Top things to do in Kibale national park in Uganda.
Kibale forest in Uganda is even understood as the wilderness capital of Africa which has very many tourist attractions and activities. This park is located in Kamwenge District and fort portal city in the western region of Uganda and presents a number of activities to tourists, given its great wildlife and incredible sight.
The park protects an area of 795 Sq km and is approximately 5 hours from Kampala city and 6 hours from Entebbe city in Uganda. Kibale national park has 13 wildlife species, which contain chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked Mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and many more. There are about 375 bird types, 70 animal species, and 351 tree species. Kibale borders Queen Elizabeth National Park to create a 180km long corridor for wildlife between the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and Sebitoli the northern part of Kibale forest national park.
Down are some adventurous activities you can do while visiting Kibale forest national park.
1. Chimpanzee Trekking
There are around 1500 chimpanzees staying in the Kibale forest national park.
Chimpanzee trekking is one of the top things to do in Kibale national park, this significant tourist activity in Kibale national park entices a significant number of tourists. Chimpanzees are the nearest human families sharing 98% of their DNA with human beings. Chimpanzee trekking begins earlier in the morning with a briefing at the Kanyanchu sector visitor centre before travellers run into the forest in the track of chimps. Tourists get to spend 1 hour with the chimpanzees once located in their natural homes, seeing them play, feed, groom each other, breastfeed, rest, and many more.
The entire adventure takes up to 6 hours in the forest with the Chimps.
2. Chimpanzee Habituation Adventure
Chimpanzee habituation is the activity of training chimpanzees to get habituated to human existence which handles about a period of 2 years.
Tourists get to enter a group of researchers, park guides, and game rangers to go into the forest and hold out a habituation adventure. Unlike chimpanzee trekking where only 1 hour is permitted for tourists to remain with chimps once located, this Chimpanzee habituation adventure permits tourists 4 hours with chimps in their natural homes. The habituation activity begins early morning when chimpanzees are vacating their nests, you will remain with them and see them graze, groom each other, snooze, play, make their nests, and go back to bed.
This is a charming adventure.
3. Bird Watching
There are around 375 bird types in Kibale forest national park with endemic birds, migrating birds, and forest birds.
Kibale national park is one of Uganda’s leading birding places, and birding is mainly carried out extremely early in the morning. Some of the birds that can be witnessed here contain;- sunbirds, yellow-billed barbet, great blue turaco, black-capped Apalis, African pied wagtail, blue-breasted kingfisher, crowned eagle, breasted pitta, and many others.
Bigodi wetland sanctuary has approximately 138 bird types and many of these can be spotted during the guided walks around the wetlands in Bigodi.
4. Nature Walks and Hiking
Nature walks in Kibale forest national park begin at the Kanyanchu visitor centre where Tourists are guided by the park ranger through the forest to get nearer to nature. Tourists get to discover much about the forest and its wilderness. Along the nature walks, various animals are spotted such as forest elephants, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and quite a number of bird species and plants. Attending the forest sounds and bringing in the fresh air is such a wonderful adventure everyone should get.
Except for Nature walks in Kibale forest national park, tourists can decide to have nature walks outside the park nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Bigodi wetland is even known as the home of the Amazing blue turaco which is a treasure of bio-diversity as you explore the 8 kilometres of the circular track.
Bigodi nature walks enable the protection of natural and cultural origin while now helping the local people through funding community growth projects such as schools, health, sanitation, and constructing job chances for the residents. Guided nature walks in Bigodi wetlands brings for about 2 to 3 hours and tourists are able to see a mixture of Birds such as the turacos, kingfishers, hornbills, warblers, crakes, parrots, and swamp endemics.
During the Bigodi nature walks, tourists even have opportunities to see 8 types of wilderness which possess the Black and white colobus monkeys, Grey cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, Red colobus monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, and vervet monkeys among more. The Bigodi swamp keeps mammals like sitatungas and bushbucks on the nature walk, look out for this chance to spot them grazing.
5. Community Tours
While in Kibale forest national park, grab a visit to the community and understand local cultures.
Batooro is the people who live near the national park and so tourists get to see some of their residences to know about their everyday lives. Tourists walk with their guides who guide them to the community, village primary school, church, and traditional healer. Understand the past of the site like the Bigodi’s past told through a story of the Village of the 2 tribes.
6. Night Forest Walks.
The night forest walks to look for the nocturnal begin late in the evening after tourists complete having their dinner. They are guided by the park ranger/guides who use instant light torches to see animals in the darkness. The walk takes up to 2 hours and tourists must dress up in long garments and have powerful shoes for the nature walk.
Animals are seen such as pottos, bush babies, and night birds.
7. Crater Lakes Tours.
The village near Kibale forest national park has a group of many craters lakes well known as the Ndali Kasenda Crater lakes.
These are located near the national park and tourists can grab an excursion around the crater lakes after or before the chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park. Some of these crater lakes are;- lake Nyabikere, lake Nkuruba, lake Nyinambuga, lake Kifuraka, Lake Nyinabulitwa, lake Nyamasangari, and Lake Lyantonde. Tourists can encounter canoeing, sports fishing, and swimming in some of these crater lakes.
There are many more activities in Kibale to do while in the Kibale national park and covering areas such as bushcraft, children activities, visiting amabere ga nyinamwiru caves, Bigodi swamp, community walks, and much more. Kibale national park is available to tourists all year round though the finest time to visit is during the dry seasons when the place is not muddy and slippery.
Don’t forget to carry your raincoat, insect repellant, powerful hiking shoes, sufficient drinking natural mineral water, camera, binoculars, and many more.
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