Kibale Forest national park is known as the primate capital of Uganda and it is found in the western part of the country. This national park consists of a tropical rainforest which is home to over 120 mammals, about 370 bird species and Kibale national park also has over 1500 chimpanzees. Kibale national park also has 23 Albertine rift endemic species.
Chimpanzees are a major attraction in Kibale national park and during a tour to this national park, activities such as chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation can be carried out at the destination.
Kibale forest is located in Kabarole district and it is also located close to Fort Portal town. When visiting Kibale national park, you can also engage in a tour around Fort Portal town where you can visit the king’s palace and other destinations.
Kibale National Park Attractions
There are a number of attractions in Kibale National Park that travelers can enjoy while on Kibale National Park safaris, all throughout the year. Attractions in Kibale National Park include wildlife species especially chimpanzees, birds, Crater Lake and Amabere ga’nyinamwiru.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Kibale National Park include forest elephants, bush bucks, buffalos, duikers, sitatunga, among so many other animals. It is however chimpanzees in Kibale national park that most travelers look out for to encounter while on Uganda safari tours. Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park are not the only primates in the park that travelers can see while on their Uganda safari tour. Kibale National Park is a great host of a number of primates that it is referred to as the primate capital of the world. Other primates in Kibale National Park include L’Hoest’s monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys among others.
Birds
Birds in Kibale National Park are one of the attractions in Kibale National Park that travelers look out for while on Kibale National Park safaris, all throughout the year. Birds in Kibale National Park re abundant, that Kibale National Park is referred to as an important birding destination in Uganda. Common Kibale National Park bird species include the African Pitt, Yellow-billed Barbet, Black Bee-eater, Purple Breasted Sunbird, Blue Headed Sunbird, and Green-breasted Pitta, among so many others.
Butterflies are another attraction in Kibale National Park that travelers do look out for while on Kibale National Park safaris. Butterflies in Kibale National Park can be seen in the forest, as well as in the observation area from where tourists are briefed bout chimpanzee tracking as they look to start their chimpanzee tracking adventure in the park.
Crater Lakes
Kibble National Park attractions also include the crater lakes in Fort Portal, only a short distance away from the park but yet can be seen while on a safari in Kibale national Park. The crater lakes offer an amazing scenic view while heading to the park, rewarding travelers with dramatic landscape views with steep slopes.
Visiting the Amabere ganyinamwiru is a tourist site that is of stalagmites and caves attached to local folklore that you shall get to hear as you go on hiking. You shall amazing sights of waterfalls, tea plantations and a get to learn of a whole different culture and a people who traversed the area ages ago.
Kibble National Park Activities
There are a number of activities in Kibale National Park that travelers can get to experience while on Kibale National Park safaris. Kibale National Park activities include chimpanzee tracking, birding, chimpanzee habituation, nature walk and community visits.
Chimpanzee Tracking
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is the most done and sought after activity in Kibale Forest national Park. Chimpanzee tracking is an activity that sees tourists hiking the forest on foot, in search of chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is done on only fully habituated chimpanzee groups, in the company of rangers and guides. Chimpanzee tracking is done on a group of about 4 persons, therefore different travelers ought to place in different groups to track the different chimpanzee groups that are fully habituated. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park has a number of rules and guidelines that travelers ought to follow, including among others always maintaining a safe distance away from the chimpanzees and following the ranger’s guidelines at all times.
Birding
Birding in kibble National Park is the second most sought after activity in Kibale National Park. Kibale National Park is an important birding area that sees travelers sighting variety of bird species, including endemic and some of the most sought after birds in Kibale National Park. Keen birders can see a variety of bird species, about 100 species or more in just a day. Be sure to carry a good pair of binoculars and have a good bird guide and birding list. You shall tick off a number of birds while birding in Kibale National Park.
Chimpanzee Habituation
Chimpanzee habituation is the process of making the wild chimpanzees in Kibale national Park tolerant of human interaction. Chimpanzee habituation takes anything from 2-3 years or more depending on the group of chimpanzees. Chimpanzee habituation as an activity availed to tourists who visit and explore Uganda on Kibale national Park safaris has the travelers visiting a semi- habituated chimpanzee group, which is almost fully habituated. Researchers, guides, and travelers after spending more than just one hour with the chimpanzees get to take part in a chimpanzee habituation activity.
Nature Walks
One of the best way to explore Kibale National Park is by getting on your feet, and strolling through the forested area. A nature walk is an activity which allows you an opportunity to come up close with nature and wildlife, giving you an opportunity to discover even the least and rarely spotted attractions and gems of Kibale National park. There are a number of different trails in which nature walks in Kibale National park can be done on, including the Bigodi trail, the Amabere cave trail, forest trail as well s the crater lake hike.
Community Walks
Community walks are one of the things to do in Kibale National park, taking you through different communities in and round the park. You shall get to learn different cultures, with opportunities of taking part in the activities that the locals are doing made possible. Dig, pick coffee, cook, and make craft and so much more along with the locals while on community walks in Kibale National Park.
How to get to Kibale national park
You can get to Kibale National Park both by rod and by air. By road, you need only drive from Kampala or Entebbe via the Mubende and Fort Portal which is known as the northern route; or via the Mbarara and Kamwenge route referred to as the southern route. By air, travelers can fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi to either Nyakisharara Airstrip or Kasese Airstrip, depending on what works better for them.
Best Time to visit Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park can be visited all throughout the year. The best time to visit for chimpanzee tracking is during the dry season in the months of June to October, and late December through February while the best time to visit for birding in Kibale is during the wet season when it is the breeding season and the when there are a number of migratory birds as well, in the months of November to April.
Kibale national Park is one beautiful Uganda national park to visit any time of the year, to enjoy some of the rare activities on Africa safari tours, chimpanzee tracking. Make the most of your journey to the primate capital of the world, where the West African jungle meets the East African jungle, and get to experience the amazing beauty of western Uganda. You can visit Kibale National Park in addition to any other Uganda safari destination like Bwindi Impenetrable national Park for gorilla trekking, as well as Queen Elizabeth National Park for wild game viewing. You can also combine your Uganda safari tour with a Tanzania safari tour visiting some of the most sought after Tanzania national parks including the world celebrated Serengeti National Park.
