Road trip to see Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park

Are you planning to visit the second most amazing primates in Africa after Mountain gorillas?  Chimpanzees will blow your mind off as you visit Uganda and Kibale forest National Park. Road trip to Kibale National Park is the cheapest compared to flying option.

Possible chimpanzee safaris

• 2Day Chimp safari in Kibale National Park
• 3Day Kibale Forest National Park Safari
• 4Day Crater tour and Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park

Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale National Park contains one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda. Forest cover, interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp, dominates the northern and central parts of the park on an elevated plateau. Kibale is famously known for Chimpanzee tracking and Chimpanzee Habituation. The park is home to a total of 70 mammal species, most famously 13 species of primate including the chimpanzee.

Kibale Forest National Park has the highest diversity and concentration of primates in Africa, it also contains over 375 species of birds. Kibale adjoins 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. Visiting one of the communities will be the highlight of the road trip to see chimpanzees in Kibale National Park.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park

Chimpanzee trekking is the main activity to do in Kibale National Park, the activity involves visiting the chimps in their natural environment as you will be able to experience how they look, move, feed, and stay in harmony in their communities. Trekking starts early morning at the Park headquarters with a briefing on dos and donts while in the forest,  there you are later put in groups to visit the different chimp communities as the warden directs you. You will later start your walk to the forest until you find the chimps, you will be allowed to stay and view and take pictures for one hour and then return back to the starting point to receive a certificate for a successful trek. Chimpanzee trekking is a lifetime experience as more primates are getting extinct in the world. Chimpanzee trekking activity is under the Management of Uganda wildlife Authority that has put efforts into the conservation and protection of the beautiful primates in Kibale Forest National Park.

Chimpanzee communities in Kibale National Park

Chimpanzees do stay in communities of about 100 individuals, Kibale National Park is home to more than 1200 East African chimpanzees (Pan Troglodyte’s schweinfurthii). Five chimpanzee communities have been fully or partly habituated to humans for research and chimpanzee trekking/Habituation activities. There is the Kanyawara community, which comprises 50-60 chimpanzees ranging in the northwestern section of the park. The Ngogo Chimpanzee community,   Kanyanchu chimpanzee community which is habituated for tourism, and the Sebitole chimpanzee community in the northern part of the park, is being studied by the Sebitole Chimpanzee Project.

What is the cost of chimpanzee Permits in Kibale National Park

The major activity in Kibale Forest National Park that requires advance booking is Chimpanzee trekking, only visitors with Valid Permits issued by UWA are allowed to trek, Chimpanzee trekking permits cost USD200 per person for Non-Foreign Residents, USD150 per person for East African Foreign Residents and Uganda shillings 150.000 per person for East African Citizens. The permits are issued by Uganda wildlife Authority a governing body of all tourism activities in Ugandan National Parks.

You will need to have your Chimpanzee trekking permit secured in advance to confirm that you are booked for Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park. Once you have your planned dates of travel confirmed we will need you to send us an email at Safari Vacations and Travel Services so that we check for the availability of Chimpanzee permits online with the Uganda Wildlife Authority once we confirm chimpanzee permits are available for your planned dates we will let you know so that we can send you an invoice for you to make payment for the permits. Once the payment is done and we have received it on our account we will go ahead and purchase your chimpanzee trekking permits immediately and send you a scanned copy of the permits for your records and perusal, this will confirm you are booked for Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park. It is advised to book your chimpanzee trek in Uganda in advance at least 2-3 months prior to your visit gave the fact chimpanzee permits like gorilla permits also are limited and sell out very quickly on a first come first serve basis.

When is the Best time to visit Kibale Forest National Park?

The Best time to visit Kibale Forest National Park is during the dry months from June to September and December to February during this time it is easy for the chimpanzee trek and doing other activities in the park, viewing the Chimpanzees and wildlife is great given the vegetation cover is not very thick compared to the wet season periods. The wet seasons of March to May and October to November wildlife viewing in the park is not best but the best time for birding, during the wet season food is readily available Chimpanzees and birds don’t move further distances to search for food making their sightseeing easy. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park can be done throughout the year given the fact it is a very well organized activity and you have 99% chances of seeing the Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park but best times are recommended for your visit to the park.

Where to stay in Kibale National Park

Accommodation in Kibale Forest National Park, Budget options include Chimpanzee Forest Guest House, Isunga Lodge, Mountains of the Moon, Rwenzori View Guest House, Kibale Home Stay among others these cost USD90-100 per person per night, mid-range include Kibale Forest Camp, Turaco Treetops Lodge, and Prime Lodge Kibale among others these cost USD150-200 per person per night, Luxury options include Ndali Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge and Kyaninga Lodge these cost USD250-700 per person per night. All the Hotels/ Lodges/ Camps have double, single, triple, twin and family rooming and are comfortable and safe for your stay, contact us to book you the hotel of your choice according to your budget and interest. Good accommodation makes your road trip to see chimpanzees in Kibale National Park a memorable experience.

What is the drive time to Kibale Forest National Park?

Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed through the main safari circuit from Entebbe/Kampala to Fort portal which approximately 4-5 hours’ drive. You can as well access the park through Kampala-Mbarara-Kasese highway /Ibanda road, from Kasese you will connect to the Kibale Forest with a 1-2 hours drive. We do use a very comfortable 4×4 vehicle that has AC and enough legroom. Our professional driver guides always ensure your safety on the road for you to have a great time. With any itinerary you choose, you will have stops for photography and lunch to make your journey more interesting and relaxing.

Booking with Safari Vacations and Travel services

Safari Travel Services and its team bring you closer than ever to the wonders Uganda and Rwanda have to offer. From Chimpanzee trekking to the chimpanzee habitation in Kibale, cultural tours, and wildlife viewing in Uganda, we have everything you need to make your first or occurring experience in the region a memorable one. Click here for a complete list of our entire packages, and in case you have any questions, please click here to get in touch with us.