KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

Kibale National Park is located in the western part of Uganda in the Kabalore district it covers an area of 766sq.km and an altitude between 1,100-1,600 meters above sea level. The park is also closely located to the Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki national park, and a half-day drive to Queen Elizabeth national park in the southern part of the park connected with a wildlife corridor between the Ishasha sector and Sebitoli in Kibale.

Kibale National park was gazetted in 1932 as a forest reserve to protect the large area of forest and later transformed into a National park in 1993 for several wildlife species that occupy this park. It is best known for its tourist destinations and its diversity of chimpanzees and some are habituated for further study and research.

Kibale National park has the highest and main attraction, diversity, and concentration of primates in the rainforest and tropical forests of Uganda and Africa at large. It is home to a large number of chimpanzees that are endangered in the park as well as other 12 primate species which include the red-tailed colobus monkey, black and white colobus monkey, and many more.

The park is covered with the moist green rainforest well known for protecting chimpanzees that occupy the highest number in this park, about 1500 species in the nature walks in this park offer an opportunity to track chimpanzees in their nests. Other terrestrial animals that are found within Kibale National Park include sitatungas, duikers, bushbucks, bush pigs, common warthogs, giant forest hogs, and African buffalo. The carnivorous animals found in the park include servals, African golden cats, mongooses, leopards, and two otter species.

The birdlife is hilarious with approximately 400 species recorded in the area of which 23 species are endangered in the Albertine rift valley; highlights include the crested quince fowl, olive-tailed cuckoo, Gray Blue Turaco, Gray Parrot, African Pittas, The African Crowned Eagles, western tinker bird, Black Bee Eaters, and ground thrush which is vulnerable in the park.

Kibale national park occupies several tree species that grow over 55 meters tall approximately  229 species are found within the lowlands and montane vegetation of which some are endangered to the park forest such as the Lovoa swynnertonii, Cordia millennia, Entandrophragma angolense, and many others. These act as habitat areas for birds that are situated within the park.

The park area is dominated by mostly 2 major tribes, the Bakiga and Batooro since it is situated near Fort Portal town where Batooro lives, it is very easy to disperse to different places. These tribes benefit from the park by obtaining food, herbal medicine, and other important resources that indirectly and directly bring revenue and create job opportunities for communities around the park.

Kibale farmers believe the park’s soil is virgin and fertile for crop cultivation, this increases the park population leading to the division of parkland into plantation grounds every year. The increase in forest clearance plant constraints on animal habitats leaves them in danger.

Kibale national park is very dominant for research in different fields such as wild animals and plant life. Over 229 species of trees including 23 which are endangered to the park, about 1500 chimpanzee species, and over 400 birds that are found in this park attract researchers for further study. This ranked Kibale national park among the top most visited parks in Uganda.

Attractions in Kibale National Park

Chimpanzees: For the best chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda, Kibale national park is the topmost place that guarantees the best experience for these endangered primates in East Africa. Chimpanzees ranked the second most unique and exciting primates after their fellows the mountain gorillas. Although there are other tourist places where chimpanzees can be seen such as Kalinzu forest, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, and Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park.

The park is home to other 12 primate species including L’Hoest’s monkeys, red colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, gray-cheeked mangabeys, white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, bush babies, baboons, and others.

Several wild animals can be spotted in Kibale national park although they rarely appear in the wilderness, these include over 90 species such as African elephants, buffaloes, lions that are sometimes crossed from queen Elizabeth national park, and African duikers, leopards, bush pigs, warthogs mention but a few. In addition, a total number of around 70 reptiles and amphibians and several butterflies equivalent to 250 species are available in this park

Kibale national park is also the best birding destination in Uganda, over 300 sq. km of this park lies the montane forest with over 345 tree species and an estimated 389 birdlife including 23 endemic species inhabiting the forest. Over 25% is an open savannah area that allows other animals like elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes to grace.

Activities at Kibale National park

There are some of the activities that travelers can interact with when touring Kibale National Park. These are the important thing ventures that entice travelers to visit the park, and these consist of the following

Chimpanzee trekking

This involves participating in walking and hiking in the park’s dense forests searching for chimpanzees in their nests. This is mainly carried out in the morning and lunchtime and usually takes between 2-6 hours in the forest.  It is usually divided into different groups for habituation mainly there are four such as Kanyanchu, Ngogo, Buraiga, and Kanyantale where habituation takes place.

Before visitors engage in tracking, Park rangers and guides are the first to encounter these primates to make sure they get familiar with human beings before visitors come in contact with them. A chimpanzee tracking permit in Kibale national park is 200$

Chimpanzee habituation: This looks similar to chimpanzee trekking only that the habituation method is long and high-priced. Travelers pay 250$ for this exercise and take a full day to experience these extraordinary apes. You enjoy chimpanzees’ day-by-day actions like feeding, gambling, and mentoring the younger ones without limits which differ from trekking.

