Kalinzu Forest

Kalinzu forest is situated near Queen Elizabeth national park in the western part of Uganda in Kasese, Rubirizi, Kamwenge, and Rukungiri. Kalinzu forest is the second best destination for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda after Kibale forest national park.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest

Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity here, chimpanzee trekking involves going out into the jungle to track for the chimpanzees and this can take you 2-3 hours depending on the location of chimpanzees and the speed at which you are trekking. Once you meet a chimpanzee group you will be given a maximum of one hour to stay with them as you observe their behaviors and also take pictures using flash less cameras.

Kalinzu forest is also a birder paradise hosting over 379 species of birds, a home to 414 tree species, 220 chimpanzee species, 262 butterfly species, and 97 months. Tourists going for chimpanzee trekking to Kalinzu can combine the visit with wildlife viewing at queen Elizabeth national park. The cost of tracking chimpanzees at Kalinzu forest is $110 per person per trek. Trekking permits are sold to persons above the age of 12 and trekking is not done by people that have infectious diseases such as flu, cough, and diarrhea.

Nature guided walks

There are numerous trails established for nature-guided walks and hiking the common ones being: the waterfall trail which leads you to the panoramic Kilyantama waterfalls, the river trail takes tourists through the former elephant river where there were so many elephants some time way back.  The valley trail takes visitors through the magnificent valley ridge as you come across various bird species in the forest and the guide will also tell you different bird species are used by people for numerous ailments. Nature-guided walks at the forest can take one to half-day or even full day as this will depend on the visitor’s interest.

Bird watching

Kalinzu forest is a good place for birding hosting over 379 species of birds recorded, some of the species found in this forest include great blue turaco, black and white casket, cuckoo, black-billed turaco, casqued hornbill, and many others.

How to access Kalinzu forest

Kalinzu forest national park can be reached within 45 minutes using road transport from the Mweya sector of queen Elizabeth national park. This forest can be reached by road transport from Kampala within 6-7 hours’ drive.

Where to stay when you visit Kalinzu forest

There are no accommodation options in Kalinzu except the campsite, tourists visiting queen Elizabeth national park can sleep at the campsite but never forget to carry camping gear. Those going for half-day activities can carry their packed lunch and have lunch in the jungle.

What to pack

When visiting Kalinzu forest, tourists should come along with plenty of drinking water, energy-giving snacks, insect repellents, good waterproof hiking shoes, good quality camera, sunscreen, a hat, garden gloves, long-sleeved clothes, and much more