Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park is a naturally green gem lying in the western Uganda, covering an area of about 766 square kilometers. The park is famous for its rich biodiversity, especially its 13 primate species, including the endangered chimpanzees. The park also hosts 120 mammal species, 351 tree species, and 370 bird species, making it a haven for wildlife enthusiasts.

Kibale Forest National Park was gazetted in 1932 and declared a National Park in 1993 with efforts to protect the Kibale forest which was considered a logging forest during the colonial era as the only area in Uganda with both montane and lowland forests. The park forms a 180-kilometer wildlife corridor with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth National Park, creating a large and diverse ecosystem. The park is an important ecotourism and safari destination, a top destination for researchers with the Makerere University Biological Field Station1

The park offers a variety of attractions and activities for visitors, with chimpanzee trekking and habituation as the popular activity, visitors get to be close and personal with these amazing primates. They can as well see other primates, like the rare L’Hoest’s monkey, the black and white colobus monkey, the blue monkey, and the olive baboon.

The park has a range of mammals, such as forest elephants, buffaloes, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, duikers, and sitatungas. Visitors can also spot some of the carnivores, such as African golden cats, servals, leopards, and mongooses. Birdwatchers have the opportunity to watch over 375 bird species, including the great blue turaco, the green-breasted pitta, the African grey parrot, and the crowned eagle.

Besides wildlife and nature, the park has preserved and influenced culture and people. Visitors can visit the local communities that live around the park, like the Bakiga and the Batooro. These tribes have rich cultural traditions and customs.

Attractions and Activities in Kibale Forest National Park.
Kibale Forest National Park is entirely covered by a forest which stretches to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The forest is one of Uganda’s beautiful tropical covered forests with over 300 species of mostly by thick, green tall trees. These are some of the endangered tree types like lovoa swynnertonnii, Entandrophragma angolense and Cordia millenii. Besides the thick forests, the park is covered by other plants mostly shrubs, herbs and bushes. The forest is home to chimpanzees which is the major attraction while in the park. Following are the activities while in the park.

Chimpanzee trekking; this is the major attraction and activity while in Kibale Forest National Park. Visitors to the park should expect to visit the habitant of the chimpanzee, while they trek deep inside the forests. This activity can last between 2-5 hours depending on the location of the chimp family to be being trekked, with in the process, visitors get to see chimps feed, socialize, interact amongst themselves. In order to experience this activities, visitors are required to obtain trekking permits, these are only provided by Uganda Wildlife Authority at a charge of $250.

Chimpanzee Habituation; this is as well on of the fascinating activity while in the park. During habituation, visitors are expected to join the park rangers as soon as before the first light. They then trek deep inside the forest to a well-recognized chimp location where they get to watch ranges try to train these primates to get used to human presence and interactions. This activity can take almost the whole day as these primates move around the forest and it goes on until the visitors are satisfied with the experience. The activity costs $300.

Birding; for the ultimate birding experience, Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is the right place to be while in the park, this is home to over 138 species like; Yellow-billed Barbet, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, White-spotted Fluff tail, Grey-winged Robin-chat, Black-crowned Waxbill, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Boscage’s Bush-shrike, White-breasted, Superb Sunbird, Black Bishop and many more birds. To fully enjoy and engage the experience, the activity should be gone early morning. while at the sanctuary, visitors can take pictures of their favorite birds though feeding is not allowed.

Nature walks; Kibale forest is filled with different fauna and flora species and visitors will be able to have nature walks through the various locations in the park like Kanyunchu. This activity is as well done in the morning hours and can be done at night as well though for the night experience, visitors are supposed to carry powerful spot lights to be able nocturnal animals like nightjars, crickets, tree hyrax and many more. During the day nature walks, visitors walk through both the dry tropical and moist regions of the forest. These are covered by woodland savannah influenced by the rift valley.

Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary; this is a community-managed area offering guided walks around the unique ecosystems with focus on birdwatching, primate sightings, encountering the different plant and animal species plus the amphibians in the wetland environment.

