Mabamba Bay Wetland

Mabamba Bay is a wide papyrus wetland on the north-western shore of Lake Victoria, west of Entebbe. It was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2006 and is an Important Bird Area.

Why go

Mabamba is one of the best places in the world to see the shoebill: a tall, grey, prehistoric-looking bird that stands still for long minutes before striking at fish. The wetland is also full of other birds, such as the papyrus gonolek, African jacana, pygmy goose and malachite kingfisher, and the wider wetland system holds a large share of the world’s blue swallows outside their breeding season.

What you can do

You head out early in a low wooden canoe with a local guide, gliding through quiet papyrus channels for 2 to 3 hours. Your guide listens, watches and talks to other canoes to find where the shoebills are feeding that morning. It is a calm, easy trip and a favourite with photographers.

The people side

The canoe trips are run by guides from the fishing community at the landing. The canoe trip is included in your trip, so the canoe and guide fees go straight to local families. Fishermen here once saw the shoebill as bad luck. Today the bird brings visitors and income, and the community helps protect it. You also get a glimpse of fishing village life as boats come and go at the landing.

Best time to visit

Mabamba is good all year. The best hours are early morning, roughly 7:00 to 11:00, when shoebills are easiest to find. Most trips start between 6:30 and 7:00.

Getting there

From Entebbe, allow about 1 to 1.5 hours: by road to the Nakiwogo landing, a short boat crossing, then a road to Mabamba, or by boat directly. From Kampala it is about 1.5 to 2 hours by road via Kasanje, with the last part on a dirt road.

Good to know

Shoebill sightings are common but never guaranteed: this is a wild bird. Facilities at the landing are simple, with basic toilets and no restaurant. The canoes sit low and you may get a little wet, so bring a hat, a rain jacket and sun protection. The dirt road can be muddy in the rains. A morning here fits neatly before an afternoon flight, or as the start of a longer trip.