7 DAYS ALBERTINE RIFT ENDEMICS TOUR-RWANDA/ HARD CORE BIRDERS

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, the driver will welcome you and transfer you at Beausejour Hotel for dinner and accommodation. On your dinner, you also have a briefing on the next days of the birding tour.

After breakfast, we drive at Umusambi Village to try the White-Collared Oliveback. We can also see Black-headed Gonolek, Winding Cisticola, Yellow-throated Leaf-love, Black and White Mannikin, Blue-headed Coucal, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Green-headed Sunbird, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Holub's Golden Weaver, Red-cheeked Cordon-blue, Red-chested Cuckoo, Ross's Turaco, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Swamp Flycatcher, Tropical Boubou, African Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Yellow-throated Longclaw, etc. After a cup of coffee at the Village coffee shop, we drive to Nyungwe NP, a journey of about 5 hours. The lunch is arranged on the way and we reach the accommodation “Ken Barham Guest House” around 6pm.

After the early breakfast, we drive to the Uwinka reception, at 12km inside the forest, to try the Albertine Rift Endemics. After registration, we start our birding at Umuyove trail and Rangiro road. At this trail we can see many endemics among others Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Grauer's Warbler, Rwenzori Apalis, Albertine Boubou, Black-faced Apalis, Kungwe Apalis, Red-faced Woodland-Warbler, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, Shelley's Greenbul (Kakamega), Red-throated Alethe. We can also see other eye-catching species like Black-billed Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Gray Cuckoo-shrike, Black-tailed Oriole, Chinspot Batis, Lühder's Bush-shrike, Doherty's Bush-shrike, Black-throated Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Banded Prinia, Chubb's Cisticola, Black Saw-wing, etc. At 12pm, we drive back to the lodge for lunch. At 3pm we resume our birding at the park headquarters in Gisakura and Ndambarare trail.At 5.30pm we drive at the guest House for dinner and overnight.

Second full day birding in Nyungwe National Park to continue with photography and observation of mountainous and endemic birds to the Albertine Rift region. This time we take Kamiranzovu Trail, a trail on the which cross Kamiranzovu Swamp where we can see endemic birds like Grauer’s Swamp Warbler,, Rwenzori Batis, Chinspot Batis, Grauer’s Warbler, Rwenzori Apalis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, etc. and more species like Cinnamon bracken Warbler, Green White-eye, Red-chested flufftail, White-bellied Crested-Flycatcher, Gray-chested Babbler, Elliot's Woodpecker, Black-tailed Oriole, Northern Puffback, Black-billed Turaco, etc. At 11am we drive back to the lodge for a lunch break. At 3pm, we head to Karamba trail, a few minute driving from the western entrance of the forest and at this trail we can see White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Willard's Sooty Boubou, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Dusky Tit, White-browed Crombec, Black-faced Apalis,

We stop our day birding at 5.30pm and we head back at the Guest House for dinner and accommodation

This is a day we go with our packed llunch to try Handsome Francolin at Pindura-Bweyeye road. At this trail, we can also see Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Strange and Forest Weavers, Abyssinian Thrush, Albertine Boubou, Doherty's Bush-shrike, Mackinnon's Shrike, White-necked Raven, Black-throated Apalis, Chubb's Cisticola, Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, African Yellow White-eye, African Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher. During the migration period, we can also see raptors like European Honey-buzzard, Black Kite and Mountain Buzzard. At 12am, we have our packed lunch at Uwinka reception and information center

After lunch we head back at Rangiro road to try Dwarf Honeyguide, Archer's Robin-Chat, Black-tailed Oriole, Northern Puffback, Albertine Boubou, Rwenzori Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Black-faced Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, White-starred Robin, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbirds; our dinner is arranged at Ken Barham Guest House at 7pm.

We have a morning birding at Waterfall trail; this trail shows really how Nyungwe NP is an indigenous forest. At this trail we shall see Lemon Dove, White-bellied Robin-Chat, Many-colored Bush-shrike, Siffling Cisticola, White-bellied Crested-Flycatcher, African Green-Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Rwenzori Batis, Northern Puffback, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Grauer's Warbler, Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, Rock Martin, Angola Swallow, Red-rumped, Swallow, Black Saw-wing, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul. After lunch we drive to Kigali and on the way we stop few minutes at Uwasenkoko wetlands to try Grauer’s Swamp Warbler (Bradypterus graueri) an endangered and endemic to the Albertine Rift species. We reach Kigali around dinner time and we immediately drive to Bugesera Lodge.

After an earlier breakfast, we head to Gashora wetland in Bugesera to see Papyrus Gonolek. We can also see Papyrus Canary, Levaillant's Cuckoo, Hottentot Teal, Winding and Carruthers's Cisticolas, White-winged Swamp Warbler, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Yellow-billed Duck, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Red-knobbed Coot, Black Crake, Long-toed Lapwing, Wattled Lapwing, African Jacana, Long-tailed Cormorant, Pink-backed Pelican, Purple Heron, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Glossy Ibis, Long-crested Eagle, African Marsh-Harrier, Yellow-billed Kite, Malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Lilac-breasted Roller, Swamp Flycatcher, Red-chested Sunbird, Holub's Golden and Lesser Masked-Weavers, Red-billed Quelea, Southern Red Bishop, White-winged and Fan-tailed Widowbird, Grosbeak Weaver, Common Waxbill, Yellow-fronted Canary, Later afternoon we drive to the airport for the evening flight.