Bird Watching: Kibale national park has a variety of birds of over 400 species including Albertine rift valley which is endemic such as Cassin’s spine tail, blue-headed bee-eater, Nathan’s francolin, and Masked Apalis. Gray-throated flycatcher, gray-winged robin, green-breasted pitta, yellow-spotted barbet, black-billed Turaco, red-chested fluff tail, sunbirds, white-naped pigeon, and many others.

Bird watching is always carried out on guided walks through different forest trails. This provides an opportunity to sight various bird species that appear frequently in the forest. Bigodi wetland is another exciting area to view these birds that are attracted to water and swamps

Nature walks: These are guided walks around the parks, forests, and wilderness, with a variety of wildlife. This is usually done in the evening. Here you encounter a variety of animals, birds, and different primates during the walk

Visit Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru:  This is located in fort portal town just a few kilometers from the park. They were designed naturally in a rock format looking like human breasts. The Batooro has a belief that it was for a young girl who refused to get married to a man who had chosen for her and her dad decided to cut her breasts.

Cultural walks: There are several communities and cultural experiences to engage in Kibale national park. There are two common tribes living near the park, the Batooro have their culture and wonderful heritage that are interesting to experience. The Bakiga are hardworking farmers of the best-known bananas (Matooke) who came as migrants. travelers can book our 3 days trip to Kibale National park to see and enjoy all the activities in the park.

Accommodations at the park

Kyaninga Lodge: located on a mountain edge provides an unforgettable experience that attracts you to stay. The lodge facilities were built with eucalyptus boards supported on a raised surface giving a clear view of different park attractions including crater lakes, Rwenzori Mountains, and others

Ndali lodge: this is an amid-range lodge built by local architects and it’s one of the popular lodges in the Toro crater-lake area. It is well-established on a tea estate that provides beautiful views of the Rwenzori Mountains. Ndali lodge contains 9 beautiful cottages including 1 honeymoon cottage well-furnished and self-contained with en-suite bathrooms with wonderful views over the lakes and a countryside landscape. The main building leads out into a swimming pool, and the dining area has a very romantic feel.

Primate Lodge: It is well located within the park just 5 minutes from where the trekking starts. Many visitors don’t want to just visit the forest, they want to stay there; experiencing the transition becoming enveloped in the endless sounds of birdsong, insects, and animals pushing through the undergrowth and the heavy drops of tropical rain.

Primate is a very comfortable lodge in the heart of the forest. It contains 8 comfortable thatched tents laid on wooden objects that look out into its area of forest and 7 fashionable luxurious cottages that provide a wonderful spotting view of different wildlife. Their rooms are well-spaced with comfortable beds fully occupied by toilets, en-suite bathrooms, and a sitting room that looks out into the forest. It has a well-furnished lounge with an open dining area, a restaurant, and a bar area to enjoy a chilled drink.

Other accommodations at the park where visitors can spend the night include Turaco treetops, Chimpanzee guesthouse, Isunga lodge that can be found in the southern sector, Rwenzori view guest house, Papaya lake safari lodge, and Mountains of the moon in the northern sector, all offer fabulous and exceptional services to their guests.

How to access Kibale national park

Being in the South Western area of Uganda, Bwindi and Mgahinga are significantly more difficult to get to than Kibale National Stop. From Kampala, there is a direct route that requires 5 to 6 hours of driving, passing through Mubende and Fort Portal. The Kamwenge or Mbarara Street can be used by people traveling from the southern portion to go closer to the stop. An easier and more efficient way to reach the stop is to take a chartered airplane from Kajjansi along the Entebbe-Kampala interstate to either Ndali or Fort Portal entrance, and then drive to the park.

The best time to visit Kibale National Park

An enjoyable vacation can be had during the dry season because there is less foliage and more dense bushes, making it easier to see animals. The low seasons, which have considerably more rain, last from March to May and from late September to November. Although some customers may not find this to their liking, birders will enjoy this time of year because it is the nesting season for birds and many migratory species emerge, filling the forest with lovely sounds and a gorgeous green hue. Check out our 3 days tour to kibale National park to experience the over 12 primate species in this park.

The park’s year-round tourism activities are ensured by the tropical temperature and equator-proximity location. In contrast, the majority of equatorial nations experience two distinct seasons twice a year: the wet (low) and the dry (peak). The caliber of a safari in Kibale National Park is impacted by these seasons. The drier months of December to February and June to September are when the year’s peak season takes place. There is little or no rainfall throughout these dry months. Because there is less dirt, it is simple to drive or stroll through the park.