Kibale Forest National Park is found in western Uganda in the Kabarole district, covering 766 square kilometers in size. The park was established in 1995, but before it was a forest reserve. This park is popular for chimpanzees that have been habituated for tourism and also hosts twelve other species of primates, 375 bird species, and 70 mammals, as well as the tropical rainforest, savannah, and woodland forests on the rift valley floor. There are two routes for accessing Kibale National Park from Kampala: the northern route via Mubende and Fort Portal, with 358km in about 4 to 5 hours of driving, and the other is south via Mbarara and Kamwenge.
ANIMALS IN THE PARK
Chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, Ugandan mangabeys, Ugandan red colobus, red and blue duikers, warthogs, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, African buffalo, bush pigs, sitatungas, African golden cats, leopards, antelopes, and elephants.
Birds.
Olive long-tailed cuckoo, western tinkerbird, African and green-breasted grey parrot, ground thrush and tiny sunbird, green-breasted pitta, blue-breasted kingfisher, African pitta, dusky crimsonwing, and black-capped apalis.
OUTSIDE THE PARK
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This is located in Magombe Swamp, hosting 138 bird species, 8 primates like black and white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and blue monkeys, as well as butterflies. The wetland is run and managed by the community that lives around the park, which is trained and acts as a guide for the swamp, which is 6km from the Kancyanchu information center.
ACTIVITIES:
Chimpanzee’s habituation. This is a process of training the chimpanzees on how to react in the presence of the human beings when they visit them. This can take over two years of training the chimpanzees, and some of the habituated families include the Kanyanchu group.
Hiking. This is done through the forest that has grassland, swamp, and tropical rainforest with the help of a tour guide following the identified trail, like the cultural trails that start from Kanyanchu, where various primates and bird species are viewed.
Birdwatching. The park is home to over 375 bird species, and mostly carried out in the Kanyanchu area in the park and the Bigodi swamps, which are outside of Kibale Park. These places offer tourists chances to view various birds like the white-spotted flufftail, yellow-spotted barbet, superb sunbird, and many others.
Forest walk. This involves viewing the different attractions in the park, including the plants and tree species, using different trails in Kibale, such as the Amabere Cave Trail, Crater Lake Hikes, and Bigodi Trail.
Chimpanzee trekking. This involves walking through the forest in search of the chimpanzees, and when found, you are given one hour to observe them.
ACCOMMODATIONS.
Primate Lodge. This is a luxury accommodation facility found within the park. The lodge has 9 luxury cottages, 7 standard cottages that are self-contained, a restaurant that serves both international and traditional African cuisines, and a well-stocked bar.
Papaya Lake Lodge. This is located outside the park and is a luxury lodge with 9 cottages, a restaurant, and craft shops. Furthermore, there are some activities that can be done while staying at Papaya: birding, chimpanzee tracking, and guided nature walks. Their rooms range from $149 per night per person.
Kibale Forest Camp. This is found outside on the southern side of the park bordering the Magombe Swamp, known as the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. From the camp it takes a 10-minute drive to the Kanyanchu Visitor Center. They have 12 African safari tents with twin beds and 9 self-contained tents.
Crater Safari Lodge. This is a luxury accommodation found 7km outside the park in Fort Portal on the shores of Nyinabulitwa Lake. They have 10 standard cabana rooms and 11 deluxe wooden thatched rooms.
Ndali Lodge. This is a luxury lodge that is 23km south of Fort Portal town. There are 5-6 hours from Kampala to the lodge by road. Ndali Lodge offers services and facilities like a restaurant, bar, lunch, and single, double, and triple rooms at a cost of $400 per night per person.
Kanyanchu River Camp: This is a budget accommodation facility and the main trail is found in the central part of the park that favors activities like nature walks, birding, and habituation of the chimpanzees. They have 4 twin bandas at the campsite.
Sebitoli Forest Camp: This is a budget facility as well as a tourism center found in the north of the park and offers activities like nature walks and has primates such as red colobus monkeys and black and white colobus monkeys, as well as a good viewing point of the forest birds on the Mpanga River. They have 11 rooms.