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Kibale Forest

  • Destinations
  • Uganda
  • Kibale Forest

Why Go

Kibale chimpanzee trekking is rapidly becoming part of the Uganda wildlife experience, giving you the opportunity to view rare chimpanzees in combination with your gorilla trek.

Located a short flight or a morning’s drive from Bwindi, Kibale National Park is home to both mountain and lowland rainforest, providing a unique sanctuary to a dozen different primates as well as hundreds of bird species and clouds of butterflies. And thanks to a conservation corridor between Kibale and next-door Queen Elizabeth National Park, it’s possible to look for other animals too – bush pigs, buffalo, antelope and even elephants.

Chimpanzee trekking accommodation is available in the park itself as well as nearby. Lodges within Kibale Forest are set close to the trekking trails and offer a more immersive experience – animals such as monkeys and small antelope are often seen from camp or indeed pass through it. Kibale lodges located near the park offer a greater range of budgets and include our top family-friendly camps. These lodges come with stunning views and are only a short drive away from the start of the trekking trails.

Chimpanzee trekking is the main focus at Kibale and there are opportunities to experience much more. Nature walks reveal the depth of the bio-diversity in Kibale – a walk with local guides through the Bigodi Swamps is especially recommended – and there are chances to visit and interact with local communities too.

The best time for Kibale chimpanzee trekking is during the year’s two dry seasons which happily coincide with the two gorilla trekking seasons: from December to February and again from June to September. These periods offer the easiest conditions for trekking and the best sightings of chimpanzees; temperatures remain fairly constant at these times – daytime temperatures are 28°C/82°F on average, falling to about 14°C/57°F at night.

We’ve highlighted our favourite Kibale experiences below as well as our suggested accommodation for inspiration and ideas. Contact us with your requirements and we’ll recommend a packaged tour for you or will tailor-make one to your specifications.

Kibale Forest on the map

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TOP EXPERIENCES

EXPLORE A PRISTINE RAINFOREST

1. GO CHIMPANZEE TREKKING

Hike a jungle trail with expert guides & your reward could be the sight of a troop of wild chimpanzees, foraging for food in their rainforest home. Kibale offers some of the best & most accessible chimp trekking in Africa.

2. BLACK & WHITE, BLUE & OLIVE

Black & white colobus, Blue monkeys & Olive baboons are among the 13 different primate species found in Kibale; you’ll be on the lookout for them on your chimpanzee trek as well as on nature hikes & even around your jungle lodge.

3. BRING THE BINOCULARS

With an amazing 325 species recorded in the park – including an endemic thrush – Kibale Forest is a bird watcher’s paradise. You’ll see plenty from camp but join a specialist bird guide on a forest trail & the Bigodi Swamp Walk for more.

4. MEET A LOCAL COMMUNITY

Several Kibale lodges offer the chance to visit a local village & meet the indigenous Batoro community. You’ll have the chance to gain fascinating insights into life in the rainforest as well as perhaps contribute to a local development programme.

5. TAKE IN THE DETAILS

After the thrills of the chimpanzee trek, go on a guided nature walk to absorb the smaller details of the rainforest – there are over 300 types of tree in Kibale, more than 200 different butterflies & 60 orchid species.

