Kibale Forest National Park is among the top ten destinations to visit in Uganda and its commonly known for the Chimpanzees plus other Wildlife primates. It’s characterized with tropical rain forest, forest cover, interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp dominates the northern & central parts of the park.
This park is located in the western part of Uganda and is a home to total of 70 mammal species. It also contains over 375 species of birds. It adjoins Queen Elizabeth National park to the south to create a 180km long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha, the remote southern sector of Queen and Sebitoli in the north of Kibale Forest National Park.
Kibale Fort Portal area is one of Uganda’s most rewarding destinations to explore; it lies close to the tranquil Ndali Kasenda Crater area and within half a day’s drive of Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains and more.
This park can be accessed from Kampala along a paved road via Kasese through the Queen Elizabeth National Park. While Kanyanchu visitor centre the primary centre for tourist activities 36km from Fort Portal can be reached via a dirt road and is accessible by public transport. This park can also be reached from Kampala via Mubende and Fort Portal or through Mbarara- Ibanda and Kamwenge.
Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda is commonly known for the Chimpanzees therefore if you hope of both tracking and doing habituation experience in Uganda Kibale is the right place for that. Chimpanzees are tailless herbivorous primates which have a close relation with humans and share brain sizes, they also have palm of hands and their soles of feet are hairless but the arms are longer than its legs.
Chimps have a high social relationship and frequently have sex, they sleep up to 9.5 hours per day and surprisingly these apes communicate in almost the same way human beings communicate and can recreate human speeches.
While in Kibale Forest National Park you will be able to do both Chimpanzee tracking and Chimpanzee habituation experience. The park entrance in Kibale goes for $40 USD per person per 24 hours, Chimpanzee tracking involves visiting the Jungle in search of these primates and after discovering them you are allowed to stay in their presence for only one hour while enjoying their behavoiurs, seeing them playing and more, you are also allowed to take a lot of photos for these apes for memories.
The permit for visiting these apes in the jungle costs $150 USD per person and it guarantees you one hour stay. But when you are suspected to be with any infectious disease you are not allowed to go for the tracking because you spread diseases to these apes, do not eat in their presence, do not touch on these primates without permission and when taking photos do not use flush cameras.
While on your Ugandan tour do not miss the amazing and unforgettable Eco tourist adventure, the Chimpanzee Habituation experience done in Kibale National Park involves visiting these chimps in the jungle and stay with them for the all day while grooming them how to behave with human beings and the permit which allows you for the all day stay with these primates’ costs $200 USD per person.
While in Kibale do not also miss out going for bird watching since it hosts over 375 bird species and if you are lucky you will get a chance of sighting the rare Shoe bill in Bigodi Wetland as this is the centre for most of the different bird species in Kibale Forest National Park.
During the tracking you will be exposed to the geographical out look of Kibale Forest National Park therefore being in contact with nature, sight other features like insects, reptiles, vegetation which includes big trees in the forest and more.
