Written by the Paramount Gorilla Expeditions team, based in Uganda, on planning an East Africa birding safari.
Uganda has more than 1,000 recorded bird species, which is exceptional for a country of its size. That makes it a serious birding destination in its own right, not just an add-on to a gorilla trek. Kenya and Tanzania offer superb birding alongside classic game drives.
Uganda's highlights
- Forest birds: Bwindi and Kibale hold forest specialists and Albertine Rift endemics found almost nowhere else.
- Wetlands: Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Nile below Murchison Falls attract many water birds.
- The shoebill: a bucket-list species, best looked for in Mabamba Swamp near Entebbe.
Kenya and Tanzania
Savanna parks offer raptors, hornbills and the colourful lilac-breasted roller. Lake Nakuru and other Rift Valley lakes sometimes host large flamingo flocks, though numbers change from year to year with water conditions.
Best season for an East Africa birding safari
The green season, around November and April to May, is often the best across the region, when migrants from Europe and northern Africa overlap with resident species. See green season safaris.
Our East Africa birding safari trips
- Uganda Birding & Gorilla Safari (11 days, from $7,600): Bwindi, Kibale, Bigodi Wetland and the Kazinga Channel, plus a gorilla trek.
- 14 Day Uganda Wildlife and Birding Safari (14 days): a longer route for keen birders.
Birds worth looking for
- Shoebill: Mabamba Swamp near Entebbe.
- Grey crowned crane: Uganda's national bird, often seen in grassland and wetland areas.
- African fish eagle: along lakes and rivers, including the Kazinga Channel.
- Albertine Rift endemics: in the forests of Bwindi.
Use a birding guide
A dedicated birding guide changes your yield, compared with a generalist guide, if birding is a real priority. Tell us when you book and we will arrange the right guide.
Plan a trip
See the Uganda national parks guide, the best time to visit Uganda and chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, which combines well with birding.
Plan your East Africa birding safari
Gorilla and park permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the Uganda Tourism Board publishes official visitor information. We confirm the current fees for your dates in every quote.
For Congo-Basin specialities, see our Semuliki National Park guide.
For over 400 recorded species around a freshwater lake, see our Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate guide.
Birders can add the buffalo weavers to their list: see our Little Five animals guide for the species and their nests.
Ask your guide for bird names in Swahili; see our Swahili phrases for travellers guide for a start.
Vultures and the marabou stork are Africa's most useful scavengers: see our Ugly Five guide.
For birds on a Rwandan lake and in papyrus, see our Akagera National Park guide.
For birding on foot across Bwindi, read our Buhoma to Nkuringo trek guide.
For the Albertine Rift forest and its endemics in detail, read our birding in Bwindi guide.
For Uganda's most famous swamp bird, see our shoebill and Mabamba Swamp guide.