Birding Tours at Mabamba Swamp: A journey to Mabamba Bay will reward you with more than just bird watching in pursuit of the rare shoebill, but will also provide you with a country side tour in a native canoe as you ride in the picturesque marsh in search of the shoebills. Bird watching at Mabamba Swamp Wetlands is an excellent method to see many different bird species in Uganda.
Mabamba is a huge marsh located west of Entebbe, spanning across a long narrow bay edged with papyrus into the western main body of Lake Victoria in Mpigi District, the nearest area to Kampala. There have always been good odds of seeing two or three shoebills among the many other species.
Your guide will take you up from your accommodation in Entebbe or Kampala and transport you to the Mabamba marsh, which is about an hour and a half away. You may also take a boat from Entebbe on the banks of Lake Victoria to Mabamba.
A local birding guide always joins you on the boat for the expedition and assists in the hunt, since they keep watch of the shoebill due to nesting and previous day site. Mabamba Swamp is one of the best spots in Uganda to see the endangered shoebill in its native environment. On a good day, you will find them either breeding or hunting, and you will have plenty of time to spend with them before returning to your hotel.
Bird watching tours in Mabamba Swamp Wetlands in Uganda is a one-day activity that can last anywhere between 1 and 5 hours. You can choose between an early morning session beginning at 7 a.m. and an afternoon session beginning at 2 p.m. Depending on the season, both sessions are successful.
The bird is most visible in the morning when it stalks its main meal, mudfish or frogs, although it can be observed all day. They may hold still for lengthy periods of time, waiting for their victim to move, and then attack with incredible speed. You will be able to shoot a lot of photographs with your cameras at this point, capturing the lovely hunting moment.
Bird species that you can Sight at during your Birding Tour at Mabamba Swamp.
Mabamba is a birder’s dream, with over 260 species spotted in the area, including the papyrus yellow warbler, pallid harrier, and blue swallow.
Recent birders verified the existence of flocks of additional species, including migratory like Gull-billed Terns, White-winged Black Terns, and Whiskered Terns, as well as inhabitants like Grey-headed Gulls. To name a few, the marsh is home to a large number of Goliath Herons, Spur-winged and Pygmy Geese, Malachite kingfisher, Papyrus Canary, Northern Brown-throated weaver, Carruthers’ Cisticola, and a variety of other birds. Five Lake Biome species have also been identified, Birding Tours at Mabamba Swamp
At a nutshell, the overwhelming birding experience in Mabamba Bay is very peaceful with amazing experiences off a canoe journey and not just at the Swamp, but there are additional birding places with a diversity of habitats along the route.
Other activities available on your Uganda Birding Safari in and around Entebbe include fishing on Lake Victoria, bird viewing at the Entebbe Botanical Garden, a boat excursion on Lake Victoria, a visit to the Ngamba Island Sanctuary, and an Entebbe city tour that includes a visit to the Zoo (Uganda Wildlife Center).
1 Day Birding Safari at Mabamba Swamp.
Mabamba Bay is a wetland on Lake Victoria’s western shore, northwest of the Entebbe peninsula. It is one of Uganda’s 33 Important Bird Areas and a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance since 2006. The shoebill, blue swallow, and papyrus gonolek are important protected bird species in Mabamba. Mabamba Harbor is a one-of-a-kind huge marsh that stretches along a small bay bordered with papyrus towards Lake Victoria’s main body.
Day 1: Pickup and drive to Mabamba
We will leave after an early breakfast with a packed lunch and go to Mabamba Swamp to see the uncommon shoebill. The road trip from Nakawuka to Kasanje takes roughly an hour. The swamp is home to many different bird species, and birding will occupy us the day.
A canoe ride through papyrus swamp will take you at the best spot of spotting the Shoebill bird among other rare Africa birds like the Malachite Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatchers, African Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White faced whistling duck, Squacco heron, Blue reasted Bee eater, African Jacana and Saddle billed Stork among others. We’ll be back to your hotel in the late afternoon.
