The 1 Day Shoebill Birding Tour to Mabamba wetlands are by far the best locations in Uganda situated on Lake Victoria’s shoreline and only an hour’s drive from either Entebbe or Kampala, More than 300 bird species can be found in Mabamba, a RAMSAR wetland and Important Bird Area (IBA), including 7 of Uganda’s 12 Lake Victoria Basin restricted specie. later in the evening embark on The Entebbe Botanical Gardens will involve hiking or treading through a rain forest, wet or dewy vegetation after a downpour. Do remember to wear a pair of water proof hiking shoes lest you walk through the rain forest in soggy shoes
1 Day Shoebill Birding Tour Highlights
Shoebill at Mabamba
Botanical Gardens Birding
1 Day Shoebill Birding Tour Detials
1 Day Shoebill Birding Tour, Depending on where you are staying in Entebbe or Kampala, you will be picked up by 7 am or sooner. Driving to Mabamba in Buwaya takes about an hour; it may take longer if we stop to watch birds along the way. As we travel, we may see some birds in the fields, gardens, marshes, and bushlands.
We will immediately hop into the motorized wooden boats or canoes and start exploring the water channels to discover the Shoebill as a top priority when we arrive, where our boat man and site guide will be waiting. Finding the Shoebill might not take an hour of searching. If they saw the Shoebill, local fishermen who venture out at dusk might be able to aid with information.
The Shoebill is most active in the early morning hours, when it is searching for lungfish, thus this is the best time to look for it. It hunts by staying stationary for extended periods of time while waiting for fish to cross, then catching it with its large, powerful beak in the style of a shoe! The Shoebill provides excellent views and displays since you may approach close to it without bothering it because it is preoccupied with catching fish.
Later in the after noon embank Entebbe Botanical Gardens Experience, the location in itself allowed us the privilege of two bird categories the lake and land birds our venture having started at the lakeside. A more experienced birder called out the birds’ names one after the other, some of which I could not tell apart; the Black-winged Stilt, the Grey Heron and the Yellow ducks, the Egyptian Geese, Pied King Fisher, African Open-Billed Stork, Crown Horn Bill, Black Headed Heron, Spur winged Lapwing, Plantain Eater, Red-eyed Dove, Reed Wobbler and Great Blue Turaco. As you wind up, your guide will pick you and transfer you back to Kampala or Entebbe for your flight. This will mark the end of your 1 Day Shoebill Birding Tour