Kibale Forest National Park is located in the Kamwenge District of western Uganda. It is a protected tropical evergreen rainforest covering approximately 766 square kilometers, with elevations ranging from 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level. This variation in altitude creates a unique ecological gradient. Kibale is one of the last remaining forests in East Africa to contain both lowland and montane forest ecosystems, and it supports the region’s largest remaining expanse of pre-montane forest.
Kibale Forest was formally established as a national park in 1993 to protect its vital, diverse ecosystems. The Park now forms a continuous forest with neighboring Queen Elizabeth National Park. Together, they create a vast 180-kilometre wildlife corridor. This allows for exceptional animal movement and genetic flow between the two protected areas.
The forest is globally renowned for its rich primate diversity, protecting more than 10 species. These include well-studied, habituated groups of chimpanzees. The Park also shelters rare Central African monkeys, such as the Uganda mangabey, Ugandan red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey, black-and-white colobus, and blue monkey, along with a variety of other terrestrial mammals.
Kibale is a birding paradise, boasting over 325 recorded species. Notable birds include olive long-tailed cuckoo, western tinkerbird, green-breasted pitta, grey parrot, and others.
Visitors to the park can enjoy a variety of activities, including chimpanzee tracking, chimpanzee habituation experiences, guided nature walks, birdwatching, and visits to the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary and nearby local communities.