Map of Kibale National Park
The evergreen tropical forest that is preserved in Kibale National Park is home to several wildlife species that are dispersed geographically among various ecosystems, including open savannah, swamps, woodlands, and dense evergreen forests. The western part of Uganda is home to Kibale National Park, which covers an area of roughly 776 square kilometers. The Great Western Rift Valley is home to Kibale National Park. The diversity in the height of the terrain inside Kibale National Park is responsible for this. The highest point of Kibale National Park is 1600 meters above sea level, while the lowest point, located in the southern portion of the park on the bottom of the Rift Valley, is 1100 meters above sea level.
Distribution of Kibale National Park in space
A minor portion of Kibale National Park is made up of grasslands, whereas the most of the park is made up of tropical forest with woodland portions. According to Kibale National Park’s history, a planted forest may also be found in the northern half of the park, which is sufficient proof of imperialist exploitation decades ago. The villages that surround Kibale National Park contain tiny farmlands on the northern outskirts of the park. The majority of chimpanzee trekking takes place in the northern region of Kibale National Park.
Tall trees predominate in the dense forest in the center of Kibale National Park. Some of these trees are native forest trees, but the majority are ancient eucalyptus trees that were planted by Europeans in Uganda a few years ago when the country was still a British colony. The visitor center is situated at Kanyanchu, close to the banks of the Kanyanchu River, in the center of Kibale National Park. Chimpanzee hiking in Kibale National Park also begins near Kanyanchu. Magombe wetland and Bigodi swamp refuge are located about 20 kilometers south of Kanyanchu.
Because of encroachment for farming and urbanization, the western Kibale National Park has a degraded forest cover. However, there are stretches of open savannah in the south. Papyrus also covers some parts of Kibale National Park’s southern region. There are hardly any lodging options in Kibale National Park’s southern region.
The majority of lodging options are located in Kibale National Park’s center and northern regions. Nonetheless, the majority of the national park is concentrated in the area surrounding the Kanyanchu tourist center, including Tinka’s, Kibale Primate Lodge, Safari Hotel, Chimpanzee Nest, and Chimpanzee Valley Resort. Located northwest of Kibale National Park, close to Kibale Crater Lakes, lies the Chimpanzee Guest House.
