Birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park is one of the most exciting activities you should count a must-do while on Uganda safari in this pristine Park. The Montane forest zone offers the greatest birding opportunities to birders on bird watching tour in Rwenzori Mountains National Park. The Montane forest hosts diversity of bird species that total up to 217 and 19 of these are endemic to only Rwenzori National Park.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects a significant number of Albertine endemic bird species and comes second after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where over 24 restricted range bird species thrive. The bird species of Rwenzori Mountains National Park include among others golden winged sunbird, swifts, bamboo warblers, scarlet tufted malachite sunbird, long eared owl, black eagles, regal sunbird, stripe breasted tit, Ruwenzori nightjars, Ruwenzori double collared sunbird, Johnston’s Ruwenzori turacos, Ruwenzori brown woodland warblers, black duck, Ruwenzori puff back flycatcher.
Other birds to expect to keep an eye on a trek in the Rwenzoris include Rufous sparrow hawk, Verreaux’s eagles, Lanner falcon, African lammergeyers, olive pigeon, mountain buzzard, Ruwenzori handsome francolins, olive woodpecker, black billed turacos, western lemon dove, olive breasted mountain greenbul, Alpine swift, Ruwenzori hill babbler, Toro olive greenbul, illadopsis.
In addition, Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects several of dusky flycatchers, white tailed crested flycatchers, mountain yellow flycatcher, mountain chat, Abyssinian ground thrush, Ruwenzori olive thrush, red throated alethe, archer’s robin chat, red faced woodland warbler, Ruwenzori white starred bush robin. There are also bamboo warblers, collared apalis, cinnamon scrub warblers, mountain sooty boubou, lagden’s bush shrike, East African grey cuckoo shrike, black rough wing swallow, stripe breasted tit, green white eye, slender billed chestnut winged starling, white necked raven, strange weaver, Ruwenzori streaky seed eater, Shelley’s crimson wing, Kivu grosbeak seed-eater.
Birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park mainly begins early morning. A birding expedition at this Park kicks off at Ruboni and takes you through the Montane forest. The birding trail rewards birders with lots of astonishing bird sights of Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park- RMNP was officially founded as a Uganda National Park in 1991, and later, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The UNESCO World Heritage Site sits on 1000sq.kms of land area in Western Uganda and the surrounding districts include Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole.
Access to Rwenzori Mountains National Park is possible by road or air-by road, travelers have many routes connecting up to this National Park but the popular ones are; from Kampala via Mubende, Fort Portal Tourism City or Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara to Kasese. Schedules/charter flights can also be arranged and you cut the long hours-fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kasese Airstrip.
Best time to go birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Birding in Rwenzori Mountains National Park is open to all birders throughout the year. The Park is best visited from the dry season-from July to August and if you are interested in mainly migratory birds, the best months to visit are April to November.