Kibale National Park — Attraction in Kabarole

Incredibly beautiful rainforest, rich in wildlife! Professional, interesting and friendly rangers for the most part. I did a chimpanzee trek in the morning (8 am to 12 pm) and a night walk in search of bushbabies in the evening (7 pm to 9 pm). Both were great and rewarding!

On the downside, I found that too many groups of people were chasing the chimpanzees at the same time (around forty people in the morning), sometimes with no regard for the comfort or respect of the chimpanzees... Between one or two guides shouting in the forest and jostling visitors, and some ill-mannered tourists taking off their masks to take selfies with the primates in defiance of the sanitary measures imposed to protect them, I sometimes felt uncomfortable, for myself, for the other members of my small group and for the chimpanzees... Perhaps it would be a good idea to think about lowering the ceiling on the number of simultaneous trekkers? And to better educate guides and trekkers about the importance of maintaining calm and wearing masks when faced with the chimps? These animals are so precious and the setting so magical, it would be a shame to turn it...

Such a shame. Beautiful forest and in theory an amazing experience to see the chimpanzees in their natural habitat but I would NOT recommend it to anyone nor would I do it again. They say maximum 6 people will view the family at once but in reality, all groups (40 or so people in total) end up in the same spot and look at the same family. People use flash, do not wear masks properly, approach the chimps really up close and even chase them - and the rangers do nothing! We had to ask some people to behave as once you ask the rangers why they do not react they either ignore the question or say ‘tourists want to get good experience’ - I believe they are afraid to say anything to not lose the tip. Change this horrid system to charge more and pay the rangers better (increase the permit price if needed) so they do not rely on tips and maybe then they will actually enforce the rules. There should also be fines given to idiot tourists chasing a chimpanzee with a baby or almost touching chimp’s face with their phone.. It’s really sad to see such an amazing place and chimpanzees’ habitat turned into the zoo for the...

I can only echo previous reviews about my experience. We participated in the chimpanzee tracking, where we were split into smaller groups but ultimately all gathered at the same spot, alongside nearly 50 other tourists. It was disheartening to see the group of 5-6 chimpanzees being surrounded and chased by so many people, with little regard for the safety or well-being of the animals. Despite prior instructions from the rangers to maintain a respectful distance and wear face masks, those rules were blatantly ignored, and one chimpanzee even charged at a tourist.

Unfortunately, it seemed the rangers were more focused on ensuring tourists were happy—likely for tips—rather than prioritizing the animals' welfare. When I tried to raise concerns, the rangers dismissed me. It was upsetting to witness an experience that felt more like a commercialized zoo, where tourists behaved recklessly, all in the name of a paid experience and social media. While the national park and its natural beauty are remarkable, I won’t be returning after this disappointing and...