Kibale Forest National Park

Going on a safari to Kibale National Park is among the most rewarding destinations in western Uganda. Famed for its primates you will have a long list of items to tick off. 

Covering an area of 766 square kilometres with an elevation of 1100-1600 meters, Kibale National Park is among the last few places in Eastern Africa containing both montane and lowland forest. This diverse habitat supports over 70 mammal species, 375 species of bird and 351 tree species, some of these remarkable trees are over 200 years old and tower over 55 meters. The park is home to one of Africa’s pioneer research stations with focus on primates and the ecosystem.

Chimpanzee Tracking
The most popular activity is the primate walk at Kanyanchu with 13 species of primates to be sought, including the intriguing chimpanzee. Known as the ‘primate capital of the world’ you can take daily guided nature walks which generally take around four hours.

The habituated ape families have been tracked for the last 25 years and consequently the chances of locating them in their natural habitat is around 90%. Contact time with the chimpanzee families is one hour and each group size is limited to only eight visitors; participants must be at least 16 years old.

Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Chimpanzees share at least 94% of their DNA with humans. They are sociable, intelligent and communicative. They live in loose communities of 15 to 100 individuals and small sub groups have also been recorded. On the chimpanzee habituation experience, you will accompany a local team of researchers and habituators in the forest. Unlike the chimpanzee groups visited on the primate walk, the groups involved in the habituation experience are less accustomed to human presence. This excursion can be a full or half day. You will watch them leaving their overnight nests as they feed their young, groom and forage on ground, these groups can be approached to a distance of 8-10 metres.

Though chimpanzees spend a lot of time on the ground, it has been observed that different troops specialise in different tasks, depending on their habitat and diet. They can also be aggressive and unfriendly, especially when they encounter unrelated individuals.

Nocturnal Walks
Although the park is famous for chimpanzee trekking, when chimpanzees are resting at night, other forest residents become active. Nocturnal walks begin at 19:30 and last between one to two hours. With powerful touches at your disposal, your guides will help you spot nocturnal creatures such bushbaby, nightjar, potto, cricket, tree hyrax as well as civet and serval cats.

Bird Watching in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
The swamp walk through Bigodi wetland is rich in biodiversity and offers beautiful scenery. The main activity is birdwatching with about 138 species to search for. It is common to identify more than 40 species of birds in one walk. The wetland is managed by the local community and is an admirable example of conservation with proceeds benefitting community projects.