TAILOR-MADE SAFARI

Trek for chimpanzees & other primates in Uganda’s pristine Kibale Forest

ACCOMMODATION

OUR RECOMMENDED KIBALE CHIMPANZEE TREKKING LODGES

PRIMATE LODGE
PRIMATE LODGE
In Short: Exclusivity at Kibale’s heart
Location: Kibale Forest National Park
Set deep in the forest close to the start of the chimpanzee trekking trails, Primate Lodge offers luxury cottage accommodation as well as a Sky Tree House, located away from camp & overlooking an elephant grazing meadow. Activities include chimp treks, birding, night walks & visits to local communities.
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NDALI LODGE
NDALI LODGE
In Short: Good-value lodge with great views
Location: Near Kibale Forest National Park
A family-run lodge set a 45-minute drive from Kibale Forest, Ndali sits on the rim of a crater lake & commands sweeping views of the Rwenzori Mountains. A comfortable base for chimp trekking, it’s a small rustic lodge with 8 stone & thatch cottages. Children are welcome.
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KYANINGA LODGE
KYANINGA LODGE
In Short: Luxurious cottages in stunning setting
Location: Near Kibale Forest National Park
With its 8 thatched cottages perched on a hill overlooking lakes & mountains, Kyaninga has a superb, romantic location & makes a great base for chimpanzee safaris. It offers great comfort & comes with lovely gardens, a tennis court, croquet lawn & its own kitchen garden.
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Reviews

Professional, patient, efficient and responsive. Met all our travel needs and requirements spot on

Communication was excellent – I asked A LOT of questions and did a ton of research myself and Walter was extremely patient with me and very responsive. he was straight forward and extremely professional. Tour itself was excellent – an incredible experience and one never to be forgotten. Everything was spot on.

Neena
It was a safari of a lifetime and exceeded all of our expectations!

Our mom grew up in Central and South Africa so we had visited the continent many times. My sister and I wanted to take our teens and husbands to Africa to experience the magic. We had a limited budget but big and specific expectations and by some miracle Walter was able to manage both.

Heather (USA)
Safari Online made our fantastic family holiday dream come true!!

Safari Online have been nothing but professional and incredible from the time we made our first enquiry to the last day of our stunning holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for Walter. We are now starting to plan our next family Safari for 2019. Guess who we will be booking with??? Safari Online we hope you are ready!!!!!

Penni (AU)
An incredibly well organised tour with no hassles whatsoever.

Safari Online understood our needs and was able to present us with sensible options to choose from. It was evident that this tour operator has knowledgable and experienced agents who can arrange a seemless tour. We were provided with a professional online itinary which was comprehensive and easy to use, knew exactely what to expect, and encountered no stumble blocks along the way.

Gwen (AU)
Safari Online were extremely efficient and absolutely charming to work with.

Our 28-day itinerary took us to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. A magnificent and unforgettable adventure. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently from the flights, transfers, rides, connections, etc. Absolutely wonderful! Can’t thank them enough!

Ann and Mario (Canada)
Very helpful good suggestions for holiday ideas always available for questions good organising

Excellent service and they supplied good suggestions for our holiday they also organised all internal flights and arranged check in for us so we had no worries while on holiday. We have had a most memorable holiday staying at wonderful places thanks to Sabrina and Safari Online. Would recommend Safari Online to organise your holiday.

Lorraine (UK)
Best trip I have ever been on. Highly recommend.

Would highly recommend. Safari online asked questions when booking and were efficient and knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of accommodation and animals were wanted to see. Gave advice on a few little extras with no pressure, which we did and am very grateful which make trip even more exciting. Would definitely recommend booking with them.

Walter has always been an excellent communicator and has supported us fully

We have been to Africa for 24 of the last 27 years so know a bit about what is involved. Walter has arranged the details for the last couple of years, and has done a superb job. He is always quick to respond and comes up with answers immediately……..no evasive tactics, always head-on!

Roger (UK)
Professional, quick and top of the edge service!!!

From the very first contact we’re very happy about the respond time and quality of information from safari-online.com. Based on the received first tailor-made quote, which is a weblink with all the details about the flights, photos of the lodges etc. we knew that this is “our” partner for this trip. Our expectations were excelled!!!

Lukas (Germany)
Karina was absolutely instrumental to our safari success.

Our experience with Safari Online was excellent. After becoming very frustrated trying to search for a safari destination on our own, we turned to Karina for help and she was a lifesaver.  We had an amazing safari adventure at the lodge–the experience of a lifetime–and are so grateful for her help. We literally couldn’t have done it without her!

Chris (USA)