The biodiversity of Kibale forest

The park has different habitats namely; forest, woodland and grasslands. These ecosystems are a home to various animals, birds and plants. There are 350 tree species. Infact, some rise to over 50m. Other trees are centuries old. Besides the chimpanzees, the other primates are red colobus, I’Hoest’s monkey, the black-and-white colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys. The grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, bush baby and potto also live here. However, there are larger animals too. For example, Elephants, buffalos, leopards, warthogs, bush pigs and Duikers roam this forest. Reptiles and amphibians also exist. Moreover, 250 butterflies species are in the park. And 375 birds such as the red headed malimbe, green backed Twinspot, African Pitta, Narina Trogon and white chinned Prinia.

Tourism activities in and around Kibale forest

The most popular activities are Chimpanzee trekking and habituation. Others are bird watching and nature walks. Outside the park, there are crater lakes with boat trips. One area of interest is the adjacent swamp of Bigodi. Here, there is a community project. It is possible to do the tour of the swamp and community. Kanyanchu is the briefing point for Chimpanzee tracking and forest walks. However, Sebitoli is the centre for bird watching and camping.