Activities: Chimpanzee trekking, crater lake tours, birdwatching, community tours, agro-tourism
This multi-award winning chimpanzee destination remains hidden and undiscovered. It is found in a far-flung Western corner of this richly endowed East African country. The plateau upon which it sits beckons to wildlife enthusiasts looking for an off-the-beaten-track safari experience in a less crowded park that is full of life and colour.
Kibale is Uganda’s most ecologically diverse forests, boasting over 300 native tree species. It terms of primates, it offers a great introduction of both new world and old world monkeys. Brace yourself for chimpanzees, baboons, vervets, blue monkeys, l’hoest, bushbabies, colubus monkeys, black and white monkeys among others. The park lies in the shadows of Africa’s third highest mountain range, Rwenzori, a snow caped gem straddling across the Equator.
Chimp trekking
Chimp trekking here unfolds in the way that gorilla tracking does in Bwindi. The only difference is that it is more exciting for two reasons. Chimps are much fun to pursue as they are more active. That aside, the terrain here is less hilly. This makes the adventure doable even for nature lovers with weak knees. During the 1-6 hours that you will spend in the forest, you will track a habituated group both on the ground, as they search for fruits to eat, and through the forest canopy once they scamper up the trees. You stand great chances of getting excellent pictures thanks to their curious nature that sometimes draws them close to tourists.
Bird watching
You might not be fortunate enough to see 100% of the bird species here, but at least you will stand great chances of those found nowhere else on earth. Specials include White-spotted Flufftail, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Great blue turaco, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Brown-backed Scrub-robin, Black Bishop, Yellow-billed Barbet, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Western Nicator, Grey-winged Robin-chat, Bocage’s Bush-shrike, White-tailed Ant-thrush, White-breasted Negrofinch, Black-crowned Waxbill Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher , Superb Sunbird… the list goes on.
In the park’s swamp system, you will find vast schools of hippos all over the place. Over the shores you will find sitatungas, bushbucks, mongooses and bush pigs.
Other things to explore while here
While primates definitely top the safari agenda here, Kibale is home to a lot more……It is surrounded by scenic tea plantations that are spread over rolling hills. Thanks to a thunderous volcanic eruption that preceded it thousands of years back, Kibale boasts of over 6 crater lakes, one of which is ranked as the most beautiful crater lake in Uganda, a reason it is illustrated on the 20,000 Uganda Shillings note.
Nature walks in Bigodi wetland is a great addition to your itinerary. At this community owned initiative, you stand great chances of encountering birds you might have missed out on it the park.
