Travel guide for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda.

Travel guide for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda: After gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking is the most popular and adventurous activity in Uganda, drawing large crowds of tourists. In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking entails visitors walking through the tropical jungle to look for the acclimatized chimpanzees and then spending an hour with them in their natural environment.

In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking is conducted in a number of locations, including Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kalinzu Forest in Bushenyi, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Kibale Forest National Park.

The travel guide will assist you in organizing a successful chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda by outlining the essential information that tourists should be aware of before embarking on a chimpanzee trekking adventure. This includes information on the best times to travel, the cost of chimpanzee trekking permits, how to book them, what to pack for chimpanzee trekking, and other important details.

Where in Uganda can I go chimpanzee trekking?

Kibale Forest National Park

One of the western Ugandan chimpanzee trekking sites is Kibale Forest National Park. Because it is home to approximately 13 primate species, including over 1,500 chimpanzees, grey-cheeked mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, and olive baboons, among others, the national park is referred to as the primate capital. This makes it the best place to go chimpanzee trekking.

In order to prepare them for trekking, chimpanzees are educated to get used to human presence in Kibale Forest National Park. Visitors that participate in the chimpanzee habituation experience will be able to spend four hours with the primates, and the program takes two to three years to complete.

Forest of Budongo

Chimpanzee trekking is also available in Budongo Forest, which is part of Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. Approximately 600 to 700 chimpanzees call Budongo Forest home, making it the second-highest chimpanzee trekking destination in Uganda, behind Kibale Forest National Park. During the off-peak period, Budongo Forest also provides chimpanzee habituation experiences.

Kyambura Gorge

Located in the eastern region of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s second biggest national park, is Kyambura Gorge, another chimpanzee trekking site. With two chimpanzee families and over 80 chimpanzees, Kyambura Gorge, also called the Valley of Apes, is open for daily hiking.

The Kalinzu Forest

Kalinzu Forest, which is situated in Bushenyi area close to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Maramagambo Forest, is another location in Uganda where chimpanzee trekking is conducted. Over 320 chimpanzees, divided into two groups, may be found in Kalinzu Forest, including roughly 70 habituated chimps.

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

In Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest, and Kyambura Gorge, chimpanzee trekking begins early in the morning with a lecture on the guidelines to be followed. Because chimpanzees like to roam about in search of food, you will begin trekking after the briefing, which might take anything from thirty minutes to four hours, depending on where the animals are.

Other primates, such as olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys, may be seen when hiking. You will be able to spend an hour with the chimpanzees in their natural environment when they are located. This will enable you to see their feeding, nursing, hunting, play, fighting, grooming of young, and taking pictures and movies to share with people back home.

The ideal time of year to trek chimpanzees in Uganda

Although chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is possible throughout the year, the ideal time to go is in June, July, August, September, December, January, and February, which is also known as the peak season. In contrast to the rainy season, when the trails are muddy and slippery, which makes trekking challenging, access roads to national parks and chimpanzee trekking trails will be dry and passable during the dry season because there is less rainfall in the chimpanzee destinations.

The price of Ugandan chimpanzee hiking permits

Visitors over the age of 12 are granted legal cards known as chimpanzee trekking permits, which enable them to spend an hour with habituated chimpanzee families in their natural environment. In Uganda, the price of chimpanzee trekking permits varies depending on where you want to go. For instance, a permit for Kibale Forest National Park costs 200 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 150 USD per person for residents, and 150,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.

The cost of a chimpanzee hiking permit in the Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest is 50 USD for non-resident foreigners, 40 USD for locals, and 30,000 UGX for East African nationals.

During the busiest time of year, chimpanzee trekking permits in Budongo Forest cost 130 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 120 USD per person for foreign residents, and 85 USD per person for East African citizens. In the off-peak season, the same permits cost 120 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 110 USD per person for foreign residents, and 80 USD per person for East African citizens. A travel guide to Uganda for chimpanzee trekking

How to reserve permits for chimpanzee hiking in Uganda

You may either make a direct reservation for chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda by contacting the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) by phone or email at the park’s headquarters. You may also reserve chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda by contacting a reputable tour operator, for as Maseke Adventure Co.Ltd, and providing them with the day, month, year, and chimpanzee location you want to visit.

After getting in touch with us, we will see whether there are any permits available on the days you have selected. whether so, you will be required to pay a deposit. As soon as the funds are received, we will buy the permit on your behalf and confirm with a scanned copy of the receipt.

Things to pack for your Ugandan gorilla trekking expedition

Among other things, you should bring bug repellent, hiking shoes, long-sleeved shirts and pants, a waterproof rain jacket, bottled water, a camera and additional batteries, a warm sweater, and a waterproof backpack for your chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda.