Kibale Forest National Park, near Fort Portal in western Uganda, holds one of the highest concentrations of primates in Africa. For most visitors the draw is the chimpanzees, which you meet on foot, in the forest, at eye level. Here is what the morning is really like.
Why Kibale
The park protects around 800 square kilometres of tropical forest, and its chimpanzee community is large and well habituated, so sightings are reliable. Even on a quiet morning the forest itself is worth the walk: tall trees, loud birdsong and the occasional crash from the canopy as a troop moves overhead.
The morning trek
You gather at the Kanyanchu visitor centre for a briefing, usually at 8am or 2pm, and set off in a small group with a ranger. Trackers go ahead and radio back when they find the chimps. The walk can take thirty minutes or a few hours, mostly on flat, muddy trails. Once you find the group you have one hour with them. They may be feeding in a fig tree, grooming on the ground or racing through the undergrowth, and the hour passes quickly.
The habituation experience
If one hour does not sound like enough, ask us about the habituation experience. You join researchers and trackers for a full day, following a community from the moment the chimpanzees leave their nests, and you can stay with them for several hours. It costs more and asks more of your legs, but it is the closest most people will come to seeing chimpanzee life as it is.
More than chimpanzees
Kibale also has black-and-white colobus, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys and the shy L’Hoest’s monkey. The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary nearby is a gentle walk led by local guides, and a good place for birds such as the great blue turaco. The crater lakes around Fort Portal make a quiet end to a day in the forest.
Good to know
- Chimpanzee trekkers must be at least 12 years old.
- Wear boots with grip, long trousers and long sleeves, and carry water and a light rain jacket.
- Chimpanzees can be found all year. Trails are easier in the drier months, and fruiting trees decide where the group goes.
- Stay close to the park, at Primate Lodge Kibale or at Kyaninga Lodge above its crater lake, so you are not travelling before breakfast.
Chimpanzees pair well with gorillas, the Kazinga Channel and a night in the Queen Elizabeth plains. Tell us how many days you have, and we will build the route around the forest.
Ready to meet the chimpanzees? See Kibale National Park, browse our Uganda safaris or start planning with a specialist.