The Royal Mile birding trail at Budongo Forest is undoubtedly Uganda’s best birding hotspot known for a quality checklist of Guinea – Congo biome bird species on their eastern range limit. Stretching up to a mile long and lined with century old mahogany and ironwood tree species, the trail traces it’s fame from pre-colonial times when the vast Budongo Forest were jealously protected as the royal hunting grounds for the Bunyoro Kings.
The royal mile birding trail features on all Uganda birding tours, offering unmatched and rewarding forest-birding experience targeting a wide range of niche-specialists within the vast lowland and mid-altitude forests of Budongo. The target checklist here which is often referred to as “royal mile specials” comprises a list of Guinea-congo biome species unique to the mahogany and ironwood canopies that line this birding trail. Most of these are only known from this trail while other have limited distribution across lowland forests in the Semliki National Park.
The 435 sq km Budongo Forest lies on the eastern edges of the Albertine Rift zone with a diversity of 380-species that comprise of the Congo-Guinea biome/habitat restricted specialists.
Royal Mile Special Bird Highlights
Bird highlights at the royal mile trail include “specials” namely; Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, James’s Wattle-eye, Ituri Batis, Tit Hylia, Forest Flycatcher and Lemon-bellied Crombec. The shy Forest Francolin occur along the riverine near Busingiro trail while Mottled and Cassin’s Spinetail are seen patrolling over the forest canopies.
Other highlights include; White-bellied and African Dwarf Kingfishers, Spotted Greenbul, Forest Scimitarbill, Western Black-headed Oriole, Afep Pigeon, Black-billed Weaver, White-thighed Hornbill, Eastern Piping Hornbill, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Grey Longbill, Yellow-billed Barbet, Crested Guineafowl, Blue-breasted Kingfisher and Willcock’s Honeyguide.
Budongo Forest is also utilized by Palearctic and intra-African migrants notably; the African Pitta that calls around late April and May. The local Nahan’s Partridge and Grey-Ground-Thrush are rare requiring multi-day birding excursions across the forest interior. Puvell’s Illadopsis is known from the main trail at Kaniyo Pabidi sector office that lie on the eastern edges of Budongo Forest near the main entrance gate of Murchison Falls NP.
A birding excursion to the royal mile explores the trail along the forest edge and agricultural lands where Cabanis’s Bunting, Heuglin’s Francolin, Brown Babbler, African and Jameson’s Firefinches, Copper Sunbird, Brown Twinspot, Moustached Grass Warbler, Fan-tailed Grassbird, Stout and Singing Cisticola, Red-collared Widowbird, Yellow-mantled Widowbird and more occur.
Where to Stay at Royal Mile in Budongo Forest
Currently the only accomodation near the trailhead of the Royal mile trail at Budongo forest is the Nyabweya College Guest House. This simple guesthouse lies half a kilometer from the forest gate and is suitable for visitors that seek longer birding expereince including night walks. Camping is also available on the college guest house but other excellent accommodations lie 30km away in Masindi town requiring some 30 mins to 1 hr drive.
Getting to Royal Mile – Budongo Forest
The royal mile lies 30 km from Masindi town along the now tarmacked Butiaba road turning north near before the sugar town of Kinyara and thereafter the forest gate is about 4km.