There's more to Kibaale, than a wild variety of primate species! David K(not real name), was part of a group excursion to the Kibaale National Park with Karibuni Safaris. When asked about his trip, this is what he had to say...
What did you learn on your trip about Kibaale and what stood out to you on arrival at the park?
Kibaale is small national park established in 1993 and home to 13 species of primates, 335 species of birds, 350 species of butterflies and 351 identified species of trees. On
21st March, I was invited by Allan the proprietor of Ishasha Itungwe River Camp to visit his camp and make a stopover at Kibaale National Park. We set off at 4 PM and arrived at Primate Lodge 5 hours later, we were welcomed with a banana milkshake. We later had a delicious dinner and set off to camp fire, finally resting at 12 pm.
What did this excursion entail?
Kibaale Primate Lodge is at the center of this forest with eco-buildings designed to blend with forest. To reach your tent camp you move through the forest and cannot see your neighbor’s tent or banda making you a part of the forest.
In the morning 8am we were briefed by the game rangers and set off the trail for over 3 hours trekking in this pristine and serene environment. We were greeted by a Red Capped Robin chart bird, which imitated our guides whistle. We saw the Emerald Culcoo, Great Blue Toracco and many other birds.
Somewhere in the trail we heard a chimpanzee thumping a tree stamp, our guide told us this is a group of habituated chimpanzees and he was calling his mates to see us. All of a sudden we were surrounded by a community of over 50 chimpanzees of all ages. We saw a chimpanzee grooming its mate and instead of throwing the tick she ate it. (Sure and natural method of disposal). We saw other primates like Blue tailed, Red Tailed, L, Hoesti, Grey-Cheeked Mangabey, Vervet, Black and White Colobus monkeys and Olive baboons.
black and white colobus monkeys
olive baboon
grey-cheeked mangabey
... Having completed this exciting trail and seeing many primates and birds, the next item on our itinerary was a visit to Bigodi Wetland sanctuary. I will tell you more about the amazing Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary in my next blog.
