Activities in Kalinzu forest

Activities in Kalinzu forest : Kalinzu forest is a biodiverse tropical rainforest located in the southwestern part of Uganda in Rubirizi district. The natural forest reserve is found along the main highway from Kasese to Mbarara 10km west of the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park.

Kalinzu forest is a habitat of 414 tree species where 378 bird species, 6 primates, 262 butterflies, and 97 moth species do live. The primates living in the Kalinzu forest include blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and the famous are chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking is the main activity done here although other activities such as nature walks, birding, and butterfly identification can be done here.

Kalinzu forest is managed by the Uganda forest authority which controls all the activities that take place within here. Uganda Forest authority looks after over 500 natural forests within Uganda among which include Kalinzu forest. Different activities take place within this area and they include chimpanzee trekking, nature walks, and bird watching among others.

Kalinzu forest is the second area in Uganda with the highest number of chimpanzees after Kibale forest national park. Kalinzu forest has over 320 chimpanzees some of which have been habituated and others are not habituated. Only 2 troops have been habituated and are open for tourism activities to persons above the age of 12 years.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest

Encountering chimpanzee in Kalinzu forest is an activity that gives tourists an opportunity to spend some quality time with the endangered chimpanzees. There are over 320 chimpanzee species within Kalinzu forest and 70 of these have been habituated for chimpanzee trekking purposes. Two chimpanzee groups are open for trekking activities meaning a maximum of 16 permits are available per day within this forest.

Chimpanzee trekking at Kalinzu forest starts with a briefing at Nkombe station. Here is where trekkers are taught about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity before heading into the jungle. Tourists are led by armed ranger guides into the forest where different trekking trails are used to search where the chimpanzees could be.

The search for chimpanzees here takes 1-3 hours and during the search, trekkers are able to meet different wildlife species that live within this forest. The moment the chimpanzee family is spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the apes and this helps them to learn about their behaviors, take photos and watch them do daily activities such as nesting, coupling, feeding, and much more.

Guided nature walks in Kalinzu

Kalinzu forest is a very good area for guided nature walks activities within southwestern Uganda. The forest has about four forest trails that tourists can use to explore the area on foot and these are of different lengths. The guided nature walks trails in Kalinzu forest include the valley trail, the waterfall trail, the river trail, and the palm trail. These nature walk trails are 2km to 11 km and which to use depends on what you are interested in seeing and what you want to see.

The nature walks activities in Kalinzu forest give tourists an opportunity to see different wildlife that lives within the forest. Tourists will meet chimpanzees, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, wild pigs, waterbucks, warthogs, and giant forest hogs among others. Tourists will see a number of bird species if they love birding because the area is home to over 378 bird species.

Bird watching in Kalinzu forest

Bird watching in Kalinzu forest is an ideal tourist attraction for birdders with over 378 bird species that have been so far recorded with in here. These bird species can be best seen when one goes for the bird watching activities within the forest. Bird watching is done in form of nature walks and tourists are led by armed ranger guides who know about birds. The armed ranger guides show bird lovers the best routes to use and the best birding spots.

Bird watching in Kalinzu forest gives tourists an opportunity to spot bird species such as great blue turaco, black billed turaco, bat hawk, ross’s turaco, black rumped button, fawn breasted waxbill, dark-capped yellow warbler, black-headed batis, marital eagle, African green pigeon, African skimmer, Rwenzori turaco, verreaux’s eagle owl, white-tailed lark, African emerald cuckoo, and pink backed pelican among others.

Accommodation in Kalinzu forest

Accommodation in Kalinzu forest is not guaranteed since there is no permanent accommodation within Kalinzu forest however tourists that want to spend a night or more here can always set up tents. There is a camping site at Nkombe station where tourists can do themselves camps only if they moved with their camping gear. Tourists can also look for accommodation facilities in the nearby towns.

Accessing Kalinzu forest

Kalinzu forest can be accessed using road transport in a single day. The forest is located along Mbarara Kasese highway and getting there takes 5-6 hours depending on the nature of the roads and the number of stopovers. The road transport journey starts from Kampala/Entebbe through Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and finally Kalinzu forest.

When to go to Kalinzu forest?

Tourists can visit Kalinzu forest at any time of the year however there are periods that are better than the rest. The dry season from June to September and December to February is the best time to visit Kalinzu forest because there is always little or no rainfall. The trekking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is short and thin with good views of the wildlife, and the roads leading to the park are in good condition.

Travelers can still visit Kalinzu forest in the rainy season from March to May and October to November as the area will be open. The rainy season is however not good because the area is receiving a lot of rainfall which makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of wildlife while the roads leading to the forest are in poor conditions.