Concerning Kibale National Park
About Kibale National Park: Kibale National Park was discovered and formally created in order to safeguard the local forest species. Kibale National Park is located close to Fort Portal Town in southwest Uganda. The primary, evergreen, semi-deciduous forest tree species predominate in the roughly 774 square kilometer national park. Numerous wildlife species, such as monkeys, birds, reptiles, insects, and wild cats, call Kibale home.
The eco community of Kibale National Park is distinguished by a variety of intriguing habitats as well as a diversified population of birds, butterflies, and mammals. Because of its chimpanzee population, the park is important to Uganda’s tourism sector. There are roughly four fully habituated chimpanzee populations in Kibale National Park. These include the Ngongo community, which is situated in the center of Kibale National Park and has approximately 200 chimpanzees, and the Kanyawara community, which has roughly 60 chimpanzees. The southern part of Kibale National Park is home to the Kanyachu community, while the northern part is home to Sebitole.
Kibale National Park’s past
Kibale National Park has a rich history. In 1932, the British gazetted it as a logged forest region. In addition to preserving the forest’s natural integrity, the British exploited it to harvest hardwood. They also gathered the forest’s wild coffee. After removing the hardwood trees from the region, the British planted exotic species to create a forest. As work on the Kilembe copper mines in Kasese, Kilembe town, started in 1950, the demand for hardwood timber increased.
Kibale Forest was designated as a forest reserve in 1948 while it was governed by the British, who also planted exotic tree species where they had previously cut down trees. Nonetheless, Kibale Forest Reserve was formally created as Kibale National Park in 1993. The Uganda National Parks (UNP) assumed responsibility for the national park in 1994 and were in charge of all conservation efforts within the forest.
The government agency responsible for overseeing Kibale National Park and other Ugandan national parks in 1996. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) was created by the merger of the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department of Uganda. The task of coordinating and facilitating wildlife management and conservation within Kibale National Park was taken on by Uganda Wildlife. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has been quite forward-thinking in its efforts to preserve the forest and modernize bag authenticity.
Kibale National Park’s wildlife
There is a continuous link between Kibale National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. The wildlife corridor is the name given to the section. It covers an area of 180 kilometers. The animals can travel from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale National Park and back again because to the Kibale Wildlife Corridor. It might be the cause of the occasional sighting of cats in the Kibale Forest, including lions, leopards, and serval cats.
About 13 different species of primates may be found in Kibale National Park, making it the most primate-rich national park in Africa in terms of both species diversity and total quantity. There are more over 1500 chimpanzees in Kibale National Park. Other primates include the endangered Uganda red colobus, procolobus tephrosceles, l’hoest’s monkey, Ugandan mangabey, and lophocebus ugandae.
In addition to monkeys, Kibale National Park is home to huge forest hogs, warthogs, African buffaloes, blue and red duiker, bushbucks, sitatungas, bush pigs, and, in rare cases, forest elephants. In Kibale National Park, you can also discover predators including serval cats, African golden cats, and leopards. In addition, there are two kinds of otter species and mongooses.
Kibale National Park activities
Kibale National Park offers a wide range of visitor activities that are perfect for you and your loved ones. Hiking and wildlife walks are excellent in Kibale National Park. Hiking is a multi-day activity that may be done throughout Kibale National Park. Another option is to go on a one-day hike inside the national park. You can enjoy a variety of forest species while hiking, including large, native trees, climbing plants, and plant parasites that flourish brilliantly on top of other trees.
After dark, nocturnal hikes in the park offer a unique experience. Following supper, you can go with a group to have a nighttime stroll around the forest. You may witness the woodland come to life at night by taking one of the night nature walks. Two armed rangers with spot lights to help you see through the darkness lead the night treks. You may occasionally observe night hunters like pangolins, leopards, and serval cats during the one to two-hour night nature walks.
Chimpanzee trekking and habituation are two of this national park’s most well-known activities. Studying chimpanzee behavior for an entire day is known as chimpanzee habituation. In order to monitor chimpanzees when they are just waking up and leaving their nests, it begins early in the morning before the sun sets. You can then follow a certain group of chimpanzees wherever they may go while observing its unique characteristics.
Chimpanzee trekking is a half-day activity that is more akin to chimpanzee habituation. Here, chimpanzee trekking is conducted in two shifts: morning and nighttime. There is a rigorous cap of eight individuals active in each trekking shift. A great way to get a closer look at chimpanzees in their natural habitat is to go chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park.
Nature walks around the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary are another fascinating pastime. On the edge of Kibale National Park lies the Bigodi Wetlands. Birdwatchers can see a variety of bird species on the Bigodi Wetlands nature path, including the ground thrustin, grey parrots, olive long-tailed cuckoo, and western tinker bird.
Other activities include cultural interactions, historical visits to the Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru, crater lake trips through the Ndali Kasenda Crater Region, and bush crafts for children. If you want to experience more exciting aspects of the African bush, you can visit Kibale National Park at any time. Nonetheless, the dry season is the ideal time of year to explore Kibale National Park. This is due to the park’s constant dryness and the fact that the paths are navigable during the dry season.
Since the park is free and less busy during the off-peak hours, several visitors prefer to visit during these times. Additionally, during the wet season, when visitation is at its lowest, the Uganda Wildlife Authority frequently offers park fees at a reduced rate. In addition, Kibale National Park is open and prepared to welcome visitors throughout the year.
