Kibale National Park could easily be called the primate capital of the world. It is a home to a host of wildlife although mostly famous for it 13 species of primates including chimpanzees. Kibale national Park lies close to the tranquil Ndali-Kasenda crater area and is a half a day’s drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori mountains, and Semiliki National Park and the Toro-Semiliki national Reserve.
Wildlife in Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzees might be the main attraction in the park but there are twelve other types of primates that have been recorded in this
park. Some of these include: the black and white colobus, red-tailed monkey, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkey, olive baboon, bush baby and potto.Although rarely seen there are other mammals living in the park these include; forest elephant, buffalo, leopard, bush pig, and duiker. You could also catch sight of reptiles and amphibians and a colourful array of butterflies.
Kibale National Park has an impressive number of bird species. It has a record of about 325 bird species some of which are; the black-capped apalis, blue-headed sunbird, collared apalis, purple- breasted sunbird and many others.
Game viewing in Kibale Forest National Park
Game viewing is good all year round in Kibale National Park, however its best in the dry seasons of November to February, and June to September. Chimpanzee trekking is best during these months.
Although some of the trails are very difficult to traverse during the rainy season, the park is open all year round and you can still track chimpanzees. You can also view other wild animals although they are harder to see because of the thick vegetation.
What to do in Kibale national park
There are quite a number of fun activities to do in Kibale National park. There are forest hikes usually restricted to the dry season, there is a cultural heritage and nature trail- a 2-6 day trail through the forest and you can of course go chimpanzee trekking. You can also visit the Bigodi Wetland sanctuary and the Sebitoli Forest camp. There are children’s activities such as pond dipping, photography and batik making. So people who travel with their children do not have to worry about the children getting bored while the adults go of tracking chimpanzees.
The chimpanzee habituation experience gives you an opportunity to accompany Kibale’s researchers and habituators as they follow chimpanzees throughout their daily activities. This has been proven to get the chimpanzees used to human presence without interrupting their daily activities. Visitors get the chance to follow a chimpnazee’s day from about 6am in the morning till 7pm in the evening. Tracking chimpanzees in Kibale is definitely an experience all on its own and one of the best things to do on you safari tour in Uganda.
Kibale National Park is situated in the Western part of Uganda close to the beautiful town of Fort Portal. This park covers a total land expanse of 795 sq km. It is among the most scenic tropical rainforests in the whole of Uganda. Kibale National park was established in 1995 primarily to protect the forest, however over the years, the leading tourist activity in Kibale National Park has remained Tracking of the chimpanzees. Your safari in Uganda cannot be complet without a visit to this park. Other than chimpanzee watching you can see any of the other 12 primate species within the park.
Because of the altitude difference, the vegetation in Kibale ranges from the evergreen rainforest, to the arid tropical forest, the savanna to the woodland that supports a diversity of habitats. Kibale Park is connected to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the South, hence allowing wildlife to freely move. This park has a total population of approximately 1450 chimpanzee, rendering it a wildlife sanctuary with the highest population of primates. Additional primate species here are; the olive monkeys, grey checked Mangabey, red-tailed monkey, baboons, black & white colobus and the blue monkeys.
Among the other animals living inside the park are: elephants, buffaloes, leopards, bush pigs, Duikers, warthogs, hippos among many others. You will as well see numerous butterfly species, some reptiles and even amphibians. The park is as well a paradise for bird watchers. Approximately 325 species of birds have been documented in this park. Among the bird species you are likely to see are the black-bee eater, the little Greenbul, the crowned eagle, the African Pitta, the yellow spotted Nicator, the black-eared ground thrush, the woodland warbler, the tiny sun birds among many others.
The primary activity within this park is chimpanzee tracking. Tracking of these endangered primates is carried out in groups of 4 to 6 people who will be escorted by a tour guide. The utmost amount of time visitors can stay with these primates is an hour. All visiting tourists are recommended to follow the rules and guidelines given to them by the guides. Visitors who are sick are not allowed to enter the forest to prevent spreading of diseases to the primates. Most of the park is
densely covered with forest vegetation so, visitors are recommended to wear trousers plus long sleeved shirts to avoid being bitten by insects or being pricked by bushes.
Chimpanzee Tracking is not as challenging as gorilla tracking. In fact, these chimpanzees enjoy spending most of the time in tall trees since they eat fruits. Tracking of these chimpanzees is conducted in the early morning and for that reason tourists are advised to prepare in advance of their tour. Those interested in chimpanzee tracking are recommended to make their booking early enough particularly during the peak tourist season to avoid any disappointment of failing to get a chance. Besides the primates, there are approximately 60 species of mammals recorded inside Kibale National Park. In addition, Hiking in Kibale forest is conducted in the dry season from the start of the month of November up to February. The park can be reached by road transport through the scenic Fort Portal town.
