Top things to do & see in Kibale national park. Kibale forest in Uganda also known as a Primate capital of Africa has many tourist attractions & activities. This park is found in Kamwenge District and fort portal in western Uganda and offers a number of adventurous activities to visitors, given its abundant wildlife and great scenery.

The park covers an area of 795 Sq km and is about 5 hours drive from Kampala city and 6 hours from Entebbe town in Uganda. Kibale national park boosts 13 primate species, which include chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked Mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and more. There are over 375 bird species, 70 mammal species and 351 tree species. Kibale adjoins Queen Elizabeth national park to form a 180km long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha the southern part of Queen Elizabeth and Sebitoli the northern part of Kibale forest. Below are some of the adventure activities you can do while visiting Kibale forest national park.

Top Things to do & see in Kibale national park

Chimpanzee Trekking
There are over 1500 chimpanzees living in the Kibale rain forest. Chimpanzee trekking is one of the top things to do & see in Kibale national park, this major tourist activity in Kibale national park attracts a great number of visitors. Chimpanzees are the closest human relatives sharing 98% DNA with human beings. Chimpanzee trekking starts early in the morning with briefing at Kanyanchu visitor center before visitors head into the forest in search of chimps. Visitors get to spend one hour with the chimps once found in their natural habitat, watching them play, feed, groom each other, breast feeding, resting and more. The whole experience lasts up to 6hours.

Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Chimpanzee habituation is the process of training chimps to get used to human presence which takes approximately a period of two years. Visitors get to join a team of researchers, park guides and rangers to go into the forest and carry out habituation. Unlike chimpanzee trekking where only one hour is allowed for visitors to stay with chimps once found, this Chimpanzee habituation experience allows visitors four hours with chimps in their natural habitat. The activity starts early morning when chimps are leaving their nests, you will stay with them and watch them feed, groom each other, rest, play, making their nests and retire back to bed. This is a fascinating experience.

Bird Watching
Top things to do & See in Kibale national park

There are over 375 bird species in Kibale national park with endemic birds, migratory birds and forest birds. Kibale is one of the top birding spots in Uganda and birding usually done very early in the morning. Some of the birds that can be seen here include sunbird, yellow billed barbet, great blue turaco, black capped Apalis, African pied wagtail, blue breasted kingfisher, crowned eagle, breasted pitta and more. Bigodi wetland sanctuary has 138 bird species and many of these can be seen during the guided walks in the wetlands around.

Nature Walks and Hiking
Nature walks in Kibale national park start at Kanyanchu visitor center where Visitors are led by park guides through the forest to get closer to nature. Visitors get to learn more about the forest and its inhabitants. Along the nature walks different animals are seen like forest elephants, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and a number of bird species plus plants. Listening to the forest sounds and taking in the fresh air is such a great experience everyone should get.

Besides Nature walk in Kibale forest, visitors can opt to take a nature walk outside the park to the nearby Bigodi wetland Sanctuary. Bigodi wetland also referred to as a home of the Great blue turaco is a gem of biodiversity as you explore the 8 kilometers circular trail.

Bigodi nature walks promote conservation of natural and cultural heritage while directly benefiting the local people through funding community development projects like schools, health, sanitation and creating employment opportunities to the locals. Guided nature walks in Bigodi wetlands last for 2-3 hours and visitors are able to spot variety of Birds turacos, king fishers, hornbills, warblers, crakes, parrots and swamp endemics.

During the walk, visitors also have chances to see 8 species of primates which include Black and white colobus monkeys, Grey cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, Red colobus monkey, L’hoest’s monkey and vervet monkeys among others. The swamp hosts mammals such as sitatunga and bushbucks so during the nature walk, look out for this opportunity to see them feeding.

Community Tours

While in Kibale national park, take a visit to community and learn about local cultures. Batooro are the people live close to the park and so visitors get to visit some of their homes to learn about their daily lives. Visitors walk with guides who lead them to the community, village primary school, church and traditional healer. Learn about the history of the area like the Bigodi’s history told through a story of the Village of two tribes.

Night Forest Walks.
The night forest walks to search for nocturnal start late in the evening after visitors finish having their dinner. They are led by park ranger guides who use flash light torches to spot animals in the dark. The walk lasts up to 2 hours and visitors need to dress up in long clothes and have strong shoes for the walk. Animals are spotted like pottos, bush babies and night birds.

Crater Lakes Tours.

The village around Kibale forest national park has a collection of many crater lakes well known as Ndali Kasenda crater lakes. These are situated close to the park and visitors can take a tour around the lakes after or before chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park. Some of these lakes are lake Nyabikere, lake Nkuruba, lake Nyinambuga, lake Kifuraka, Lake Nyinabulitwa, lake Nyamasangari and lake Lyantonde. Visitors can engage in canoeing, sports fishing and swimming on some of these crater lakes.

There are more activities to participate in while in Kibale national park and surrounding areas such as bush craft children activities, visiting amabere ga nyinamwiru caves, Bigodi swamp and community walk and more. Kibale national park is open to visitors all year round though the best time to visit is during the dry season when the area is not muddy and slippery. Remember to carry a rain coat, insect repellant, strong hiking shoes, enough drinking water, camera, binoculars and more. Come explore the primate capital as you spend time with our closest relatives.