Chimpanzee Forest Lodge is located along Kamwenge Road, about 25 minutes’ drive from Fort Portal town. It offers views of Isunga tea estates, the Rwenzori Mountains, crater lakes, and Kibale Forest. It is one of the affordable mid-range accommodation options in Kibale.
In the 1950s, during the colonial period, the guest house was the home of a British district commissioner. It was later renovated and opened for use in 2003.
The dining area serves both local and international meals prepared by skilled chefs using fresh ingredients from the area. The bar is well stocked with a wide range of soft and alcoholic drinks. In the evenings, guests can sit around a campfire and share their experiences with other travelers.
Accommodation includes spacious cottages with en suite facilities and views of the forest and tea plantations. The main lodge building also has two self-contained rooms designed in a colonial style. The lodge offers car hire, safari vans, airport transfers, and tailor-made Uganda safaris.
Activities near the lodge
- Chimpanzee Tracking: Chimpanzee tracking is the main attraction in Kibale Forest National Park. Chimpanzees are the closest relatives of humans, sharing over 95 percent of our DNA. Tracking usually starts in the morning or afternoon and lasts about three hours, depending on the hikers’ pace, the movement, and the location of the chimpanzees.
- Chimpanzee Habituation: The chimpanzee habituation experience allows visitors to spend a full day with researchers and rangers as they train chimpanzees to get used to human presence. This activity is only available in Kibale Forest.
- Bird Watching: Kibale has about 325 bird species, including six that are endemic to the Albertine Rift. Bird watchers should carry binoculars and look out for species such as the African and green-breasted pitta, grey parrot, ground thrush, olive long-tailed cuckoo, western tinkerbird, collared apalis, blue-breasted kingfisher, little greenbul, black-capped apalis, and crowned eagle. The best times for birding are early morning and late afternoon.
- Nature Walks: Guided nature walks can be done during the day or at night. These walks give visitors a chance to see other primates such as red colobus, black-and-white colobus, blue monkeys, olive baboons, as well as many trees and butterflies. Night walks may reveal bush babies and owls. Walks can also be arranged to Bigodi Wetland or the crater lakes.
In addition to the activities above, visitors can meet local people, learn about their daily life, and visit tea plantations.
How to Get There
Kibale Forest National Park is about five hours by road from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.
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