Safari Activities in Kibale National Park

Safari Activities in Kibale National Park

The park, sometimes referred to as the primate capital for having a great population of primates with 13 recorded species living in the thick forests with more than 1,450 chimpanzees, is remarkable Uganda tourist destination famously known for hosting the highest population of chimpanzee in East Africa. Slightly outside the Equator, in western Uganda, Kibale Forest national park spans 795 square kilometers of territory covered with the most exquisite and most varied tracts of tropical forest in all of Uganda. On a Fort Portal plateau, the northern extremity of Kibale forest national park is the highest point in the park standing 140 meters above the sea level; this forest dominates in the center and northern areas of the park.

Kibale Forest national park is normally chilly; the annual temperatures there fall between 14 and 27 degrees Celsius.

Safari activities inside Kibale Forest National Park

Trekking in Kibale Forest National Park among chimpanzees

Since 1993, chimpanzee tracking is one of the main Uganda safari activities to engage Kibale Forest national park. Chimpanzees are the main tourist attraction there.

Two daily early morning sessions at 08 am and an afternoon session at 2 pm mark chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest national park. Starting at the headquarters of the park, the senior ranger guide guides you through the policies and procedures to follow during the hiking adventure. Then walk into the Kibale forests with armed rangers in search of chimpanzees; the tracking takes roughly four hours basing on where the chimpanzee constructed their nests the previous night and the guide understood better where to find them.

Once you locate the chimpanzee, you spend one hour in their company before returning to the headquarters of the park to signal the end of the safari.

Experience with Chimpanzees Habituation in Kibale Forest National Park

Another exciting Uganda activity in Kibale Forest national park is the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, which offers longer time of being in the presence of chimpanzees but resembles chimpanzee tracking. On this excursion you will accompany rangers and research personnel and see them leaving their nightly nests before beginning their daily routines, feeding, hunting, copulating, and breast feeding, patrolling and relaxing.

Birdwatching in National Park Kibale Forest

With over 315 known bird species, Kibale Forest national park is one of Uganda’s Important Birding Areas. Usually starting early to allow one to see birds before they disperse, bird viewing safaris in Kibale Forest usually Among the birds to search for in Kibale Forest national park are the Green breasted pitta. Grey-throated Flycatcher, Grey-winged Robin, Crested Flycatcher, Blue shouldered Robin Chat, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Black-billed Turaco, White-naped Pigeon, Red-chested Fluff tail, White-collared Olive-back White-bellied, Masked Apalis, Nahan’s Francolin, Tiny Sunbird, many more.

Safari Activities in Kibale National Park Crested Flycatcher Nature and Hiking Trail

One of the exciting safari activities available in Kibale Forest national park—rich in diversity of flora and fauna—is nature and hiking treks on a 12-kilometer track running across the forest. On a lucky day bush pigs, Duikers, elephants among others, you may see a range of birds and primates including chimpanzees, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys when hiking in Kibale Forest national park.

Though nature walks and trekking can be done in the wet season, nature and hiking walks are best done in the dry season in months of December – February and June – September. In the wet season, the paths are useless.

There is a night walk available at Kibale Forest national park that lets one witness nocturnal species inhabiting the woodlands there. You will be able to find animals including bush baby, hyrax, potto, occasional serval cat and civet using flashlights. Starting at 7 p.m., night hikes go roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

Walking in communities and cultural encounters

Among the various community projects and cultural activities available to guests on their Uganda safari in Kibale Forest national park are some of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary efforts. With over 138 bird species, this refuge is a birder’s paradise; Magombe swamp hosts 8 species of monkeys. The local community runs all of these; you may assist the women by visiting their project and buying handcrafted goods. Tinka’s house offers a traditional dinner as well.

How one may reach Kibale Forest National Park?

From Kampala and Entebbe, road or air transportation leads one approximately six hours from Kampala to Kibale Forest national park via Fort Portal. From Kampala to Kibale Forest via Ibanda and from Queen Elizabeth national park Kasese Kasende

Where in Kibale Forest National Park should one stay?

Among the luxury, middle-class, budget-conscious lodging available in Kibale Forest national park for your Uganda safari are Kyaninga Lodge, Mountains of the Moon Hotel, Rwenzori View Guest house, The Dutchess, Papaya Safari Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Primate Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Chimpanzee Guest house, Kibale Forest camp and Isunga Lodge.