Chimpanzee trekking expereince in Uganda’s rainforests is one of the major highlights on any Uganda bespoke safari. The trek experience is a guided trek that brings you into a face-to-face encounter with this man’s closest relative ape that shares up to 98.7% of human DNA. In this guide you will find essential practical information, tips, and recommendations to help you prepare your chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. We discuss how to obtain your permit, chimpanzee trekking locations, minimum age, fitness levels, best time to trek, all to prepare you for an expereince often dubbed a “once in a lifetime” adventure.
About the Chimpanzee
Uganda’s rainforests host the largest populations of the Common Chimpanzee outside the Congo forest, where this population is now treated as a full species named; the Eastern Common Chimpanzee (Pan. t. schweinfurthi). Chimpanzee occur in large communities numbering over 150 individuals led by a dominant male at the helm, assisted by a “gang” of subordinate males.
Chimpanzee are charismatic species, agile and the most intelligent of the big apes that exhibit recognizable human-like traits, including facial expressions and complex social structures. Their intelligence has been exhibited in tool manipulation and strategy in their day to day lifestyle. A typical day in this complex community, begins with a male-only troop setting off to patrol, defend and protect the home range and raiding outside territories while the female and young, spread out in individual family units to feed within the home range in protection of the dominant male.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chimpanzee trekking expereince in Uganda
What is a typical Day on a Chimpanzee Trekking Experience in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking expereince is a guided walk/hike across Uganda’s rainforests to encounter up-close a habituated chimpanzee community as it forages. A face-to-face encounter with the chimpanzee reveals human-like attributes, complex social structure and incredible intelligence demonstrated by chimpanzee including tool manipulation and facial expressions.
A chimpanzee trek day begins with you the visitor checking-in at the park’s visitors center on a the booked trek day as indicated on your permit. A safety briefing session follows on to prepare you for the activity and thereafter ranger guides will set you in an 8-person groups to be led out towards the chimpanzee feeding and home range. On locating the chimpanzee, you will get to spend one hour viewing the chimp community.
Chimpanzee trekking experience schedules differ from each trekking site but at Kibale National Park, treks leave daily on morning and afternoon schedules, stretching anywhere between 3-5 hrs.
What is the difference between Ordinary Chimpanzee and Habituation Trekking Experience
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is offered in two distinct options differing in expereince, cost and duration spent with the chimpanzee.
These include;
- Ordinary Chimpanzee Trekking Experience: This is the most popular trek expereince in any of Uganda’s chimp tracking forests where visitors are allowed only one-hour viewing duration once they have found the chimpanzee on a trek. The entire trekking expereince including the viewing time normally lasts up to 5 hrs.
- Habituation Trekking Experience (CHEX) is longer and richer offering an exclusive time with chimpanzee where a limited number of tourists (up to 4 ), trek along with research ranger guides following a semi-habituated chimpanzee family. On this expereince, the day begins very early (6am) targeting to find the chimps where they nested and following on as they forage. This offers you rare insights of the chimpanzee before fully getting used to human presence. This trek experience is considered a full-day activity duration lasts up to 7/8 hrs.
How much do Chimpanzee trekking permit cost?
Chimpanzee trekking permit price in Uganda differ due to the location or site of trekking plus the expereince type you choose. Permits on the habituation trek expereince cost 300 USD per person.while ordinary trek permits cost 250 USD per person in Kibale NP. Budongo forest Kalinzu and Kyambura permits range from 120-130USD per person on ordinary trek expereince.
Where to Trek Chimpanzee in Uganda
- Kibale National Park is undoubtedly the region’s premier destination for chimpanzee trekking experience offering over 90% of chances to encounter these apes. The park boasts of an incredible ranger guide teams with unmatched combined experience in conservation and habituation of chimpanzee. In the vast Kibale NP, communities of habituated Chimpanzee are tracked every morning and afternoon where ranger guides lead out groups to different feeding grounds of these species and get to spend an hour watching and learning about them. Chimpanzee Habituation Experience is available for those who seek more insights into these species’ lifestyles and have time on their hands. The activity takes almost a full day.
- Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The underground forest Kyambura Gorge set below the otherwise savanna plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the best place to encounter chimps in the wild. Covered in by a typical rain-forest, Kyambura gorge is a unique ecosystem extending 40 km long, up to a kilometer wide and liying 100m below the surrounding savanna woodlands, protecting a community of chimpanzee and several primates. Daily chimpanzee trekking experience begins from the Fig-tree camp on the edges of the gorge to follow various trails in the underground forest where duration may last between 4-6 hrs.
- Kalinzu Forest sits on the eastern edges of Queen Elizabeth NP protecting large communities of chimps where only one is available for trek activities. Kalinzu forest boasts an exclusive and rewarding trek experience owing to low permit fees and low numbers of tourists. Permit fees costs 120 USD pp for foreign visitors. Other primates include; Blue and Red-tailed Monkeys and the shy L’hoest Monkey. This Medium Altitude Forests is an extension of the greater Imaramagambo Forest and hosts several same flora and fauna. Activities start in mornings and afternoons where duration lasts up to 4 hrs.
- Ngamba Island is located just 30km off Entebbe landing site where rescued Chimpanzee from pet traders are given a new life and restored. Established in 1998 with only 19 orphaned individuals, now the numbers have really flourished in this natural forested island home. The chimps are regularly monitored and occasional come over the camps for fresh fruits and play. Activities on the island include a behind-the-scenes tour with staff or just a nature walk on the sand beaches.
- Kaniyo Pabidi Forest is part of the Budongo forest block that lies within the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area. The trek office is only 8 km from the main entry gate of Kicumbanyobo
- Bugoma Forest is another affordable chimpanzee trekking location situated conveniently along the Murchison Falls and Fort Portal tourist road or some 5hrs drive from Kampala. The forest offers two hikes every day 8AM and 2PM.
What is the best time to trek Chimpanzee in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is an all-year activity because of the diversity and the abundance fruiting trees, the main diet of chimpanzee. That said, the quality of expereince varies daily depending on several factors including local weather pattern, chimpanzee community’s social status and territory size.
What is the minimum age for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda?
The minimum age limit for chimpanzee tracking is 12 years.
How long is the Chimpanzee trekking Experience?
Chimpanzee trek expereince duration varies depending on daily weather and the season of fruiting trees within the chimp territories. On average ordinary chimpanzee trekking expereince will last between 4-6 hrs across all major sites. Habituation trekking expereince is considered a full-day activity requiring between 6-7hrs where an early start is required.
What are the health requirements for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda
It is important to note that anyone with communicable diseases like cough and flu will NOT be allowed to trek with chimps in fear to pass on the diseases to these primates.
How fit do you need to be for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking requires average fitness due to uneven terrain across Uganda chimp rainforest homes. The trek expereince varies daily due to local weather, season and where the chimpanzee choose to forage. Trekking expereince follow no gazetted trails but ranger guides rely on chimpanzee tracks, markings, sounds and droppings of chimps to find them.
This means wherever the chimps go, you follow; be it across dense forests structures, slippery, wet and muddy valleys across the chimpanzee territory range thus requiring average fitness. Suitable dress code and footwear is essential.
What to pack for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda
On a chimpanzee trekking proper dressing is crucial for a better expereince and here a few packing recommendations;
- Good and sturdy walking boots along with long stocks
- Long trousers and long sleeved shirts preferable in nature blending colors (strictly not military colors)
- Poncho or rain jackets regardless of the season
- Binoculars
- Hand gloves
- Good sense of humour