Kibale Forest national park is located in western Uganda, south of Fort Portal district in Kamwenge district. The national park covers an area of 776 square kilometers which is composed of tropical rainforest, savannah and woodland vegetation which acts as habitat for wildlife including animals like hippos, forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, sitatunga, duikers, bushbucks, warthogs, golden cats, leopards, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, different bird species, butterflies among others. The park is famously known as the primate capital because it harbors about 13 primate species including chimpanzees, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons, pottos, bush baby among others. Kibale national park offers amazing activities such as chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, chimpanzee habituation which visitors can engage in to make the safari unforgettable.
Top things to do in Kibale forest national park
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking is the major activity in the park which allows visitors move deep into the forest on foot in search of the habituated chimpanzee families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Kibale national park is a home of over 1500 chimpanzees which makes it the best destination for chimpanzee trekking. The activity start early at around 8:00am with a briefing about the rules and regulations at Kanyachu park headquarters. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek, a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest, a park ranger to protect you from dangerous animals and then start trekking. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours and during trekking you will have views of plant and tree species, beautiful butterflies, bird species, other primates such as l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys blue monkeys among others. Once the chimpanzee family is found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which gives you an opportunity to watch them feeding, breastfeeding, mating, fighting, playing in tree branches, learn more about their behaviors, take photos among others. Visitors who want to engage in chimpanzee trekking are however supposed to purchase a chimpanzee trekking permit in time because the permits are competitive and usually get sold off quickly and it can be acquired through a trusted tour operator like Buhoma Safaris.
Chimpanzee habituation experience
Chimpanzee habituation is an interesting process where the wild chimpanzees are trained to get used to human presence for trekking. The process takes a period of 2 to 3 years and it’s carried out by a team of doctors, scientists, researchers, park guides and park rangers. Visitors who engage in chimpanzee habituation process will get an opportunity to spend four hours with the chimpanzee family under habituation compared to the one hour given during chimpanzee trekking activity. During the 4 hours with the chimpanzees, you will be able to learn more about their habits, behaviors, participate in giving them names, watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, hunting, resting, take great photos and record videos with a flash less camera to show people back home after the Uganda safari.
Bird watching
Kibale national park is one of the top birding destinations in Uganda with more than 375 recorded bird species including forest birds, endemic species which are only found in Kibale national park, near endemic birds which are also found in other birding destinations in Uganda and migratory birds. Bird watching in the park is best done very early in the morning and Bigodi wetland sanctuary is the best birding area. during bird watching you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species such as the great blue turaco, green breasted pitta, black bee-eater, white collared olive back, masked apalis, tiny flycatcher, black billed turaco, yellow spotted nectar, grey winged robin, white naped pigeon, red chested fluff-tail, purple breasted sunbird, grey throated tit, superb sunbird, African pitta, blue headed sunbird, black eared ground thrush, white bellied crested flycatcher, white thighed hornbill among others.
Nocturnal forest walk
This is an interesting and exciting activity where you will explore the park at night on foot and Kibale national park is the only destination in Uganda that offers the activity. Nocturnal forest walk in Kibale national park starts at around 7:30pm after dinner with a briefing at the park headquarters and takes about one and a half to two hours. After the briefing you will start walking along well developed trails in the park with spotlight torches and an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger. During the nocturnal forest walk you will be able to view nocturnal animals, primates and birds such as tree hyrax, nighjar, owls, civet and serval cats, Thomas’s Galagos, bush babies, potto, experience the forest at night among others.
Bush craft children activities
Kibale national park offers bush craft activity for children under the age of 15 years because they are not allowed to engage in chimpanzee trekking. There are a number of activities and attractions to see during the bush craft children activities with a friendly park guide who will guide them through the forest showing them wildlife species such as monkeys, bird species, different plant and tree species among others. Kibale national park is one of the few destinations which offer bush craft classes for children to explore the forest with great wildlife views while their parents are participating in chimpanzee trekking.
Cultural encounters
This is an exciting activity where visitors get an opportunity to visit people living in communities around the park. During the cultural tour visitors will be able to interact with the Bakiga and Batoro, learn about their culture, tradition, visit their farmlands, buy craft items, enjoy their traditional performances in form of dance music and drama, visit their primary school, health centre among others.
Best time to visit Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park can be visited all year round though the best period is during the dry season in the months of June to October. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore chimpanzee trekking trails will be passable compared to the wet season when the trails are muddy and slippery hence making chimpanzee trekking activity difficult.
Kibale national can also be visited during the wet season in the months of November to April because that is the best period for bird watching where you will be able to view the migratory birds species
Where to stay during your safari in Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park offers a wide range of accommodation facilities ranging from luxury, midrange, budget and campsite including Ndali Kasenda lodge, Kyaninga lodge, Crater Safari lodge, Rwenzori view guest house, Chimps Nest, Chimpanzee Forest guest house, Mountains of the moon hotel, Kibale Forest camp, Papaya Lake lodge, Primate lodge, Lake Nkuruba Nature Reserve and Community Campsite, Nyinabulitwa Country Resort and Safari Camp among others.
How to get to Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park is located in western part of Uganda and can easily be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via Mubende, Fort Portal and then to the park headquarters. You can also use another route of Mbarara-Kamwenge road to the park headquarters.
