What Is Kibale National Park Famous For.
Kibale National Park is the greatest home for habituated chimpanzees in Africa. Here’s what makes it famous. Since they share almost 96% of human DNA, chimpanzees are well-known for being the closest relatives of humans in the animal world.
To participate in this excursion, you need to hold a chimpanzee trekking permit for Kibale. The area of this tropical rain forest is 795 square kilometers. Many other primates also take advantage of the freebies offered by Kibale Forest National Park, including, but not limited to, black and white colobus, blue and vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and bush babies.
In Kibale National Park, more than 325 bird species spend their days building nests, looking for food, caring for their young, and much more. You may identify a variety of birds, including more than six Albertine endemics, with the assistance of an expert birding guide.
To name a few, you could witness the rare Grey-Headed Olive, the blue-breasted kingfisher, the yellow-spotted nicator, the purple-breasted sunbird, the Black and White Mannikin, the Collared Apalis, the red-faced woodland, and the Green-backed Twin Spot when you visit sites like Bigodi Swamp.
Highlights
Walking with Chimpanzees on Nature Treks
Hiking in the Forest at Kibale National Park
Chimpanzee Habituation and Birding
Activities for Kids
Mabere ga Tooro Kingdom and Nyinamwiru
Trekking with Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park
Chimpanzee trekking is the most popular activity in Kibale National Park. To participate in this transformative event, you must get a chimpanzee hiking permit. Every day, there are two scheduled chimpanzee trekking sessions: morning and afternoon.
You feel more at ease in the jungle if you have some chimpanzee hiking equipment. You must go to the Kanyanchu Visitor Center for a briefing before each session. There are many rules in place to safeguard the chimpanzees’ vulnerable life. These include, but are not limited to, avoiding feeding close to chimps, keeping an 8-meter distance from them when you see them, and not using flash cameras.
Because the chimpanzees may be frightening to young children, the age restriction for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park is 15 years old and above. In the event that the chimpanzees are eating far away, they are unable to endure prolonged walking.
Despite being used to being in front of people, chimpanzees are wary of strangers in their immediate area. Don’t feed them all at once since their wild character doesn’t entirely disappear. They have to find their own food. When you find the chimpanzees, you have just an hour to spend with them, so make the most of it.
The Kibale forest is also a pleasant environment for many other primates. The black and white colobus monkeys, bush infants, olive baboons, L’hoests, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, and many more are among them.
The Habituation of Chimpanzees
In Kibale National Park, chimpanzees may get used to people via a process called chimpanzee habituation. Researchers and habituators often accompany the chimpanzees in Kibale National Park in an effort to acclimate them to human presence without changing their natural behavior.
Chimpanzee habituation often occurs during the low seasons, which are March through May and November. From around 0530 to 0630 hours, you may be able to see the chimpanzees de-nesting. After that, you can watch them all day till they retire.
Hiking in the Forest at Kibale National Park
A 15-meter woodland walk begins at the Kanyanchu Visitor Center at 8:00 a.m. during the dry season. This guided walk passes through grassland, wetland, riverine woodland, and forest. At the elephant wallow, the trek comes to an end. Reservations must be made in advance in order to fulfill all criteria.
Savor the calming melodies of several birds, such as the Abyssinian Horn Bill, Grey-headed Olive-back, Black-crowned Waxbills, sunbirds, Green-backed Twin Spot, shoe bill, and more.
During this tour, you may also see amazing primates, such as L’hoests, blue monkeys, and black and white colobus, to name a few.
Kibale National Park Birdwatching
As of right now, Kibale Forest National Park is home to around 325 bird species, including six Albertine endemics. To name a few, you may see the African Pitta, Francolin, Green-backed Abyssinian ground thrush, blue-breasted Kingfisher, black bee eater, and small greenbul by traveling along the main road from Kanyanchu Visitor Center to the bridge.
Despite being on the edge of the park in Magombe Swamp, Bigodi Sanctuary provides a safe sanctuary for more than 138 birds. You may see the sanctuary’s amazing bird life while on a guided tour by standing at the visitor platform or board walk.
Activities for Kids
Children under the age of 15 are not permitted to accompany their parents on chimpanzee trekking excursions. Children may learn about ecotourism via programs offered by the Kibale forest authority. Short hikes, pong dipping, cyanotype, batik creation, and much more are covered in the expert children’s guide.
