A new lodge near Kibale National Park is the perfect base camp for both chimpanzee treks and encounters with the local community.

*Left to right*: A lounge area in one of the Kibale Lodge’s bandas; chimpanzees are one of 13 species of primates found in Kibale National Park. (Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris)

Hovering in that happy state between sleep and wakefulness, I’m roused by the sound of a melodic voice outside my cottage. I fumble for the light switches and open the door to see Livias, my personal butler, standing there in the dark singing a folk song in her native Luganda language. It’s not the wakeup call I had imagined. As I goggle drowsily, she finishes up and hands me a cup of strong black coffee, with a gentle reminder that breakfast is in half an hour.

And so the day begins at Kibale Lodge in western Uganda. The latest property from local ecotourism operator Volcanoes Safaris, Kibale (pronounced chi-baa-li) opened its doors in July this year. The company’s first lodge was built more than 20 years ago down south near Mgahinga National Park to offer trekkers a chance to see endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. This one, the fifth in the company’s portfolio, is located near Kibale National Park, the self-styled primate capital of the world, which is known for another great ape—the chimpanzee.

Unlike mountain gorillas, of which just over 1,000 exist in the misty highlands of central and east Africa, chimpanzees are found in abundance in this region. So the spotlight on them doesn’t shine quite as bright, which is a pity, given that chimps and humans share about 98 percent of their DNA. I am here to hike into the forests of Kibale to look for our closest cousins and spend an hour (the maximum time allotted to visitors once the first group of chimps is located) watching them work and play in their own habitats.

Kibale Lodge sits at 1,430 meters overlooking hills, lakes, and farming terraces near its namesake national park. (Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris)

I am also hoping to observe and identify behavioral patterns that local primatologist Dr. Emily Otali spoke about over drinks the previous evening at the lodge’s cozy lounge. A tall glass of gin and tonic in hand, I had listened in fascination as Otali shared nuggets from her years of experience researching these intelligent primates. Fission-fusion societies (i.e. hanging out in small subgroups which occasionally get together as a larger whole), vocalization patterns (the distinct grunts and barks they use to communicate with each other), power hierarchies (with alpha males, submissive females, and dependent children within groups)—her knowledge of chimpanzees was as impressive as it was vast. And I am eager to see some of this in action.

It is less than an hour’s drive to the park’s visitor center, where we meet Prossy, our ranger-guide for the chimp tracking activity. She begins with a thorough briefing on dos—keep eyes and ears open in the rough rainforest terrain and maintain silence to enjoy its beauty—and don’ts—mimic chimpanzee sounds, make sudden movements or aggressive eye contact. And most importantly, never take off your face mask when near the primates, since they are susceptible to human diseases.

Divided into groups of eight with two rangers in each, we head into the forest in search of the nearest chimpanzee family, one of the handful that has been patiently habituated to human presence by rangers and researchers over the course of several months. Prossy leads the group confidently, hacking her way through the overgrown vegetation and calling out warnings about overhanging branches and tangled roots. She pauses now and again to allow the slowpokes to catch up, and generally keeps the morale high as we trudge on through the silent forest.

*Left to right*: Butler Livias Kyokunda; heading off on a ranger-escorted trek. (Photos: Charukesi Ramadurai)

Did I say silent? About an hour into the hike, the air abruptly fills with a cacophony of hoots and whoops that echoes all around us. And then the chimpanzees emerge into view. An old male is sleeping on the wet forest floor, indifferent to the urgent screeches of his troupe. A young couple is engaged in mutual grooming, an important social ritual that creates lifetime bonds among primates. Around the corner, a tiny chimp swings dangerously from the branches as his mother watches on warily, wearily. A large alpha suddenly bounds out of the thickets, whooshing past our startled group, as if in a rush to make it on time to an important meeting.

Prossy explains that it is just after feeding time and the apes are expending all the sugary energy that comes from a diet of predominantly fruit and flowers. As I watch, it becomes clear this forest belongs to them, and we humans are merely transient interlopers. And I feel grateful for this chance to see them in their own habitat.

Back at the lodge, I find Livias waiting to take me straight to the spa for the complimentary 50-minute massage that is offered to guests each day of their stay. Duly spa’d and showered, I then head to the dining lounge for a three-course meal, of which the main dish, a curry of beans and dodo (amaranth leaves) served with rice and a side of fried matoke (a starchy highland banana), delights my Indian palate with a tantalizingly familiar taste of home. Not surprisingly, the conversations at dinner are centered entirely on the antics of the chimpanzees we had encountered.

Inside a thatch-roofed guest banda at Kibale Lodge; a young male chimp in the forests of Kibale. — *Left to right*: Inside a thatch-roofed guest *banda* at Kibale Lodge; a young male chimp in the forests of Kibale. (Photos: Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris; iStock/Rixpix)

At Kibale Lodge, there are only eight bandas (cottages) spread across the grounds, with four more to open by the end of the year. The property is perched high up on a hill, with sprawling views of the Rwenzori Mountains toward the west. Each of the bandas is named after one of the range’s peaks. The architectural style is uber-local with ample use of mud, wood, and thatch, with a fireplace in the rooms for those chilly nights and an open-to-the-skies shower for those warm mornings.

Then there are the stunning bronze sculptures placed in the rooms and public areas. They’re sourced from the Rwenzori Sculpture Gallery, a local art project supported by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, the not-for-profit arm of the company that works with communities around the lodges. The decor and service ethos of Kibale Lodge reflect founder Praveen Moman’s personal connection with this land where he grew up, before his Indian-Ugandan family was expelled by Idi Amin in the early 1970s along with thousands of other settlers. During my stay, I get a firsthand look at how it is possible to serve up barefoot luxury in a wildlife lodge, while also serving the cause of both habitat conservation and community upliftment.

One of my favorite memories is from a morning visit to a primary school about a half-hour’s drive from the lodge. Here, Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust works with the Jane Goodall Institute to educate local children—and the allied community of teachers and parents—about the environment and the importance of wildlife conservation. As I watch a dozen bright-eyed preteens recite a pledge about how together they can and will change the world, my heart swells with hope that the future of Kibale’s chimpanzees is in good hands.

Nightly rates at Kibale Lodge start from US$1,650, all-inclusive.

This article originally appeared in the December 2024/February 2025 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Treasure Island”).

Getting Back to Nature in Western Uganda

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