Kibale forest national park also known as the “primate capital of East Africa” is located in western Uganda; it is 795 square kilometers in size. It forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth national park. It is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee trekking safaris but also keeps other primates like the red colombus monkey and the rares L’Hoest’s monkey.

Kibale forest national park is highest at the park’s northern tip, which stands 1590 meters above sea level. Northern Kibale is also the wettest area covered in swamps and receiving a mean annual rainfall of up to 1700mm during March – May and September to November.

Activities that Kibale Forest National Park is known for?

Chimpanzee tracking

The park shelters over 300 chimpanzees making it the leading chimpanzee tracking area in Uganda. Chimpanzee tracking is open in Kibale through out the year but best done on the dry season.

These chimps have been tracked since 1993 and the chance of locating them are excellent because they are many in the park and have been habituated to get used to human contact. One must arrive earlier in the park for registration and briefing before starting the trekking.

Chimpanzee habituation experience

CHEX allows visitors to spend over four hours with these lovely mammals (chimpanzees) with the help of researchers; advance booking is required for this activity.

Bigodi community walks

Bigodi is a wetland sanctuary outside Kibale national park in Magombe swamp, its rich in biodiversity and beautiful scenery. The walk in this sanctuary gives a clear view of wildlife and plenty of bird species.

Birding in Kibale Forest National Park

Birding starts at 7 am at Kanyachu with rare species like papyrus Gonolek, white-winged warbler, white-collared oliveback and papyrus canary. Other bird species are for found in Bigodi wetland sanctuary located outside the park with over 138 birds, which may be seen during guided walks. These birds include; white spotted flufftail, yellow-billed barbet and brown backed scrub among others.

Hiking and nature walk

Nature walk in Kibale starts at 7:30 pm and takes over one and half hours. Here visitors use powerful torches to seek nocturnal creatures such as bush baby, potto, nightjar, cricket and tree hyrax.

Accommodation Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park is one of the protected areas with excellent accommodation facilities. It has budget, midrange and luxury accommodation.

Budget accommodation in kibale includes; Rwetera safari lodge, Isunga safari lodge, Rwenzori guest house and many others.

Midrange accommodation includes; Isunga safari lodge, Chimpanzee forest guest house, Kibale forest camp, Primate lodge and many others.

Luxury accommodation include; Chimpundu safari lodge, kyaninga lodge, crater safari lodge.

Location of Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park is located in the western part of Uganda in Kamwenge district about 450 kilometers 4-6 hours drive from Kampala the capital city of Uganda.

Best time to visit Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National park is open for game viewing all year round but the best time to visit is in the dry seasons from June to September and December to February when the place is not slippery.

What to pack when visiting Kibale Forest National park

• Make sure that you have the Chimpanzee Trekking Permit incase your to track chimpanzee since it’s the main activity carried out in Kibale Forest National Park
• Make sure you bring hiking boots, with lower leg support that are light in weight and will allow you to climb steep inclines.
• Bring a raincoat; this is essential for pressing, especially during the rainy season
• long trousers; You should bring several pairs of long pants and trousers to protect yourself from bugs and other creepy crawlies. Long pants will also protect you from scratches, as you may slip on the slick inclines or be scratched by thorny branches.

Age limit for chimpanzee tracking

The age limit or minimum age for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda and Rwanda is 12 years of age.

How to get to Kibale Forest National park

The quickest route to Kibale Forest National park is via Mityana-mubende-Fortpotal along Kamwenge road to Kanyachu visitors’ centers. However, you can fly from Entebbe international airport to Kasese using Aero link and the hire a special taxi to Kanyachu visitors’ centers in Kibale Forest National park.