Your 9-Day Uganda Birding and White-Water Rafting Safari begins when you arrive at Entebbe International Airport. Meet your safari guide and, depending on your arrival time, head toward Mabamba Swamp.

Mabamba is one of Uganda's best-known wetland birding locations and is particularly famous for the Shoebill. Travel through the wetlands by traditional canoe with an experienced local guide while searching for the Shoebill and other wetland species.

Possible sightings include: Shoebill · African Jacana · African Purple Swamphen · Malachite Kingfisher · Pied Kingfisher · African Fish Eagle · Egrets · Herons · Cormorants · Papyrus-associated species.

Return to Entebbe for the evening.

Wake early for breakfast before beginning the journey north toward Murchison Falls National Park. This is a longer transfer day, but there are opportunities for birding along the way.

Murchison Falls is Uganda's largest national park and combines savannah, woodland and the Nile River. The park is particularly interesting for birders because the Nile and surrounding habitats support a large variety of waterbirds, savannah species and raptors.

Arrive at your lodge in the afternoon. If time permits, enjoy an evening birding session around the lodge or park edge.

Wake before sunrise for a dedicated birding session. The northern sector of Murchison Falls offers a combination of open grassland, woodland and riverine habitats. Your guide will search for both common and specialist species while you also have opportunities to encounter wildlife.

Possible bird sightings include: Abyssinian Ground Hornbill · Red-throated Bee-eater · Northern Carmine Bee-eater · Grey Crowned Crane · Black-headed Gonolek · Senegal Thick-knee · Goliath Heron · African Fish Eagle · Saddle-billed Stork · Secretarybird · Long-tailed Cisticola · Various kingfishers · Raptors and vultures.

Murchison also supports elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, Uganda kob and other wildlife, making the birding drive a broader wildlife experience. Return to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon break, then continue with another birding drive.

After breakfast, head toward the Victoria Nile for a boat cruise toward the base of Murchison Falls. This is one of the most productive ways to combine wildlife and birding in the park.

The riverbanks support large numbers of hippos and crocodiles, while the surrounding vegetation attracts herons, egrets, kingfishers, bee-eaters, fish eagles and other water-associated species. Keep your binoculars ready throughout the cruise.

After lunch, visit the Top of Murchison Falls, where the Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge before plunging through the Rift Valley escarpment. Return to your lodge for the evening.

Wake early and head toward Budongo Forest, located on the southern edge of the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area. Today changes the birding environment from savannah and wetlands to tropical forest.

Your guide will search the forest trails and edges for forest species and mixed bird parties.

Possible sightings may include: Great Blue Turaco · African Emerald Cuckoo · Chocolate-backed Kingfisher · Yellow-crested Helmetshrike · African Paradise Flycatcher · Black Bee-eater · Forest robin species · Various barbets · Sunbirds · Turacos · Flycatchers.

After the forest experience, continue toward Jinja. The drive is long, so the evening is kept relaxed.

Today is a lighter day before the rafting adventure. After breakfast, explore Jinja and the area around the Nile. Visit the Source of the Nile and spend time birding around suitable riverine and wetland habitats.

Jinja is also one of Uganda's important adventure destinations, known for activities such as white-water rafting and bungee jumping.

The afternoon can be used to relax beside the Nile and prepare for the following day's rafting.

Today is the adventure highlight of your safari. After breakfast, transfer to the rafting base for registration, safety briefing and equipment fitting. Your professional rafting team will explain river safety, paddling techniques and what to expect on the rapids.

Then begin your white-water rafting experience on the Nile. Jinja is recognized as a major white-water rafting destination, with the Nile offering rapids reaching Grade 5.

The rafting experience includes a mixture of exciting rapids and calmer sections where you can enjoy the scenery. No previous rafting experience is generally required for standard commercial trips, although participants should be comfortable following safety instructions and have an appropriate level of fitness.

After the rafting adventure, return to Jinja. Spend the evening relaxing after a full day on the river.

Wake up early for one final birding session around Jinja. Explore riverine habitats and nearby vegetation before breakfast. This provides an opportunity to add a few Uganda species to your checklist before leaving the Jinja area.

After breakfast, begin the journey toward Entebbe. Depending on your interests, stop at suitable birding locations along the way. Arrive in Entebbe in the afternoon. The evening is free to relax.

Wake early for your final birding session around Entebbe. Depending on your flight schedule, you can visit a nearby wetland or botanical area for a final morning of bird watching.

Your guide will then transfer you to Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight.