Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations
Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee DestinationsWhy Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations: Kibale Forest National Park is a 321 sq. km protected area in Kabarole district, western Uganda. It was established in 1993 by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect its attractions. The park is famous as the primate capital of the world, hosting the largest number of primate species in Uganda. It has the highest population of chimpanzees, surpassing other chimpanzee destinations like Budongo Forest and Kyambura Gorge.
The national park harbors other primates such as red colobus monkeys, patas monkeys, vervet monkeys, mangabeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, demidoff galago, olive baboons, pottos, and l’hoests monkeys.
Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations in Uganda
Concentration of Chimpanzee populations
Kibale forest national park is one of the best places to visit for primate viewing especially the chimpanzees. Home to the highest population of chimpanzees, most travelers visit the park in search of chimpanzees in their natural habitats. The national park is not known for only primates but also 370 birds with the famous being the green-breasted pitta.
Chimpanzee trekking
Kibale forest national park being home to the highest populations of chimpanzees has chimpanzee trekking as the most done activity. The activity gives tourists a chance to see habituated chimpanzees in their natural habitats. There are 2 large chimpanzee families that have been habituated in the park and can be trekked in the morning and evening hours.
Chimpanzee trekking starts with a briefing from the park headquarters at Kanyanchu Visitors Centre where tourists are taught the rules and regulations of the trekking activity. After grouping is done armed ranger guides are allocated to groups which they lead and guide in the jungle. Tourists are driven to the starting points of the trekker where a simple briefing is still done.
Armed ranger guides lead the trekkers in the forest where they go through different trails searching for where the chimps could be. Searching goes on for hours while armed ranger guides communicate with the rangers in the forest to see where the chimps could be. As trekkers look for the chimpanzees, they have chances to see other different animals, birds, vegetation, and water sources in the thick forest.
After 2 to 4 hours of searching the chimpanzees, trekkers will finally meet them and will be given 1 hour to be around them. During the one hour with these apes, trekkers are able to see them carry out day to day activities like hunting, nesting, breastfeeding, playing and others can be resting among others. When done, trekkers walk back to the starting point where they meet the driver guides and move out of the forest.
Chimpanzee habituation- Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations
Kibale forest national park is the only place where chimpanzee habituation can take place in Uganda. Tourists intending to visit the park can be part of the 4-hour habituation experience where they get chances to be around semi-habituated chimpanzees and then be part of the activities that make them get used to the human presence around them.
A small number of people can do chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest national park and a chimpanzee habituation permit is needed. On the day of habituation, tourists meet at Kanyanchu Visitors Centre where they meet rangers who teach about the rules and regulations of the activities. Armed ranger guides are assigned to lead a group into the jungle.
After the briefing, armed ranger guides, doctors, researchers, rangers, and the trekkers join their driver guides to move to the starting point of the trekking. The armed ranger guides communicate with the rangers to see where the chimpanzees could be. The search happens for 2 to 4 hours and once the chimps are spotted, trekkers are given 4 hours to be with the chimps.
During the 4 hours around the chimpanzees, trekkers are allowed to take part in the activities that make the chimpanzees get used to human presence around them. Trekkers are allowed to take videos and take pictures for future memories. After having a good time around the chimpanzees, trekkers move out of the jungle, meet their driver, and move to the next destination.
Bird watching
There are over 370 bird species hosted in Kibale forest national park making it one of the best bird watching destinations in Uganda. On a visit to Kibale, birders should take part in bird watching activities in and around the park to spot most of the bords that have been recorded here.
The green-breasted pitta is the most thought-after bird in Kibale but there are other species to spot such as nahan’s francolin, blue-headed bee-eater, low land masked apalis, cassin’s spinetail, little greenbul, yellow-rumped tinker, collared appalis, Abyssinian ground thrush, African pitta, dusky crimsoning, slender-billed weaver.
Blue-headed sunbird, black-eared ground thrush, crowned eagle, green-breasted pitta, grey parrot, western nicator, nahan’s francolin, scaly breasted illadopsis, masked apalis, cassin’s spinetail, blue-breasted kingfisher, red-faced woodland warbler, great blue turaco, papyrus canary, zebra waxbill, and blue-headed gonolek to mention but a few.
Nature walks- Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations
Nature walks in Kibale forest national park are the best way of getting so close to nature. The walks are a 2 to 3-hour activity that goes to different park areas using different trails. The armed ranger guides lead tourists throughout the whole activity making sure that they are safe. During the walks, tourists get to see different animals, birds, vegetation, water sources, and many other attractions in the park.
What to pack for a safari to Kibale forest national park?
Most travelers that visit Kibale forest national park participate in chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation activities. The activities involve walking in the jungle for 2 to 3 hours searching for where the chimpanzees could be. This calls for the proper packing of different items that can be used in the jungle.
The packing list for a safari in Kibale forest national park includes day backpack, a rain jacket, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, warm gloves, a pair of gaiters, long cotton stocks, an umbrella, waterproof shoes, sunscreen, insect repellents, a camera, a pair of binoculars, energy giving snacks, and drinking water bottle to mention but a few.
Best time to visit Kibale forest national park
Why Kibale Standout from other Chimpanzee Destinations: Kibale forest national park is best visited during the dry season months which happen from June to September and December to February. These months are characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine which can not affect the park activities. Being forest, tourists should expect rainfall at any time of the week but it’s always little compared to the rainy season.
Tourists who will visit Kibale forest national park in the dry season will find the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through which will make the trekking easy. The vegetation will be short with good views of chimpanzees and other attractions in the forest. Lastly, the roads leading to the park are in good condition and the tourists get to the park in time.
The rainy season can also be used to visit Kibale forest national park and this occurs from March to May and October to November. This season favors the budget travelers who are looking at discounted accommodation facilities and it also favors the birders since there are so many birds in the park due to so many fruits in the forest.
Tourists visiting Kibale forest national park in the rainy season should know that too much rainfall makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of chimpanzees and other attractions in the jungle. The roads leading to the park tend to be muddy and slippery which affects the speed of the driver.
How to get to Kibale forest national park?
Kibale forest national park is located in the western side of Uganda in Kabarole district. The national park can be accessed using road transport which takes about 6 hours with time taken depending on the number of stopovers and the speed of the driver. From Entebbe, tourists drive through Kampala, Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal and where they drive southeast for a short distance and then get to the park.
Where to stay while in Kibale forest national park?
Accommodation is one of the things to consider when planning to visit Kibale forest national park for a number of days. There are so many lodges around Kibale forest national park ranging from luxury to mid-range to budget options. Tourists stay in lodges based on their travel budget which include Primate Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Turaco Tree Tops, Isunga Safari Lodge, and Kibale Forest Camp among others.
