Kibale Forest National Park is located in the western region of Uganda covering parts of Fort Portal city which is known as a tourism and the most beautiful city in Uganda any one would like to visit in the world. The park protects the moist evergreen forest covering 795km2 in size. It lies between 1,100m to 1,590m above sea level. Kibale is one of national parks remaining with both lowland and montane forest in East Africa sustaining the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest.
The park sustains 70 species of mammals with 13 primate’s species including the chimpanzees, Olive Baboons, Bush babies / Demidoff Galago, Black and White colobus, Potto, Vervet monkeys, Blue monkeys, and Grey Cheeked mangabey among others. It is also a well known destination for bird watchers containing 375 species of birds like Green-breasted pitta, African pitta, Abyssinian groundthrush, Crowned eagle, Dusky crimsonwing, Black-capped apalis, Collared apalis, Purple-breasted sunbird, Black bee-eater, Yellow spotted nicator, Little greenbul, Black-eared groundthrush, Brown-chested alethe, Yellow-rumped tinker bird and Blue-breasted kingfisher.
More about Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park is well known for Chimpanzees and contains over 1500 chimpanzee individuals more than any other park in East Africa making it the best destination for chimpanzee tracking in East Africa and Africa at large. With lush tropical rain forest and a fascinating diversity of animals, Kibale National Park is home to one of the most beautiful and stunning natural forests in Uganda. Being home to vast species of primates, Kibale Forest National Park is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Uganda and especially popular for Chimpanzee tracking tours, where tourists get to encounter large numbers of chimpanzees in their natural habitat.
The park borders Queen Elizabeth National Park in the southern part forming the wildlife corridor which stretches 180km from Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park and it has increased the presence of certain species of mammals like elephants, buffalos, leopards, warthogs, bush pigs, golden cats and duikers in Kibale National Park.
Kibale National Park is 24 Km east of the Rwenzori Mountains Foothills and 20Km south-east of Fort Portal town in Western Uganda. The park occupies four districts: Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Kasese. From Kampala, Visitors to Kibale must pass via Fort Portal on either the Mubende or the Kasese highways. A little used, alternative route passes through Ibanda and Kamwenge from Mbarara.
The park was gazzeted in 1932 as a logged forest reserve by the British and it was used to harvest coffee and extract hardwood from the forest along with the existence of the 13 species of the primates. The British planted the exotic trees after the hardwoods were wiped out in the forest. In 1950, the need and interest of the hardwood was increased after the emergency of Kilembe copper mines in Kasese. The British them with satinwood, mahogany, Elgon Olive, pines and Eucalyptus. Then in 1993, the forest reserve was upgraded into Kibale national park and after in 1994, the Uganda National Parks (UNP) took over the management of this forest and lastly in 1996, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) took over up to date. Currently, it protects 351 tree species and most especially to protect our closest creatures to human beings known as the Chimpanzees which is most important for your visit to this mighty National Park.
