Useful Chimpanzee Trekking Information-Tips-Advice
The Information you need for Chimpanzee Trekking or the Habituation Experience in Uganda.
Here is practical Chimpanzee Trekking Information-Tips-Advice you need if you plan to track chimpanzees: The Pearl of Africa is the Premier Primate Destination in East Africa. Chimpanzees are one of Uganda’s Star attractions due to the sure sightings and the quality of the experience found in Uganda. The country is home to over 5,000 Chimpanzees.
Kibale Forest has over 1,500 of our closest relatives, and the park is East Africa’s favorite Chimpanzee Tracking Destination.
Additionally, you can track Chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest near Queen Elizabeth Park, the Kyambura Gorge inside Queen Elizabeth Park, the Semliki Valley, and Budongo Forest. Due to conservation concerns, chimpanzees are in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest but are not trekked. At times Gorilla Trekkers may come across a chimpanzee troop.
Kibale Forest is simply the best location in East Africa for Chimpanzee Trekking, and none of our clients have ever failed to see Chimpanzees on their Trek. It is also one of the few locations in East Africa for a Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX) in East Africa, where you spend six hours with a Chimpanzee Group with limited other visitors.
It would be best to be informed about Chimpanzee Trekking and where you can do this popular primate activity. Before going about Chimpanzee Trekking and Chimpanzee Habituation in Uganda, we suggest you know about it, making it a much more memorable activity. If you have questions about Chimpanzee Trekking or the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Know before you go – Practical Chimpanzee Trekking – Information-Tips-Advice
Learn about the ways the Chimpanzees
Please find out about our closest cousins, the loveable Chimpanzees. Learn about their preferred habitats and their lives in the forests of Uganda. Knowing such things will enhance your time on a Chimpanzee Trek. The Chimpanzees of Uganda have been monitored, researched, and studied for decades. Kibale Forest is the focal point of many studies. Budongo Forest is where the Jane Goodall Foundation has a research center there. Japanese Researchers are in Kalinzu Forest, and Indiana University has a research center in Semliki.
Chimpanzees live in Troops that can be over a hundred in number. They feed on what they find in the forest. They venture outside their forests and invade gardens, causing problems for communities near the parks. Besides fruits, they will eat meat. They will hunt other monkeys, such as the red-tailed monkey in Kibale Forest.
Chimpanzees are pretty noisy, and you will hear their hoots long before you reach them. The Chimpanzees that you will visit have been habituated. It means that they are used to humans. The habituation process takes up to two years or longer. Those on the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience will be partaking in the Habituation Process. Read more about the Habits and ways of the Chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees communicate with each other. They use tools, and they try to heal each other’s wounds. Their leader is called the Alpha-Male.
Here are the Best Places for Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda:
Uganda wins hands-down when it comes to Chimpanzee Tracking – Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda cannot offer what Uganda offers for chimpanzees when it comes to parks and places for you to trek them. There are five places open for Tourists.
Chimpanzee Trekking Destinations in Uganda:
- Kibale Forest is the best place for Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda. It has an over 98% sighting success rate.
- Kalinzu Forest is Number two, and it has an over 80 success rate for chimpanzee encounters.
- Budongo Forest near Murchison Falls is the Number three spot in Uganda for Chimpanzees.
- Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth Park.
- Semliki Park and Toro Wildlife Reserve
Chimpanzees live with Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest but are not tracked for conservation reasons. Other locations have chimpanzees, but they are not habituated and tracked.
Mos on a Safari will have an opportunity to track Chimpanzees in Uganda.
The Six Hours Chimpanzee Habituation Experience – CHEX:
The six-hour Habituation (CHEX) takes place in Kibale Forest annually. It is, at present, a six-hour activity with more time with the chimpanzee. It became more popular with our clients when it was a full-day activity, and it no longer is that with our clients. Much time is spent finding the Chimpanzee group habituated and less time in the presence. You would be better off at present to Trek the chimpanzees twice.
You will not find such a review as this on any other tour operator’s website. We want the best Chimpanzee Encounter for our clients, and the present Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in 2022 does not give you that. If you are an avid hiker, you will love it, and if you are a primate lover, you most likely be disappointed.
Hopefully, Uganda Wildlife Authority will review this activity, see it from a participant’s perspective, and make appropriate changes so that the tracker gets more value and time with the chimpanzees.
When the /chimpanzee Habituation Experience improves, we will again promote it and recommend it to our clients. Read more here.
The Cost of Chimpanzee Trekking
- Kibale Forest: $200 for Chimpanzee Trekking – $250 for the six-hour Chimpanzee Habituation Experience. Both activity fees include the park entrance fee for one day.
- Kalinzu Forest: $50 and no park entrance fees. Kalinzu Forest is a national forest, not a park, and Uganda Wildlife Authority does not manage it.
