Birding in Kibale forest national park
Birding in Kibale forest national park is an activity which takes place in different parts of the destination which is home to over 375 bird species. Tourists engaging in birding around Kibale forest national park are accompanied by guides who are knowledgeable of where to see the different bird species and how to get to the best birding spots around the destination.
The starting point for birding tours in Kibale national park is the Kanyanchu Visitor Center where tourists gather for a briefing before moving into the forest to search for the bird species. As early as 07:00 am, tourists start the birding experience.
Some of the popular birding spots around Kibale Forest National Park include the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, which is home to over 138 bird species. Endemic bird species can also be seen during tours at the park.
13 primate species are also found in Kibale Forest National Park which is famous for chimpanzee tours. When visiting the national park, tourists can enjoy chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation and interact with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Other primates found at the destination include black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, L’hoest monkeys among others.
A variety of forest birds can be seen during birding tours in Kibale forest which is also home to endemic bird species. Some of the rare birds found around the national park include the Green Breasted Pitta, Great Blue Turaco, Cassin’s Spine tail, Blue-headed bee eater, Nahan’s Francolin and the Masked Apalis.
Some of the bird species which can be seen around the Kibale forest national park include the Abyssinian ground thrush, Crowned eagle, Dusky crimsoning, Northern Puffback, Grey-green Bush shrike, Collared Apalis, Double Toothed Barbet, Black-capped Apalis, Black bee-eater, Yellow spotted Nicator, Little Greenbul, Black-eared ground thrush, Rameron Pigeon, Purple headed Starling, Brown-chested Alethe, Yellow-rumped tinker bird and Blue-breasted kingfisher, Black-crowned Tchagra, African wood owl, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Speckled Mousebird, Alpine swift, Ash flycatcher, Black headed Oriole, Barn swallow, African Grey Parrot, Black and white shrike flycatcher, Black-billed Turaco, Black-billed weaver, African dusky flycatcher, Red Fronted Barbet, Western Citril, Helmeted Guinea fowl, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Bronze Sunbird, Blue-throated Roller, Zebra Waxbill, Swamp Greenbul, Grey winged Robin, Brown-eared woodpecker, African-pied wagtail, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Papyrus canary, Papyrus Gonolek, African Fire Finch, White breasted Nigrita, Red faced Crimsonwing, Quailfinch, Grey headed Oliveback, Black Bellied Seedcracker, White chinned Prinia, Red winged Grey warbler, Singing Cisticola, Olive-green Camaroptera, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Black faced Apalis, African Thrush, Brown Twinspot, Bronze Manikin, Scarlet chested Sunbird among others.
Around the Bigodi wetlands, tourists can enjoy guided birding tours for about 4 hours in search of various bird species and are led by the locals. Tourist can also interact with the local community in Bigodi when visiting Kibale national park. Another trail which is followed during bird watching experiences around Kibale forest national park is the Kanyanchu trail.
The nature of habitat for the bird species found in Kibale National Park consists of forests, woodland, and also the wetland areas. Some of the items to pack for the birding experience at the destination include binoculars, a field guidebook among others.
Best time for birding in Kibale forest national park
Birding around Kibale forest national park takes place anytime of the year with the best time to see the birds being the months of November to April.
Tours around Kibale forest national park can also be done around June to October which is part of the dry season when the various primates can be spotted when exploring the forests.
Other activities to do in Kibale forest national park
Apart from birding, there are many other activities for tourists to engage in during their Uganda safaris around Kibale Forest National Park and they include the following;
- Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park takes place in the morning and in the afternoon and is a popular activity done in Uganda.
Tourists are briefed at the Kanyanchu park headquarters before engaging in the chimpanzee trekking experience. During the activity, tourists are led by guides as they search for the chimpanzees in their natural habitat which takes between 3 to 4 hours.
An amount of 1 hour is spent in the presence of the chimpanzees in their natural habitat during the chimpanzee trek in Kibale national park. A permit costs 250 USD for the trekking experience around the destination.
Chimpanzee trekking permits and habituation permits for Kibale forest national park are limited, and tourists are advised to book them in advance through licensed tour operators and they are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
- Chimpanzee habituation
Another activity which is done during tours around Kibale forest national park is chimpanzee habituation experiences.
Chimpanzee habituation experiences in Kibale forest national park offer tourists an opportunity to interact with chimpanzees in their natural habitat for a full day. This activity is a process during which chimpanzees get introduced to the presence of humans in their natural habitat and the tourists get to have 4 hours in the presence of the chimpanzees.
Permits for the chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park costs about 300 USD per person for foreign nonresidents, 250 USD per person for foreign residents to engage in the activity and 300,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens visiting the destination.
- Guided nature walks
Guided nature walks in Kibale Forest national park offer an unforgettable encounter with primates and bird species while connecting with nature.
The activity is done with ranger guides who are knowledgeable of the trails in the forest. The nature walks take about 2 to 3 hours and different primate species can be seen during the tours around the national park.
The nature walks can be done in the morning and afternoon during tours around the Kibale forest national park.
How to get to Kibale forest national park
Kibale forest national park can be accessed by driving from Kampala via the Mubende-FortPortal route which takes about 5 to 6 hours.
