Shoebill Safari: Discover Uganda's Rare Birds

Embark on a thrilling bird watching adventure in Uganda’s Mabamba Swamp, home to the magnificent shoebill. Explore the abundant papyrus reeds and open water for a unique and unforgettable experience.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Mabamba Swamp Bird Watching - Arrival at hotel and greet your visitors and then proceed to mabamba swamp using Nakiwongo landing site route. This route of Uganda is bestowed with 330 species of birds with likes of the shoebill stork, papyrus Gonolek and blue swallow. The tourists are to sail with wooden boats via the swamp searching for shoebill…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • Shoebill trekking in the swamp
  • Landing and/or facility fees
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Lunch
  • Breakfast
Additional Information

Observing shoebills in Uganda is an unforgettable adventure, with Mabamba Swamp being the top destination. Spotting these rare birds demands expert guidance. Our local guides, who have grown up in this area, have an exceptional knowledge of shoebill behavior and environment, enhancing your opportunity for an extraordinary encounter. Envision the…

Location
Imperial Shopping Mall
Meeting Point: Imperial Mall, Ground Level, Shop Unit 30
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(12 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Laughsalot0579
Dec 7, 2025
More than expected - Michael and Emma were excellent guides and driver. They were very knowledgeable, kind, helpful and they rounded out the experience with taking me to a local fruit market where we got to have fresh pineapple. I would absolutely recommend this to anybody who’s interested in exploring more of Entebbe.
Review provided by Viator
Linda_p
Aug 5, 2025
Finding a shoebill and other birds - Shoebills are rare and not always guaranteed but the guides are very skilled at finding them. We were lucky and saw a female shoebill quite quickly after arriving at the swamp. There were also a number of other birds around and the guides were very knowledgeable. On returning to dry land we also had time for a trip round the market which was a great experience
Review provided by Viator
Lindapi3306zu
Aug 4, 2025
Shoebill sighted! - Excellent trip with really knowledgeable guides and a very good driver. The boat trip was well organised and we saw the shoebill quite quickly we could then enjoy the other birds in the swamp. We had an added bonus of a walk round the market which was very interesting and informative. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris_j
Jul 24, 2025
King of the Birds - This trip was amazing! We spent a great deal of time with the shoebill before looking for other birds. It yielded great photos and videos as well!
Review provided by Viator
Jason_c
Jun 16, 2025
A 10/10 half day trip to photograph the magnificent shoebill Stork!! - A 10/10 half day trip to see Shoebills! Early pick up, smooth transfer, and we even managed to find a shoebill almost right after we changed to a smaller boat! The team are the friendliest people l've ever met and you can see that they really enjoyed their jobs and we had a great time together. From a photography standpoint, it's the best place in Africa to photograph this rare bird. The canoe brings you to water level, with clean backgrounds and soft light - a perfect setup. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Siyn
Jun 16, 2025
A 10/10 half day trip to photograph the magnificent shoebill Stork!! - A 10/10 half day trip to see Shoebills! Early pick up, smooth transfer, and we even managed to find a shoebill almost right after we changed to a smaller boat! The team are the friendliest people I’ve ever met and you can see that they really enjoyed their jobs and we had a great time together. From a photography standpoint, it’s the best place in Africa to photograph this rare bird. The canoe brings you to water level, with clean backgrounds and soft light — a perfect setup. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eziwoma_a
Feb 18, 2025
Loved all the birds and I'm not a birder - First the team at Beautiful Safaris Uganda who ran this particular excursion were very responsive, when I reached out to them about some transportation difficulties I was having they tried to help me by providing transportation themselves and when that couldn't happen they attempted to connect me with a different car service. During the tour itself, they helped me take photos, and were pleasant company, they also partnered with boats that were involved in the conservation of the swamp for the shoebill so it felt like responsible tourism while participating in the event and also supporting the local economy. One of the conservationist, Eric, pointed out the different bird species and then told me a little bit about the Shoebill. Emma my tour guide with Beautiful Safaris was very enthusiastic, attentive, and positive. Our driver Zhiye took great photos and helped with rowing the boat when navigating the swamp paths. Overall I think worth the cost and will recommend this excursion
Review provided by Viator
Thecountlincoln
Aug 15, 2024
Great experience; highly recommended - Very professional setup; so easy to book online; very informative information pack - so often, tour operators provide sketchy Information but this had all info needed - fast communication, perfect on time pick up, friendly and enthusiastic staff and they even gave me a travel pillow and blanket as gifts at the end. You can tell these guys have a passion for this industry. Great job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A4011awdans
Sep 2, 2023
Amazing experience with great and experienced guide - This was a great your from the start to the end, we booked our one day shoebill viewing in Mabamba with Beautiful safaris Uganda,our guide Daniel was of great aid as he well briefed us about the origin and nature of the shoebill.passing through the shallow red swamps was of great experience as we spot the beautiful stork shoebill. The patient, friendly experience we encountered with the staff of beautiful safaris Uganda at their office was of great humour and supportive until our activity was done made us to think to visit again the Mabamba swap Must is a must do for anyone visiting Entebbe,and is a great day trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sijia_z
Jul 19, 2025
Saw many birds and of... - Saw many birds and of course the shoebill! Unfortunately it rained in the beginning and my husband was soaking wet and cold. Wish the boat had some sort of cover like others.
Review provided by Viator
From $130
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).