Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park is 766 km² in size and is situated at an altitude between 1,100 meters and 1,600 meters above sea level. The highest part of the national park stands at 1,590 meters above sea level, and the lowest part of the park stands at 1,100 meters in the Albertine Rift Valley leading to the southern part of the national park.

The park lies within close proximity to the Ndali-Kasenda crater region and within half a day’s drive from or to Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains and Semliki National Parks in Uganda.

Kibale National Park is one of the loveliest national parks in the East African country, home to over 375 bird species, 70 species of mammals and 13 species of primates, including chimpanzees for which the park is famous.

This national park has one of the largest concentrations of primates, including the endangered species of chimpanzees.

Attractions within and outside Kibale National Park.

Kibale National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife animals such as forest elephants, bush bucks, sitatungas, buffaloes, duikers and primate species like chimpanzees, olive baboons, L’Hoest monkeys, Colobus monkeys and vervet monkeys among others.

And there are over 375 species of birds living in the forests in Kibale National Park, bird species like the blue-headed sunbird, black bee eater, purple-breasted sunbird, African pitta and the yellow-billed barbet, to mention but a few.

In addition to that, Kibale National Park has over 15 crater lakes that tourists can visit.

Also, the popular Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru calls the national park home and it offers visitors stunning and dazzling sights of waterfalls, caves and tea plantations, among others.

And other attractions include Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary and Kihingami Wetland.

Activities Done in Kibale National Park.

Bird Watching: Birding activities in Kibale National Park begin at 7am every day at the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre. Bird species that tourists can see in the park include the white-winged warbler, the white-collared oliveback, the yellow-spotted Barbet and the black-crowned waxbill, among others.

Community Visits: There are two ethnic tribes that are dominant in Kibale National Park, and these are the Batooro and the Bakiga. Tourists visiting the national park can embark on a cultural tour to explore the rich cultural and historical heritage of these two tribes.

Hiking and Nature Walks: Kibale National Park makes an ideal spot for hiking activities and guided nature walks.

Visitors can explore the beauty of the park as well as its diverse species of wildlife, flora and fauna. Tourists who wish to go on a guided nature walk at night can carry it out in the national park as well.

Chimpanzee Habituation Experience: One of the highlights of any visit to Kibale National Park is the chimpanzee habituation experience.

Tourists visiting the national park can track its habituated chimpanzees, and the activity can take about 6 hours. All chimpanzee tracking activities in the park begin at Kanyanchu Visitor Center.

Accommodation in Kibale National Park.

For visitors looking for accommodation in Kibale National Park, there are quite a number of lodging facilities available, and these include Primate Lodge, Chimpudu Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Kibale Tourist Safari Lodge, Kibale Forest Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Kanyanchu River Camp, Sebitoli Camping Ground, Chimps’ Nest, Kibale Forest Camp and Mantana Tented Camp among others.

How to get to Kibale National Park in Uganda.

Tourists will have to travel about 308 km from Kampala City to get to Kibale National Park. This journey will take you about 4-5 hours of driving on the road.