Things to do in Kibale after chimpanzee tracking

Things to do in Kibale after chimpanzee tracking: Kibale forest national park is one of the areas in Uganda where chimpanzee tracking is carried out. It’s a popular chimpanzee tracking destination located in western Uganda in Fort Portal and Kasese districts. Kibale forest national park is famously known for harboring the highest population of chimpanzees in Uganda.

The national park hosts 13 primate species, 60 mammals, 372 bird species, and 226 tree species in its tropical rainforest. Kibale forest national park harbors the highest number of chimpanzees that are over 1500. 1 family comprising more than 100 individuals has been habituated for chimpanzee tracking and it can be visited by over 72 individuals a day.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park is carried out in the morning and evening hours to enable tourists to encounter chimps doing daily activities. Chimpanzee trekking starts with a briefing at the Kanyanchu where tourists pick armed ranger guides to lead them into the jungle.

The jungle takes you 2 to 6 hours to find the chimpanzees because they are mobile and are free to move to as many areas of the park as they want. When the chimps are found, trckkers are given 1 hour to be around them and this enables them to learn about their habits watch them do daily activities, take photos, and much more.

After chimpanzee tracking, there are lots of activities you can carry out in Kibale forest national park. The national park offers a lot of interesting activities that tourists can do during their free time or during their safari. Among the things to do in Kibale forest national park after chimpanzee tracking include chimpanzee habituation, bird watching, nature walks, and community tours like we are to explain in this article.

Things to do in Kibale after chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzee habituation Kibale forest

Chimpanzee habituation and chimpanzee tracking are two different activities in Kibale forest national park. Chimpanzee trekking is done on a fully habituated family for 1 hour while chimpanzee habituation is carried for a whole day on a semi-habituated chimpanzee family. After chimpanzee trekking, tourists can carry out chimpanzee habituation the next day and get an opportunity to habituate wild chimpanzees.

Chimpanzee habituation is carried out on a semi-habituated chimpanzee family and tourists do get chances of taking part in the activities that make chimpanzees get used to the human presence around them. Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale starts with a briefing, tourists are led into the jungle by armed ranger guides who know where the apes could be.

After 2 to 6 hours of searching and meeting semi-habituated chimpanzees, trackers are ready to take part in the full-day habituation exercise. The tourists have enough time to take photos, read about chimpanzee behaviors, and watch chimps do daily activities among which include nesting, feeding, hunting, and coupling. Tourists do join researchers to do activities that make chimps get used to the human presence around them.

Bird watching in Kibale forest

Bird lovers to Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee tracking can always do bird watching after the activity. Bird watching safaris can be done at any time of the day with armed ranger guides in areas such as Magombe and Bigodi wetland sanctuary. These two areas are famously known as birding paradises for birders in Kibale forest national park.

Bird watching activities in Kibale forest national park will give tourists an opportunity to encounter some of the 372 bird species that have been recorded in the park. The bird species of Kibale forest national park include African pitta, blue-throated roller, zebra waxbill, papyrus canary, white-collared olive, Cameroon sombre greenbul, crowned eagle, Abyssinian ground thrush, alpine swift, black-billed turaco, yellow rumped tinker, and brown chested alethe among others.

Bigodi tour in Kibale forest

Bigodi tour in Kibale forest can be to the wetland or to the community. The wetland tour is usually done by tourists that want to see different bird species, primates, and a few mammals. The Bigodi tour in Kibale forest leads to a community tour to explore the African culture. The Bigodi wetland tour takes place in Bigodi wetland Sanctuary and tourists are able to see a variety of bird species, monkeys, and small mammals.

The Bigodi community tour is carried out in the community of Bigodi and it takes tourists to a coffee home, wine making home, and the medicine man. A visit to the coffee home will give you an opportunity to see the whole process of coffee making, the medicine man will tell show you how different plants are used as medicine and the winemaking home will give you an opportunity to see how local beer and wine is made.

Where to stay in Kibale forest national park during your chimpanzee tracking tour

There are several lodges you can spend a night or more during your chimpanzee safari in Kibale forest national park/. The lodges range from budget to mid-range to luxury options and they include Chimpundu Lodge, Kibale Forest Lodge, Rweetera Safari Park, Turaco Treetops, Primate Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, and Chimpanzee Safari Park among others.

What is the best time to visit Kibale forest for chimpanzee tracking?

Are you wondering what could be the  best time to visit Kibale forest? Well.. The national park can be visited all throughout the year but the best time to visit Kibale forest for chimpanzee tracking is the dry season from June to September and December to February. During this period, there is little or no rainfall, 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.

Budget travelers can visit Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee safaris in the rainy season from March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities and from tour operators. The rainy season is not good for chimpanzee safaris because of the plenty of rainfall that makes the tracking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are in very poor conditions.