Best Time to Visit Mabamba Wetland
Best Time to Visit Mabamba Wetland: Mabamba Wetland is a premier birding destination that can be visited all year round, although the dry months are more favorable since the water levels are always low and calm due to waning winds, making it easier to glide through the papyrus swamp in search of several bird species, particularly the iconic shoebill and other bird species. The dry season is convenient for birdlife, since these bird species tend to show up from the deeper ends of the swamp to search for food and other supplies.
Travellers should also take note of the best time of day to spot the elusive Shoebill: during the sunrise and sunsethours or during morning and evening time when bird species are more active searching for food, with less fishing activity. The dry season always runs from the months of June to September and from December to February. The dry season as well is convenient for photographers to take the best shots when the weather is clear.
Best time to visit Mabamba Wetland
The wetland can be visited all year round, especially for birdwatchers who always flock to the swamp for shoebill tracking. However, during the rainy season the boatmenalways provide visitors with covered boats and other gear in the swamp. Though shoebill tracking is an all-year-round activity, during heavy rains, there is always a shelter around the swamp, and after the rains, the search for shoebills continues because during the rains, these iconic shoebills cannot fly; they instead remain stiff, and they wait for their prey and sunlight as well.
Mabamba Swamp guarantees over a 95% chance of seeing the elusive Shoebill during sunrise when the weather is still calm with waning waters, making it the best time of day to search for several bird species. However, travelers and bird watchers should also note that during the day when the sun is out, the chances of seeing these bird species stand at about 40%, since the birds are always in flight in search of shade and shelter, especially in trees, papyrus, and other habitats, to escape the scorching sun.
Shoebill tracking tours are always conducted during morning and evening hours along the swamp on the shores of Lake Victoria. However, after the tracking experience, the tour can be combined with a visit to the Equator landmark or enjoying beach life along Lake Victoria shores. Other activities to do include sport fishing, canoeing, boat tours, or visiting the nearbyfishing villages and community encounters, among others. Therefore, the best time to visit Mabamba Swamp is during the dry season, and the best time is during the morning hours, especially during the sunrise.
Location- Best Time to Visit Mabamba Wetland
Mabamba Wetland is located along the shores of Lake Victoria, west of Entebbe town in the northern part of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake and the third-largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Michigan in the United States and Lake Huron in Canada. The vast wetland is a remarkable destination for being one of the leading birdwatching spots for the iconic shoebill. This Mesozoic era-shaped prehistoric bird with its unique traits is a must-see creature for any birdwatcher.
Other birds to see in Mabamba Swamp
Other bird species include the Rufous-bellied Heron, Black-crowned Waxbill, Flappet Lark, African Green Pigeon, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Turaco, Little Egret, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Common Bulbul, White-shouldered Tit, Feral Pigeon, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Goliath Heron, White-winged Warbler, Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Cormorant, Saddle-billed Stork, Mosque Swallow, Red-eyed Dove, Long-toed Lapwing, African Purple, Great White Egret, Grassland Pipit, Long-tailed Cormorant, Purple Heron, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Red-chested Cuckoo, Marsh Harrier, Great White Pelican, Slender-billed Weaver, Swamp-hen, Winding Cisticola, Long-crested Eagle, Yellow-billed Duck, and the Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike.
Others include Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Slender-billed Gull, Green Cuckoo, Sand Martin, Crowned Hornbill, Ross’s Turaco, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Grey Wood Pecker, Grey Crowned Crane, Rufous-naped Lark, African Firefinch, Black Crake, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Grey-rumped Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Common Stonechat, White-browed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, African Hoopoe, Yellow-backed Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, African Common Moorhen, Banded Martin, White-faced Whistling Duck, Olivaceous Warbler, Grey-headed Sparrow, Black-winged Stilt, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Pied Kingfishers, Ashy Flycatcher, Pallid Harrier, and Papyrus Gonolek. Pink-tailed Whydah, Red-billed Firefinch, Black-crowned Night Heron, Pink-backed Pelican, Pied Wagtail, Cormorants, White-winged Tern, White-browed Cuckoo, Black-headed Woodland Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Orange Weaver, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Yellow Warbler, Double-toothed Barbet, Grey Parrot, Eurasian Hobby, Glossy Ibis, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Yellow Wagtail, Black-headed Heron, Intermediate Egret, Angola Swallows, Yellow-billed Kite, Common Squacco Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Brown Parrot, African Pied Wagtail, Yellow-billed Stork, Common Waxbill, Spur-winged Lapwing, White-throated Bee-eater, Village Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher, and several other birds.
Accessing Mabamba Wetland
Travellers who are coming from Kampala and Entebbe, it’s much easier for you to access the swamp since it’s closer to Entebbe town along the shores of Lake Victoria. By boat from Entebbe, drive to the Nakiwogo landing site, and after you board a ferry to the Kasanje landing site, drive about 20 minutes to Mabamba Swamp as you enjoy the breathtaking views of Lake Victoria. Those from Kampala drive to Mabamba via Nakawuka-Kasanje Road, taking about 1.30 hours depending on the day’s traffic and the time of day.
