Is Kibale a top spot for chimpanzee trekking in Africa

Is Kibale a top spot for chimpanzee trekking in Africa: Kibale forest national park was named the best national park in Africa for chimpanzee trekking. Kibale forest national park covers an area of 776sq.km and is renowned for having the highest number of chimpanzees in Africa. The national park is known as the primate capital of the world because it has over 13 primate species.

What makes Kibale forest national park the best chimpanzee trekking spot in Africa is the number of chimpanzees. The national park has over 1500 chimpanzees which can’t be found in any other national park in Africa. The national park has got over 13 chimpanzee families roaming in different areas of the park every day.

Out of the 13 chimpanzee families found in Kibale forest national park, one is open for trekking, one is open for habituation, 5 are open for research activities and 6 are still wild. Each of the families in Kibale forest national park has over 100 members which means you will have a look at as many chimpanzees as you can during the trekking or habituation activities.

Chimpanzee sightings in Kibale forest national park are guaranteed whether the activity is done in the morning or afternoon. The chimpanzee trekking activity does take 2-6 hours and the time taken depends on the nature of the trails, the speed of trekkers, and the location of the chimpanzees. During the afternoon trekking when tourists over search for chimpanzees and can’t find them because they had moved further they are asked to trek in the morning of the following day if their travel itinerary does allow.

Kibale forest national park is well positioned in the fort portal and Kasese districts which are accessed by both air transport and road transport. The national park is accessed in 6-7 hours by road transport from Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese to the park or Kampala via Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjonjo, and Fort Portal to the park.

Kibale forest national park is a top spot for chimpanzee activities in Africa because t has families for open for trekking, habituation, and others for research. Tourists choose the chimpanzee family to trek based on their travel budget or what they want. Tourists be around a fully habituated chimpanzee family for 1 hour and others can do fully habituated chimpanzee trekking.

Kibale forest national park is the only place in East Africa where chimpanzee habituation is carried out. The chimpanzee habituation exercise is done while chimpanzees are in their natural habitats carrying out daily activities which include nesting, hunting, playing, feeding, coupling, and much more. Travelers who want to do chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest national park must hurry and book the permits because they are only 12 a day.

Kibale forest national park is a top spot for chimpanzee trekking in Africa because it has the highest number of chimpanzee permits. Uganda wildlife authority has over 84 chimpanzee trekking permits for Kibale forest national park making it the national park with the highest number of chimpanzee permits. 72 of the permits are for chimpanzee trekking while 12 permits are for habituation activities.

The chimpanzee trekking permits for Kibale are 84 but these are few compared t the number of people who want to visit the apes in their natural habitats. To get a spot in trekking chimpanzees of the best national park in Africa you must book early in advance of 3-4 months or even more. This is to enable you to get the chimpanzee permits which will allow you to be part of the activity.

The price of chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park is very far and affordable for all travelers interested in spending time with chimpanzees in their natural habitats. A single chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale forest national park costs $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 East African citizens.

For travelers that are interested in spending more time or a full day with chimpanzees, they must buy chimpanzee habituation permits which are also affordable. A single chimpanzee habituation permit for Kibale forest national park is sold at $250 for foreign non-residents, $200 for foreign residents, and UGX200,000 east African residents.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park is not tiresome and this is because of the good nature of the landscape. Kibale forest national park is not a hilly area and trekkers will always complete the hikes without any difficulties. The trekking is done on a flat piece of land with a little hiking which means that even those that are not fit enough can trek chimpanzees within this park.

Best time to visit Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee trekking?

Kibale forest national park has two seasons which are two dry and two wet. The two dry seasons which happen from June to September and December to February are the best for chimpanzee trekking and this is because the park is receiving little or no rainfall. The trekking trails are dry and easier to navigate, vegetation is short with good views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are in good condition.

Travelers can still visit Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee trekking in the two rainy seasons from March to May and October to November. The two seasons favor budget travelers because lodges and tour operators offer discounts, the rainy seasons are not the best for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale because they have too much rainfall that makes trekking trails muddy, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife and roads leading to the park are impassable.

Accommodation facilities in Kibale forest

Accommodation facilities in Kibale forest national park range from budget to high-end that offer good services to clients. The national park has budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodation facilities, and people choose where to stay based on their travel budget. Accommodation facilities in Kibale forest include Turaco Treetops, Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp, Rweetera Safari Camp, Kyaninga Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kibale Safari Lodge, Chimpundu Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, and Isunga Lodge among others.

Are you intending to visit Kibale forest national park the top spot in Africa? Well, we hope that after reading this article, you have agreed with us that is the best destination to see chimpanzees in their natural habitats in Africa. If you are ready to meet the chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park then it’s time to book your chimpanzee trekking permits and start packing.