Kibale National Park
The beauty of nature that is clothed tropical rainforests, swamps, valleys and hills. Kibale National Park is among the few remaining intact forests in Uganda. Highest number of chimpanzees in Uganda, highest number of primates, rich flora, several bird species, butterflies, various mammals and many more call Kibale National Park their home.
Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda just about southeast of Fort Portal city. Accessing the park from Kampala, Uganda’s capital it’s about 320km reaching to the districts of Kamwenge. The PARK boasts in toping on the Africa’s list of protected areas with highest number of primate species recorded to be 13 species.
The foliage superiorities of the luxuriant dense cover worth a breathtaking Okays with nature enthusiasts. The park is famous and branded Africa’s finest chimpanzee tracking destination. When one can’t afford the luxury gorilla trekking, chimpanzees offer a better substitute.
Tourist activities at Kibale National park
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzees at Kibale National Park are fully habituated offering a perfect watching into the jungle. Trekking here a group of trekkers undergo a briefing and then led by an armed ranger guide to start searching for the apes. Tracking chimpanzees can last for about 30 minutes to 4 hours and finding them you have an hour in their presence. When tracking chimpanzees and are found, then you have an hour stand in their presence with a lot of memories.
Yes, Kibale National Park is an exceptional chimpanzee park, the park as well offer an incredible chimpanzee habituation adventures. A group of 4 trackers joins researchers and spend a full day following the apes. With chimpanzee habituation, finding the apes into the jungle trackers have a maximum of 4 hours watching and studying the apes.
Chimpanzee tracking a permit costs $200 and chimpanzee habituation a permit costs $250 to track per day. Tracking at Kibale NP has two session, the early morning session starting at 8am taking a maximum of 5 hours and the afternoon session starts at 2pm. For habituation adventures there is only one session per day. The habituation is very limited with few groups available for habituation currently.
Tracking is sometimes hectic passing through the moist forest, slippery grounds, and thorny bushes. The activity requires enough preparation before enroll into the forest. What to carry on tracking including; Jungle boots, gloves, light warm cloth, pairs of trouser both ladies and gents, at least 2 litters of drinking water, water proof cloth, binocular and other tracking useful thing you may need to carry.
Primate walks (monkey tracking)
Kibale national park is branded as the world primate capital. The park hosts about 13 primate species recorded including black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, Mangebay, baboons, bush babies, L’Hoest, Vevert monkeys, pattas, pottos among others. Bigodi wetland sanctuary is a perfect scene for primate tracking at Kibale Park. The wetland is just 6km from kanyacu park headquarters, and an adventure here costs $40. It’s a big luck to encounter chimpanzees along primate walk, however it’s wider opening of viewing several of the wildlife species residents of this forest.
Bird watching
About 350 bird species are recorded into this rich tropical rainforest of Kibale National park. For bird lovers can make Kibale your next travel destination when on a safari in Uganda. UWA trained park ranger are well equipped with bird knowledge to make your birding safari incredible. Kibale National Park has a relatively sloping landscape which makes walking through the jungle easier taking you close to calling bird melodies. Having your binoculars and camera rewards with the best birding adventure ever.
Some of the bird species to find here include; African Pitta, Green-breasted Pitta, Afep Pigeon, White-naped Pigeon, Crowned Eagle, Red-chested Owlet, Black Bee-eater, Western Nicator, Yellow-rumped Tinker bird, Little Greenbul, Brown-chested Alethe, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, African Grey Parrot, Brown Illadopsis, Black-capped Apalis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Collared Apalis, Dusky Crimsonwing, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Red-faced Woodland Warbler among others.
Nature walks
Throughout Kibale forest, there are several walking trails which leads to various encounters. Kibale natural setting makes that wonderful rewarding breathtaking encounter. Tracks made right from Kanyachu, Makerere institute side and Bigodi swamps are very rewarding in various ways. These are perfect for researchers, and depending on the kind of encounters a tourist may need determine where they should take their nature walking trip. Natural walks rewards with various encounters including, flora, birds, mammals, butterflies, monkeys and luckily can find chimpanzees.