Kibale Forest National Park is one of Uganda’s most attractive parks, a land endowed with varied tracts of tropical rain forest and an array of wildlife. This small but amazing park is located in western Uganda, slightly off the Equator, yet a rain forest. The annual temperature here ranges between 14-27 degrees centigrade and is generally cool unless you stay in the south where the altitude is lower compared to the hot rift valley bed.
Popularly referred to as “The Primate Capital of East Africa”, it is not surprising that Kibale Forest National Park is home to 13 different primate species. Within the boundaries of the park are more than 1,450 Chimpanzees that are protected in its 750 square kilometers area. This makes Kibale Forest the best place to see Chimps in East Africa. The chimpanzees you will find here have been habituated for over 16 years, and offer the discerning traveler a chance to meet the great apes in their natural habitat. The minimum age for those allowed to track the Chimpanzees is 15 years. Those aged below 15 have a chance to visit chimpanzees at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary near Entebbe.
Due to Kibale Forest’s varied altitude, the park supports different habitats ranging from woodland, savannah to wet tropical forest and semi deciduous dry tropical forest, all making the park a great habitat for many wildlife species.
It is estimated that over 60 mammal species inhabit Kibale Forest. These include duikers, forest Elephants, antelopes, leopard, forest buffaloes, golden cats, warthogs and bush pigs. Most of the wildlife sighted here is rare compared to ones found in open savannah grasslands. This is because they are naturally shy and have limited interactions with him beings. Although you might be lucky to see Elephants on a given day, most of the time you will only be lucky to find their footsteps as you walk around the forest.
It is however the 13 primate species that attract many visitors to Kibale, with Chimpanzees been top of the list. The other primates in the list of 13 include L’Hoest’s monkey, bush babies, red colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey, black and white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, blue monkey, Vervet monkeys and Potto.
For birder’s Kibale Forest National Park is a prime birding location, with over 350 species of birds having been recorded here. Of this, six are endemic to the Albertine Rift area. Early morning and late evening are the best for Birding activities as it gives a better chance to sight nocturnal birds. One of the main attractions for birders that visit Kibale Forest is the Green Breasted Pitta. Other resident birds that you can be on the lookout for are the Purple breasted sun bird, Blue Breasted King Fisher, Red Chested Owlet, African Grey Parrot, Little Greenbul, Crowned Eagle, Black Bee Eater, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis and White-naped pigeon. Other fascinating birds in this list are the Yellow-throated Nicator, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Red Headed malimbe, Yellow-spotted barbet, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, White-naped pigeon, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Western bronze-napped Pigeon and Nahan’s Francolin.
Kibale Forest National Park is home to over 250 species of butterflies as well as many reptiles and amphibians. Although the highly conspicuous butterflies will be all over the place, you will need patience and a keen eye to be able to sight and identify the amphibian and reptiles. The sighting of the colorful butterflies ensures that your walk within the park in search of the Chimpanzees and other primates is enriching.
Chimpanzee Trekking Inside Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzees, with a DNA almost 99% similar to that of humans are human’s biggest attraction to Kibale Forest National Park. Tracking of human’s closest relatives- The Chimpanzees began at Kibale in 1993. This thrilling activity is carried out two times a day. You can book to track the Chimps at 0800 hrs or at 1400 hrs, depending on your schedule and convenience although the morning one is what is recommended. Before the beginning of your trek, you get introduced to a ranger guide who takes you through the briefing so that you can be fully aware of the do’s and don’ts in the park, as well as to briefly introduce you to the resident wildlife. Every day, early trackers will go before tourist activities begin and send communication on where Chimpanzees nested the previous night, and their current location…although they are always on the move. This means that depending on the sighting and their movement speed, you might have to trek long hours before finally finding them. It is therefore recommended that you bring along a poncho because frequent rains are normal inside the tropical forest. Long sleeved pants and shirts, comfortable water proof boots, a pair of quality binoculars, camera and insect repellants are other essentials during your Chimpanzee trekking tour.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience Inside Kibale Forest National Park
Habituation is a process through which Chimpanzees (which are actually wild in nature), are trained to tolerate presence of humans in their habitat. Chimpanzees are normally habituated for a period of over 2 years before tracking by tourists is allowed. The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience takes place every morning. You accompany rangers and researchers on an early morning walk to go and watch Chimpanzees before they leave their nests and begin their daily activities that include feeding, copulating, hunting, grooming, breastfeeding, patrolling their territory and resting. They normally break off for the night at around 1900 hrs. after building new nests. When this habituation process is repeated over a period of time, the primates get used to presence of humans and that specific family is added to the list of Chimp families that are open for tracking.
If you are one of those who are keen on engaging the local community and getting involved in community conservation projects, there is something for you during your tour of Kibale Forest. You can visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary which is a community project aimed at preserving the rich eco system around the wetland. This wetland is a bird lover’s paradise where you can find about 138 different bird species. There is also Magombe Swamp which is home to 8 species of primates. These two projects are community managed and you can also visit a women project for a chance to purchase their handmade crafts as a way of supporting them. This can be followed by visiting Tinka’s place where you can enjoy a traditional meal. For those who love engaging with kids, we can arrange for a visit to a local school.
Accessibility. Kibale Forest National Park is accessible both by road and Air. From Kampala city, the drive down the Kampala – Fort Portal Road takes about 5 hours through the 310 kilometers distance. If you are driving from Entebbe Airport instead of Kampala, it will take another 1.5 to 2 hours more. For those that prefer to fly, there are daily scheduled flights to Kasese airport, followed by a one-hour road transfer to Kibale Forest.