Uganda · East Africa
Kibale and the crater lakes.
Kibale has the densest chimpanzee population in Africa, and the crater-lake country around it is some of the prettiest in Uganda.
Photo Keith Kasaija / Unsplash
Chimpanzee tracking here is genuinely reliable, and the habituation experience — a full day with researchers rather than an hour with a group — is available for those who want it.
The Bigodi wetland next door is excellent for birds and monkeys, and the crater lakes make a comfortable base between the forest and Queen Elizabeth.
How do you get to Kibale Forest?
By road from Kampala to Fort Portal, the nearest town, a drive of several hours through western Uganda. Light aircraft fly from Entebbe to an airstrip within driving distance of the park.
How many chimpanzees are in Kibale?
Around 1,500, the largest population in Uganda, several communities of which are habituated to people. The forest holds thirteen primate species in all, including red colobus, black-and-white colobus and L'Hoest's monkey.
What is chimpanzee habituation in Kibale?
A full day with the researchers and trackers who are habituating a chimpanzee community to people, from when the chimps leave their nests until they build new ones. A standard trek gives one hour with the chimpanzees; habituation gives most of the day. Both need a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and younger children are not permitted.
Is Kibale or Nyungwe better for chimpanzees?
Kibale has more chimpanzees in a smaller forest with easier terrain, which gives it the better sighting record. Nyungwe in Rwanda is a larger, steeper montane forest where the chimps range more widely, and it is chosen for its canopy walkway and birdlife as much as for the chimps.
How long should you spend in Kibale?
Two nights, allowing one chimpanzee trek and a walk in the Bigodi wetland. It sits between Murchison Falls to the north and Queen Elizabeth to the south, which is how most itineraries reach it.
What is there to see in Kibale and the crater lakes?
What does Kibale and the crater lakes pair well with?
- Queen Elizabeth and IshashaQueen Elizabeth is Uganda's most visited savannah park, and the Ishasha sector in its south is known for lions that rest in fig trees.
- Bwindi Impenetrable ForestBwindi holds around half the world's mountain gorillas and is where most Ugandan itineraries are built to reach.
- Murchison Falls and the northMurchison is where the Nile is forced through a gorge seven metres wide and falls into the Albert Nile below.
- Nyungwe Forest, RwandaNyungwe is one of the oldest montane rainforests in Africa and Rwanda's chimpanzee and canopy-walk destination.
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