“He is out there on the swampy patch to the left,” Muhangi pointed out, as he paddled through a tiny channel separating two large marshes.

In this marshy delta is where chances of encountering the shoebill stork, a wild bird about the size of a turkey hunting for either  insects, frogs or tiny fish and sometimes snakes are high.

“Visitors from all over the world come to see this rare bird,” says Muhangi. “They feel like conquerors when they encounter the shoebill stork because it is only found in a few places in Africa.”

The excitement over the shoebill faded as frogs croaked and insects hidden in the expansive marshland sang different melodies. They were probably ushering us into the heart of the unspoilt Nile Delta, together with spectacular Uganda wildlife and pristine scenery.

This brought me face to face with the wild beauties of the Nile Delta, one of the most treasured parts of the earth, where River Nile meets Lake Albert.

A short distance away, fishermen who eke a living out of the delta were perched on wooden canoes, excited by the day’s catch. At the heart of the Nile Delta, large water birds, probably in thousands, gathered for easy pickings. How many birds are in this delta, I wondered.

Their huge number does not seem to matter because there is plenty for the creatures to eat. As we moved around the delta, most of the smaller birds were flirting and others making acrobatic landings like their cousins, the aeroplanes. It was like the Biblical Garden of Eden.

This Uganda wildlife paradise, according to Gard Mugiri, the warden incharge of monitoring at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), has always been a battle ground for wildlife rangers and fishermen who have depleted fish from the lake and now sneak into the delta to catch bigger fish. A big part of the delta is protected as Murchison Falls National Park.

Other than the fight with fishermen, conservationists are facing a bigger hurdle since prospectors predict that wildlife beauties of the delta could be sitting on one of the most sought after treasures, oil.

The water has many shiny blue patches, which oil experts call oil seeps. “We could be having more oil in the delta than in any other part of the country. But this place is also a delicate ecological system needed for the conservation,” says Reuben Kashambuzi, an advisor in the Ministry of Energy. Murchison falls national park

THE DELTA IS A SANCTUARY FOR WILD ANIMALS

River Nile drops much of its silt in Lake Albert. When the river reaches the delta, it splits into more than 50 channels that either lead into the wider Lake Albert near Wanseko,

or Panyimur located in Nebbi district or the Albert Nile on its way to the Sudan border.

Over time, this has created floating islands, home to many aquatic plants. The islands have become an attraction to wildlife, including large mammals such as elephants.

“Animals like elephants barely move four kilometres away from where there is plentiful supply of water in the dry season.”

DELTA IS KEY TO TOURISM AREA

The wildlife species flocking the delta have also been accompanied by tourists. Mugiri says the delta is gazetted as a tourism zone, together with the neighbouring Buligi sector, according to the Uganda tourism master plan.

“The delta has all the big mammals,” says Mugiri.

“Because of the different attributes, the delta is attractive to many species.”

Over 80% of the tourists visiting Murchison Falls National Park go to the delta and the nearby Buliigi sector because of the many species in the area, according to Mugiri.

But the oil installations could be causing negative visual impact and the visitors who come expecting to experience a true wilderness may feel cheated, according to Mugiri.

To minimise the negative impact, the oil operations in Murchison falls national park take place in seasons when tourism is low and UWA also demands for immediate restoration.

“We are also demanding for surface installations,” says Mugiri, adding that they will not abandon Buliigi sector.

In addition, UWA has started creating an alternative tourism circuit around the Murchison Falls National Park, which is expected to diversify the tourism attractions.”

STUDIES TO ESTABLISH THE IMPACT OF OIL ON MIGRATORY ANIMALS ONGOING

According to park authorities at Murchison Falls, there is ongoing research to study the impact of oil operations on animal movements and behaviour in the park.

Four elephants have been fitted with collars containing satellites in research conducted by UWA and the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society. He also pointed out that two lions have been collared to monitor the impact on the big cats.

