Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park  hosting a tropical rain forest considered to be the primate capital of the world found in the western region of Uganda covering 766 square kilometers. The park is rich in diversity with an incredible amount of 70 mammals, 13 primate species and 380 bird species. The chief attraction to the park is the chimpanzee although you have the opportunity to engage in other exciting activities such as, habituation, bird watching nature walk and Bigodi community visit where you will interact with the local traditional healer.

Chimpanzee trekking

This is the major activity visitors enjoy in the park considering the large number of primates coming to 1500. You start your day early with a morning breakfast served at 6:30am pack lunch to go before heading to Kanyanchu headquarters for briefing. You will start the trek in the company of your assigned guide and when you find the chimpanzees, you will enjoy an hour with them all while capturing those lasting memories on camera. There are a number of other primates that may catch your eye like the colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, l’hoest monkeys.

Chimpanzee habituation

This involves the process of training chimpanzees by researchers, park guides to get used to the presence of humans getting them ready for trekking a process that takes 2years. You get an added bonus of spending more time with that is 4 extra hours unlike with chimpanzee trekking where you get only one hour.

Nature walks/hikes

This activity starts with a briefing at Kanyanchu visitors center and then head out following park trails through Kibale forest for a wilderness adventure for an up close experience with numerous bird species, primates such as red-tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabeys and mammals like elephants, bushbucks among others.

 Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Kibala forest national park is big on birding as it hosts more than 380 birds species. You will have an early morning to start the search for the amazing birds for example the  Green breasted pitta,Black capped apalis,little greenbul,collared apalis,yellow-billed barbet, white-tailed aunt thrush, Black and white strike flycatcher, white spotted flufftail, tiny sunbird, white , black bishop, Abyssinian ground thrush, cuckoos, black-capped apalis, African pitta, purple breasted sunbird to mention but a few.

Cultural community encounters

Visit the neighboring local communities and learn more about how the Bakiga,Batuku and Batoro tribes live.  Entertained by the locals through traditional dances and endless folk tales. Visit their tea, vanilla plantations and prepare traditional meals staple to the area.

Nocturnal forest walks

The park provides for night guided walks for an opportunity to see nocturnal in action for example bats. The walks start after dinner about 7:30pm at departing from the park headquarters.

Best time to visit the park

The park welcomes visitors throughout the year though the best time to visit is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February when the vegetation is thin perfect for game viewing plus the chimpanzee trekking trails are less strenuous.

How to get to the park

The park accessed by road from Kampala driving through Fort portal road or Mbarara-Kamwenge road a 5-6-hour drive in the comfort of a 4WD safari vehicle.