Kibale National Park in Kabarole – Uganda is one of the national parks in the country that serves to protect the surrounding forest in the area. This particular national park serves to protect the moist evergreen rainforest in the area.
Location
Kibale National Park in Kabarole – Uganda lies some three hundred and twenty kilometers from the country’s capital city of Kampala and a short distance from west of Fort Portal located in the District of Kabarole.
Getting There
You can get to the national park from Kampala via a private taxi, a shared taxi or bus to reach Fort Portal.
The ride will take approximately four to five hours if you will be traveling along the Kampala-Fort Portal route via Mubende; and about seven to eight hours if you will be taking the Kampala-Fort Portal route via Kasese.
From Fort Portal, you can take another bus to Kanyanchu Visitors Centre which is your entry point to the park. The ride is approximately thirty-five kilometers.
What to See and Do
Kibale National Park in Kabarole – Uganda is famous for its Chimpanzee Tracking activity. Here, you can watch these chimpanzees playing and frolicking in their natural habitat.
Along the trail, you will see lush greeneries where you can see various bird species perched on trees or flitting about; see colorful butterflies fluttering from shrub to shrub and even see forest elephants on occasion.
Going around the park, there are many other mammals living here and you can also catch a glimpse or two of these animals as you walk along the trails. Some of these animals include buffalos, hogs and various species of antelopes.
Brief History
Kibale National Park in Kabarole – Uganda was established some time in the year 1993 to protect and preserve the moist evergreen rainforest surrounding the park. It is home to some five hundred chimpanzees and various primate species.
Among all the national parks in the country, this one is believed to have the highest primate concentration on a worldwide scale.
The park borders Queen Elizabeth National Park and is home to Makere University Biodiversity Field Station.
Other than the thirteen primate species living in the national park, you can also find monkeys endemic to Central Africa including the Uganda Mangabey and the Red Colobus.
Cost
The cost to go on a chimpanzee tracking expedition is $90 per person and entrance to the park costs $30 for adults and $15 for kids, valid for twenty-four hours.
If you wish to go on a Chimpanzee Habituation Experience where you can watch the chimps for one full day, two days up to three days; there are corresponding fees as well. One-day habituation is at $220 per person, two days cost $400 per person and three days cost $550 per person.
Other Information
There are campsites within the park if you wish to stay here to give you a more hands-on experience of the Kibale National Park in Kabarole – Uganda. Since the park gets thousands of visitors per year, advanced booking for the campsites is recommended.