The chimpanzees
Climbing and calling.
Giles Laurent — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Giles Laurent — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Giles Laurent — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Giles Laurent — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Giles Laurent — CC BY-SA 4.0
Kibale National Park is an evergreen rainforest in western Uganda, covering 766 square kilometres at heights between 1,100 and 1,600 metres. It is the country's best-known place for chimpanzee tracking, and it combines lowland and montane forest. It joins Queen Elizabeth National Park in a wildlife corridor 180 km long. The area was gazetted in 1932 and formally established as a park in 1993, to protect a forest that had been logged. It is among the last large stretches of pre-montane forest in eastern Africa. Its wealth of primates has made it a major ecotourism stop and a well-known site for scientific research. Tracking starts in the morning or afternoon with a ranger, along shady trails where you hear chimps calling before you see them. You may find a male sitting among the leaves, or a mother climbing with her young on her back. Red colobus and red-tailed monkeys move through the branches, and colourful sunbirds feed in the forest. It is about 28 km from Fort Portal in a straight line. Chimp groups move fast, so be ready to walk, and wear long clothes and strong shoes. Book your permit in advance, and ask about the park's minimum age. Keep the distance the ranger sets, and do not eat near the animals.
Climbing and calling.
High in the branches.
Colour among the leaves.
South-east of Fort Portal, western Uganda
Not entirely, but the chances are high, as rangers follow the groups every day.
Animals are usually more active in the morning, though an afternoon trip may be less crowded.