Unique Tourist Attractions in Kibale Forest National Park.

Tourist Attractions in Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park is one of the most visited places of Uganda. Nestled in the heart of the western part of Uganda, it is a lush green natural rain forest listed among the few remaining tropical rain forests of the country with trees raising to 55m tall. Its biodiverse ecosystem comprises of several setups from ancient forest, swamps, to a wide crater lakes region. The forest is popular for a high density of primates and beautiful landscapes; the Chimpanzee is the most captivating resident of the park, with around 1,500 individuals living within the environment.

Tourist attractions in Kibale Forest National Park includes primates; the forest is home to 13 species of primates including the chimpanzee, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys,l’hoest monkeys, grey checked mangabey, olive baboons, red colobus monkeys, pottos, bush babies, white thighed monkey to mention a few. The park is popular for chimpanzee they are highly populated with characters of about 1,500 that live within the forest in communities. The chimpanzee has been scientifically proven to share up to 98% of the human DNA. They boost the park’s major activity, chimpanzee tracking and chimpanzee habituation, as well as primate walks in the forest.

Kibale Forest National Park conservation area is home to over 300 species of birds, including rare forest birds for example the pittas, and great blue turacos with other species including; the ross’s turaco, African green pigeon, black and white casqued hornbill, dusky long tailed cuckoo, African fish eagles, papyrus gonolek, African grey parrot, Malachite King Fisher, lemon breasted canary, grey crowned cranes to mention a few. The best time to see birds in the forest is in the morning hours, as these are popular within the forest and in the Bigodi sanctuary.

Bigodi wetland sanctuary often referred to as Bigodi Swamp, is situated right outside the conservation area approximately 4 kilometers. The sanctuary is managed by the community members, and is home to several bird species and primates like the red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabeys to mention a few. Guided nature walks through the well distributed trails are the best way to explore the swamp and this takes 1-3 hours and can be combined with a chimpanzee tracking experience. Other wetlands that can be visited while on safari to the destination include the Kihigami wetland, although this is rarely visited.

The conservation area is not only home to primates, but it also harbors other mammal species, for example, buffaloes, forest elephants, giant forest hogs, sitatunga, bush bucks, to mention a few. Although these are rare to see, on a lucky day, it is possible to meet some of the animals present in the park. These can be met on hikes or guided walks.

Ndali and Kasenda crater lakes region offers one of the most spectacular views of the park. These lakes are dotted around the park area and can be visited individually. A guided walk around the lakes offers beautiful views of the surrounding area and some of the craters have salt water while others are fresh water lakes, examples include Lake Lyantonde, Lake Kyaninga, Lake Kifuruka, Lake Nyinambuga to mention a few.

The Flora of the conservation area is incredible; the evergreen forest cover consists of about 250 species of trees, some of which are endemics of the region. Example tree types include pterygote mildbraedii, mahogany, and ironwood, to mention a few. The undergrowth vines include ferns, orchids, mimulopsis, moses, and many growing, crawling plants.

The culture of the people surrounding the region includes 2 groups of local communities that can be visited, including the Batooro and Bakiga. These authentic cultures have dances and songs.