Chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda is one of the top tour safari packages that is mostly booked by the primates lovers when they visit Uganda. A safari to chimpanzee trekking in uganda is one of the most exhilarating trips you can take to the pearl of Africa, uganda. The most exciting primates you will ever find in Africa are the chimpanzees and it gets more interesting when you meet them in the natural habitats where they free up and do a lot on your watch, during the chimpanzee trekking activities in uganda.
Just after the Gorillas, the chimpanzees have been the center of attraction for the last years in Uganda. Uganda has over 5000 chimpanzees living in different parts of the country; including Kibale national park, Budongo forest, kaniyo pabidi, Kyambura gorge, Kalinzu forest reserve, and Ngamba island sanctuary among others, that have boosted the exceptional chimpanzee safari tour activities in the pearl of Africa. For starters after you reach Entebbe International Airport, the first stopover is at Ngamba Island that is situated on Lake Victoria and visitors can make their way to meet these endangered primates before they head to the national parks.
Most importantly, making a chimpanzee trekking activity is one of the fascinating activities you will ever carry out in your life, because the safari tour is fully packaged with exciting features to make all your itineraries full of enjoyment. Other areas you will find the chimpanzees include Kibale Forest National Park which has the largest number of chimpanzees in Uganda making it the most visited national park for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. However you can also find some population of the chimpanzees in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzee trekking is an activity best done by tourists that come to these national parks to spot the chimpanzee for example; in Kibale Forest National Park, you will find that the park has two sessions of chimpanzee trekking in that one starts at 8 am and another starts in the afternoon at 2 pm daily with an estimated duration of 2-5 hours trekking and strictly six tourists are permitted to trek chimpanzees so you need to book your chimpanzee permit prior to arrival to Kibale Forest National Park. Visitors are permitted with one hour to be next to the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Four groups of chimpanzees are open for tourism and research purposes in Kibale Forest National Park. In Kanyanchu you will find the tourism group of chimpanzees and the whole activity is done in this sector of Kibale Forest National Park. And there is also one group found in the centre of the park with about 200 individuals. The research groups include the one found in Sebitoli and Kanyawara which has about 60 individuals. During the chimpanzee trekking safari experience, you get to spot the natural spectacular views of the forest and experience the presence of other wildlife such as the monkeys, the different bird species and much more.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX)
There is also Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX) which enables visitors to accompany researchers into the forest. This can all be done during your chimpanzee trekking experience in Uganda. The chimpanzee groups involved are less familiar with humans than those visited on the Primate Walk. Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX) is done on half and full-day basis and advanced booking has to be done for this activity. Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX) is quite challenging and adventurous at the same time. Visitors love this chimpanzee habituation experience because they get to learn the behaviors of the chimpanzees in their natural habitat for an entire day in Kibale national park.
Chimpanzee trekking safari in Kyambura Game Reserve (Queen Elizabeth National Park)
Kyambura Game Reserve is regarded as a tremendous section of Queen Elizabeth National Park because it is home to the endangered chimpanzees. The chimpanzees found in these areas are habituated and they can be visited once you decide to tour Queen Elizabeth National Park. River Kyambura streams through the Kyambura gorge making it a favorable place for the wildlife to survive the dry seasons. The Kyambura Gorge is drained by River Kyambura, a river that connects to the Kazinga Channel in the western part of Uganda.
The most prominent tourist activity done in Kyambura Game Reserve is chimpanzee trekking. These endangered chimpanzees live in the tropic rain forest of the Kyambura Game Reserve and since most of them that are habituated are used to visitors so they will just continue to do their daily activities and will not mind about the strangers that show up in their territories. Kyambura Game Reserve has over 24 chimpanzees and in July 2013 they were assigned to names reflecting on Uganda’s beauty.
Rules and regulations to follow during chimpanzee trekking safari
On your chimpanzee trekking safari, these are some of rules and regulations you have to follow to have successful trekking in the jungles of Uganda;
- During the one hour session with the primates, you are always advised to keep a distance of about 8 meters away from the primates in other words you are not advised to keep physical contact with them. Chimpanzees are susceptible to human infectious diseases.
- Only 12years and above visitors are allowed to go for chimpanzee trekking in the national.
- Flash cameras are prohibited during the trekking activity. And u are advised to always turn off the flash lights.
- Do not eat next to the chimpanzees.
- If you have any sickness like a cold you are not allowed to trek to prevent chimpanzees from getting infected.
In addition, some equipment needed for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda’s national park includes items such as pair of binoculars, light-weighted hiking shoes to help you during moving on the steep slopes, sleeved shirts for protection against thorns, rain jacket, and a bottle of water among others.
How to get the chimpanzee trekking permits
Chimpanzee trekking permits are gotten from one sole seller, which is Uganda Wildlife Authority. The Uganda wildlife authority issues the permits from their offices in Kampala City to the different tour operators. The visitors are advised to book their chimpanzee tickets in advance, form their favorite tour agent, in order to prevent congestion and prolonged waiting for the chimpanzee permits. To note, it is more favorable if you can make the booking for your chimpanzee trekking permits a little earlier, about 3 to 4 months, before traveling to Uganda.
When to visit Uganda for Chimpanzee trekking safari
The best traveling time to Uganda’s national park is during the months of June to September and December to February because these are the driest months in Uganda and the most active months. The wet seasons start from the month of March to April then May and November. During the wet seasons, it is really challenging to truck down the chimpanzees but it is ideal for bird watching activity.
In synopsis, a safari to chimpanzee trekking in Uganda has proved to be the one of the most widely done tourist activity over the years, attracting a large number of visitors all over the world. A 2 to the 3-day tour will enable you get the satisfying experience of a lifetime just by spotting and relating with this endangered primates. However, you can choose to stay for more days or even a month so that you can get to visit all the chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda.