Mr. Luyimbazi Fredrick the Assistant Commissioner for Entomology has said that this will help boost tourist confidence in the area. Mr. Luyimbazi Fredrick visited the region recently during a Murchison falls safari and found that the number of tsetse flies in the region had greatly reduced.

The Assistant Commissioner toured Red Chilli rest house, Sambiya River lodge and the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices all which are located in the Murchison falls national park. He urged government to invest in the eradication of tsetse flies in the region.

There was an incident where a tourist provided negative publicity about the tourism in the Country. A tourist visited Murchison Falls national park in August 2011 and posted bad reviews about the place saying it swarmed with tsetse which is actually not true. The tourist was telling other tourists not to visit the region.

The entomologist said one other solution to the tsetse flies is spraying with environmentally friendly pesticides.

Apart from gorilla safaris in Bwindi, the other top Uganda tour package is a Murchison falls safari.

However due to poor use and mismanagement most of the lakes in Uganda are being over fished and illegal fishing practices such as catching of young and immature fish has led to a drastic decline in the number of fish is most of Uganda’s lakes.

In Western Uganda for example over 72 lakes are now without fish having been over fished. The extinction of fish is these lakes is testament to the illegal fishing methods as well as lack of regulations by the authorities.  The ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries under whose docket the management of fishing in lakes falls, has come up with stringent measures to curb illegal fishing in Uganda’s lakes. This includes confiscating illegal fishing nets as well as day and night patrol of the lakes. According to Mr. Ismail Bugingo the fisheries enforcement officer in west Uganda, the depletion of the lakes of fish has led to the local traders in the region trading in immature fish as well as a move eastwards to the central region lakes.

A case in point is the confiscation of over 300Kg worth 2.5m Uganda Shillings (approx. $1000) of immature fish which was impounded by officials. The fish was destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo where there’s a high demand for fish. Some of the fish species that are being threatened are tilapia and Nile perch.

According to Mr. Yassin Matovu, the Entebbe Fisheries Department field officer there is no imminent plan to reintroduce new fish species to the already depleted 72 lakes. In areas like the Murchison falls, there is a good example of how important our fish and water bodies can be managed. Sport fishing in Murchison falls is good recreational activity which does not threaten the number of fish the Murchison bay. There are a high number of tourists who visit the region to carry out sport fishing bringing in a good amount of revenue to the locals and the Country at large.

It is a shame that many of these illegal fishermen are being protected by the local politicians instead of facing serious fines. Condoning these illegal activities will only serve to deprive the poor local communities of a good source of food and livelihood. As earlier mentioned proper planning of our fishing industry not only ensures that there’s a continued supply of food but also foreign exchange from tourism. Sport fishing in Uganda is a good Uganda tourism attraction and with a well managed fish population it is definite that sport fishing can become a major tour attraction.

Mountain gorilla tracking

One of these habituated mountain gorilla families is Nkuringo group in Bwindi national park. In this group a 20 year old female gorilla was beaten to death when she rejected the advances of two mountain gorillas.

Samehe – the female mountain gorilla did not show interest in the two males despite their repeated advances as they kept hanging around her. The male gorillas then got angry and for days kept jumping around and rolling as they tore apart vegetation in their way while attacking Samehe. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

By the time veterinary doctors from the Uganda Wildlife Authority intervened, Samehe was no longer able to keep up with the family of 20 members. She kept lagging behind which was a sign that she was not well. According to Bwindi gorillas park authorities and Lilian Nsubuga the spokesperson of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Samehe received treatment several times for the wounds and damages got on the skull and skin which the silverback gorillas had ripped open. She later gained strength, however when the next round of treatment was administered, Samehe became weaker and died. Her body was found in an isolated place far from the rest of the family.

For more information on Bwindi national park

Of the 144 visitors, 122 were local students. This was a drop from the 152 tourists that were registered during the same period last year.

The figure dipped further to only 40 tourists in April although it rose to 92 in May. But this was still lower than the 98 to 190 tourists who visited the park during the same period last year.

