​Overview – Kibale NP

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Uganda.

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Uganda.

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Bradt guidebook to Uganda.

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Uganda.

Forested Kibale National Park is home to 13 primate species, the most for any protected area in Uganda. It is the country’s most popular chimpanzee trekking destination. Visitors to Kibale should see several types of monkey along with a variety of birds and butterflies. The surrounding countryside is dotted with beautiful crater lakes, many of which are overlooked by lodges from which the park can be visited.

Best Time To Go January to February and June to July (Chimp trekking is easiest)
High Season June to September (Peak time for Uganda)
Size 795km² / 307mi²
Altitude 928-1,568m / 3,045-5,144ft

Pros & Cons

  • Very reliable chimpanzee trekking
  • Chimp habituation experience and night walks also available
  • Large areas of pristine forest
  • Excellent forest and wetland birding
  • Nature walks and village visits offered in the neighboring Bigodi community
  • Chimp trekking is far busier in Kibale than at other Ugandan sites offering this activity

Kibale NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

Kibale is one of the best places in Africa to see a diversity of primates. Chimps are the biggest attraction, but large troops of olive baboon often pose along the main road and the fringing trees shake with red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus, Ugandan red colobus and Uganda mangabey. Less common are L’Hoest’s monkey and blue monkey. Elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion inhabit or occasionally visit Kibale (which shares a border with Queen Elizabeth National Park), but sightings are unusual.

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. It is therefore still relatively pristine and home to some very big mahoganies, figs and other hardwood trees.

Activities

Chimp trekking runs twice daily, at 8am and 2pm. The habituated chimp community here is very relaxed and sightings are often excellent, but you might find that several trekking parties converge on one chimp group. For this reason, Kibale can feel crowded compared to other chimp trekking sites, especially in the morning (which is busier than the afternoon). Other guided activities include a full-day chimp habituation experience, forest walks, birding, night walks (to look for pottos and other nocturnal creatures) and visits to neighboring Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.

Weather & Climate

Kibale’s closeness to the equator gives it a temperate climate year-round, with a daily average maximum of around 26°C/79°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 rainfall is lowest in January, February, June and July. The wettest months are April, September, October and November, with other months falling between these extremes.

Best Time To Visit

The drier months of January, February, June and July are best for chimpanzee trekking. May and December are also good. You can still go looking for the primates in other months, but rain is more likely and conditions may be wetter underfoot. The success rate for seeing chimps is very high throughout the year. The East African sky is less hazy outside the drier periods.

Want To Visit Kibale NP?

443 Kibale Chimp Tours

Kibale NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Mike Unwin  –  
United Kingdom UK

Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.

Primate Central
4/5

Kibale National Park has made its name from one species: the chimpanzee. The long-term habituation of several troops in the park allows excellent close encounters with this fascinating and sometimes volatile primate – our closest...

Full Review

Latest User Review
Rui Silva  –  
Portugal PT
Reviewed: Jun 30, 2024
4/5

The chimps are really great. The forest is not at the same level of Bwindi, but it’s really good. I would like to see snakes in there, but it was not possible.

Full Review