There are several places of interest.
Kanyanchu River Camp
Kanyanchu, in the central part of Kibale, is the main trailhead for the park’s famous forest walks, the most popular of which is the daily Primate Walk. There are 13 species of primate to search for, including habituated chimpanzees. Bird watching, nature walks for both kids and adults and guided night treks are also available here.
Sebitoli Forest Camp
Kibale’s secondary tourism centre in the north of the forest offers guided forest walks and a chance to encounter primates such as red colobus, black-and-white colobus, blue monkeys and vervet monkeys. Visitors may also spot a variety of aquatic, forest and savannah birds and enjoy views of the Mpanga River.
Areas of Interest outside the Park
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Rich in biodiversity and beautiful scenery, the wetland is a birder’s paradise with about 138 species. Located outside the park in Magombe Swamp it also hosts eight species of primates including the black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed, l’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, and olive baboons. Bushbucks and mongooses can also be found here. The sanctuary was set up to preserve the exclusive environmental features along with the wetland and is managed by the local community.
Kihingami Wetland
Located near Sebitoli in northern Kibale, this community-run project offers excellent bird watching and visits to the local tea estates and factory. Nature walks will bring you up close to primates such as the black-and-white colobus, red colobus and red-tailed monkeys. Other animals like otters, mongooses and bushbucks can be observed in the wetlands.
Semuliki Forest National Park
This is the eastern-most extension of the Congo Basin’s Ituri Forest and the only lowland rain forest in East Africa. Its stygian depths are therefore the home of wildlife found nowhere else in Uganda. To augment its uniqueness as a national park, Semuliki also contains sacred hot springs, one of which is a constantly erupting geyser. The tourism center at Sempaya is the ideal place to start a forest walk and see some of these intriguing sights. Semuliki Forest National Park is the eastern-most extension of the Congo Basin’s Ituri Forest and the only lowland rain forest in East Africa. Its stygian depths are therefore the home of wildlife found nowhere else in Uganda. To augment its uniqueness as a national park, Semuliki also contains sacred hot springs, one of which is a constantly erupting geyser. The tourism center at Sempaya is the ideal place to start a forest walk and see some of these intriguing sights.
Rwenzori Mountains
The Northern Spur of Rwenzori Mountains National Park has been developed for tourism by a community group who will take you on a mountain hike to visit some low peaks and see mammals and birds found only in the Rwenzoris. Cultural entertainment such as Batoro and Bakonzo dancing is also offered and is well worth seeing.
Semliki Wildlife Reserve
In spite of the name, this is quite different from Semuliki Forest National Park. This reserve is the oldest protected area in Uganda (formerly known as Toro Game Reserve) and contains a savanna/woodland mosaic deeply cut with riverine forests. It was once famous for incredibly high densities of Uganda kob which can now be watched for hours fighting and jockeying for dominance in their race to repopulate the reserve. Walks through the forests are a nice way to see monkeys, other wildlife, and the chimpanzees being habituated for research. Boats can be hired on Lake Albert to help see a fantastic numbers of birds, including the rare Shoebill stork which is seen more readily here than anywhere else in Uganda.