The report noted that most of the foreign tourists who comprise nearly 90% of the park’s visitors, kept away. Regular foreign tourists at the park include Britons, Germans, Americans, Dutch, Israelites and Canadians.

March and April each registered only 27 foreign tourists. However, the figure slightly rose to 37 in May. Save for the 13 German tourists, one Dutch and an American who visited the park in March, the Israelites, British, and Canadian visitors kept away during the tragic month.

Similarly, no tourists from the neighbouring Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania of Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya visited the park in March. “Heavy rains characterised with landslides were occurring on various parts of the mountain. The Bududa landslide scared away many tourists,” Stephen Nyadros, the Budadiri entry point information officer, said.

“About 15 foreign tourists expected to hike on Mt. Elgon through the Budadiri trail cancelled their bookings with us in March. “Fortunately, the trend is steadily picking up again,” Nyadros pointed out.

He disclosed that most of the cancelled bookings had been rescheduled for May to September. The park experiences peak periods from June to September, and December to March, statistics show.

Other prominent visitors to the park comprise scouts and students on holiday from Europe and North America. A total of 2,903 tourists visited the park in 2009, down from 3,844 the previous year.

The main tourist attractions for hikers on the mountain include the wildlife, hotsprings, caves, waterfalls and the Wagagai peak that stands at 4,321 metres above sea level. However, after the Bududa tragedy that claimed over 350 people at the Nametsi trading centre, the Government declared Mt. Elgon prone to more landslides and warned residents to evacuate to the temporal camp at Bulucheke.

To allay fears among tourists, a 16-member-team from The Uganda Tourism Board took a four-day hike on Mt. Elgon through the Budadiri trail in Sironko district from June 15 to 18. Molly Mpiriirwe, the board’s senior information officer, narrated that there was no imminent danger to tourists on the mountain.

“We had a thrilling experience on the mountain. “Throughout our journey, we neither saw cracks nor mini-landslides. “We call on more people to come and tour the park to explore its beauty,” Mpiriirwe said.

Tourism, agriculture and forestry are top on the list of the national primary growth areas of the newly-released National Development Plan. In 2008, tourism contributed 9.2% or $1.2b to the gross domestic product (GDP), while in Kenya, it brought in $3.5b or 10.8% to GDP according to the World tourism and Travel Council.

This variation maybe directly linked to the massive investment that Kenya puts into the sector. According to the draft corporate strategy plan 2009-2012, Kenya spends sh27b in marketing.

Tourism arrivals surged from 512,000 in 2004 to 844,000 in 2008; an increase of 65% boosted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007.

Uganda is the ultimate fishing destination. With one third of the country covered by water, there is great opportunity for Sport Fishing. Nile perch of up to 108Kgs have been caught below the falls in Murchison Falls National Park.

Other fish you can catch include; Tilapia, Tiger fish, Ferocious fighter, Cat fish and Barbel.
Be part of the reservation now because limited fishing permits are available per annum. Remember that we promote the philosophy of ‘Catch and return’ for conservation purposes.

Where to go for sport fishing

Murchison falls National Park sport fishing
Lake Victoria
Lake Mburo
Ssese

Crested Crane

Uganda has a great variety of habitats, packed into a fairly small area, and has a bird list nearly at par with neighbouring Kenya. It is dotted with state of the art game reserves, including Murchison Falls national park, lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth national park, and many less visited ones, such as Kidepo Valley and Semiliki, which offer a good variety of more-widespread African bird species, as well as good variety of large mammals.

Uganda’s main attractions are in her forests and swamps, where species with restricted range can be found. While it only has one ubiquitous species, Fox weaver, which occurs in swamps north of Kampala, it has several species which are denizens of specific habitat areas, shared with other countries.

One such area is the Albertine Rift, an area of lakes, Mountains and Forests, which stretches from Northern Uganda along its boarders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several species endemic to this area are found in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park, Semiliki National park, Rwenzori Mountains and Mgahinga. These include; Green Broadbill, Graver’s swamp and Nkumann warblers, Shelley’s and Dusky Crimson wings, yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Strange weaver, Rwenzori Double-collared, Regal purple-breasted and Blue-throated sunbirds, Rwenzori Toraco, Handsome Francolin, Striper breasted Tit Inter-alia.

