How to choose your destination for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda?
If you desire to do chimpanzee trekking, Uganda offers the best chances than any other place in East Africa. Because, there are four places which you can visit to see chimpanzees.
Where to see chimpanzees in Uganda
1. Kibale Forest National Park
Home to over 1400 chimpanzees and 12 primate species, Kibale forest is regarded as the primate capital of the world. There are more than 10 troops of chimps that have been habituated since 1993. They are accustomed to humans which means the chance to see chimps is almost 100% guaranteed. Chimpanzee trekking permit is $200 per person. Chimpanzee trekking can be done during the morning at 8:00am or 2:00pm afternoon. Visitors spend up to 1 hour with chimps. It’s great and definitely one of your must do activities in Uganda. Besides chimp trekking, Kibale forest offers chimpanzee habituation experience where you observe chimps for full day at $250 USD per person. Optional activities to view more primates in Kibale include Bigodi community swamp walk and night walk.
2. Budongo Forest Reserve
This eco-tourism spot is home to over 700 chimpanzees including 6 troops that are habituated for tourism. The chance to see chimps in Budongo forest is high because of there are no reports of visitors missing to see chimps despite the time of the year. Chimpanzee trekking at Budongo is done in the morning session starting 08:am or afternoon at 2:00pm. This forest reserve is located south of Murchison Falls Conservation Area which presents an opportunity to view more wildlife in Murchison falls national park. Options also include visiting Ziwa Rhino sanctuary.
3. Kalinzu Forest Reserve and Kyambura Gorge
The two central forest reserves located in Queen Elizabeth, Uganda’s most visited National Park. Kalinzu forest is the most popular for chimp trekking than Kyambura gorge because of the following reasons Kyambura gorge also known as the valley of apes has a rough terrain that make it difficult to locate chimps. On the other hand, the terrain of kalinzu forest is gentle and undulating making it relatively easier to search for chimps. The chance of seeing chimps is high like 80% and while in Kyambura its 50% thus the price to see chimps is $50 USD per person.
4. Toro-semuliki Wildlife Reserve
The number of days you wish to spend on safari in Uganda will determine where to see chimps. Sample itineraries for chimpanzee trekking tours in Uganda.
For shorter trips less than 4 days, you can still see Chimps and view Wildlife.
- 3 day Murchison falls with option to visit Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and Budongo forest
- 3 Day Queen Elizabeth National Park with option for chimp trekking in Kalinzu forest reserve or Kyambura gorge
- 2 Day Kibale Forest chimp trekking safari.
- 1 Day Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
This is suitable for travelers with less than a day in Entebbe or Kampala and includes a boat cruise on Lake Victoria.
What is the difference between Chimpanzee Trekking and Habituation Experience?
The two offer visitors a chance to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat. However, chimpanzee tracking provides the chance to observe chimps for 1 hour. At Kibale forest, it is done in 2 secessions. The morning secession starts at 8:00am and the 2:00pm in the afternoon.
On the other hand, chimpanzee habituation experience involves watching chimpanzees for a full day starting between 6 to 6:30am in the morning when chimps leave their nests up to 7:00pm. There’s much more to learn about chimps and their behavior because visitors can observe chimps leaving their nests as they begin their day to hunt for food. Chimpanzee groups allocated for habituation are less accustomed to humans than those for tracking. In East Africa, the other places to see chimps include Nyungwe Forest National Park Rwanda, Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania.