Kibale conservation area is located in southwestern Uganda and is a tropical forest that harbors a lot of wildlife. Kibale National park is located in the Kabarole district in western Uganda near Fort Portal town which is the biggest town in the Kabarole district. The park was established in 1993 and is being managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority

Kibale conservation area is located in the western Uganda region covering areas of Kibale National Park, Semliki National Park, Katonga game reserve, and Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve. Kibale conservation area has consisted of several ecosystems including dry savannah and tropical rain forests.

The conservation area consists of Kibale National Park, Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, and Semliki National Park. Due to the wide range of ecosystems it entails, the Kibale conservation area has the highest concentration of wildlife species. Kibale conservation area gives you a view of Rwenzori ranges, birding experiences, nature walks through the forest, and chimpanzee tracking among others.

Kibale National Park:

Over the past years Kibale National Park’s biodiversity has been strengthened through several ways aiming at the restoration of natural habitats and animal species. Kibale has gotten over 1500 chimpanzees and 12 primates i.e. red-tailed monkeys, blue and white monkeys, rare golden monkeys, mangabeys, olive baboons, blue colobus monkeys. The chimpanzees are the most attractions at Kibale Forest National Park as well as chimpanzee habituation.

Kibale National Park is not only a home for primates but also 350 bird species i.e. green breasted pitta, ground thrush, crowned eagle, red chested owlet, black bee-eater, brown chested Alethe among others. Kibale National Park is also home to animals like lions, elephants, buffalos, bush pigs, bushbucks, sitatungas, and giant forest hogs among others.

Semliki National Park:

This park creates a boundary of the Kibale conservation area to the west and forms a border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Semliki National Park is well known for hot springs the female hot spring and male hot spring and several bird species which makes the birding safaris quite rewarding.

Semliki National Park is a home of primates such as blue colobus, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons among others. When you visit Semliki National Park you get an opportunity to learn about insects i.e. butterflies, reptiles such as lizards and snakes as well as the magnificent view of mountain Rwenzori.

Toro Semliki Wildlife Reserve:

This also part of the Kibale conservation area and is home to a large number of Ugandan kobs. Toro Semliki Wildlife Reserve was gazetted as a game reserve in 1926 and is among the first gazette areas in Uganda to protect the big number of Ugandan Kobs in Uganda. Toro Semliki is on an area of 550 sq. km and is located in western Uganda covering some parts of Ntoroko and Kabarole districts in the west of Uganda. It’s also located in the Albert Nile rift valley area between Kijura and Mountain Rwenzori.

Katonga Wildlife Reserve:

Katonga wildlife reserve is also part of the great Kibale conservation area covering 211 sq. km. the reserve is located in western Uganda along the banks of river Katonga Reserve established in 1998 to protect flora and fauna. The reserve was first gazetted in 1864 as a wildlife corridor to join Tanzania to Uganda to allow the free movements of mammals from one end to another.

Katonga wildlife reserve is covered by savannah grassland vegetation and savannah woodland vegetation type while other areas are covered by papyrus swamps i.e. on river banks of River Katonga. The wildlife reserve harbors animals like rare wetland antelopes, waterbucks, sitatungas, hippos, and birds. The park had zebras, topis, and elands however they no longer exist.