In the papyrus swamps around Lake Victoria and other Lakes, the enigmatic shoebill can be found, as swell as specialities including papyrus yellow and white winged warblers, Caruthers’s Cisticola, papyrus Gonolek, wswamp Flycatcher and orange weaver. There are also several highland and lowland forests spread across the country, which offer species which are generally West African. Great Blue and Black-billed Turacos, African Grey parrot, Green breasted Pitta, several woodpeckers, Barbets and Green bulls, and Scarcities such as Weyn’s weaver, Nahan’s and Forest Francolin, all occur. In addition to the bird life, a great attraction is the opportunity for Mountain gorillas trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga, as well as chimpanzees in Kibale.

Even if you are only passing through Uganda, a good range of species can be seen within a few hours of Kampala, in Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Mabamba swamp and Mabira Forest, including several of the sought-after species like the aforementioned.

Wetland Birds

1. Uganda has 30,000 sq. km of wetland.
2. 210 species from the shoe bill and African skimmer to the endemic fox’s weaver.
3. Four papyrus endemics; papyrus Gonolek, papyrus canary, white-winged warbler and papyrus yellow warbler.
4. A white-winged Black Tern roost of 2-3 million birds in the Entebbe area.

Savannahs vary from the remote, semi-desert, dry thorn-scrub region of Karamoja in the Northeast, to the richer fertile savannahs of the Western Rift Valley. Queen Elizabeth National Park has a bird list of 604 species, the highest for any protected area in Africa.

Some of the dry thorn-scrub birds include

1. Pigmy falcon.
2. Quail plover.
3. Fox kestrl.
4. Swallow-tailed kite.
5. Kori, White-bellied and Harttaub’s Bustard.
6. Black-headed plover.
7. Abyssinian Roller.
8. White-crested Turaco.
9. Lichtenstein’s and Four-banded sand grouse.
10. Brown-rumped Bunting.
11. Karamoja Apalis.
12. Pygmy sunbird.
13. Bristle-crowned staring.
14. Yellow-billed shrike.
15. White-bellied Go-away bird.
16. Piapiac
17. Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.

Entebbe and Kampala birds

1. Over 550 species for the region.
2. A suburban garden list of 206 species.
3. One of the largest urban breeding colony of Marabou storks.
4. 212 species listed in 12 hours by 3 people.
5. Great Blue and Ross’s Turacos are common city birds.

Within the Kampala region are two major Forest Reserves, less than an hour’s drive from the city, which hond a variety of very special birds including;

1. Emerald, Red-chested and Black cuckoos.
2. Brown Twinspot.
3. Nahan’s Francolin.
4. Weyn’s weaver.
5. Blue-throated Roller.
6. Crowned Eagle.
7. Tit-Hylia.
8. Cassin’s Hawk Eagle.
9. Grey-rumped and Blue Swallows.

Uganda’s 10 most commonly sought after birds

1. Red-fronted Ant peckers.
2. Karamoja Apalis.
3. The African Jacana.
4. Brown chested plover.
5. Rwenzori Juraco.
6. Purvell’s Illadopsis.
7. Nahan’s Francolin.
8. Green-breasted Broadbill.
9. African Green Broadbill.
10. Black-headed Gonolek.

Some common Urban birds

1. Bat Hawk.
2. Palm-unit vulture.
3. Open-billed stork.
4. African Grey and Brown parrots.
5. White-faced scops Owl.
6. Black and white Casqued, Crowned and pied Hornbills.
7. Wallberg’s Eagle.
8. African Grey and Brown parrots.
9. Red-faced Lovebird.
10. Grey-crowned Crane.
11. Black-headed Gonolek.

