Kibale, the "Primates Capital of Africa"

Globally known as the “primate capital of Africa” Kibale National Park is located in Kabarole District, western Uganda. It was declared as a National Park in 1993 and forms part of the extensive Kibale Conservation.

Kibale National Park expands to about 795 sq. km and is largely comprised of the moist evergreen rainforest. The Park lies at an altitudinal range of 1200 to 1650m and is surrounded by other scenic Protected Areas, including the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki, and Rwenzori Mountains National Park.

The Unique Attractions to Explore in Kibale National Park

Wildlife including primates

The highest concentrations of primates call Kibale home, and these share the same habitat with other varied wildlife. At Kibale Forest National Park, expect to explore primates such as Uganda red-colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, l’hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys. Expect to also find the pottos, bush babies, forest elephants, bush pigs, leopards, bush bucks, sitatunga, buffaloes, and warthogs.

The birds

Kibale National Park alone contains more than 375 species of birds, including Albertine Rift endemic species and resident species. The birds to find during a birding excursion in Kibale National Park include Cameroon Sombre greenbul, black-headed oriole, black-eared ground thrush, double-toothed barbets, Abyssinian ground thrush, Northern puffback, papyrus canary, African wood owl, red-faced crimsonwing, blue-shouldered robin chat, singe cisticola, brown twin spot, white breasted chinned prinia, black-billed weaver birds, grey-headed olive back, papyrus gonoleks, and zebra waxbill.

Other birds in Kibale include African fire finch, barn swallow, speckled mousebirds, masked apalis, purple-breasted sunbirds, Nahan’s francolins, little greenbul, yellow-rumped tinker birds, scaly-breasted illadopsis, etc.

Key Safari Activities in Kibale National Park

Chimpanzee trekking/tracking

Kibale National Park offers the most captivating chimpanzee trekking experiences. Visitors embark on a search for the chimpanzee community with the professional park ranger guide. The chances of spotting chimpanzees in Kibale are extremely high, and the park offers moderately easier treks compared to Nyungwe’s chimp treks. Kibale alone protects over 1500 chimpanzees with about 4 fully habituated communities. The multiple habituated chimp communities make Kibale the best place for most tourists to engage in the trek to explore chimpanzees.

While in the lush Kibale Forest, expect to spot a variety of other primates, including baboons, colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys.

The Kibale chimpanzee trekking adventures allow tourists to explore more about chimpanzees. You get a chance to closely observe how these primates socialize, bond, feeding habits, and learn how they make their nests. Kibale offers 2 chimpanzee trekking sessions, with the morning period often starting at 8:00 am after briefing and allocation of park ranger guides at Kanyanchu. Overall, a normal chimpanzee trekking session takes about 2 to 4 hours, inclusive of an hour for a close and personal encounter with the Park’s chimpanzees.

Kibale chimp treks cost USD 250 per person for all international visitors, USD 200 per tourist for foreign residents, and shs. 180,000 for all East African citizens. The cost of a chimpanzee permit in Kibale covers entrance fees.

Kibale chimpanzee habituation

Chimpanzee habituation experience is a special adventure awaiting you in Kibale. On chimpanzee habituation, you embark on a search for the unhabituated troop of chimpanzees with an experienced guide. This is usually conducted with the researchers, scientists, and conservationists. A full day in Kibale forest as you follow chimpanzees means you get adequate time to observe their daily behaviors right from the moment they become active for the day till they make new nests for sleeping. The permits for chimpanzee habituation full day cost USD 300 per visitor under the category of international tourists (foreign non-residents), USD 250 per person for foreign residents, and Ugandans pay UGX 250,000 per person. The chimpanzee permits can be booked through the registered tour operator on the ground, and to secure an early slot, contact our team.

Birding and forest walks

Kibale is a rich birding destination, hosting a total of 375 species of birds, including several of the Albertine rift endemic species. On a birding trip, expect to come across birds such as the blue-breasted kingfishers, Green-breasted pitta, Kibale forest robin, little greenbul, yellow-billed barbets, Great blue turacos, white-napped pigeon, red-bellied paradise flycatchers, masked apalis, green-headed sunbird, double-toothed barbet, yellow-rumped tinker birds, Afep pigeon, Abyssinian ground thrush, and Cassin’s hawk eagle. To enjoy your birding expedition, ensure that you come along with a pair of binoculars and a good camera.

The best time to explore Kibale National Park, Uganda

Kibale National Park welcomes all primate adventure seekers at any time of the year, although the dry season is the perfect period thanks to its suitable conditions. The dry season starts from June till September and from December until February. Visitors can enjoy treks through Kibale Forest with fewer interferences from rain and also muddy or slippery ground.

The dry season is far better than the rainy months when heavy rains are recorded in the Park, that is, from March to May or October to November. During the wet or rainy months, visitors encounter disruptions from heavy rains, and generally, the forest floor tends to be muddy/slippery.

Top Safari Lodges and Camps to Stay

The popular lodges and safari camps to consider for an overnight stay in and around Kibale National Park include Isunga Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Kibale Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, and Primate Lodge. Other accommodation options include Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Kibale Forest Camp, Papaya Lake Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, and more.

How to get there

Kibale National Park is one of the most accessible Parks in Uganda from the heart of Kampala, the capital. Tourists set off from Kampala via Mityana-Mubende to Fort Portal, then follow the Kamwenge route. Overall, this route requires about 5-6 hours for you to drive, and most preferably, hire a 4×4 safari vehicle for you to enjoy a memorable road trip. You can also take a flight up to Kasese Airstrip and spend less than 2 hours getting to Kibale National Park for your vacation.