Great Blue Turaco in Kibale Forest
We drove into Kibale National Park on the main road from Fort Portal. Kibale Forest is strictly delineated from the surrounding farmland where all the rolling hills, right up to the national park boundary, have been efficiently deforested. Once the road curves into the forest, my senses ignite. I see tree species I’ve never seen before; birds are swooping in and out of the trees. We stopped to listen and look into the canopy above observing branches bobbing and swaying as troops of monkeys swing from tree to tree.
The forest seemed strangely familiar, perhaps because of a documentary I saw years earlier. Any forest protected from human development, allowed to exist naturally, offers beauty. Kibale Forest is especially unique; it’s one of the best places to observe wild chimpanzees. The local Ugandans hold on to Kibale’s moniker as “the primate capital of the world” with great pride.
By the time we reached our lodge it was late afternoon. We would walk with chimpanzees the next morning.
Ugandan Red Colobus Monkeys avoiding Chimpanzees
Each morning at the Kanyanchu Gate, tourists are welcomed by a community dance troupe. Reminding us that Kibale only exists as long as the local communities receive time and compensation from tourists. Like other protected rainforests I have visited, tourists are led on hikes with trained guides and rangers. We do not hike into the forest alone. There is a menu of hikes to choose from, but most of us come for the chimpanzee tracking. We purchased passes for chimpanzee tracking and for a chimpanzee habituation hike. Both experiences were fun and exciting. The standard chimpanzee tracking was an easier hike along flat forest trails. The habituation hike took us deep into the forest, it was as unpredictable as unhabituated chimpanzees are.
Don’t expect a solitary experience in Kibale. You will be assigned to an Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ranger with 4-6 other visitors. The other tourists in your group usually keep to themselves; but we did encounter a few unfriendlies. Fortunately the UWA rangers stationed at Kibale are exceptional. They know the forest very well and are adept at curating an enjoyable hiking experience for their guests.
Mother Chimpanzee with baby
Remember to bring Ugandan shillings:
tip the dancers
tip your ranger and guides
enjoy a delicious Ugandan coffee at the gourmet café located at the Kanyanchu Visitor’s Center.