- Budongo Forest: #80 for Chimpanzee tracking. The $40 Murchison Falls Park entrance fee must be paid to $120 for Tourists.
- Samburu Gorge: $50 plus $40 park entrance fees for Tourists bringing it to a total cost of $90.
- Semliki: $30 for a Chimpanzee walk plus $35 for park entrance bringing it to $65 for a Tourist
Kibale Forest National Park Chimpanzee Tracking costs the most but gives you the most in seeing the Chimpanzees. The lowest cost Chimpanzee Tracking takes place in Kalinzu Forest. Most choose Kibale Forest due to the sure sightings; many, however, have a most satisfying experience in Kalinzu Forest.
Budonngo Forest is part of the Murchison Falls Wildlife reserve. It is the best Chimpanzee tracking location for those taking a safari to Murchison Falls Park since it is on the way. Many visitors will track chimpanzees at several locations and have different experience levels.
Getting your Chimpanzee Tracking Permit – Our Advice:
Getting your Chimpanzee tracking permit can be a hassle for uninitiated Uganda permit systems. It depends on where you will be tracking chimpanzees. Kibale Forest, Kyambura Gorge, Semliki National Park, and Toro Wildlife Reserve are handled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The Jane Goodall Institute deals with Budongo Forest, and the National Forest Agency manages Kalinzu Forest.
Most Tourists find that frustrating and confusing. If you are on a Safari with us, we will handle your permits wherever you track Chimpanzees. We live and work here and have the connections to book your permits and have them in hand for your safari. We do the work, and you enjoy tracking the chimpanzees while visiting Uganda on a safari.
Suppose you are planning to come to Uganda on a Safari this year. We ask that you plan your safari with us promptly. Getting the permits six months ahead is usually best. However, we can even fulfill last-minute requests for chimpanzee tracking.
There are times when no Chimpanzee permits are available for Kibale Forest during the high seasons. However, you can track them at one of the other locations in Uganda, and we will handle your Permits.
When is the Best Time of Year to track Chimpanzees?
A lot of people ask that question. There are two dry seasons and two wet seasons during the year. The dry seasons are called the High Seasons in the Tourism industry. They include June, July, August, September, and October. The rainy seasons have the “Long Rains” during April, May, and June. The short Rains are part of |October, all of November, and part of December.
The rains in Africa, including Uganda, are unlike the Monsoons of Asia. In Uganda, it rarely rains all day. Even during the two rainy seasons, the rains fall at night and during pre-dawn. During the day, the sun comes out. People do not have electric dryers, and Wash must be hung outside in the sun, where it quickly dries.
Some prefer the rainy seasons. The reasons are fewer people on safari. Luxury lodges often cost less, the savannah turns green, and you can see more Wildlife. If you come from rainy climate areas such as the northwest of the US British Columbia in Canada, you will feel right at home during the rainy seasons.
Chimpanzee trekking takes place in rain or shines all year long. If you have the right equipment, you will be fine. Often chimpanzee trekking takes place in rainforests where it can rain anytime, during the dry or wet season.
What to wear while Chimpanzee Trekking:
Wear the right stuff during your Chimpanzee trek in Uganda. You are trekking in dense rainforests, and you need the right gear to be comfortable on or off the trail. A trek is not a stroll around your park back home.
Chimpanzee trekking is not as tricky as gorilla trekking but has its challenges. Kyambura Gorge begins with a steep trail down and back up and can be challenging for those who do not have a mid-level fitness level.
Here is a shortlist of what you need to bring and Wear for your Chimpanzee Trek.
- Well-worn in Hiking Boots with n=wool socks
- Long Trousers and not shorts – protect you from insects and thorny underbrush.
- Long-Sleeved Shirt – again for your protection.
- A broad-brimmed Hat is best for protection from the sun.
- Pack a Poncho or Rain Jacket
- Waterproof Daypack containing camera, binoculars, snacks, and water.
- Use lots of insect repellent
- Use Sunblock lotion for protection.
You will be glad that you wore what we suggested after the Trek.
Are you ready to trek the Chimpanzees?
Most Safari Goers include Chimpanzee Trekking in a safari that provides for Gorilla trekking, Wildlife in several or more parks. Such safaris range from 5 to 12 days or longer. We would love to plan with you and create a private, luxury, or midrange Safari in Uganda.
Hopefully, you found our Chimpanzee Trekking Information-Tips-Advice of use to you as you prepare for your safari in Uganda.
Chimpanzee Trekking is a must while on a safari in the Pearl of Africa. Few if any of our clients miss out on Chimpanzee tracking. Contact us, and we will craft a safari right for you.
Fill out the contact form and tell us what you would like in lodging and activities, and we will get back to you shortly. “Contact Us”!
Chimpanzee Tracking Guidelines and Rules
Chimpanzee Photography made easy:
Chimpanzee Trekking – Habituation Experience Information-Tips-Advice – if you have any questions – don’t hesitate to contact us.
