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Explore the vibrant urban centers and the natural landscapes that make Uganda a unique travel destination. From lively cities filled with cultural heritage sites to vast national parks teeming with wildlife, Uganda offers a diverse array of experiences for every traveler.
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Discover the land of a thousand hills. Travellers come from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the magnificent gorillas, yet there is so much more to see and experience.
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Experience the Kibale National Park
Kibale supports a range of habitats over different altitude zones. The tropical forest on the Fort Portal plateau changes to savannah in the Albertine Valley floor in the south. The forest has suffered less from logging in the past compared to some other forests in the country. It is therefore still relatively pristine and home to some very big mahoganies, figs and other hardwood trees. Chimp trekking runs twice daily, at 8 AM and 2 PM. The habituated chimp community here is very relaxed and sightings are often excellent, but you might find that several trekking parties converge on one chimp group. For this reason, Kibale can feel crowded compared to other chimp trekking sites, especially in the morning (which is busier than the afternoon). Other guided activities include a full-day chimp habituation experience, forest walks, birding, night walks (to look for pottos and other nocturnal creatures) and visits to neighboring Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
Kibale National Park is contiguous with the northern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the perfect primate-themed complement to Uganda’s most popular Big-5 safari experience. Kibale is the country’s premier chimpanzee trekking destination, supporting a population of well over 1,000 of these complex, intelligent beings. Kibale National park is Uganda's top spot for trekking chimps. The chimps here are well habituated, which makes sightings really high. Of course, this popularity does come with drawbacks, the peak season can get busy. 6 groups made up of 6 trekkers are allowed out at any one time, which means you can all end up in the same place if everyone converges on a key group or individual (e.g. the alpha male).
Locate the Kibale National Park
Discover: Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park: Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park: Chimpanzee
Kibale National Park: Colubus Monkey
Kibale National Park: Blue Turaco
Kibale National Park: Rhinos
Chimpanzee Trekking is the top attraction in Kibale, with 90% of tourists visiting to participate in this unique and thrilling experience. The park has the best views of the chimpanzees, and it does not disappoint due to their large population. You can easily spot these beauties, the most sought-after apes after the endangered species of the mountain gorillas. Other places to spot these apes are Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kalizu Forest and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Habituated chimpanzees' trek takes about 2-5 hours through the tropical rainforest jungles. Once found, you will have only one hour to watch their interaction and take photos or videos.
Getting There
By Air: Kibale Forest National Park is accessed by flights from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield in Kampala using Aerolink or Fly Uganda to various airstrip including Nyakisharara near Mbarara, Mweya, Kihihi, Kasese and Semliki. The flight time is approximately 1 hour to either Mweya or Kasese. After landing, proceed on a road transfer for about 1 hour 30 minutes to your lodge.
By Road: Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal Highway is the shortest route to Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is about 309km and takes approximately 5-6 hours on a suitable surface road. From Fort Portal Town to Kibale Park headquarters (Kanyachu Visitors Center), a further drive of roughly 26km takes 30-45 minutes.
Route 2: Kampala -Hoima-Fort Portal Kibale Route: The drive starts from Entebbe to Ziwa Rhino in Nakasonga for Rhino tracking. The journey is about 305km, taking an approximately 4-6 hours drive. After a memorable experience in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you will proceed to Murchison Falls National Park on an approximately 68.7 km and 1-2 hours drive. Later, proceed to Fort Portal Town, Uganda’s cleanest town, and drive to Kibale Park headquarters, approximately 26 km away.
Best time to visit
Kibale National Park can be visited anytime. It is a tropical rainforest with unpredictable weather; rain can pour anytime. However, the rains are less during the dry seasons.it is advisable to carry warm clothing. The best times to visit the park are during the dry seasons, December to February & June to September.
Wildlife Experience
The chimpanzee community visited by trackers in Kibale National Park is the most habituated in Uganda and sightings can be excellent. Primate diversity in the park is the highest in East Africa, with 13 species identified. Olive baboon, black-and-white colobus, red-tailed monkey, Ugandan red colobus and Uganda mangabey are all regularly observed. Nocturnal primates include potto and three different species of bush baby. Kibale is one of only five places where Ugandan red colobus has been recorded, and it supports the world’s largest population of this endangered monkey. It is also an important stronghold for the endemic Uganda mangabey. Other seldom-seen forest dwellers include elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, warthog, bushpig, bushbuck, blue duiker and Weyns’s duiker. Leopards are probably resident and lions might occasionally venture across from Queen Elizabeth National Park. Smaller forest carnivores include palm civet and golden cat.
Birdlife
Kibale Park is home to more than 350 attractive and colourful bird species, making it a paradise for birders. The park is home to endemic and migratory birds, which include the African pitta, tinker bird, little greenbul, woodland warbler, yellow spotted nicator, white-napped pigeon, African grey parrot, olive long-tailed cuckoo, blue-breasted kingfisher, red chested owlet, purple breasted sunbird, black bee-eater among others.
