Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda, 36km from the tranquil town of Fort Portal. The park covers a total area of about 560 square kilometers and is among the most beautiful tropical rainforests not only in East Africa but worldwide.
The park was established in 1995 with the primary intention of protecting the virgin forest and its inhabitants, particularly the chimpanzees and numerous other primates for which this rainforest is renowned. The park is famous for its exceptional experiences such as chimp tracking, primate watching, Crater Lake viewing, and bird watching, among others. Any safari in Uganda without visiting Kibale Forest National Park is incomplete.
Kibale Forest, also known as “the world’s primate capital,” is home to 13 different primate species, making it a unique and magical place to visit. Due to the varying altitudes within the park, vegetation changes accordingly, ranging from evergreen rainforests and arid tropical forests to savannah and woodland vegetation, thereby supporting a diverse population of fauna and flora species.
Through the Ndali-Kasenda corridor, which connects Kibale with Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south, animals have free movement, making it a great place to view migrating species during dry seasons.
The main tourist activity in the park is chimpanzee tracking. Tracking the endangered chimps is only done in groups of 4 to 6 people escorted by a guide. Visitors are allowed to interact with the chimps for an hour and must be briefed on rules and guidelines before embarking on the chimp tracking experience.
Kibale Forest National Park is home to approximately 1,450 chimpanzees, making it a true wildlife sanctuary with the largest number of primates recorded elsewhere in East Africa.
In addition to the endangered chimps, other common primate species include olive monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, black and white colobus, and blue monkeys, among others. Other large mammals inhabiting the park include elephants, buffaloes, leopards, bush pigs, duikers, warthogs, and hippos, to name a few.
Visitors can also encounter some of the beautiful butterfly species and amphibians that inhabit the forest interior.
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale
Kibale Forest offers a sensational chimpanzee tracking experience. Enjoy a guided chimpanzee walk through this lush tropical rainforest in search of man’s closest cousins, the chimpanzees. Along the way, you will encounter a myriad of plant and animal species, which the ranger will explain. These include primates such as the red colobus monkeys and mangabeys, olive baboons, a variety of birds, forest mammals, and much more.
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Bigodi Sanctuary is a community-based tourism project and a successful example of natural resource management by the local community. Established and still managed by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED), the organization aims to ensure that local communities benefit from tourism through conservation.
Bigodi is located 6 kilometers from the Kanyanchu Visitor Information Centre. Bigodi Wetland is a 4 square kilometer swamp and a haven for over 200 bird species, such as the papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, and the famous great blue turaco. It provides a comfortable environment for special visitors who mainly participate in eco-friendly and fun activities such as birding tours, butterfly watching, wildlife viewing, nature walks, and community encounters.
Birding in Kibale
When it comes to bird watching, Kibale is a true paradise that no birder on a Uganda safari should miss. With approximately 325 documented bird species, Kibale offers a haven for avid birders. Common bird species in Kibale Forest include black bee-eaters, the little greenbul, crowned eagle, Africa pitta, yellow-spotted nicator, black-eared ground thrush, woodland warbler, great blue turaco, and tiny sunbirds, among many others.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
In addition to the standard chimp trekking experience, Kibale Forest offers another unforgettable experience—chimpanzee habituation. This allows visitors to spend an entire day with the chimps. In the morning, trekkers accompany forest researchers and rangers on what is known as a chimp habituation experience. Chimpanzee habituation is a scientific endeavor aimed at habituating wild chimps to human presence without altering their natural habitat.
During this tour, expect to encounter chimps de-nesting (leaving their nocturnal nests) between 05:00 AM and 06:30 AM. Follow them throughout the day until they build new nests around 7:00 PM. You will learn in detail about chimp behavior, lifestyle, daily routines, family compositions, and more.
Exploration of Crater Lakes & Tea Estates Visit
The road from Kibale Forest to Fort Portal is lined with undulating tea plantations. Among the conical hills of Kabarole, visitors have the opportunity to cycle through tea fields, enjoy scenic views, and even participate in planting, caring for, and harvesting tea alongside estate workers on a typical day. Visit a tea factory to witness the process of transforming tea leaves into black tea and taste the final product! Alternatively, hike along scenic Lake Nkuruba or visit the hidden Mahoma Falls while interacting with locals, exploring villages, encountering primates, and spotting numerous birds.
When to Visit Kibale
Visitors interested in primate walks, forest exploration, etc., in Kibale Forest National Park should consider the dry seasons as the best time to visit. These include June to late September/early October, mid-December to February. Chimpanzee expeditions are also best during these months. However, the park is open to visitors year-round, although some trails may be challenging to navigate during the rainy season.
How to Access Kibale Forest
Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed by both road and air. The Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal route is the shortest and most preferred, taking only 5 hours’ drive to reach Kibale Forest. An alternative route via Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara highway offers scenic views and numerous attractions along the way but is longer, taking between 6-7 hours’ drive.
Kibale National Park is served by three airstrips: Nyakisharara Airstrip in Mbarara (approximately 98km via Kamwenge to Kanyanchu Park Headquarters), Kasese Airstrip (about 180km via Fort Portal town), and Tooro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve Airstrip (only 86km from the park headquarters).
