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Kibale National Park is a bio-diverse primate destination, home to over 13 species of primates with the highest chimp population. The park offers the most memorable chimpanzee tracking and habituation experiences to enthusiastic primate travellers on Uganda safaris. Kibale also prides itself on its unique landscape, characterised by grassland patches, tropical forests, swamps/wetlands, tree species and more.
Kibale National Park is set in Kabarole District, Western Uganda and adjacent to it, there are other districts including Kibaale, Kasese and Kamwenge. Fort Portal is the nearest and most beautiful city; accessing the park takes about 6 hours. Other magnificent protected areas and craters surround this park, including the Ndali-Kasenda Craters, Semuliki National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Kibale National Park isn’t entirely a tropical forest but features a mixture of other vegetation types. It hosts the most evergreen, moist semi-deciduous forest, woodland, savanna grassland, and over 350 tree species.
Kibale National Park inhabits an estimated 70 species of mammals, and they include 13 primate species. The park’s diverse animal species include buffaloes, elephants, sitatungas, mongooses, bush pigs, golden cats, amphibians, duikers, reptiles, and more. The different primates to explore on primate tours in this park include the bush babies, vervet monkeys, red colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, 1500 chimpanzees, grey-cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, L’hoest monkeys, pottos, and red-tailed monkeys.
Kibale National Park accounts for over 375 bird species, including endemic and forest species. The park’s bird species to spot include the yellow rumped tinker bird, yellow spotted nicator, black-crowned tchagra, African green-breasted pitta, African shrike flycatchers, African pied wagtail, white collared olive, collared apalis, blue breasted kingfishers, Abyssinian ground thrush, black-headed bee-eaters, black and white casqued hornbills, Cassin’s spine tail, blue-headed bee-eaters, black-billed turacos, ash flycatchers, masked apalis, Nahan’s francolins, and others.
Chimpanzee Tracking: Chimpanzee trekking adventures are the main highlights of every Kibale Forest National Park safari. The chimp trekking excursions begin at Kanyanchu Tourism Center with a briefing, and each day, there are two sessions to engage in, offering visitors a lifetime opportunity to see chimpanzees. The morning chimpanzee trekking excursion in Kibale begins at 8:00 am and ends at 2:00 pm (afternoon excursion).
Kibale is comprised of numerous habituated communities, and tourists require valid permits to be allowed to visit chimpanzees in the park. A Kibale chimp permit costs USD 200 per person, and RORENA Tours and Safaris can book it for you. A regular Kibale chimpanzee trek lasts 2 to 4 hours- including one hour of close interaction and photography.
Chimpanzee Habituation: Chimpanzee Habituation is dedicated to primate enthusiasts, an incredible opportunity to explore and experience more about chimpanzees in the wild. With chimp habituation, tourists engage in a long-day search for semi-habituated communities and observe how they behave from morning till they make new nests for the night stay. It should be noted that chimpanzees are human relatives, sharing up to 98% of their DNA with humans. Kibale Chimpanzee Habituation permits are available for booking at USD 250 per person.
Birding: Bird-watching trips in Kibale Forest National Park give visitors an incredible opportunity to search for some of the finest birds in Uganda. The long list of birds to identify in this park include the brown-backed scrub-robin, African green-breasted pitta, black bee-eaters, brown-crowned tchagra, blue-headed sun-eaters, papyrus gonoleks, black-capped apalis, yellow rumped tinker bird, red-faced woodland warblers, red chested owlet, Rwenzori apalis, and more.
Forest walk: Forest or nature walks draw visitors close to Kibale Forest National Park's hidden habitats, rich in wildlife. There are trails to take, including the 12 km trail taking visitors via the forest while you watch primates, birds and butterfly species.
Cultural safari tours: Cultural visits are also done in the local communities around the park. The park is bounded by Bakiga and Batooro communities, each with a unique cultural experience. Besides exploring traditions, cultures and lifestyles, you can also taste traditional meals with locals. The best place that offers authentic cultural and community-based tourism experience at Kibale is KAFRED in Bigodi.
The Crater Lakes exploration: Kibale National Park lies within an area impacted by a volcanic eruption. As a result, multiple Crater Lakes are dotted around the area, estimated to be about 50 in total in the Ndali-Kasenda Crater Lakes Region.
Most of Kibale National Park’s tourism activities are done at any time of the year, although the dry season is the most preferred time. The dry season is ideal for primate lovers visiting the park for chimpanzee trekking, and it starts in June, July, August, December, January and February.
Kibale National Park accommodation facilities are many and exist as budget, midrange and luxury. The top lodges for you to book include Kibale Forest Camp, Kanyanchu River Camp, Chimps Nest, Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Ndali, Primate and Isunga Lodges.
Travel by Road: Begin driving from Kampala via the Mityana-Mubende-Fort Portal route –the shortest route takes a 5-6 hours’ drive, and the longest is the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara route.
By Air: You can take a flight from Kajjansi/Entebbe to Nyakisharara/Kasese airstrip by air, then get picked up for transfer to the lodge.
Location: Plot 124, Kikumbi
P.O Box 100667, Kampala
+256759033541
+447 572778124
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