Trekking with chimpanzees in Kibale woodland national park

Trekking with chimpanzees in Kibale woodland national park

Trekking in the kibale forest national park, chimps are our closest cousins with 99% of their DNA shared with humans solely through sign communication. Large groups of up to 100 chimps call their habitat home; occasionally, some families have up to 200 members. With over 1500 species of chimpanzees, Kibale forest national park is the best place for chimpanzee trekking in the whole East African region. This is the top thing to do in the park and draws several visitors especially those who love primates time after time to engage in this exciting experience of spending one hour with the habituated chimpanzees in their natural habitats. Located in western Uganda, Kibale Forest National Park was created in 1995 to preserve the forest and the species within it, particularly the chimpanzees that thrill with in Kibale. Though chimpanzees are the most often seen primate in the Kibale forest national park, visitor typically come across the other 12 species of primates.

Two shifts of chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park are the morning and afternoon shifts. While afternoon chimpanzee trekking begins at 12:00pm, morning chimpanzee treking begins at 8:00am. Starting with the briefing at the Kanyanchu research center, where the park headquarters for the kibale forest national park are located, morning and afternoon chimpanzee trekking proceeds. Trekkers are properly informed about the dos and the don’ts during chimpanzee trekking as well as all the possible expectations while in the jungle trekking chimps in Kibale Forest National Park during the briefing.

Kibale Park National Garden
Kibale Park National Foreground

Following a chimpanzee trekking briefing, participants have time to hire porters who are constantly on hand to help carry the back packs and support arduous path walking. Trekkers begin the amazing journey of looking for the habituated chimpanzee families within security of armed rangers once porter hiring is complete. During chimpanzee trekking, kibale forest is home to a great variety of other wildlife species, including many more primates including monkeys, mammals like elephants, buffaloes, bird species including forest birds and many more. Following their booming shouts helps one to quickly find chimpanzees. Trekking chimpanzees in kibale forest calls for a specific degree of fitness since trekkers must follow them up until they at last stop while chimpanzees keep roaming in quest of food. After that, Trekkers are authorized to only one hour with chimpanzees observing them as they eat, mate, nurse, and even fight among themselves. As many pictures as you can, then on go back to the resort for rest or participate in another activity like bigodi nature walk.

CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN KIBALE FOR NATIONAL PARK

For foreign non-residents, a chimpanzee trekking permit in the Kibale Forest National Park costs $200 per person; for foreign residents, it costs $150 per person; and UgX 100,000 for other East African community members. Conversely, the cost of chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park is $250 per person for foreign nonresidents, $200 for foreign residents and UgX. 150,000 for all other east African community members. The good news is that although the porter rental costs are excluded, a chimpanzee permit covers the park admission fees and Ranger expenses.

Either directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) or via a reputable and registered tour operator  these chimpanzee trekking / habituation permits must be reserved for you and picked at the office ahead of arrival in Uganda.

The ideal time for chimpanzee treking in Kibale Forest National Park

Although Trekking chimpanzees is done all year round, due to different climatic conditions in Uganda, the best months advised to engage in chimpanzee trekking with in Kibale Forest National Park is during the dry months of December, January, February, March, June, July, August and September when the trails are dry and passable with minimum vegetation cover. Nevertheless, the park is somewhat crowded during the dry season with many hikers unlike those in the wet months of April, May, October, and November when trail conditions are difficult but not rare.

CHIMPANZEE TREKKING RULE AND REGULATION SCHEDULE

• The minimal age for chimpanzee treking is twelve years.
• Six hikers are let with armed rangers.
• One hour is allocated for presence of chimpanzees.
• While in the bush with chimpanzees, trekkers are encouraged to quickly heed rangers’ and guides’ instructions.
• The park is not littering.
• No food, drink, or alcohol consumed near chimps
• Photographs should not be taken with camera flash light used.
• Sick people carrying communicative diseases like coughing and flue are not permitted to walk chimps.
• Trekkers and the chimpanzees should keep at least eight meters apart socially.

ALL YOU NEED FOR KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK CHIMPANZEE TREKKING

The Packing list for Kibale forest national park’s chimpanzee trekking comprises;

• Kibale chimpanzee trip authorization
• A back pack should be well stocked with binoculars, a camera, insect repellant, etc.
• On trekking day, one picks a hiking stick from the park; pack some snacks and enough drinking water.
• Hire a porter to help with back pack carrying.
• Choose suitable gorilla trekking gear like garden gloves, long sleeved clothing, suitable hiking shoes, sun glasses and a cap.

Getting Here

One can reach Kibale Forest National Park by road from many different points. Due of its strategic location, this suggests that it is quite simple to connect to Kibale forest national park from many locations and also it is possible to tail a Uganda safari including chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park, and Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla trekking and many more.

By air: Entebbe international airport or Kajansi airfield has domestic flights to Kibale.

Trekking in Kibale forest national park chimps

In Kibale forest national park, chimpanzee trekking still ranks as the most popular activity available. Apart from Budongo woodland, Kaniyo Pabidi, Kyambura gorge, Kalinzu forest, Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary, and Semliki national reserve, other locations where Chimpanzee trekking is done in Uganda are Apart from Chimpanzee trekking, Kibale forest national park offers other several tourist activities; Chimpanzee habituation experience allowing 4 hours with chimpanzees after following then for a long period of time, birding with over 375 bird species thrilling in kibale forest national park, guided nature walks in bigodi wetland sanctuary, visiting the crater lakes, visiting Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru caves, and many more.