Birding safari in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve
Birding safari in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve : Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, also known as Kyambura Gorge or Kyambura Game Reserve, is a hidden gem located within the mighty Queen Elizabeth National Park, bordering the Rwenzori Mountains to the north and Lake Edward to the southwest. Kyambura Wildlife. The reserve covers an area of approximately 156 square kilometers (60 sq mi). The reserve is encompassed by diverse landscapes, including tropical forests, savannah grasslands, wetlands, riverine forests, and rugged gorges. The heart of the reserve is a stunning Kyambura Gorge, a deep gorge by the Kyambura River over millions of years. The reserve was formed as the Kyambura-controlled hunting area in 1962 and then upgraded to game reserve status in 1965. Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is a paradise for birdwatchers, with over 300 species of birds recorded in the area. The reserve’s diverse habitats support a wide variety of different kinds of bird species, including waterbirds, forest birds, savannah species, and migratory birds. The reserve is known for its diverse wildlife, including primates such as chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, and baboons, as well as other animals such as elephants, lions, leopards, and buffaloes. One of the main attractions and activities. The Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is known for its large population of endangered chimpanzees. The Chimpanzees inhabit the forested areas surrounding the Kyambura Gorge, offering visitors an opportunity to trek into the reserve and observe these fascinating primates in their natural habitat.
Bird watching
Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is a great destination for bird watching. Queen Elizabeth National Park harbors about 300 bird species. Bird watching in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is carried out in the savannah forest, and Kyambura is the best destination for bird watching. Due to the trees that contain insects and fruits that the birds feed on. Bird species in Kyambura Reserve includes lesser flamingos, martial eagles, Verreaux’s eagle owls, and papyrus. canary, pink-backed pelicans, greater flamingos, blue-headed bee-eaters, African skimmers, Papyrus gonoleks, African finfoot, African broadbills, white-winged warblers, black bees eaters, and many others. Birders here are recommended to carry items such as enough drinking water and snacks, sunglasses, field clothing, sturdy shoes, a notebook and pen, binoculars, a field guide, a camera or good phone, and insect repellent, among others, to make their birding safari memorable
Other activities to do at Kyambura Wildlife Reserve
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest Reserve is an adventurous activity where tourists will move on foot into the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzees and, once found, spend one hour with them in their habitat. Chimpanzee tracking activity starts very early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle with a trained park guide who is well conversant with chimpanzee trekking trails. Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees, because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking, you will be able to view other primate species, different plant species, and birds, among others. Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors and habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, fight, play, rest, and groom young ones, among others.
Nature walks
Nature walks in the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve This activity offers you the opportunity to observe different animals, such as giant forest hogs, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and black Columbus monkeys, among others, while taking a forest walk. offer visitors a unique A guided nature walk in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve has two sessions: the morning session, which starts at 8:00 a.m., and the afternoon session. which starts at 13:00 p.m. While Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is famous for its large population of chimpanzees, and chimpanzee tracking is the highlight of any Uganda safari in Kyambura Gorge-guided nature walks provide an alternative way to uncover the hidden gems of the reserve’s natural wonders. While on a Uganda nature walk tour here, you’ll have a chance to explore the reserve’s lush forest, stunning savannah, wetlands, and riverine areas. You will also have a sighting of the reserve’s wildlife species, including monkeys, antelopes, elephants, and a variety of bird species as you explore the reserve’s trails and pathways, among others.
The best time to visit Kyambura Wildlife Reserve
Kyambura Wildlife Reserve can be visited anytime of the year due to its fascinating biodiversity. The best time to visit is during the dry seasons, in the months of June to September, December, and February. This is also known as the peak season, and during This time, there is a little amount of rainfall received, making the forest trails for chimpanzees Tracking, birding, and guided nature walks are passable compared to the wet seasons in the months of March to May and October to November, when the forest receives heavy rainfall, which makes the forest trails slippery, wet, and muddy. However, the wet season also known as the low season, is ideal for bird watching because there will be plenty of fruits for both migratory and resident bird species.
Accommodation safari near Kyambura Wildlife Reserve.
There are several accommodation safaris near Kyambura Wildlife Reserve where visitors on a birding safari can stay. These accommodations are arranged at different levels to suit all classes of visitors, such as Katara Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Enganzi Lodge, Bush Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Safari Lodge, Kingfisher Camp, Jacana Safari Lodge, Simba Safari Lodge, and Hippo Hill Lodge, among others
Getting to Kyambura Wildlife Reserve
To get to Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, you would generally travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, as Kyambura Wildlife Reserve is part of it. The reserve can be reached by both air transport, and road transport.
By air: when using air transport means to Kyambura Wildlife Reserve in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will book domestic airlines such as Aero Link, which operates chartered flights to Mweya Airstrip in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which takes about an hour, and From Mweya Airport, you will connect by road to Kyambura Wildlife Reserve.
By road transport, you can drive from Kampala or Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is approximately a 6- to 7-hour drive by car via Masaka and Mbarara, passing through scenic landscapes and rural towns along.
