Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda: With more than 5,000 chimpanzees living there, Uganda is the greatest place in East Africa to do chimpanzee trekking. After gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking is the most popular activity in Uganda. It entails venturing far into the forest to locate habituated chimpanzee groups and spending an hour with them in their natural habitat.
Where in Uganda can I find chimpanzee trekking safaris?
In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking is a remarkable and fascinating sport that is carried out in a number of locations, including
Kibale National Park
The primate capital, Kibale National Park, is situated in western Uganda and is the greatest place to go chimpanzee trekking in the country because it has the largest population of chimpanzees-1,500-in the country. In Kibale National Park, chimpanzee trekking is conducted in three stages.
For instance, the morning session begins at approximately 8:00 am, followed by the mid-day session at approximately 12:00 pm, and the afternoon session at approximately 2:00 pm. The adventurous chimpanzee habituation experience, which involves training wild chimpanzees to become accustomed to human presence for trekking, is another feature of Kibale National Park.
The Kalinzu Forest
After Kibale National Park, Kalinzu Forest is the second-best place in Uganda to go chimpanzee trekking. About 290 chimpanzees and other primates, including black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive baboons, can be found in the forest in the Bushenyi district of western Uganda.
Forest of Budongo
After Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest is the third-best place to undertake chimpanzee trekking. The largest mahogany forest in East Africa is Budongo Forest, which is situated in Murchison Falls National Park.
More than 800 chimpanzees dwell in Budongo Forest, which also is home to other primates such as olive baboons, blue and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and a variety of bird species and trees that you will see when chimpanzee trekking.
Gorge of Kyambura
Another place to go chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is the Kyambura Gorge, also called the Valley of Apes. Located in the eastern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s second largest and most popular national park, lies Kyambura Gorge, home to more than 30 chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee trekking experience
The fascinating activity of chimpanzee trekking begins very early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters regarding the guidelines to be followed while hiking. Following the briefing, you will be split up into groups of eight, with a knowledgeable park guide assigned to each group who is familiar with the trekking routes used by chimpanzees.
Because chimpanzees prefer to roam around in search of food, trekking with them in Uganda might take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on their location. Trekking allows you to see a range of bird species, many plant and tree species, and other primate species like red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and black and white colobus monkeys.
You will be permitted to spend an hour with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat after they have been located. This will allow you to observe their daily activities, which include feeding, hunting, nursing, grooming young, fighting, mating, playing, and resting, among other things. You will also have the opportunity to take pictures and record videos of the chimpanzees.
The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale National Park allows you to spend four hours with the chimpanzees while they go through the habituation process if you want to spend more time with them.
The price of a hiking permit for chimpanzees
A chimpanzee trekking permit, which is a legal card or document issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to any visitor over the age of 15, is required before you can participate in the exciting chimpanzee trekking activity. This permit allows you to visit a habituated chimpanzee family in either Kibale National Park, Kalinzu Forest, Budongo Forest, or Kyambura Gorge.
A single chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale National Park costs 250 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 200 USD per person for foreign residents, and 200,000 UGX per person for East African citizens. The cost of chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda varies based on the trip’s destination. While chimpanzee trekking permits in Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest cost 100 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 50 USD per person for foreign residents, and 30,000 UGX per person for East African citizens, chimpanzee trekking permits in Budongo Forest cost 100 USD per person for both foreign residents and foreign non-residents.
You can reserve chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or via a reputable travel agency. When making a reservation through a tour operator, you will get in touch with All In Africa Safaris and provide your name, the date, month, year, and the place you want to visit.
We will verify permit availability after you get in touch with us, and you will be required to pay a deposit once permits become available. As soon as the payment is received, we will buy the chimpanzee trekking permit for you and provide you a scanned copy of the receipts as proof.
The ideal time of year to visit Uganda for chimpanzee trekking excursions
Although it is possible to go chimpanzee trekking in Uganda at any time of year, the best time to do it is in the dry season, which runs from June to February. Access roads and chimpanzee trekking trails will be dry and navigable during the dry season because there is less rainfall in the forests, which makes trekking much simpler.
In contrast to the dry season, when chimpanzees move deep into the forest to search for food, making trekking challenging, chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is also possible during the wet season, which runs from March to May and November. This is especially true for locations like Budongo Forest, Kalizu Forest, and Kyambura Gorge, where there is an abundance of food in the forests due to heavy rainfall.
You can check our website for chimpanzee trekking packages or get in touch with us at All In Africa Safaris for more information. Chimpanzee trekking is a thrilling and fascinating activity that you shouldn’t miss on your safari in Uganda.
