Kibale Equatorial Rainforest, Uganda

The Kibale Equatorial Rainforest has the largest concentration of primates in the world, including about 500 chimpanzees. It is one of the best parks to watch them. 766 sq. km of the national park have some of the most beautiful patches of rainforest in all of Uganda.

This enchanting park is full of lakes, swamps and meadows, and its slopes are covered with various types of forest (low-lying rainforest, deciduous forest and mountain forest), which is ideal for its arboreal inhabitants.

Forest cover dominates the central and northern parts of the park on the elevated plateau of Fort Portal. The northern tip of the Kibale Park is the highest with an altitude of 1590 m above sea level. The wettest area is northern Kibale, which receives an average of about 1700 m of precipitation per year, mainly from March to May and from September to November. The climate is usually very comfortable and pleasant, with average annual temperatures ranging from 14°C to 27°C. Maximum temperatures (and therefore minimum rainfall) occur in the south, where the terrain drops to the scorching bottom of the rift valley.

In the south, Kibale borders the Queen Elizabeth National Park, and together these national parks create a 180-kilometer wildlife migration corridor that extends from the remote southern sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park (at Ishash) to the northern Kibale (at Sebitoli). The Fort Portal region is one of the most pleasant places to visit in Uganda. In addition, Kibale is close to the tranquil Ndali Kasenda crater, the Queen Elizabeth and Rwenzori Mountains National Parks, and the Toro Semliki Nature Reserve.

ANIMALS AND BIRDS

About 70 species of mammals live in the park, the most famous of them are 13 species of primates, including chimpanzees.

Many chimpanzees in Kibala are accustomed to the presence of humans, and since 1992 ecotourism has been practiced there, allowing people to visit these amazing animals. You can be sure to find chimpanzees when the sticky fruits of the huge fig trees ripen. At other times, your guide will know where to look for them. However, once they decide to move along the branches at high speed, keeping up with them can be quite a task.

As you walk through the ancient virgin forests, their extraordinary diversity and abundance of life is revealed before you. The trees reach up to a height of 52 m, supported by broad roots, and the undergrowth is very dense in places.

The park is also rich in birds, with at least 325 species, including colorful turacs and noisy hornbills that emit loud, shrill calls as they fly. Standing in the midst of clouds of fluttering butterflies is sure to take your breath away as the park boasts 144 different species!

Marshy glades and grasslands are home to buffalo and antelope, while shady wooded slopes hide the elusive forest elephant – smaller and hairier than its savanna counterpart.

SEASONS

Dry season: The period from June to September is the driest time when most animals stay near the water, but be prepared for afternoon showers at any moment. The hot dry season is from January to February and is a good time to visit. Average dry season temperatures are 25°C.

Rainy Season: From October to December and from March to May it can rain at any time, many roads become impassable during these periods.

FEATURES OF KIBALE

  • 12 different primates
  • Chimpanzees accustomed to the presence of humans
  • ancient forests
  • Butterfly clouds
  • tropical birds

DATA

Kibale Park is located in western Uganda and covers an area of ​​766 sq. km.

The park is located in a malaria zone.

Kibale Equatorial Rainforest