January 28, 2026
The Royal Mile is a 1.6 kilometers track, or call it a road, through Budongo Forest. The Budongo is the biggest forest in east Africa. The forest is home of chimps among many other primates, and the popular activity here is the chimp tracking adventure done at Kaniyo Pabidi in Murchison Falls National Park. But, with more than 360 species of birds, Budongo is a prime birdwatching destination in Uganda. The royal mile is where most of the birding happens. In fact, many birders rate the royal mile the best birdwatching trail in Uganda or even east Africa. It is wide and offers great views into the canopy and strata where a lot of birds can be spotted.
The famous king of Bunyoro Kingdom, Kabarega, had this as his hunting ground and a place for some traditional ceremonies of the Bunyoro Kingdom, hence the name Royal Mile.
Budongo forest is characterized by some of the biggest and tallest Mahogany trees you have ever seen. Walking the trail as you scan the canopy makes you feel like a character in the movie “Avatar”. It is quite surreal! Apart from the Mahagony trees, some other massive trees making the towering canopy include the Uganda Iron Wood and Muvule tree.
Birding by “ear”
A good ear is very important for birding on this trail as a number of special birds will be more heard than seen. Going off the track to penetrate the interior is also prohibited, so know your sounds as part of your preparation to bird on the trail.
Special birds of Budongo forest
Birders have come up with the “Budongo 5”, which are the five birds you must tick off in Budongo forest, that include Chocolate-back Kingfisher, Dwarf Kingfisher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, and Sabine’s Spinetail
Other specials to look for include the Puvel’s Illadopsis (found only in Budongo Forest in East Africa), White-thighed Hornbill, Nahan’s Patridge, Black-eared Ground Thrush
How to access the Royal Mile
It is accessed from Masindi town where you will need to spend the night at Masindi Hotel before the bird day, and may be after the birding. It is approximately a 30 minutes’ drive to the forest.
The forest is managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) and so receives your payment in advance before traveling to the forest for birdwatching.
To improve the checklist establish your trail before getting to forest and spend time birding the grassland and thickets which teem with lots of birds including waxbills, weavers, finches, pipits, etc…
