


Kibale Forest National Park
Prominently known to offer amazing Chimpanzee Tracking Tours, Kibale Forest National Park is located in the Western Part of Uganda close to the busy stunning Town of Fort Portal. The Park comprises of evergreen rainforest covering an area of 766 square kilometers ranging between 1,100 metres and 1,600 metres with deviating terrains.
At Kibale Forest National Park the guided nature walks begin at 8am taking a period of 3 hours and along the walk you watch the rare species of Chimpanzees. All Chimpanzee Tracking Adventures start at the Kanyanchu Visitor’s Center where you leave to enter the green forest to track the Chimpanzees. The walks are scheduled 08.00, 11.00 and 14.00 lasting for 2-5 hours.
Kibale Forest National Park inhabits 120 mammals, elephants, antelopes and 370 bird species and these include; Nahan’s francolin, cassin’s spinetail, blue headed bee-eater and low-land masked apalis.
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Kibale Forest National Park stretches beyond to Queen Elizabeth National Park inhabiting Uganda mangabey (Lophocebus ugandae), the Ugandan red colobus (Procolobus tephrosceles), L’Hoest’s monkey, black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza) and the blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis).
Other terrestrial mammals found in Kibale Forest National Park include red and blue duikers, bushbucks, sitatungas, bushpigs, giant forest hogs, common warthogs, and African buffalo, leopards, African golden cats, servals, different mongooses and two species of otter.
Kibale Forest National Park has two major tribes i.e the Batooro and Bakiga who inhabit the regions close to the Park.
How to Get to Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed by use of both Road and Air Transport and this is determined by the preference of the travelers going to the Park.
By Road
Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed by use of Road as you transfer from the Entebbe International Airport or Kampala towards the Western Part of Uganda. You proceed for 7 hours via Mbarara Town towards Fort Portal then leave the route to Fort Portal Town and embark on that to Kibale Forest National Park. Break off at the Park headquarters then continue to the Park.
By Air
Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed by use of Air Transport too as you board a flight at the Entebbe International Airport or the Kajjansi Airstrip to the Kihihi Airstrip where you are picked up by a driver guide to transfer you to the Park.
Safari Activities to do at Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzee Tracking
Chimpanzee Tracking is the most prominent safari activity carried out in Kibale Forest National Park. It involves transferring to the park headquarters for short briefing on conduct around the Chimpanzees then later in groups of 8 with a perk ranger guide, enter the green forest to track the Chimpanzees for 2-4 hours and after a while you meet them and stay in their presence taking photos to keep in an hour.
Bird Watching
Kibale Forest National Park is known to offer remarkable Bird watching Adventures to all travelers from all over the world. Bird watching is done annually from the month of March to May then from September to November. This is because during these periods, it is rainy hence fruits, food are available. Most Bird watching adventures are done along the Bigodi Swamp Wetland Swamp as you transfer with a guide along the trails for a period of 4 hours watching many birds including the migratory species.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Kibale Forest National Park is known to offer Chimpanzee Habituation Experiences as you get to stay in the presence of the Chimpanzees for the whole Day. The Habituation Experience starts very early in the morning when you get briefed on conduct around the Chimpanzees then later proceed to the Park very early in the morning at 6:00 am so as to watch the Chimpanzees make new nests then with your packed lunch follow the Chimpanzees as they take you through their daily activities as they patrol, breast feed, communicate, forage, play, hunt, etc. This experience starts very early in the morning to late evening at 7: pm when the Chimpanzees make new nests to sleep at night. After the Habituation Experience, return to lodge.
Cultural Encounters
Cultural Encounters at Kibale Forest National Park are exciting and exceptional as you explore the different tribes of the Bakiga and Batooro local people. Both people from these tribes benefit from the Park for medicine, materials for making crafts, firewood and honey. The two tibes have unique Cultural Traditions, Norms and Customs that are so exceptional and cannot be found anywhere around Uganda.
There is the Kibale Association for Rural Environment Development (KAFRED) an organization that was created to protect and conserve the Bigodi wetland sanctuary and Magombe swamp in the neighborhood of Kibale National Park.
