Kibale guided nature walk takes place in the forest and surrounding areas of the Bigodi swamp, the national park is a large ecosystem with different environments includes a thick forest comprising many tree species rising to 55m tall, marshy swampy areas, dotted crater lakes, and the community. The forest is known to host the highest concentration of primates in Uganda 13 of which have been recorded here, the most common resident is the chimpanzee, about 1450 individuals live in the 795 square kilometers national park. It is strategically located in the western part of Uganda in Kabarole district, occupying most of the land area of the region.
Kibale guided nature walks are conducted during the day and night times, day hikes are sparked off through several trails from the Kanyanchu, Sebitoli tourism site, and in the Bigodi swamp is managed by the community, the walk through the biodiverse environment will give you direct close contact with nature, en route clients meet primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, grey checked mangabey. There is a chance to see many birds of the forest as well, plant trees, and mammals like duikers, forest elephants, and forest hogs among others, it should be noted that these are very shy and rare to see while in the national park.
Nature walks are conducted with the help of a Uganda wildlife game ranger, they are always armed for your safety and protection, it is possible for them to sometimes have a panga which is basically for paving the way to the thick walls of the forest. The Kibale Forest National Park is one of the few places where nightwalks are conducted, these begin at 7:30 pm in search of nocturnal species like pottos, bush babies, night jars, serval cats, cricket civets among others. It is important to pack right for a guided nature walk, including a warm jacket, hiking boots, waterproof covers for phones and cameras, rain jackets, and any other items of personal nature.
The best time for a Kibale guided nature walk is during the dry season between June, July, August, December, February, and January, this is also referred to as a peak season of tourism, the trails of the forest are less slippery and easy to access. Other activities of the Kibale Forest National Park include Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park, this takes place beginning at the Kanyanchu visitor centre, a group of 6 people is allowed, and it takes 2-3 hours to find them an hour is permitted while with the primates to interact and take pictures, Chimpanzee habituation process this includes spending more time with the primates, the chimpanzee are watched all day for them to get used to the presence of mankind, and the Bigodi swamp walk.
Kibale Forest National Park can be accessed from Kampala or Entebbe through several routes, by road it takes approximately 6 hours’ drive to reach the destination, and flights are handled by domestic handlers to the national park from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala-Kajjansi.