Kibale National Park is the primate capital of the world, hosting a variety of primate species and other wildlife species like mammals and birds. The park has incredible rainforest canopy scenery stretching over 766 square kilometers since its name is Kibale Forest National Park. It is located in western Uganda stretching through Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge, and Kasese districts. Kibale National Park hosts over 13 primate species with the notable ones being the playful chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and red-tailed monkeys to mention but a few. The park is under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. It was established in 1993 to protect the large forest. Kibale National Park also harbors mammals like forest elephants, bush buffaloes, leopards, antelopes, bush pigs, and giant forest hogs to mention but a few.
The people around the park area are mainly cultivators who grow tea as their main cash crop and source of living. As you approach Kibale National Park, you are met by the vast plantations of tea. The brightly green-colored plantations feed your eyes with spectacular scenic views that leave you amazed. The landscape of the areas around Kibale National Park, like the Kabarole district, is a hotspot for tea plantations. This is because they are at higher altitudes with cool temperatures and very fertile soils that favor the tea plantation.
What to do while on tea plantation tours?
Visitors to the tea plantations around Kibale Forest National Park have a lot to engage in. The astonishing lush green fields of tea that brighten the horizon give beautiful scenes, however, the fun does not stop there. Below are some of the interesting things to do on tea plantation tours.
Tea factory tours
The process of tea production begins with the process of selecting the tea for planting and harvesting. While on tea plantation tours, visitors will learn all these processes. An experienced local guide will take the visitors through the cultivation process, where they can also interact with the local farmers. Visitors can then observe and take part in the harvesting of the ready tea before taking it to the local factories for processing. Visitors can embark on a factory tour as they are taken through the tea production process by the factory operatives. This incredible process of turning the lush green tea into a finished product ready to taste is surely impressive and will astonish the visitor.
Community tours
While on the tea plantation tour, visitors can also visit the local communities. Local guides take the visitors around the communities where they will visit the local markets, and buy a thing or two to support the livelihood of the locals.
Photography
Photographic tours are on the rise with many visitors highly anticipating them. This is because of the beautiful scenery of the tea plantations. Visitors wake up early to the plantations for breathtaking shots as the sun rises to break the day, and it’s also the same story in the evening as the sun sets above the plantations.
Combining tea plantation tours with the Kibale National Park tour
Tea plantation tours cannot be complete without a tour to Kibale Forest National Park. The park is vast with incredible activities and attractions to engage in. The tea plantations are strategically located close to Kibale National Park, hence easing the traveling distance. The park offers incredible scenes of beautiful thick forest canopies that harbor astonishing species like primates, birds, mammals, and amphibians to mention but a few.
What to do in Kibale National Park?
If you are wondering what is there to do in Kibale Forest National Park and why you should combine it with your tea plantation tours, well, wonder no more, below are the things to engage in the park.
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking is the major tourist activity in Kibale National Park. Trekking chimpanzees is a hands-on activity that requires the visitors to traverse the dense rainforests of Kibale National Park on a search for chimpanzees and spend an hour in their presence. Visitors will have a precious hour with the chimpanzees observing them feed, play, and groom their young ones. The trekking process takes between 4-6 hours, including the one hour spent with the chimpanzees.
Guided Nature walks
What better way to enjoy the fresh natural breezes from the rainforest and a great way to bond with nature than embarking on a guided nature walk in Kibale National Park. Professional armed rangers guide visitors through the forest walking trails where they can enjoy the natural breeze and the forest views while listening to the sweet music of the birds. While on nature walks you will also encounter some primates like colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and olive baboons to mention but a few.
Birding
Kibale Forest National Park is home to more than 370 bird species, which are scattered around the park in the different vegetation zones. The forest nature of the park is a hotspot for birdlife as it provides shelter and plenty of food to the birds. An experienced birding guide takes charge of this activity to take visitors through the many birding trails while providing ample knowledge of the many birds in the park.
