4×4 Car Rental Kibale Forest National Park W/Driver Guide
Car rental Kibale Forest National Park: 4×4 Self-drive Uganda offers well-maintained cars with standard services; long-term rentals, driver guides, and rooftop tents in Kibale Forest National Park. We also offer unlimited mileage car hire options, allowing you to put as many kilometres as you want on the clock as you explore the park
All You Need To Know About Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale Forest National Park car rental allows you to explore the park at your own pace and experience the thrill of finding the chimpanzees on your own. A Kibale Forest Park car rental is the perfect solution to navigating this immense Uganda National Park.
Kibale National Park is the best chimpanzee tracking, and trekking safari destination in Africa, among other countries of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The Park contains the most splendid and most varied rainforest tracts in Uganda with approximately 351 tree species
The famous primate capital, covers around 795 square kilometres, seeding it among the most popular primate natural homes in Africa. The Kibale Forest National Park teems with Chimpanzees, 70 mammal species, plus 375 bird species. attracting visitors from all corners of the world.
Kibale stands 1,590m above sea level, with its lowest point resting at 1,100 m on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley to the south. The Forest vegetation covers the central and northern parts of the park on the raised plateau to woodland and savanna on the rift valley floor.
To date, Kibale National Park remains one of the most awe-inspiring and rewarding destinations to explore in Uganda, and Africa’s foremost research centre especially on chimpanzees among other primates species, while others focus on investigating Kibale’s ecosystems, wild pigs and fish species,
The park lies next to the tranquil Ndali-Kasenda crater area and within reach of half a day’s drive of Queen Elizabeth, the Rwenzori Mountains and Semuliki National Parks, and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve as well.
How to Get to Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale National Park can easily be accessed by road and air.
Kibale National park neighbours Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south to create a 180km-long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha, the remote southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Sebitoli in the north of Kibale National Park.
By Road: The Park is located in Western Uganda, just 22km southeast of Fort Portal Town. while the primary centre for tourism activities-Kanyanchu River camp is easy to reach Kampala from either the North via Mubende and Fortportal or the South through Mbarara and Kamwenge. The Northern route is shorter and quicker with a 290km tarmac road to Fort portal, plus an additional 32km of gravel to Kanyancyu. Whereas the southern part, you can use Mbarara to Kamwenge road to get to the park.
Booking domestic flights between parks are usually done by your tour operator and are generally included as part of your safari. Fly Uganda runs daily scheduled flights with ‘seat rates’ to Fort Portal.
By Air: Kibale National Park can also be accessed by air through scheduled flights from Entebbe to Fort portal, after then you can travel by car to the park.
Best Time to Visit Kibale National Park
Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale National Park is an all-year-round activity, although the drier months of December, January, February, June, July and August are considered the best time to visit Kibale National Park. However Kibale National Park can also be visited during the wet months of March, April, May, September, October and November, but roads become challenging to use. A good and sturdy 4×4 fleet is required.
Chimpanzee tracking/trekking Experience.
The amazing trek of Kibale National Park starts from the Kanyanchu visitors centre at 8:00 am after the morning briefing, and lasts for about 2-5 hours. Chimpanzees are the most sought-after primates among the other thirteen from the famous Kanyanchu primate walk, but visitors also look out for the black & white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys or the grey-cheeked mangabey. The guides also take the initiative to give details about different species of bird as well as the traditional plant species within the forest.
The group size of chimpanzee trekkers per session is limited to 6 individuals, each having a chimpanzee tracking permit,, hence booking is essential.
The fascinating chimpanzee trekking experience leads to the all-natural jungle as you spend several hours trekking these impressive creatures. You will be allowed to spend at most an hour with these intelligent chimpanzees, as you observe them swing from one tree to another, feed, play about or progress speedily on the ground right in front of the tracking group.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale National Park
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, in Kibale National Park, is a lifetime experience that allows visitors to accompany researchers and habit into the forest. The habituation experience involves following and viewing the chimps during their daily activities, thereby getting used to human presence without changing their natural habitat. During habituation, expect to watch chimps leaving their overnight nests between 6:00 – 6:30 am before feeding, copulating, hunting, breastfeeding, resting, patrolling and displaying until it is time to build new nests around 7:00 pm.
Chimpanzee tracking and habituation permits
A Chimpanzee tracking permit at Kibale National Park is USD 200 whereas chimpanzee habituation permits cost $250 USD., and can be obtained at Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters. The chimpanzee tracking permit fees include the following; park entry fees, services of an English-speaking guide
Accommodations in Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park’s numerous accommodation range from budget, to mid-range and luxury types, as all are found within the National park, south of the Bigodi region and the Northern region of the great lakes.
The accommodation option within the park include
Primate Lodge Kibale (UWA Concession), Kanyanchu River Camp, Sebitoli Camping Ground (Northern part of Park), while the Bigodi region consists of; Kibale forest lodge(Bigodi Village along Fortportal-Kamwenge Road), Kibale Safari Lodge, Chimps’ Nest, Kibale Forest Camp, Mantana Tented Camp, Safari Hotel Bigodi. The great lakes region however consists of Nyinabulitwa Resort and Safari Camp, Crater Valley Kibale (CVK) Lakeside Resort, Lake Nkuruba Nature Reserve
Other Activities at Kibale National Park
Hiking and nature Walks in Kibale National Park
Hiking and nature walks are the most striking activities within the park, that can be done within or outside the park. To begin with, the hike that traverses the length of the park where you have to spend your nights in different places outside the park.
A half day spent on the 12km in length hike during the dry season, is one great hike as you will be able to encounter varied habitats, rivers, swamps, grasslands and Bigodi also known as the most popular swamp of the Park and as well as a visitor centre at Kanyanchu. It was established by a local development organisation to protect the 4-sq-km Magombe Swamp that’s home to around 200 species of birds (highlights include papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler and great blue turaco). It’s also good for spotting butterflies and some primates, with eight different species here, including grey-cheeked mangabey.
Visiting the crater lakes in Kibale National Park
This is also known as the “top of the world hike”.This awe-inspiring hike may take at least 3 hours and more as you will cross over other crater lakes, swamps, tea plantations, and villages among others, and once you are at the top, you will enjoy more stunning views of other crater lakes and the surrounding nature.
Bird Watching in Kibale National park
Kibale national park is the best destination for most of Uganda’s bird safaris because of the number of bird species which is in abundance. Birding tours always start at 7:00 am at Kanyanchu, which also leads to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary. The wetland has over 138 birds that can be best seen during nature walks.
The ‘amber ganyinamwiru’ caves at Kibale National Park
These amazing caves filled with beauty, natural wonders, and cultural legends attached to them are located close to the park. This is another added adventure in Kibale national park and the hike together with the nature walks takes 3 hours. The guides will be able to explain every traditional and scientific existence of the caves as well as their oozing milky substance.
Nakayima-“The witch’s tree” at Kibale National park
You can as well break your journey on your way to/from Kibale with a visit to the top of the hill to see the Nakayima tree where you will truly witness how spirits are appealed in case there are calamities/difficulties faced by people who strongly believe in traditional spirits for help. most Ugandans visit this tree to solve their problems including their relationships, infertility, and incurable illnesses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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