Visit the following links for birding safaris Uganda packages: Uganda birding tours and bird watching in Uganda

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shoe bill

Uganda is a true African birding destination, located across the equator. Uganda attracts
migratory birds from North and South hemisphere. Uganda is the richest country for birds in Africa. It has almost half of the species known on the African continent and over 10% of those recorded throughout the entire world. Over 1,000 species of birds have been recorded to exist in the country. Some of the exciting species you will view include birds of water and land shore, birds of shrub and woodland, forest birds and birds of the open plain.

Most of our National parks have a diversity of birds; however, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls, Bwindi Impenetrable and Semiliki National Parks are the most famous for birding.
If you are a bird lover, Uganda is the ideal destination that will make your dream come true. Our excellent guides will add flavour to your own experience on birds. Be our honoured guest.

Where to go for bird watching in Uganda together with field trips

1. Queen Elizabeth national Park birding tour.
2. Murchison Falls National Park birding safari.
3. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
4. Semiliki National Park.
5. Kibale National park.
6. Mabira Forest
7. Mabamba Wetland
8. Botanical Gardens
9. Lake Mburo
10. Bodongo Forest
11. Mgahinga Forest
12. Bigodi Swamp
13. Kampala bird watching safari

Attractions in Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari Park

Maramagambo Forest walks
There are three guided walks. The trail is a round the Forested shore of Lake Kyasanduka, then the second trail leads to a huge bat cave and python and the third one is around the back of Lake Nyamusingiri, which will give you an opportunity to se snowy-headed robin-chat, Scaly-breasted illadopsis and Chestnut wattle-eye. You will have an opportunity to see monkeys like red-tailed and vervet, black and white Colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey, leopard if lucky, Forest birds and the amazing chimps.

Launch Cruise on Kazinga Channel

In Queen Elizabeth, the launch trip takes place on the Kazinga Channel. The boat usually leaves daily at 09:00hr and 14:00 and takes 2-5 hours tour on the waters. While on the Launch Cruise, the professional guides will be able to give you useful information and answer your queries. With his help, you will have a great opportunity to view the wonderful scenery and variety of animals and birds. One should come with cameras and binoculars.

Game Driving

The game viewing circuit lies on the north side of the Kazinga Channel. With the help of the professional guide, you will have a wonderful opportunity to see Lions, Crocodiles, Hyena, Buffalos, Antelopes, Hippopotamuses, Leopard, Giant Forest hog, Elephant, Cape buffalo, Defassa, Waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Bushbuck and Topi – in their natural habitat during any wildlife safaris in the region.

Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge

With the help of the professional guide, you will be taken for Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge. The Gorge creates the boarder between the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and Queen Elizabeth National Park. This Gorge is where you can get a large community of chimps. They can be tracked within the confines of a forested river gorge carved into the surrounding flat savannah. The scientific name of the chimpanzee is
Pan troglodytes. The wild chimpanzee rarely lives past the age of 40, while those in captivity live up to the age of 60 years.

Bird watching

If you are a bird watcher, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most interesting destinations. You can see more than 610 bird species while on the Kazinga Channel Launch and on the Game drives. The park is teeming with a variety of birds like yellow-billed stork, plovers, pink-backed pelicans, white-bellied pelicans, white-bellied Cormorants, black-headed Gonolek Inter-alia. For more on Uganda bird watching

There are various accommodation options in Queen Elizabeth national park. The lodging facilities range from luxurious lodges, medium range to budget accommodation all providing bed and breakfast and dinner if you are spending a night.

Most of the safari lodges are cheap and offer discounts for large groups of travellers. Campsite are there in the park and also hotels for accommodation but far away from the park. The safari lodges and hostels in the park include:

Luxury accommodation
Jacana Safari lodge
Mweya Safari lodge

Medium Accommodation
Kingfisher Safari Resort
Hippo Hill Camp

Budget accommodation and campsites
Mweya Hostel
Institute of Ecology Mweya

Other Packages To Queen Elizabeth National Park

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2. 3 day Queen Elizabeth national park safari
3. Queen Elizabeth national park safari