Attractions in Kibale Forest National Park
Attractions in Kibale Forest National Park are those things that tourists would love to spot while on a safari to the park. These things can be encountered while participating in different tourism activities within the region. Attractions of Kibale Forest can be seen within the forest while others can be seen around the forest in areas in Bigodi Community.
Kibale Forest National Park is one of Uganda’s national parks gazetted in 1993 to protect different attractions. The forest harbors over 120 mammals, 13 primates, and 339 bird species all of which different types of travelers would love to spot them. The park covers a total area of 321 sq.km and different activities among which include chimpanzee trekking, habituation, bird watching and nature walks take place to see the attractions of the park.
Attractions in Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are the main attractions in Kibale Forest National Park and these have brought in so many tourists from different parts of the world. Kibale Forest hosts a lot of tourists interested in chimpanzee trekking as well as habituation simply because it’s the park with the highest number of chimpanzees as well as permits. More than 72 tourists can trek chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park on a day in the morning and evening hours.
To see the chimpanzees of Kibale Forest National Park, one must have a trekking or habituation permit which they present at the park headquarters. Trekkers are briefed and given armed ranger guides to lead them into the jungle where they search and locate the chimpanzees. When found, they are given 1 hour to be around the fully habituated chimpanzees and then 4 hours are given to those that paid for habituation.
Birds
About 339 bird species have been recorded in Kibale Forest National Park making it one of the birding destinations in Uganda. Birds are the second main attraction in Kibale Forest National Park bringing lots of birders from different parts of the world. These come to visit the park and see the different bird species that live within the tropical rainforest.
Birds of Kibale Forest National Park include Green-breasted Pitta, Chubb’s Cisticola, African Wood Owl, Black-crowned Tchagra, Africa Shrike-flycatcher, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Black-billed Weaver, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Black Cuckoo, Alpine Swift, Brown-chested Alethe, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, African Citril.
Black-billed Turaco, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Brown Illadopsis, Bronze Sunbird, African Blue Flycatcher, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-billed Barbet, Bocage’ Bush-shrike, Afep Pigeon, Black-throated Apalis, Black-and-white Mannikin, Brown-headed Tchagra, African-pied Wagtail, Blue-throated Roller, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Black-headed Weaver, Black Bee-eater, Zebra Waxbill, and Black-necked Weaver to mention but a few.
Mammals
The other attractions in Kibale Forest National Park are the mammals that live within the forest. Over 120 mammals are said to be living within Kibale Forest National Park and the best way tourists can see them is by taking nature walks around the forest. These mammals include elephants, bush pigs, duikers, pottos, golden cats, African civets, bushbucks, and buffaloes among others.
There are other animals said to be living in Kibale Forest National Park though hard to be seen and these include banded mongooses, honey badgers, swamp otters, giant forest hogs, lions, leopards, warthogs, serval cats, sitatungas, and hippos among others. Guided nature walks within Kibale Forest National Park and Bigodi Swamp enables tourists to see most of the attractions.
Primates
Kibale Forest National Park is known as the primate capital of the world for hosting over 13 primate species. Chimpanzees are the top primates land these can be seeing during trekking and habituation activities. The other primates that can be seen during nature walks include olive baboons, guereza colobus, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, red colobuses, and mangabeys to mention but a few.
Bigodi community
Bigodi community is another place tourists usually visit on their safari to Kibale Forest National Park. On a safari to Kibale, tourists can visit this community to meet the locals who carry out different works such as coffee making, traditional healing, and banana making to mention but a few. At Bigodi there are local guides that help to take tourists to different communities depending on what they are interested in doing.
A visit to the coffee-making home comes with an opportunity to know how coffee is planted, harvested, sun-dried, and kept. The locales will take you through a coffee powder-making process and later they will cook some coffee for you to taste. The traditional healers show how different plants and animal remains are used to heal diseases while the banana makers teach the wine-making process.
When to visit Kibale Forest?
Kibale Forest National Park can be visited at any time of the year however the driest months are the best. June to September and December to February are the best months to visit Kibale because of the good weather. There is little or no rainfall which keeps the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through while vegetation is short and scattered with nice views of attractions.
The rainy season is a period that favors budget travelers and those who hate crowded places. Tourists must know that the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, and the vegetation is tall with unclear views of attractions. This is because of the too much rainfall and little sunshine.
Accessibility
Kibale Forest National Park is located in Fort Portal Kabarole district in areas accessed by road transport from Entebbe/Kampala in 5 to 6 hours. From Entebbe/Kampala, tourists drive through Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, and Kabarole. The journey comes with great views of different attractions along the way among which include tea plantations and crater lakes.
Accommodation
Tourists that are intending to spend a night or more around Kibale Forest National Park have several accommodation facilities they can use. These range from budget to mid-range to luxury options among which include Turaco treetops, Isunga Lodge, Bweza Lodge, Rubalika Safari Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Lodge, and Primate Lodge among others.
