Kibale Forest National Park

Popularly known for Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda and the primate capital of the World due to its counts of primate congregations, Kibale Forest National Park is situated in the western part of the country in the shadows of the Rwenzori Mountains aligned by series of explosion craters including the famous Ndali Kasenda and Fortportal crater field and marked by a mature tropical rain forest which makes it a wonder never to miss by travellers on Uganda safaris and tours especially those interested in Chimpanzee trekking and Habituation.

Kibale Forest is 358km away from Kampala the capital city of Uganda and the drive is 6-7 hours. The National Park is between the two districts of Kabarole and Kamwenge with the surrounding communities of Botooro the natives to the land together with the Bakiga migrants who came from Kigezi region in the southwestern Uganda. These communities depend on the forest for wood fuel, papyrus for craft makings and medicinal herbs and the National Park add them 20% revenue from the Park entrance collection. The national Park stretches over a geographical coverage of 795km2 and its one of the great tropical rain forest of Africa that has got great counts of bio diversity.

Travelers who are interested in Chimpanzee trekking or Chimpanzee habituation, Kibale National Park is the best place to go. Chimpanzees are tracked every day and normally start at 8:00am in the morning and at 2:00pm in the afternoon. For those who want to do the habituation experience start at 6:30am in the morning to get them sleeping in their nests and watch them wake up and them follow them through the forest the whole day. Walk to the jungle and meet our close relatives the Chimps and chances of seeing them is always 99%.

Kibale Forest National Park was first established in 1932 and was later upgraded to a National Park status in 1993 in the endeavor to enhance its biodiversity protection. This National Park has got180km corridor that stretches southeast wards to Queen Elizabeth National Park which facilitate the movement of wildlife especially the Elephants between these two tourists’ destinations.

Kibale Forest National Park has the greatest primate congregations in Africa with different primate species that include: the common Chimpanzees, Bush babies, Potos, Grey cheeked mangabey, Olive baboon, Vervet monkeys, Blue monkeys, Red tailed monkey, the vulnerable L’Host monkey, Black and white colobus monkey and the endangered Red colobus monkey. The National Park is also a home of other wildlife species like buffaloes, Elephants, Bush pigs, Warthogs, Red and Blue duikers and carnivore species such as Leopards and Otters.

The National Park has 351 species of trees and with over 50m high and some are believed to be 200 years and above and 60 species of mammals with a birding list of 375 bird species. Kibale Forest is one of the best birding spots with its unique species of the Nahan’s Francolin, Blue headed bee-eater, Cassin’s Spine tail and Masked Apalis, and Green breasted pitta and the Prigogine’s ground thrush.