Uganda’s premier chimpanzee tracking destination, Kibale national park protects 766 Kilometers of predominantly forested habitats that extends more than 50 kilometers south from the main fort portal Kampala road to the north eastern border of Queen Elizabeth national park. Original gazette as a forest reserve in 1932, Kibale was upgraded to a national park status, and extended southwards to form a contiguous block with Queen Elizabeth national park in 1993.

The trail head for chimp tracking and main center of tourist activity within the park is the kanyanchu visitors center, which lies 35 kilometers south of fort portal along a newly surfaced road the continues south to kamwenge and ibanda. Chimps aside kanyanchu offers some superb forest birds and monkey viewing, with the community-run bigodi wetland sanction, only 5 kilometers away immediately outside the park boundary, being a particular highlight in this aspect. While Kibale national park and kanyanchu are practically synonymous so far as most visitors are concerned a less-known secondary point of entry-no chimp tracking offered, but good for forest walks- can be found at the northerly sebitoli sector, 15 kilometers east of fort portal along the Kampala fort portal Kampala road.

At least 60 mammal species are present in Kibale national park. It is particularly rich in primates, with 13 species recorded, the highest for any Ugandan national park. Kibale forest is the most important stronghold of Ugandan red colobus, but it supports 8 other diurnal primate species; vervet, red-tailed, L’Hoest’s and blue monkeys; Uganda mangabey; black and white colobus; olive baboon and chimpanzee. It also supports 4 species of nocturnal prosimiyan including the sloth-like portal.