Kibale National Park

In 1948, Kibale forest was gazetted as a forest reserve under British control that continuously cut down trees; however, they planted exotic tree species in the area where they had cut the trees. However, in 1993, Kibale Forest Reserve was formally established to be Kibale National Park. It is one of the rainforests in Uganda and more to that, it is famous for its primates. And also home to 13 primate species making it the number one protected area with the biggest primate numbers on the African continent. Kibale National Park is not only home to primates because it is home to 60 mammals. There are other mammals that inhabit here like Forest elephants, Forest Buffalo, leopards and other cats, and Bush Pigs among others.

These primates include Chimpanzees, Red Colobus, Black and white Colobus, Red-tailed Monkeys, and Grey-checked Mangabey among others. Chimpanzee trekking is the major attraction of the park. It is home to 325 species of birds like the stunning Forest Francolin, Red-chested Owlet, and Green-breasted Pitta among others.

Kibale National Park is in western Uganda and can easily be accessed via Mubende -Mityana -Fort Portal Road in about 5 hours.
There are several accommodation places like Ndali Lodge, Primate Lodge Kibale located right at the visitor’s center, Mountains of the Moon in town among many others.Take a forest walk and you will get to confirm that Kibale National Park has a magical or mythical beauty. Drop us a line and we will arrange a trip to Kibale National Park is for you.

Activities carried out in Kibale National park

Activities in Kibale National Park are the things one can engage in when they visit the National Park. These are the key ventures that make the safari of travelers / tourists interesting. There are many activities and below we list a number of those which might make your trip worth it.

Chimpanzee Trekking

This is one of the main activities in Kibale National Park and is the main reason for the conservation of this area. Among all other sites in Uganda where chimpanzees are found, Kibale has a more dense population of these humble primates amounting to more than 1500 primates.

Chimpanzee Habituation: This is close to chimpanzee tracking only that it’s more expensive and the travelers get a chance to spend more time with the primates. Chimpanzee Habituation in Uganda is one the most sought primate safaris.

Birding in Kibale National Park

Kibale forest is a big sanctuary for bird species harboring over 325 bird species.

The bird watchers in Kibale wake up as early as they can because they are required to start the bird watching at around 7:00 am in the morning. Some of the most common bird species that are spotted include the white-spotted Flufftail, White-tailed Ant-thrush, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, Superb Sunbird, Yellow-billed Barbet among others.

Nature walks and Hiking

These are guided walks through the forest of Kibale where one can get to feel the presence of natural air and learn about different flora & fauna species.

During these nature walks one gets to learn about different bird species and also different primates which are spotted. A maximum of 6 travelers is allowed to do these nature walks and they scheduled for morning, afternoon and evening. The nature walks are very interesting and some travelers can even request for the extended walks which take about 2-6 days.

Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

This is a jungle swamp which happens to be a project of the local community to preserve nature and to improve their standards of living through putting the jungle swamp out as a tourist attraction. This swamp has a lot to offer including bird watching, mammal species and the vegetation cover. The swamp is visited by tourists who travel to visit Kibale National Park and the charges levied on them to have access to the swamp are used to improve the well being of the people in the communities around. Schools have been built, water accessibility improves, health centers and the general infrastructure of these villages around Bigodi Wetland sanctuary have been improved.

Crater Lakes Tour

Once you are done with the Safari in Kibale National Park, Crater lakes tour is also one of the key activities that a traveler would love to engage on their itinerary. During this tour in fort portal town, you will be led on foot to hike different volcanic steep slopes which in the end turn out to be interesting to the eye. You will be able to see different crater lakes from the birds view. Other features once can notice after climbing to the top include the forests of kibale, mountain rwenzori ranges and the amazing landscape features.

Visit to the Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru

These are rocks located in a cave a few meters away from Nyakasura school in fort portal-Kabarole District. The visit to these rocks includes one having to pass by certain amazing waterfalls which welcome you. The Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru are natural features that are as a result of the formation of stalagmites and stalactites, though the Batoro tribe have a strong cultural attachment to these rocks. They have a belief that these are the breast of a young girl called Nyina Mwiru which were cut off by her father the King for refusing to marry a spouse he had chosen for her. Tourists flock this place to learn about these features and have contributed greatly to the tourism industry and the community around.

When is the best time to visit Kibale Forest national park?

The best time to visit Kibale Kibale National park is open for game viewing all year round but the best time to visit is in the dry seasons from June to September and December to February.

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