Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda, 22km southeast of Fort Portal town. Kibale National Park is 24 km east of the Rwenzori Mountains foothills and 20 km south-east of Fort Portal town in Western Uganda (Figure 1). The park occupies approximately 795 km2 and lies within four district administrative boundaries namely; Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Kasese.
Kibale National Park’s geographic location is 0o12 to 0o40’N and 30o20’ to 30o35’E.
Travellers may access it through various routes. Three main roads cross Kibale National Park i.e. the Fort Portal-Kyenjojo-Mubende-Kampala road, the Fort Portal-Kamwenge road which is being upgraded into bituminous, and the Kamwenge – Hima road. These roads divide the park into the northern, central and southern sectors.
Getting to Kibale By Road
Kibale National Park is located about 365 km from Kampala. Visiting Kibale Forest is possible by public transport, but most people prefer to go there with an organized tour with one of the licensed tour operators operating in Uganda.
- Fort Portal is the closest town to Kibale Forest National Park.
- From Fort Portal go south in the direction of Kibale Forest. Remain on the main road all the way to and through Kibale Forest.
- You can also easily access the park from the Queen Elizabeth national park. Kibale Park can either be reached from Kampala via mubende and fort portal or Mbarara and Kamwenge.
Kanyanchu River Camp, the primary center for tourism activities, can be reached from Kampala either from the north, via Mubende and Fort Portal, or the south through Mbarara and Kamwenge.
The northern approach is shorter and quicker, with a 290km tarmac road running to Fort Portal followed by 32km on gravel to Kanyanchu.
Sebitoli Forest Camp, a secondary tourism center, is even easier to reach. This stands directly on the Kampala road, 12km before Fort Portal. Public transport runs throughout the day between Kampala and Fort Portal (passing Sebitoli) and Fort Portal and Kamwenge (passing Kanyanchu).
A stop at the Ndali-Kasenda crater area offers a panoramic view of the tea estates and Kibale Forest to the east, the Rwenzori to the west and Lake George and the Rift Valley plains to the south. This area can be explored on foot or by car.
Getting to Kibale By Air
In short routes, travelers fly from Kampala to access two airstrips that are Kasese airstrip and Nyakisharara airstrip which is 75km and 98km respectively. During the travel, visitors enjoy beautiful sceneries like birds, elephants, Uganda kob, giraffes, monkeys and buffaloes.
Getting Around
Though Kibale’s trailheads at Sebitoli and Kanyanchu can both be reached by vehicles, tourists explore the park on foot. Trails are generally well-maintained and the terrain, though undulating, is not difficult.
Park Entry Points
There are three official entry points to the park. One is at Sebitoli on the Fort Portal-Kampala road. The others are at Kanyawara, Kanyanchu and Mainaro, both along the Fort Portal-Kamwenge road. Upon re-opening of the Kamwenge-Hima road, the Ranger post at Kakooga will be a major access point in the Southern sector with a control gate.
Traveling Independently
International visitors typically arrive in Uganda at the Entebbe Airport. The easiest way to get from the airport to Kampala.
To get from Kampala to Fort Portal (via Mubende) the road is paved and takes about 5 hours. To make this trip, one can take the minibuses that make this run from the new Taxi Park in Kampala. But we suggest the larger buses plying this route including Kalita transporters and SB Safeways that operate 60 seater passenger coaches. The Post Bus also plies this route.
From Fort Portal to Kibale Forest National Park one can take a taxi. Make sure that you tell the driver that you want to go to Kanyanchu (it is about 30 miles further south).