Cultural Encounters; cultural explorers visiting the park have an opportunity to visit the local indigenous tribes living with in and around the park like the Bakiga and the Batooro. The experience gives an insight of how these tribes co-exist and benefit from the forest, their way of life, cultural activities and traditions.

Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru: These natural features were formed as a result of stalagmites and stalactites. However, the Batooro have a belief that these rocks are the breast of a young princess Nyina Mwiru which were cut off by her father the King for refusing to get married to the man whom he had chosen for her. These rocks drip white fluids which made the Batooro believe that its milk. Thus, influencing tourists to flock this place during cultural encounters and community walk to learn more about these features and have contributed greatly to the tourism industry and the community around.

Crater lakes: these lakes were formed as a result of violent volcanic activities that led to the blowing off of the surface, leaving behind depressions. Some of these volcanic features were later filled up with rain water to become the crater lakes which are good for hiking and swimming.

However, some of these crater’s lakes have Sulphur water, green in color, due to the continuity of the volcanic activity below the lake; these lakes are toxic and associated with a bad pungent smell making the water acidic. In this activity several craters’ lakes are seen including the Lake Nyabikere, Lake Nkuruba, Lake Nyinambuga crater, Lake Lyantonde, Lake Kifuruka which are all seen during the safari in Kibale National Park.

These lakes are mainly found in the Katwe crater area of explosion craters. The others are located around Kichwamba escarpment also known as the Ndali kasenda area yet others are located near Fort portal.

Accommodation in Kibale Forest National Park.
In efforts to promote more secure and conducive stay for tourists visiting the park, a couple of accommodation places have been strategically placed with in and out of the park providing world class services 24/7.

You can stay in various accommodation options in or near the park, ranging from budget to luxury. You can choose from bandas, cottages, campsites, lodges, or hotels, depending on your preference and budget. You can also enjoy the local cuisine, such as Matooke, Posho, beans, chicken, fish, and fruits.

1.Chimpandu lodge
2.Crater safari lodge
3.Isunga lodge
4.Kibale forest camp
5.Kyaninga lodge
6.Nduli lodge
7.Papya lake lodge
8.Primate lodge Kibale
9.Rubalika safari lodge & farm
10.Turaco treetops.

When to visit Kibale Forest National Park.
Kibale Forest National Park is a must-see destination for anyone who loves nature and adventure. You can visit the park all year round, but the best time to see the chimpanzees and other primates during the dry months of June to September and December to February, when the trails are in better condition and the visibility is higher. You will need to book your chimpanzee trekking or habituation permits in advance, as they are limited and in high demand.

Kibale Forest National Park accessibility.
The park can be accessed primary by road for tourists with ample time in the country as well with a couple of other parks and activities to do while in Uganda. From Kampala the capital city of Uganda, its takes 5 hours covering a distance of 292 kms to reach the park.
While on the route to the park, there a couple of interesting activities and stopovers like at the Equator at Kayabwe. Major towns like Masaka city and Fort portal city which is a colonial city with a number of hotspots to visit.

For tourists with a short time in the country or not capable to wait through the long route to the park, charter flights which can be booked at Entebbe International Airport and Kajjansi Airstrip straight to Kibale National Park airport lasting at most 2 hours.

Conservation and sustainable Tourism.
Kibale forest is known recognized for a high biodiversity of fauna, primates, birds and wildlife. The essential goal for the park’s existence is to conserve, protect and preserve this rich diversity. Strict guidelines are in place from trained English guides, research and monitoring of the park’s eco-system, community involvement and sensitization about the park, but most importantly Conservation strategies and tourism practices are regularly reviewed and adapted based on ongoing research, changing environmental conditions, and the evolving needs of both the park and its visitors.
By integrating conservation efforts with sustainable tourism practices, Kibale Forest National Park strives to preserve its unique ecosystems while providing meaningful and responsible experiences for visitors. These initiatives contribute to the overall well-being of the park and the surrounding communities.