Top things to do in Kibale forest national park
Top things to do in Kibale forest national park; Kibale forest national park is located in western part of Uganda in Kabarole and Kamwenge districts. Kibale forest national park is also known as the primate capital because it harbors 13 primates including chimpanzees, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys among others. The national park harbors other wildlife species including mammals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, bush bucks, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, duikers and more that 370 bird species. Kibale forest national park covers a total land area of 776 square kilometers and offers a number of adventurous activities including,
Top things to do in Kibale forest national park
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking is one of the major activities in Kibale forest national park and it involves moving into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated chimpanzee family and once found spend one hour with them in their natural environment. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest starts early in the briefing at Kanyachu visitors Centre. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest with a park guide who is well conversant with chimpanzee trekking trails. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, mammals, different bird species, plant and tree species among others. once the chimpanzees are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, lifestyle, watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, hunting, breastfeeding, grooming young ones, playing, resting, take photos and record videos.
Chimpanzee habituation experience
Chimpanzee habituation experience is an interesting activity where the wild chimpanzees are trained to get used to human presence for trekking. Chimpanzee habituation experience takes a period of 2 years to be complete and it starts very early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will join a group of researchers and start trekking in the jungle which takes a whole day. During trekking you will be able to view different bird species, other primates, mammals, view different plant and tree species among others. Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their natural environment which gives you a chance to learn and monitor their behaviors, watch chimpanzees feed, breastfeed, hunt, play, patrol, fight, make beds for the night, participate in the naming process, take photos among others.
Bird watching
Kibale forest national park is a home of more than 370 recorded bird species including forest and migratory birds. Bird watching in Kibale forest national park is best done early in the morning or in the evening with an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species including green breasted pitta, black billed turaco, yellow spotted nictor, black bee-eater, purple breasted sunbird, black billed turaco, superb sunbird, pin tailed whydah, great blue turaco, African pied wagtail, slender billed weaver, tropical boubou, Abyssinian ground thrush, African pitta, brown chested alethe, grey parrot, dusky crimsonwing, blue headed sunbird, Nahan’s francolin, red faced woodland warbler, western nicator, little greenbul, masked apalis among others.
Nature walks
Nature walk is an exciting activity in Kibale forest national park that starts with a briefing at Kanyachu visitors Centre. After the briefing you will start hiking in the forest with the company of an experienced park guide who is well conversant with different hiking trails. During the guided nature walk, you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species including mammals, primates, view different bird species, beautiful butterflies, listen to sweet sounds of bird species singing in trees among others.
Nocturnal nature walk
Kibale forest national park also offers nocturnal nature walks where tourists will be able to explore the park at night with spotlight torches and the company of an armed park ranger to protect you from danger. During the night nature walk which takes about 1 to 2 hours, you will be able to view animals like bush babies, serval cats, tree hyrax, pottos, civet, nightjar among others.
Best time to visit Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park can be visited all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season the park receives little or less rainfall therefore chimpanzee trekking trails and nature walk trails will be passable compared to the wet/ rainy season when the trails are muddy and slippery which make chimpanzee trekking and nature walk difficult.
Kibale forest national park can also be visited in the wet/ rainy season during the months of March to May and November because that’s the best time for bird watching in that it’s the bleeding plumage, the main fruiting season therefore bird lovers will be able to view colorful and migratory bird species.
Where to stay in Kibale forest national park
There are a number of accommodation facilities where you can stay during your safari in Kibale forest national park. The accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury including Isunga Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Rweteera Safari Park, Primate Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp, Mountains of the Moon Hotel, Chimps Nest Lodge, Aramaga Rift Valley Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Kibale Guest Cottages among others.
How to get to Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means which takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive. The park can be accessed using two routes for example the route from Kampala through Mubende, Fort Portal and the route from Kampala through Mbarara, Kamwenge and then to the park headquarters.
