Kibale National Park

Pros & Cons

• Very reliable chimpanzee trekking
• Chimp habituation experience and night walks also available
• Relatively pristine forest
• Excellent birding in the forest and wetland
• Nature walks and village visits offered in the neighboring Bigodi Community
• Chimp trekking is busy during peak seasons

Wildlife

Kibale is one of the best places in Africa to view many primate species. Visitors can expect to see five or six species in addition to chimpanzee. Species active during the day include vervet, red-tailed, l'Hoest's and blue monkey, black-and-white colobus, olive baboon, Ugandan red colobus and Uganda mangabey. Other mammals including lion, elephant and buffalo are present, but rarely seen.

• More about Kibale's wildlife

Scenery

Kibale supports a range of habitats over different altitude zones. The tropical forest on the Fort Portal plateau changes to savannah in the Albertine Valley floor in the south. The forest has suffered less from logging in the past compared to some other forests in the country and is therefore still relatively pristine and home to some very big mahoganies, figs and other hardwoods.

Weather & Climate

Kibale’s proximity to the equator gives it a temperate climate year-round, with a daily maximum of nearly 27°C/81°F. Temperatures are generally higher in the south of the park, where the altitude drops and the vegetation thins out. There’s no real Dry season to speak of, but the park does have two Wet seasons (March to May and August to November).

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Best Time To Visit

The drier months of December to February and June to July are best for chimpanzee trekking. However, you can still go looking for the primates in the wetter months (March to May and August to November), which have the added attraction of low-season prices and lower tourist volumes. The East African sky is also less hazy outside the drier periods.

• More about the best time to visit

Want To Visit Kibale NP?

• Kibale Chimp Trekking Tours
  • Kibale Budget Chimp Tours
• Tour Operators for Kibale