Kibale National Park in western Uganda has access to 2 nearby airstrips. Kasese Airstrip, just 53.4 km away, and Semuliki Airstrip. Scheduled flights operated by AeroLink from Entebbe International Airport can take you to Kasese Airstrip. From there, you will reach Kibale National Park by road transport. This is at least 1.5 hours of travel. But the flight from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airstrip takes an hour and 15 minutes.

Flights to Kasese Airstrip can also start from Kihihi Airstrip, Kisoro Airstrip, Chobe Airstrip, Pakuba Airstrip, and others. From Kasese Airstrip, you can also connect to Masai Mara National Reserve via Entebbe International Airport. Semuliki Airstrip is situated within Toro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve. The wildlife reserve is 73.3 km from Kibale National Park, which takes only 2 hours to travel by road.

What to see in Kibale National Park?

Kibale National Park is one of the biodiversity hotspots in Uganda. This implies that it is endowed with plenty of wildlife species and diverse habitats. Below are some of the things to see in the forested park,

Chimpanzees

Kibale National Park is the best destination in Uganda to see common chimpanzees in the wild. The reason is because the forest contains almost 1,500 chimpanzees. These primates contain almost 98% of our genetic make-up thus an interesting tourist attraction. These chimpanzees generally social, living in troops within the forest. You are allowed to track and spend an hour seeing and photographing a habituated troop.

Other primates

Kibale National Park is the renowned ‘Primate Capital of the World’ due to an impressive array of 13 species, including the chimps. Other primates living in Kibale National Park comprise L’hoest’s monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys etc. Bigodi wetland nearby is also a place where to see these primates, besides Kibale National Park.

Birds

Kibale National Park is an Important Bird Area with plenty of endemic species. With over 372 distinct bird species, you will find plenty to see and photograph. Examples include the red-faced woodland warbler, African pitta, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, brown-breasted alethe, Kibale ground thrush, dusky crimson wing, and collared apalis, among others. Do not forget to come with a bird checklist to identify as many as possible.

Mammals

Including the primates, Kibale National Park has 71 mammal species living inside the forest. Mammals that you may encounter include bush elephant, civet, bush buffalo, blue duiker, and giant forest hog among others. All these and plenty others roam in the various habitats of the forest. These lush habitats are divided into tropical forest, woodland and grassland savannah among others.

Activities in Kibale National Park?

While preparing to fly to Kibale National Park, know that there are plenty of activities to enjoy here as soon as you arrive. Below are some of the key activities you should do after your flight,

Chimpanzee trek

Once you fly to Kibale National Park, a chimpanzee trek will be the key activity you must seek to enjoy. This is a one in a billion opportunity to track the iconic common chimpanzees in their natural home. Once you arrive at Kanyancu Visitors Center in the forest, you will be briefed by the seasoned ranger guides. You will follow these trackers into the dense forest to locate a habituated troop of chimpanzees. You will have an hour to view them and take photos.

A chimp trek can last for 2-4 hours or even more, depending on where the primates spend their night. A chimpanzee trekking tour costs only $250 per person to track the primate troop for a single day. This is the cost for obtaining a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. You need to be at least 12 years old to get a permit for a chimp trek. Reputable tour operators like Standard Safaris can help with acquiring a chimp trekking permit.

Chimpanzee habituation experience

This is a more immersive experience for you to spend time with a chimpanzee troop in their natural habitat. This time round, you track and spend more than an hour with a semi-habituated troop of chimpanzees. You could do this for a day in the presence of trackers and expert primatologists. A chimpanzee habituation experience costs only $300 per person. This experience has the benefit of witnessing how studies on primatology are done.

Birdwatching

With some of the most secluded birding trails in Africa, namely Kanyanchu and Sebitoli, birdwatching in Kibale National Park is unmatched. This is nice but what is more exciting is Kibale National Park has over 372 bird species that dwell inside. Birdwatching in Kibale National Park costs only $40 per person. You can also do more birdwatching in the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This is home to the great blue turaco.

Nature walk

This is an opportunity to walk on foot while you pass by a variety of rare tree species and plenty of undergrowth. While enhancing your agility, you will also spot a variety of bird and mammal species. A nature walk costs only $40 per person for the day. You can also enjoy a nature walk during birdwatching and chimpanzee trekking. Again, the Bigodi wetland just nearby offers nature trails for this activity.