Ultimate Uganda

Quick Facts

• Special Status: N/A
• Location: Western Uganda
• Land mass: 766 km²
• Mammal species: 70
• Primate Species: 13
• Bird species: 375
• Big 5 reserve: No

Activities

• Chimpanzee trekking
• Chimpanzee habituation experience
• Forest walks by day and night

Highlights

• Interactions with wild chimpanzees
• Exceptional birding
• 13 species of primates

Kibale National Park is located in Western Uganda. Although believed to have once been a part of a huge tract of forest it still remains a sizeable chunk of protected habitat. With a land mass of 766 km² square kilometres it is slightly larger than the English county of Middlesex and twice as large as the U.S city of Detroit. In fact, it is continuous with Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south providing a 180 kilometres unhindered wildlife corridor.

Its location in Western Uganda ensures it is often visited as part of a circuit including neighbours Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla Park. Constantly improving infrastructure ensures it is accessible both by road and by air.

The overwhelming reason tourists flock to Kibale is to interact with wild chimpanzees in their natural habitat. It is simply one of the best places on the planet for chimpanzee encounters, arguably bettered only by Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania. Most visitors elect for the standard trekking experience but a longer and more educational habituation experience is available for those preferring smaller groups and more time with our closest cousins.

Of course Kibale isn’t only about chimpanzees. With a recorded 325 species of birds it is somewhat of a birdwatchers paradise with specials such as the green-breasted pitta and African pitta, dusky crimsonwing, black bee-eater and blue-breasted kingfisher on offer.

Walks, without a chimpanzee focus, are an excellent way to experience the biodiversity of the forest. With an astonishing 13 primate species including the rare L’Hoest’s monkey, red colobus monkey, black and white colobus monkey, red tailed monkey, blue monkey, olive baboon, grey cheeked mangabey, bush baby and potto. Other mammals recorded within the park include the elephant, leopard, serval, African golden cat, bushbucks, blue duikers and sitatungas.

Best Time To Visit

Kibale National Park is accessible for game viewing all year round. However, like with most African wildlife reserves it is recognised as being preferable to travel in the dry season.

Unlike Bwindi there are definite seasons in Kibale. The two dry seasons run from June to August and December to February. In contrast there are also two distinctive wetter seasons in the months of March to May and September to November. However, it must be noted given its altitude and forest environment the dry season is not like one would expect on the dry savanna, rain is possible at any time.

Due to its equatorial location, temperatures are pretty consistent throughout the year. Expect daily highs of around 27 degrees Celsius and lows of 15 degrees Celsius. The driest months are December-February and June and July with the wettest months being April and September to November.

The majority of visitors head to Kibale for the chimpanzee interaction experiences. Although the weather does not affect this activity as such it is a more pleasurable experience in the drier months. Wet weather causes difficulties on the trails and being wet is naturally less pleasant. Two positives of the wet season is the beauty of the forest and the exceptional birding as many migratory species flock here during the wetter months.

Quick Facts

• Special Status: Biosphere Reserve for Humanity
• Location: Western Uganda
• Land mass: 1978 km²
• Mammal species: 95
• Bird species: 611
• Big 5 reserve: No

Activities

• Game drives
• Boat cruises
• Chimpanzee trekking
• Hot air balloon safari
• Cultural village visits
  

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Highlights

• Witness the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha
• Cruise down the Kazinga Channel amongst hippopotamus and Nile crocodile
• Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trekking
• Witness extraordinary mammal and bird diversity

Queen Elizabeth National Park is arguably the flagship savanna reserve in Uganda. With a land mass of 1978 km² it is a relative minion when compared to Africa’s heavyweights. Despite this it is still larger than the entire Peak District National Park in the United Kingdom.

In reality it is just one piece of a conservation jigsaw forming a continuous land mass with the Kigezi Game Reserve, Kyambura Game Reserve, and Kibale National Park in Uganda, as well as the Virunga National Park over the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a rather unique place due to its varied topography. The park is dominated by Lake George in the north-east and Lake Edward in the south-west, both lakes being connected by the Kazinga Channel. These areas provide excellent opportunities for viewing aquatic birds and large Nile crocodile and hippopotamus. The Kyambura Gorge dissects the savanna in the north-east of the park and sets the scene for chimpanzee trekking.

The wildlife in the park, as is typically the case throughout Uganda, was significantly reduced during the ill-fated reign of Idi Amin. Although wildlife numbers have increased significantly since, visitors should not expect animal densities like those experienced in the Serengeti National Park, Maasai Mara Game Reserve or Kruger National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park should however be recognised as a park with extraordinary biodiversity as it is arguably unrivalled for the variety of species it protects. With an impressive large mammal count of 95 individual species, including 20 predators, and an almost unrivalled avian diversity of more than 611 bird species.

Visitors will marvel at the famous tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. Primate viewing including chimpanzee trekking is a highlight of the Kyambura Gorge and close encounters with hippopotamus and Nile crocodiles are a feature at the Kazinga Channel. As well as lions and crocodiles predators are well represented with leopard, serval and spotted hyena, as well as smaller carnivores such as several species of mongoose, common genet and African civet. Common herbivore sightings include African cape buffalo, Ugandan kob, topi, bushbuck and waterbuck. Unusually, giraffe are absent on the plains as are wildebeest, cheetah and African wild dogs.

Activities within the park are centred around vehicle safari, walking and chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura Gorge, and boat cruises on the Kazinga Channel. Very much like its biodiversity it offers a varied range of wildlife viewing perspectives. Unfortunately, due to national park regulations night drives, off-road driving and serious walking safaris are forbidden.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is an excellent choice for those more experienced safari-goers who are happy to sacrifice sheer wildlife abundance for more specialist sightings. Its proximity to Kibale National Park to the north and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the south ensures it combines well with these gorilla and chimpanzee trekking destinations.

Best Time To Visit

The climate of Queen Elizabeth National Park can be divided into 2 wet seasons and 2 dry seasons. Each season, and indeed the months within each season, offers you a different experience. There is no time of year that offers you the best of everything so we provide you with a balanced account throughout the year so you are able to make an informed decision on the best time to visit based on your preferences.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is accessible all year round for game viewing activities. The longer dry season runs from December to February with the shorter season being from June to July with August being somewhat of a shoulder month. The wet seasons are inclusive of the months of March to May and September to November. Due to its location close to the equator temperatures are almost constant throughout the year with very little variation from month to month. Expect highs of 28-30 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

Wildlife viewing, as is generally the case, is more prolific in the dry seasons. The drier landscape exposes wildlife due to thinning of vegetation and animals predictably congregate around permanent water sources. Unfortunately, the best time to view wildlife coincides with the highest prices of the season. The lowest prices vary between properties but generally the best deals can be had in the months of October, November, April and May. The premium months with regards prices are December, January, February, July and August, with the rest of the months roughly being somewhere in the middle.

Tourist numbers are lower in the wet season but thankfully QENP is blessed with relatively low tourist traffic throughout the year so crowding around sightings is very rare. The bush is at its most lush during and soon after the rains. This time is usually the best time of year for those wanting to see a large abundance of migratory birds. The vegetation dies off during the drier months giving the park a golden-yellow, parched appearance.