Kibale national park is the most magnificent of Uganda’s tropical rain forests, a very important eco-tourism and safari destination protecting moist evergreen rain forest and popular for its habituated chimpanzees. It’s about 766km in size and stands at an altitude of 1,590 meters above sea level. The forest covering predominates in the central and northern part of the park on the raised Fort Portal plateau.
Kibale Forest Park History
Kibale national park was gazetted in 1993 to protect a large area of forest previously as a logged forest reserve. It contains a diverse array of landscapes with the most beautiful and varying tracts of tropical forest. The park forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth national park, adjoining the parks creates a 180 kilometers wildlife corridor.
Park Attractions
Kibale National park has the highest diversity and concentration of primates in East
Africa. There are 13 species of primates with the endangered chimpanzees being the
largest in number and most visited.
Other central African monkeys include; Red Colobus monkeys, black and White Colobus, Red-tailed monkeys and L’Hoests monkeys. The park is also home to 138 species of birds which can be explored in the Bigodi wetland as you enjoy a nature walk in the park and 250 tree species. The 180km long migration corridor for wildlife habits 60 species of forest wildlife like the elusive forest elephants, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, and half a dozen of antelope species.
Location and Accessibility
Kibale national park is located in the southern part of Uganda in the districts of Kabarole and Kamwenge and can be accessed from Kampala/Entebbe through the Mityana-Mubenda road taking about 4 to 5 hours drive.
It is situated in the heart of the Tooro kingdom near Fort portal close to the tranquil Ndali-Kasenda crater area. The park adjoins Queen Elizabeth National park in the South, Semiliki national park in the North, and Rwenzori mountains national park in the West.