Kibale National Park is located in southwestern Uganda, about 240 km west of Kampala and about 35 km east of Fort Portal.
Vast savannas merge with forests and rainforest in southwestern Uganda to create this protected natural area known for containing the largest number of primates in the world. Almost 80% of the Park is covered by medium-altitude evergreen forest in the northern zone and lower-elevation deciduous rainforest in the southern zone. The rest of the Park consists of pastures, swamps and some coniferous plant plantations.
A large wildlife corridor connects Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park and allows herds of elephants to roam freely between the two sanctuaries. It is also home to other fascinating (though more elusive) species such as the leopard, the buffalo, the duiker, and the river potamóquero. Bird lovers will be in awe of the 372 species recorded in the park, which flutter through the air along with some 250 species of butterflies.
When to go
The best times to visit Kibale National Park are from March to May, and from September to November. The main attraction of Kibale is the opportunity to track chimpanzees used to interacting with humans, habituated. It has lodgings in the middle of the forest, exactly where chimpanzee tracking usually begins.
