Budongo forest is located in the north-western part of Uganda atop the Albertine Rift, covering about 435 sq. km. in the south-west of the oldest and largest national park (Murchison Falls National Park), approximately 3–4 hours’ drive from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, and also known for plenty of East African mahogany trees. click here to view mountain gorilla trekking safaris

Budongo Forest is a famous birder’s paradise, harboring over 370 bird species endemic to only authentic Budongo Forest. Bird watching is mostly done at the Royal Mile, situated within the Busingiro ecotourism site. check this gorilla trekking safari

Budongo Forest is positioned on prominent pointed escarpments of Lake Albert, rewarding Uganda with a wonderful birding destination and characterized by semi-deciduous, flourishing forest.

Uganda ranked Budongo Forest second after Semiliki National Park in Western Uganda, and the main reason is that Budongo Forest has two unique bird species that cannot be seen anywhere else in East Africa, namely Idallopsis puvell’s and yellow-footed flycatchers.

Budongo forest bird species that cannot be seen in other destinations in Uganda include Zooothers camarorensis, Ceratogymna fistulation, Batis ituriensis, and Neafrapus Cassini, alongside other bird species like the little green sunbird, pita neihenow, panoptical woodhouse, grey-headed sunbird, brown twin-spotted crowned eagle, African pied wagtail, black kite, white-spotted fluftail, white-tailed hornbill, white-tailed hornbill, white-tailed drongo, and fork-tailed drongo, and fork-tailed drongo, yellow-spotted barbet, drongo, cassin’s honeyguide, cass hawk-eagle, pitta reichenowi, little green sunbird, slender-billed greenbul, forest robin, and speckle tinker bird, among others.

Budongo Forest receives water from three small rivers within the forest, which include the Bubwa River, the So So River, and the Waisoke River. These rivers have favored the survival of different bird species living in this magnificent forest.

How to reach Budongo forest 

Budongo Forest can be reached by both air and road transport. Air transport: one can fly by booking a domestic flight like Aero Link, which operates chartered flights scheduled from Kajjansi airfield and Entebbe international airport to Pakuba airstrip in Murchison Falls national park, which takes about an hour, and then be connected to Budongo Forest by road; road transport takes about 3–4 hours’ drive from Kampala to Masindi.