A Uganda birding safari never gets interesting if you don’t have a knowledgeable safari guide. No matter the self-drive trend nowadays, for Africa birding safaris you need a guide to help you get to these bird watching safari destinations in Uganda that reward you with several bird species.
Purchase or Carry Along With you a Binoculars and Camera
Spotting birds on any safari needs a pair of binoculars to spot them in the air and trees.
If you don’t have one, you need to purchase a pair of binoculars of your own which you will be most comfortable with.
You will definitely want to capture that moment whether for a Bee-eater or a Weaver so don’t forget to carry your camera.
You might think your not skilled but that’s no a reason to leave behind your camera, you need it for identification of the birds.
For your camera, pack extra batteries, memory cards and any other camera accessories. To keep your camera safe, carry with you a camera strap, cleaning tools, Digiscoping adapters and any other tools that you need for your kind of camera.
Carry Along a Field Guide Book
Either before or when you arrive in Uganda for a Uganda birding tour remember to purchase or rent a field guide book the most recommendable being the Birds of Africa Field Guide.
The books have a detailed analysis of over 95% of the recorded bird species in Uganda and increase your scope of what to expect while birding in Uganda.
Carrying a field guide or bird book is essential for any birding safari. This can depend on the number of days your safari is lasting.
If you choose to purchase books before you set off always choose the right guides that you are comfortable using, but at times this can become bulky.
The other option of purchasing a bird guide book is by getting it in a local store. You can contact your Uganda birding safaris tour operator to check out for you if the guide is available in the local store.
More appropriate also is getting help from your birding guide on where to purchase a bird guide book after you have arrived, they are knowledgeable and can be helpful.
The world is going digital and you can also go that way so to avoid carrying bulky stuff, your phone can do it all.
You can download the necessary guide book then use your phone as long as your battery will always be charged such that you don’t skip to tick any of the specials you sight.
A Field Bag
You will need a suitcase to carry all of your birding safari essentials but then you will also need to carry a field bag. Your field bag is essential to carry your gear no matter where you may go birding.
Pack the right clothing
After booking your Uganda birding tours, knowing what to carry on your safari is necessary.
What to carry depends on where you are doing the bird watching from either in a tropical rainforest or in the wilderness.
If it’s in the tropical forest either in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park or Semuliki National Park, wearing long-sleeved shirt and trousers is necessary.
Wear trekking shoes since you will have to trek the mountain as you do the birding. Carry a sweater and raincoat since the temperatures in the forests are low.
Birding in other national parks like Murchison Falls National Park or Queen Elizabeth National Park that are in lower altitude areas require wearing light clothes.
Light shoes and a hat for protection from the scorching sun are important. Carry sunglasses and bottled drinking water too.
In Kidepo Valley National Park–Africa’s best wilderness, carry light clothes, light shoes and a hat for protection from the scorching sun rays in the wilderness. Pack enough drinking water to take during the birding process.
Above all you should always be comfortable, the clothing that you carry along should fit your trip. Uganda isn’t a very conservative dressing style country and locals may tend to mind their own business.
For women, you would love to ensure that everything you buy is culturally sensitive and appropriate. Generally, it’s not culturally appropriate for women to show their thighs, therefore skirts/dresses below the knee or long pants can be your best bet.
Even since most of the Uganda birding safari spots are in the forests and jungles then wearing something long also protects your body from bites and sunburns.
Clothes should generally be light and with neutral safari colours whether for the ladies or gents since temperatures get high and the cool times of the day are generally mild. Don’t forget the birding hut and the boots.
Birding accessories must fit in your luggage for safety.
Other Things to Carry For Your Birding Safari Uganda
A birding watching safari Uganda takes you to different habitats from tropical jungles to wildernesses so you wouldn’t want to go wrong.
During your birding excursion don’t forget to wear appropriate insect repellent and sunscreen depending on the location and climate conditions where you are birding.
Carry along a water bottle to keep you hydrated and also a few snacks.
Your birding tour in Uganda tour operator will always make sure there is water in the vehicle but just in case it’s not enough you should carry some water along.
A light jacket can also be fitted in your field bag just in case the rains find you in the field.
Don’t forget the birding hut and the boots.
What to pack for your Africa birding safari just got listed for you so get ready and pack right for your trip.
Many birding tourists tailor their safaris with Uganda gorilla safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to 23 out of the 24 Albertine rift endemics.
You can also tailor to the other parks like Queen Elizabeth National Park or even continue for a Rwanda safari.
These tips apply for all of the other birding safaris in East Africa especially Tanzania birding safari and Rwanda birding tours or bird watching safaris Rwanda.
Best Time for a Uganda Birding Safari
Bird watching can be done all year round however, the best Uganda tour season for a birding safari Uganda is during the dry season in the months of January to March when the tropical forests are accessible and the not slippery for hiking.
The breeding season, however, is during the month of June and this is when the birds are very colourful.
Uganda’s Best Selling Uganda Birding Safari Packages
- 1 Day Mabamba swamp excursion
- 7 Days Birding safari in Uganda
- 8 Days Uganda Birding safari
- 14 Days Uganda Primate birding safari
- 15 Days Uganda birding safari
- 19 Days Uganda birding safari
- 21 Days Birding safari in Uganda
Uganda has for long been considered as one of the best Africa birding safari destinations that any bird fanatic must not miss on his bucket list.
Safari Uganda for your Uganda bird watching tour and get to witness several bird species that call Uganda home, the rich culture and wildlife diversity that has seen a rise in Uganda birding safaris tours, Cultural Safaris in Uganda and Uganda Wildlife Safaris respectively in the past years.
Referred to as the Pearl of Africa, you will enjoy sightseeing of the vast captivating landscapes that wow a tourist driving by the countryside during their Uganda tour, water bodies including the second largest freshwater lake; Victoria and the world’s longest river; Nile, and forests like the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mabira Forest and many more.
All these once visited on your tour Uganda, you will indeed witness why it is called the Pearl of Africa. Uganda has an equatorial climate and has the Albertine Rift Valley in the western part of the country which is host to several bird species. Book with us and have the best Africa safari tour memories.
Top Uganda Safaris Tour Packages
Such a great destination to visit, Uganda offers several safaris and these popular tours are the best to choose from when planning to visit Uganda.
- 3 days Gorilla trekking safari in Uganda
- 3 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari to Bwindi
- 1 day Jinja tour excursion
- 1 Day Tour Ngamba Island Chimps
- 1 Day Kampala City Tour
- 3 Days Queen Elizabeth Park Safari Uganda
- 2 Days Wildlife safari in Uganda Queen Elizabeth
- 4 Days Wildlife Safari in Uganda to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- 3 Days Murchison Falls Safari Uganda
- 2 Days Murchison Falls safari Uganda
- 7 Days Uganda Budget Wildlife Safari Tour to Murchison Falls
- 3 Days Uganda Gorilla tour to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- 2 Days Uganda Safari to Lake Mburo National Park
- 3 Days Uganda Safari to Lake Mburo National Park
- 2 Days Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
- 5 days Wildlife and Chimpanzee Safari in Uganda
- 3 Days Chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale Uganda
- 4 Days Wildlife Chimpanzee Safari
- 5 Days Gorilla and Wildlife Safari in Uganda
- Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour
- 10 Days Uganda Gorillas Chimps Safari
- 4 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Wildlife Safari
- 6 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari
- 6 days Uganda Gorilla Tracking safari
- 13 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari
- 8 Days Uganda safari tours
- 9 Days Uganda Safari
- 3 days Uganda Safari to Kidepo National Park
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