During chimpanzee trekking, parents don’t have to worry about their kids since everything is under supervision.
Visit Tooro Kingdom and Mabere Ga Nyinamwiru.
Leaving the Kibale Forest to see the renowned stalactite and stalagmite cave of Mabere Ga Nyinamwiru is a fascinating experience because of the forest’s fascinating surroundings. Locally, Amebere Ganyina Mwiru means Nyinamwiru breasts. The guide’s account of the local legend around them is fascinating to hear.
This stroll leads you up to shrubbery and then down to the foot of a ridge, where you’ll see a dazzling waterfall. Take in the lovely fabled narrative that led to the creation of the falls as you listen to the guide’s explanation of them.
It’s fantastic to take the time to see the Tooro Kingdom Palace. At barely three years old, the Tooro King is the youngest person to ever hold the throne in history. The Tooro King is known by the title Omukama, and Omukama Oyo Rukidi Kabamba Iguru is now in power. Perched on a hill, the location offers a stunning overview of Fort Portal town.
Accessing Kibale National Park
There are two ways to reach to Kibale National Park by car, either from Entebbe or Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
300 kilometers from Kampala to the Mubende to Fort Portal route
After traveling from Kampala via Mbarara, Kamwenge, and Fort Portal, continue 36 kilometers to Kibale National Park.
From Fort Portal, it will take around 16 kilometers to travel to Sebitori Forest Camp. The Fort Portal Kampala road is not far from this center.
This route to or from Kibale National Park offers breathtaking vistas as you travel through the rural areas of western Uganda. You might choose to start with Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal and conclude with Kibale-Fort Portal-Mbarara-Kampala for an amazing safari trip.
By Aircraft
In the morning and afternoon, domestic flights to Kasese Air Strip leave from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Air Strip. Before being connected to your ultimate destination, rent a transfer car to Kibale National Park. There aren’t any airport taxis available for you.
On request, charter flight services are offered for flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi airports.
How to Reserve Permits for Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park
Chimpanzee permits may be requested after your Uganda safari trip plan and potential start dates have been decided. Chimpanzee licenses are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, thus we must find out whether they are available. Chimpanzee permits are limited, much like gorilla trekking permits.
There are two chimpanzee trekking sessions available: morning and afternoon. According to conservation policy, they sell out in order to reduce the amount of visitors who would trample on the foliage, which serves as the chimpanzees’ primary food source.
In Kibale National Park, chimpanzee trekking permits are $300 per day, per person, per expedition.
Which Lodging Options Are Available in Kibale National Park?
Both within and outside of Kibale National Park, there are several lodging options for every budget. These are ranked in order of luxury accommodations, moderate accommodations, and modest accommodations.
From the list below, you may choose your accommodations for your chimpanzee trekking safari. The list of accommodations is infinite and includes Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Primates Lodge, Mantana Luxury Tented Camp, Mountains of the Moon Hotel, CVK, Chimpanzee Guest House, Rwenzori Guest House, and Chimps Nest Camp.
What to Bring to Kibale National Park for Chimpanzee Trekking
To protect your hair from the water pouring off the leaves, use a safari hat.
Use sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV radiation.
Use a travel adaptor in case you need to recharge your battery.
a sweater or fleece to stay warm, particularly in the mornings and during periods of heavy precipitation.
toiletries, such as toothpaste, soap, and bath foam, to name a few, in case your lodge doesn’t have them.
Given that this is a tropical jungle with sometimes intense rainy seasons, wear a raincoat.
Closed canvas shoes are sufficiently comfortable to withstand the damp and unclean conditions of the forest.
Wearing sunglasses may help protect your eyes from flying insects while you’re lounging by the pool or taking a stroll.
Use bug repellent to keep mosquitoes away when hiking chimpanzees.
Safari Long pants and a shirt, preferably one that can be folded up, in case you need to take off the sleeves or the lower portion while on safari.
The camera to take pictures of your encounter with the chimps
A pair of binoculars in case the chimpanzees, particularly during the intense rainy seasons, are eating from the top of trees.
Please check out our tour planner and get in touch with us to learn more about what makes Kibale National Park famous.
