Top activities in Kibale Forest National Park
Top activities in Kibale Forest National Park: Kibale Forest is one of Uganda’s national parks, located in Kabarole district. The park is known for harboring chimpanzees, but it’s also home to 120 mammals, 370 bird species, and over 13 primates. It was gazetted in 1993 to protect the thick rainforest and different wildlife species that were living there at the time.
Kibale Forest National Park is known as the primate capital of the world for having the highest number of primates in the world. Chimpanzees are the most famous in this park and to see them one takes part in Chimpanzee trekking Kibale or habituation activities. Apart from that, other forest attractions can be seen in the form of nature walks and bird watching in kibale to see as many bird species as you can.
Top activities in Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzee trekking Kibale
Because of the high chances of seeing chimpanzees, Kibale Forest National Park has chimpanzee trekking as the most done activity. The activity has attracted thousands of travelers from different parts of the world. Chimpanzee trekking is an activity that involves trekkers going into the jungle to look for where the chimps could be and being around them for 1 hour.
To carry out Chimpanzee trekking Kibale, tourists must have trekking permits, and very early in the morning, they must drive to Kanyanchu headquarters for a briefing. Here armed ranger guides teach all the trekkers of the day the rules and regulations of the activity. Grouping is done and armed ranger guides who are to lead the team are assigned.
Trekkers and drivers are driven to the starting points of the trek and left to head into the jungle where they can search for the chimpanzees. The search takes 2 to 3 hours and comes with an opportunity to see other forest attractions which include mammals, primates, and birds among others. When the chimps are spotted, trekkers get 1 hour around members as they watch them carry out daily activities.
Chimpanzee habituation
Chimpanzee habituation in Uganda can only be done in Kibale Forest National Park home to the highest population of chimpanzees in the world. The activity involves trekkers visiting a semi-habituated chimpanzee family and being around the members for 4 hours. The activity also starts with a briefing like trekking and later trekkers are led by armed rangers to go into the jungle and search for where the apes could be.
After searching and locating the chimpanzees, trekkers are taught how to make the chimpanzees get used to the human presence around them. During the Chimpanzee habituation Kibale process, trekkers are able to take photos, and record videos for memories. Other chimpanzees are seen hunting, mating, playing, and breastfeeding in case they have young ones.
Bird watching in Kibale and nature walks.
Kibale Forest National Park is home to over 120 mammals, 13 primates, and 370 bird species. Bird watching Kibale is another top activity carried out in the park and this is done using different nature walk trails which also come with an opportunity of seeing forest attractions. The activities are best done with the help of armed ranger guides and local guides for birders who are interested in seeing popular birds.
Bird watcing in Kibale comes with an opportunity of seeing species such as Green-breasted Pitta, African Citril, African Blue Flycatcher, Brown-headed Tchagra, Bocage’ Bush-shrike, Blue-throated Roller, Zebra Waxbill, Black-throated Apalis, Ashy Flycatcher, Black-billed Turaco, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Bronze Mannikin, Barn Swallow, African Wood Owl, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Brown-chested Alethe.
Chubb’s Cisticola, Bronze Sunbird, Black-headed Weaver, Black-capped Waxbill, African-pied Wagtail, Africa Shrike-flycatcher, Black-necked Weaver, African Black-headed Oriole, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Black Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Green-pigeon, African Dusky Flycatcher, Brown Illadopsis, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Black-billed Weaver, Yellow-billed Barbet, Alpine Swift, and Black-faced Rufous to mention but a few.
Nature walks in Kibale come with opportunities to see primates such as blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, l’hoest’s monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-checked mangabey among others. Mammals include side-tripped jackals, elephants, bush pigs, golden cats, duikers, and buffaloes among others.
The best time to do Kibale Forest National Park activities
June to September and December to February are the driest months of the year best for most of the park activities. They have little or no rainfall which keeps the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through, and the vegetation is always short with good views of the wildlife. Because of the good weather, the highest number of tourists visit the park during this time.
March to May and October to November can still be used to visit Kibale Forest National Park and participate in activities that are done there. Tourists should however know that due to plenty of rainfall, the trekking trails tend to be muddy and slippery, and the vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife.
Where to stay on a safari to Kibale
Tourists that are intending to visit Kibale Forest National Park should know that there are several accommodation facilities around the park where tourists can stay. The lodges range from budget to mid-range to luxury and they include Isunga Lodge, Rubalika Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Kibale Forest Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Kibale Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, and Bweza Lodge to mention but a few.
Getting there
Kibale Forest National Park is accessed by road transport for 5 to 6 hours if travelers are starting the safari from Entebbe/Kampala. The lodge is located in Kabarole district and from Entebbe tourists go through Kampala, Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, and Fort Portal. The use of road transport to get to Kibale Forest will provide an opportunity to see a number of attractions along the way.
