Location of Mabamba Wetland

Location of Mabamba Wetland: Mabamba Wetland is a top birding destination located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, closer to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and 12 km west of Entebbe town. The wetland is near Entebbe Town in a remote village in Kasanje. The wetland is about 2424 hectares and contains papyrus reeds and a vast open marsh found on the shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake that is shared by three countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

How to Access Mabamba Wetland

The swamp can only be accessed using the boat on Lake Victoria along the shoreline. Those coming from Entebbe, an hour’s road trip is enough to take you to Mabamba village, where on arrival, a local boatmanwill take you out in the locally made canoes, where you will start gliding in search of the elusive shoebill. However, always be attentive and listen as your guide teaches you about the intricate ecological system. This is a fair and lovely trip that suits travelers with limited time, especially those with a few hours between flights.

Alternatively, one can use a boat to travel to Mabamba across Lake Victoria, where the Nile River emanates from its source. This intriguing and exciting scenic tour will offer you a chance to appreciate the stunning birds, including common migrants and water-dwelling birds such as the African Jacana, Blue Swallow, African Pygmy Goose, Yellow-billed Kite, and Saddle-billed Stork, among others. From Kampala, the journey takes about an hour along Nakawuka-Kasanje Road, or from Mpigi via Buyege, about 52 kilometers.

The Mabamba Wetland system is a vast open marsh prolonging through a narrow bay bordered with papyrus reeds that extends towards the main open waters of Lake Victoria. The wetland’s ecosystem is dominated by Cyperus rotundus, papyrus, water lilies, miscanthus species, and many other aquatic plants.

The swamp is a remarkable destination known for the highest concentration of shoebill species not only in Uganda but in Africa at large. The primary activity done in the wetland is birding; however, there are other economic activities that are done by the local communities close to the swamp, and these include fishing, boat tours, canoeing, and mining, among others.

Being a premier birding site, the wetland is an intriguing birding destination that attracts both birdwatchers and nature lovers with over 300 species of birds. Mabamba Wetland is of profound ecological value, and this is witnessed by the status award and its declaration as a wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2006. This is due to being home to globally threatened species such as the shoebill. More still, BirdLife International also recognizes Mabamba wetland as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

Birds to see in Mabamba- Location of Mabamba Wetland

Besides the sought-after shoebill, Mabamba swamp also houses other bird species such as the Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Glossy Ibis, African Pygmy Goose, Long-toed Lapwing, flycatchers, bee-eaters, kingfishers, cuckoos, and several other water-dwelling birds.

Other birds to see include the Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Slender-billed Gull, Green Cuckoo, Sand Martin, Crowned Hornbill, Ross’s Turaco, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Grey Woodpecker, Grey Crowned Crane, Rufous-naped Lark, Wood Sandpiper, Purple Swamp Hen, Rufous-bellied Heron, Black-crowned Waxbill, Flappet Lark, African Green Pigeon, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Turaco, Little Egret, African Hoopoe, Yellow-backed Weaver, Black-headed Gonolek, African Common Moorhen, and Banded Martin. White-faced Whistling Duck, Olivaceous Warbler, Grey-rumped Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Common Stonechat, White-browed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Yellow Warbler, Common Waxbill, Spur-winged Lapwing, White-throated Bee-eater, Village Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher, African Firefinch, Black Crake, Hadada Ibis, Black-headed Weaver, 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, Winding Cisticola, Long-crested Eagle, Yellow-billed Duck, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, and others.

Others include Common Bulbul, White-shouldered Tit, Feral Pigeon, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Stripped Kingfisher, Spur-winged Geese, Brown Snake Eagle, Common Moorhens, Grosbeak Weaver, Gull-billed Terns, Lesser Jacana, Pink-backed Pelican, Pied Wagtail, Cormorants, White-winged Tern, White-browed Cuckoo, Black-headed Woodland Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Orange Weaver, Papyrus Canary, African Fish Eagle, African Water Rail, 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, Hamerkop, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Tawny Eagle, Little Bee-eater, Long-toed Lapwing Plover, Little Stilt, Speckled Mousebird, Tambourine Dove, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Vieillot’s Black Weaver, Whinchat, Violet-backed Sterling, Water Thicknee, Weyn’s Weaver, Whiskered Terns, 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, and Yellow-billed Stork, among others.

Accommodation- Location of Mabamba Wetland

Travellers planning to visit Mabamba Wetland should not worry about where they will spend their night for relaxation after a hectic experience of birdwatching in the famous wetland. Therefore, worry not because Entebbe town offers a wide range of accommodation facilities ranging from luxury. Mid-range and budget choices. These include Protea Hotel Entebbe, Best Western Premier Hotel, O’Latitude Hotel, 2 Friends Beach Hotel, Boma Hotel, Karibu Guest House, Lake Victoria Serena Hotel, Papyrus Guest House, Jet Villas, and Cycad Guest House, among others.