Chimpanzee Tracking is one of the best wildlife safari experiences in the world. This is one of the not to miss activity that you cannot enjoy while traveling Uganda.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National park
Kibale Forest is located about 30 minutes from Fort Portal, cleanest town in Uganda, taking approximately 4.5 – 5 hours from Kampala along Mityana-Mubende highway. From Kampala, Kibale forest national park makes it possible to do chimp tracking tour just in 2 days, however for more comfort and luxury, you can spread it out and make it slightly more relaxed 3-day safari.
The park is perfectly nestled amidst rolling romantic hills of lush, tea plantations and is a beautiful area to just chill out with a book or take some walks through the surrounding craters or nearby Bigodi Swamp (5km from the forest).
Chimpanzee trekking lasts between four and eight hours and how much you walk and how deep you penetrate into the forest depends on luck, and a little on the skills of your UWA guide. They warn you at the outset that there is a chance you may see nothing but be sure of seeing at least one of the habituated groups at some point, with up to 95% chances of having a glimpse on chimps.
Budongo forest reserve
Budongo Forest is situated approximately 320km northwest of the capital city Kampala on the southern outskirts of the famous Murchison Falls National Park. This boasts to be the biggest Mahogany forest in East Africa as well as home to the numerous numbers of chimpanzees in Uganda.
Budongo Forest is a habitat to about 600 -700 chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes schweinfurthii). Since the 1960s, chimpanzees of Budongo forest have continuously been studied under the arrangement of Budongo Forest Conservation Field Station.
Chimpanzee groups in Budongo forest
There is a total of three chimpanzee groups which have been fully habituated and opened for trekking by tourists on a daily basis. Many other groups are still under habituation.
Groups in Budongo forest include; – Kaniyo-Pabidi Community, Sonso Community, Waibira Community, Busingiro community, Nature Reserve community and the Waisoke community.
Kalinzu forest
Kalinzu Forest Reserve is another prominent home to the world’s most sought after primates – the Chimpanzees. Kalinzu is found near Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwest of Uganda.
Kalinzu forest reserve is a renowned spot for chimpanzee trekking tours, second to Kibale national park. Kalinzu forest reserve boasts a total of about 300 chimpanzees, with about 40 fully habituated by Japanese researchers two years back. This makes visitors stand a high chance of seeing the chimpanzees while on a tour to Kalinzu Forest Reserve. What makes Kalinzu more remarkable is because its chimpanzee permits are cheaper than anywhere else in Uganda;
Apart from chimpanzees, Kalinzu Forest Reserve has other primates that will bring fun to your nature walks through the forest. Kalinzu forest reserve is home to a huge number of baboons, monkeys; blue monkeys, the black and white monkey, L’hoest’s, the red tailed Colobus monkeys.
Other residents of this forest include mammals, such as blue and red duiker, waterbuck, bushbuck, giant forest hog, elephants and buffaloes.
It is also host to over 97 moths, 262 butterflies, numerous bird species, flowers and reptiles.
Kyambura gorge
The Kyambura Gorge experience is more than discovering chimpanzees in their natural environment: it exposes visitors to the varied ecosystems of Kyambura Gorge’s atmospheric “underground” rainforest, including vegetation types, bird identification and behavior and chimp and monkey ecology.
The dramatic Kyambura Gorge is situated on the eastern side of the park, 35kms from the park headquarters and offers visitors great chances of combining a sensational wildlife tour as well as chimpanzee trekking tours.
Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors still stand a pretty good chance of hearing and seeing at least a habituated troop of these humans’ closest cousins. Kyambura chimpanzee tracking tours last between one and three hours, morning session begin at 8am, while the afternoon session begin at 2pm daily.
Places to Enjoy Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda
- Budongo Forest and Kaniyo Pabidi Forest in Murchison Falls National Park
- Kibale Forest National Park
- Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park
About chimpanzee trekking & Habituation in Kibale Forest National park
Chimpanzee habituation is a life time experience which allows trekkers to stay with the chimps for a whole day and watch them as they carry out their daily activities, this also makes them get used to the presence of humans without changing their natural environment. In course of the tour, you will also come across the chimp de nesting between 5: 30 to 6:30 before them throughout the day until they make the new nests at night. The habituation adventure by the tourists for the low season months of May, April and November is cheap.
There is also a primate walk that is known as chimpanzee tracking and it’s the most favourite of Kibale Walks that start from Kanyanchu visitor centre at 8:00 am in the morning and this lasts for 2 to 3 hours. These chimps are also the most sought after primates by the guests and you will also look out for the black and white colobus , the red tailed monkeys, the grey cheeked Mangabey, and many more. The guide will be able to show you some birds and the plant species with in the forest. This walk is taken by only 6 people in a group. And booking in advance is important most especially during the peak season.
Chimpanzee trekking has got rules and regulations that are to be followed and some of these include; avoiding eating near the chimps, keeping a distance of 8 m between you and the chimps, the children below the age of 12 are not allowed to engage in the trek, the guide is the only one to be able to access the forest, the flash photography is also not allowed with in the park, chimpanzees also need freedom and provoking then is not good.
Chimpanzee trekking is a very enjoyable adventure and its prepared today and also sets out to Kibale Forest and you will spend some time with them. You will also see them as they swim from one tree to another, play on the ground in front of you. These also share 98%of their DNA with the Humans, though they are wild animals, their chances of seeing them is not guaranteed even though they are wild animals. This makes it the most perfect destination in East Africa for chimpanzee watching safaris. You can also get an opportunity to take part in the habituation process that means that you can get chance to spend your whole day with the chimps.
Since the number of tracking permits are restricted, you are therefore advisable to book in advance prior to the safari dates. The lunch boxes will be given to the trekkers that are taking part in the habituation adventure since it needs the whole day. It’s also vital to note that 15 years is the minimum age that is allowed to carry out chimpanzee trekking. The requirement needed for chimpanzee trekking include; the shoes, wearing the long sleeved clothes, the rain gears, drinking water, cameras, and the Binoculars.
It’s also known that the average weight of an adult chimpanzee is between 35 and 70 kilometres and have a height of 3m while the adult female chimpanzee weighs between 26 and 50 kgs between 2 to 4 feet. These chimps are the closest relatives to the humans and they are sociable, so intelligent as well as communicative and the ability to use the tools like the rocks for crushing the nuts. These chimpanzees also stay in groups of 10 to 100 individuals and can take care of their young ones and these become independent at 4 years. These also feed and do make their sleeping nests in the trees.