Honey Moon in Kibale Forest National Park

Honeymoon in Kibale Forest National Park: Kibale Forest National Park is one of the top destinations for honeymoon safaris in Uganda that attract tourists from different parts of the country for its top-notch adventure activities. The park is located in western Uganda covering districts of Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kasese and Kabarore. Kibale is famous for hosting the highest concentration of chimpanzees and several other unique primates totaling to 12 primates, 60 mammals, and 372 bird species, several tree species and other wildlife species. The park stands out as one of the fascinating adventure destinations for primate and nature lovers especially on honey moon safaris.

Kibale forest national park offers a wide range of activities to couples during their honeymoon and vacations. More still, with excellent and affordable accommodation facilities depending on your budget, offering room for serenity and tranquillity, where these couples can stay during their honeymoon safari within the park premises. The park is a tropical rainforest with a rich ecosystem that brings out the true jungle experience for visitors while on a safari.

Kibale forest national park is one of Uganda’s top visited and protected destinations for unique wildlife adventures therefore, for tourists seeking to have their honeymoon safaris there, should always book their chimpanzee permits 4-5 months or even more early in advance. This chimpanzee trekking or habituation permit will give you a chance to engage in exciting chimpanzee activities while on your safari in the park. Alternatively, other activities can be booked while on the safari.

What to engage in on a honeymoon safari in Kibale Forest national park.

Chimpanzee trekking on a honeymoon safari in Kibale

Chimpanzee trekking is among the many activities a couple can engage in on a honeymoon safari in the primate capital of the world. This chimpanzee trekking experience begins early in the morning at Kanyanchu visitor’s center or park headquarters, where briefing for visitors takes place. To participate in the briefing, you must have a valid chimpanzee trekking permit that will grant you access to chimpanzees in their natural habitat, which you present to the ranger guides.

After the briefing, the couple will join a group of other trekkers not exceeding 8 in number. This group is led by armed ranger guides who will take you through different trekking trails of the jungle searching where the chimpanzees could be. The search for chimpanzees takes between 2-5 hours traversing through different trails and meeting different wildlife species. Upon seeing these intelligent apes, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour to be around these chimps as you learn about their daily habits, take photos, videos and watch them do their daily activities such as coupling, nesting, hunting, eating, playing, grooming, hunting, among others.

Chimpanzee habituation

Chimpanzee habituation is a lively an activity that allows you spend more time with chimpanzees in their natural habitat. This means, as a couple, you will have a chance to interact with these apes at your own pace as you study their habits from parenting, foraging, playing, coupling, hunting, smacking, grooming to nesting of these great primates on your honeymoon safari. Honey mooners who are interested in spending more time with these intelligent chimpanzees, chimpanzee habituation is the best option. This means that when planning for your safari, you will purchase a chimpanzee habituation permit during your time of booking.

The procedures for chimpanzee habituation are the same as those of standard chimpanzee trekking just that once you meet these apes you are able to be with them for the whole day. Through chimpanzee habituation, it involves researchers who will teach you the different things you do to make these apes get used to the human presence around them. During chimpanzee habituation, as a couple you will learn alot about the chimpanzee behaviours, take videos and photos, and watch them do daily activities among others.

Bird watching

Couples especially bird lovers can participate in bird watching activities in Kibale Forest national park, since it is home to over 372 bird species, making it a birding paradise. Bird watching excursions on a honeymoon safari in Kibale Forest national park can be done within the park premises and around the lodge. Bird watching in Kibale can be carried out in areas such as Sebitoli wetland and Bigodi wetland sanctuary, that are rich in forest and wetland birds.

This bird watching experience on a honeymoon safari in Kibale forest national park gives birdwatchers an opportunity to see a diverse bird species such as Great Blue Turaco,  African Pitta, African Pied Wagtail, Topical Boubou, Slender-billed Weaver, Pin-tailed Whydah, Rwenzori Turaco,  Masked Apalis, Tropical boubou, red chested owlet, black bee-eater, afed pigeon, brown illadopsis, black-capped apalis, grey parrot, purple breasted sunbird, masked apalis, dusky crimson wing, and yellow-rumped tinkerbird, among others.

Nature walks

Nature walks stand out as one of the adventure activities for travellers especially honey mooners who would love to interact with nature and explore its natural beauty. These nature walks are carried out along lodges, crater lakes, forests, swamps and wetlands. These nature walks in Kibale can be carried out around Bigodi Swamp, Ssebitoli, top of the World, Kasenda craters, among others.

These nature walks in Kibale helps lovers to explore the wilderness on foot. During the nature walks, as a couple, expect to meet various crater lakes, tree and plant species, birds, mammals, and primates. What to explore during nature walks depends on the trails used or areas visited. When you carry out nature walks on the crater lakes, you will see a number of stunning crater lakes where some are next to each other.

When to have a honeymoon in Kibale Forest national park?

Honeymoon safaris in Kibale Forest national park can be conducted at any time of the year however certain months seem more ideal than others. The dry season which runs from June to September and December to February is the best to have honeymoon safaris in Kibale Forest National Park. This is because dry season is subjected to little or no rainfall which makes the trekking trails dry and easier to navigate. More still, the vegetation is thin offering clear views of wildlife, and roads connecting to the park are passable.

Travelers can still visit Kibale Forest national park in the wet season for their honeymoon vacations but this favours the budget honeymooners’ reason being, the lodges and tour operators reduce prices in form of discounts.  However, this rainy season is not the best for the honeymooners because the park receives heavy rains, with thick vegetation is talk with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are impassable.

Where to stay on a honeymoon safari in Kibale?

Travellers planning to visit Kibale Forest national park for honeymoon safaris have a wide selection choice of lodging facilities where they can stay. During honeymoon vacations, its better you stay in the best accommodation establishment. Therefore, some of the lodging options offered at the park include Papaya Lake Lodge, Kibale Lodge, Kibale Tourist Lodge, Isunga Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Primate Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Kyaninga Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, and Ndali Lodge, among others.

Getting there

Couples visiting Kibale Forest national park for their honeymoon safari have two alternatives that can lead them to the park including air and road transport. Honeymooners can use good conditioned safari cars to Kibale Forest national park for about 6-7 hours. By road the journey begins to the park begins from Kampala and goes through Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese to the park or Kampala via Mityana, Mubende, Kyenjonjo, and Fort Portal to the park.

Alternatively, Air transport would be the best way to access Kibale Forest national park for honeymoon safaris but its normally used by luxury travelers as well as those that hate traveling for long distances. Aerolink Uganda, Pearl Sky and Bar Aviation Uganda are some of the best airline companies that have flights to Kibale Forest national park. Flights take 1 hour and 15 minutes from Entebbe International Airport and Kajjansi Airstrip to Kasese airstrip.