Getting to Kibale National Park

Getting to Kibale National Park can be an easy task most especially if you book with a tour company, because, the driver will drive you from the airport in Entebbe to Kanyanchu visitors center in Kibale. However, if you are self-driving it can be noted as smooth, but you can always use an updated map to take you to the right direction.

Kibale National Park is found in just a short distance of about 26km, southeast of Fort Portal town. Kanyanchu is the river that cuts across Kibale and it is found in heart heartland of Kibale. The main visitor center is also found at Kanyanchu. Getting to Kibale National Park can be through the accessible route of Kampala – Fort portal through Mubende town.

You can reach the southern part of Fort Portal, where Kibale National Park is found, through Mbarara road or Kamwenge road. According to the reviews from the travelers, the northern route to Kibale through fort portal is the shortest compared to the others. It is over a distance of 300km on a tarmac which goes to fort portal town, then a short distance of about 36km on a murrum road to Kanyanchu visitor center in Kibale national park. Roughly, from Kampala to Kibale through the northern route of fort portal, is approximately 337km by road.

Kibale national park is found in the western region of Uganda covering an area of about 800 sq km. Kibale is found in Kabarole District, in the great western rift valley of Afric. This is the fact why some part is elevated higher than the other. Kibale national park covers districts of Kamwenge and Kabarole among others.

Kibale National Park is one of the most visited protected areas in Uganda because it is such an important ecological area which protects a moist evergreen tropical forest. Kibale has a number of ecosystems which harbor a range of wildlife species. The park is a home of the largest primate community on the African continent since it harbors over 1500 chimpanzees and 12 other primate species including the rare L’hoest’s monkey and domidov’s galago. Perhaps this fact is the reason as to why it is referred to as the primate capital of the world.

Kibale national park is the best destination for your chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation activities. Kibale has over seven chimpanzee communities, some of which are even habituated and so ready and eager waiting for you to have some quality time together. You stand a 100% chance to spot chimpanzees in the shortest walk in Kibale unlike in other places in East Africa. Chimpanzee trekking is the main activity booked by visitors to Kibale. However, others love birding because the Kibale forest is a home for over 350 bird species, so it is, in a nutshell, a birders’ paradise too.

Chimpanzee trekking is a peak season activity and during the dry season, the national park is congested with a full house status in almost all the hotels and lodges in the national park and the nearby areas. Also in the peak season, chimpanzee trekking tickets tend to be relatively expensive in order to stabilize the visitors to Kibale. Despite, the low season which is also the wet season, the park is free and this is the time when chimpanzee habituation activity mainly takes place in this Park. Also, the Chimpanzee trekking permits are sold at a discount in order to attract visitors.

Getting to Kibale National Park, it is better to use a bus via Kampala – Fort Portal route. The bus travels daily to Kibale via Sebitoli along Kamwenge road to Kanyanchu visitors center. However, you can also fly to Kasese from Entebbe using Aero link, and then hire a special taxi to Kanyanchu in Kibale national park. The park is open all year around and looking forward to recieveing you, bien venue.