Mark Bankunda, an enthusiastic birder and seasoned nature guide from Uganda.

From a young age, Mark Bankunda grew up in a family of guides, fostering a profound connection with nature, exploration, and the great outdoors. His early involvement as one of the founding members of the Uganda Young Birders Club inspired his passion for ornithology and wildlife conservation, setting the stage for his future endeavours.

After completing his higher learning in commerce, Mark Bankunda yearned for a more fulfilling vocation beyond the confines of a desk job. Embracing his true calling, he embarked on a transformative journey of exploration and learning, undertaking a series of expeditions and training programs with esteemed institutions such as the African Institute of Tourism and Field Guiding, Uganda Safari Guides Association, Uganda Bird Guides Club, Avian Safaris, and Bird Uganda Safaris.

Under the mentorship of renowned bird guides like Herbert Byaruhanga and Crammy Wanyama, Mark Bankunda earned his expertise and acquired a wealth of knowledge on Uganda's rich biodiversity. Today, he dedicates himself to sharing his passion and insights with others, serving as a pillar of wisdom and inspiration for aspiring nature enthusiasts.

In addition to guiding tours, Mark Bankunda plays a pivotal role as one of Uganda's pioneer tourist guide assessors, contributing to the professional development and accreditation of fellow guides. With a steadfast commitment to conservation and education, Mark Bankunda aspires to leave a lasting legacy and perhaps one day surpass the inspirational figures who have shaped his journey.

What they say about Mark Bankunda

We have had an amazing experience over the last 25 days. The number of new birds and animals we have seen is beyond what we were expecting. Mark Bankunda had been exceptional in all aspects of the trip. He has ensured that our trip has gone very smoothly. He is always checking that we are happy with what we are doing and has organised our accommodation and excursions extremely well.
Mark Bankunda has helped us learn so much about Uganda’s wildlife. Mark knows how to find the birds and animals and effectively communicate where they are to us when we are often struggling to find that great new bird he has just found for us. I am very impressed with his taxonomic knowledge of birds and mammals and his ability to effectively pass it on to us.
His cheerful enthusiasm in the field and the genuine delight he shows whenever we see a new bird or animal has made this trip great fun to be on.
I was particularly impressed with how he quickly took charge of things at the scene of an accident by helping to get an injured motorcyclist off the road and calmly dealing with some distressed and agitated people.
Nothing was too much trouble for Mark to ensure we had the best trip possible.
We will be strongly recommending Avian Safaris to our friends back in Australia.
It has certainly been well worth the wait to finally experience such a great trip with your company.
Greg and Judy – Australia

Uganda Birding Trip reports – Yes, I made it back safely. You are welcome for the laser pointers. I’m happy to be able to help you out. The trip was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for all that you did to help organize it and helping me with the visa. Everything about the trip was fantastic. I thought the itinerary was excellent, since it allowed me to appreciate several different ecosystems and the animals found in each. The hotel choices were great too. Mark Bankunda did a wonderful job as a guide also. He was very personable and knowledgeable and made it a relaxing and fun trip. He also did a fantastic job of finding birds and other wildlife and explaining the best places to look for species to me, which made it particularly fun. His skill helped me to see a wide diversity of amazing birds and a lot of other really cool mammals and reptiles and he did a great job of focusing on my interests and finding highlight species for me. I really can’t say enough good things about the job that he did – it was fantastic. I will highly recommend Avian Safaris and Mark Bankunda to anyone I know who is interested in traveling to Uganda. Thank you again for putting together such a wonderful tour for me!
Cody – USA