Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda; Facts, 5 Best Chimp Tours in Kibale
Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda (Chimp tracking) is one of the unusual primate adventures enjoyable by tourists on Uganda safari. It is distinct from other primate experiences in the sense that visitors engage in an active walk through the natural rainforest with experienced interpretive guides in search for chimpanzee community in the wild.
The trek to see chimpanzees involve spending 2-4 hours in the wild and visitors are guaranteed of an hour to stay face-to-face with chimpanzees in the wild upon locating them. During this interaction, visitors keep a distance of 8-10m away from these primates.
While on up close and personal encounter with chimpanzees, visitors get opportunity to observe the social behavior, structure of these primates and also take pictures.
How Many Chimpanzees Live in Uganda?
Out of over 150,000-250,000 chimpanzees that exist in the wild, about 5050 of them are distributed across Uganda. These survive in the national parks, forest reserves and other areas.
Where to Track Chimpanzees in Uganda?
Uganda presents primate enthusiasts abundant opportunities to search for chimpanzees in the wild. The main destinations worth visiting for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda include Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kalinzu Forest Reserve.
Where is the best Place for Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda?
Every chimpanzee safari destination in Uganda rewards visitors differently. Here is a detailed information about top places to visit for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda;
Kibale National Park.
Out of over 5050 chimpanzees that live in Uganda, about 1500 of them call Kibale National Park their home. These species make up part of the 13 primate species in Kibale and you can find them in the wild during normal chimpanzee treks or chimpanzee habituation experience.
Kibale National Park lies in the Western part of Uganda in Kabarole district nearby Fort Portal tourism city. It is notably the best place to visit for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and boasts of diverse habituated chimp communities. Over 4 chimpanzee communities have undergone habituation in Kibale and treks to explore them starts at Kanyanchu Visitor Centre with briefing.
There are two sessions for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park- that is in the morning and afternoon. Each session guarantees primate seekers a chance to enjoy up close with chimpanzee community in the wild. Visitors are first put in groups of 6 members and each group is led by an experienced interpretive park ranger guide.
In addition to chimpanzees, Kibale is endowed with other multiple species of primates which you can encounter on actual chimp trek. They include l’hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, pottos, bush babies, grey cheeked mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys, etc.
Compared to other chimpanzee trekking destinations, Kibale presents the highest sighting success rate of about 95%.
Kyambura Gorge.
Lying in the far Eastern end of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, Kyambura Gorge is another special place worth considering for chimpanzee tracking. This area is also popular as ‘the valley of the ape’ and is 100 deep and 1km extensive gorge with a lush tropical forest in it.
Visitors embark on an immersion into Kyambura Gorge’s forest in search of chimpanzees and along the way, they also come across some primates and birds. You can choose to take part in the morning or afternoon chimp trek in Kyambura Gorge- all sessions guaranteeing you a chance to interact with these primates in the wild.
Budongo Forest.
Situated around the Southern side of Murchison Falls National Park, Budongo Forest is another primate seekers’ favorite place for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. A total of about 800 chimpanzees all exist in Budongo Forest.
Is chimpanzee trekking really worth it?
Absolutely YES! Trekking chimpanzees in Uganda is worth every penny and energies invested. Chimpanzees are among endangered species and trekking to see them guarantees you an hour of up close and personal encounter while in their natural environment.
Chimpanzee trekking plays a significant role in protection of chimpanzees. A significant portion of the fees paid for permits and the chimpanzee safaris in general is employed back to facilitate conservation activities.
The park authorities use the finances from chimpanzee tourism for paying park rangers and guides, researchers, and other personnel engaged in ensuring these species exist today and the next generations.
Cost of chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda
The cost of chimpanzee tracking varies depending on a number of factors like cost of chimpanzee permits, accommodation, transportation, length of stay and others. The chimpanzee permits for instance are charged depending on the destination.
Kibale chimpanzee permits are obtainable at USD 250 for foreign nonresidents, USD 200 for foreign residents and shs, 180,000 for the East African citizens.
What to pack for chimpanzee tracking?
Here is the list of items to consider when packing for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda; waterproof rain jacket, a pair of trousers, a sweater and scarf, a camera with no flash, waterproof daypack, long-sleeved shirts, sunscreen, insect repellents, extra camera batteries, a pair of binoculars and others.
Chimpanzee tracking regulations;
- Visitors should keep a distance of 8-10m away from chimpanzees.
- No smoking or eating in the presence of chimpanzees.
- Spend a maximum of an hour during a face-to-face encounter with chimpanzees.
- Minimum chimpanzee tracking age is 12 years.
- Do not use a flashlight camera during photography.
- Do not touch chimpanzees.
- Cover your mouth when coughing/nose when sneezing.
When is the best time to go trek chimpanzees in the wild?
The dry season is the favorite time for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda and this is experienced twice a year. The first phase starts from June till September and the next phase runs from December up to February.
Chimpanzee trekking Vs gorilla trekking;
Chimpanzee tracking and gorilla trekking are two different primate adventures, each presents opportunity to visitors to encounter different primates. The chimp tracking tour involves exploring on foot the chimpanzees while gorilla trekking takes you on a search for mountain gorillas.
In Uganda, you can trek mountain gorillas in the two Parks; Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. These two protected area shelter about half of the total population of mountain gorillas that survive on earth.
What is remarkable is that there is a chance to see both primates on a combined tour.
Chimpanzee tracking Vs Chimpanzee habituation;
Chimpanzee tracking mainly involves searching for already habituated chimpanzee communities and chimpanzee habituation is done on semi-habituated chimps. During habituation, the researchers, conservationists and other environmentalists engage in making the wild chimps get used to human presence.
Top 5 Best Chimpanzee Trekking Tour Packages:
3 days Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest itinerary covers a wide range of landscapes in the stunning protected Area and two main activities that only Kibale Forest can offer with a guarantee of unforgettable experiences. Starting in Kampala/Entebbe, you will head west passing… Tour Details.
The 3 days Kibale chimpanzee habituation is a special primate tour package that offers you half/full day to explore in depth about chimpanzees -their behaviors and taking pictures. The prime destination to visit to enjoy a guided chimpanzee habituation experience will be… Tour Details.
This 3-day Kalinzu chimpanzee trek tour is designed to allow you immerse yourself into Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve in search for habituated chimpanzee community. About 50 chimpanzee individuals have fully undergone habituation and can be trekked in Kalinzu… Tour Details.
4 Day Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari – Uganda Safari tour you will enjoy a launch cruise, game drives and chimpanzee tracking at Kyambura George. 4 Day Queen Elizabeth National Park Wildlife Safari Uganda. On arrival at t Entebbe International Airport, you will need to… Tour Details.
Explore Uganda with our 10 Days Uganda Safari – Budget Safari Tour to enjoy gorilla & Chimp tracking, wildlife views, nature & cultural walks, and many more. 10 Days Uganda Safari trip starts and ends in Kampala the capital city of Uganda. Starting and concluding in Kampala… Tour Details.