Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda

Experience the Thrill of Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimpanzee trekking is one of Uganda’s most exciting wildlife experiences, offering visitors the rare opportunity to encounter our closest relatives in their natural forest habitat. As you walk through lush tropical forests accompanied by experienced guides, you’ll listen for the calls of chimpanzees and observe their fascinating behaviors, including feeding, grooming, playing, and communicating within their communities.

Uganda is home to over 5,000 chimpanzees and is considered one of Africa’s premier destinations for primate tracking. Whether you are a wildlife enthusiast, photographer, or nature lover, chimpanzee trekking provides an unforgettable adventure and a deeper understanding of these intelligent primates.

Where to Go Chimpanzee Trekking

Uganda offers several excellent destinations for chimpanzee trekking, with the most popular being Kibale Forest National Park. Known as the “Primate Capital of the World,” Kibale Forest boasts one of the highest concentrations of primates in Africa and provides some of the most successful chimpanzee tracking experiences.

Other notable chimpanzee trekking destinations include Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Kalinzu Forest Reserve. Each location offers unique scenery and opportunities to encounter chimpanzees in diverse ecosystems.

Chimpanzee trekking in the Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is a home to numerous forests and these are the Budongo forest, the Kaniyo Pabidi and the Rabongo forest where the chimpanzee trekking takes place. These three forests have over 600 chimpanzees making Murchison a good destination for chimpanzee trekking. Murchison National Park is a home to over 500 bird species, wildlife and is a top destination for many tourists who come to Uganda for safaris. The best time for chimpanzee trekking is from October to January because it is easier to see the chimpanzees as they hunt for food. Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison is done twice a day with the first one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

The Rabongo forest, this is also a forest found within the Murchison and where trekking is carried out. There are no clear trek routes but with the help of a tour guide, you will be able to set out within the forest in search of the chimpanzees which when found, you will get an hour with them. The Rabongo forest however has fewer chimpanzee families as compared to the Budongo forest.

Budongo forest, Budongo forest is a top destination for chimpanzee trekking and has a large number of primates. With the help of a tour guide, trekking will be easy and you get to see other primates like monkeys, the olive baboons, and red-tailed monkeys, and do birding among other activities.

Kaniyo Pabidi forest, a home to chimpanzees, a wide range of bird species, insects, and other primates, the forest is one of the few in the country that has remained in its natural state without any tampering from humans.

Accommodation in Murchison falls National Park is divided into three sections that is the Para and Victoria Nile, Albert Nile and the Kaniyo Pabidi. There are Luxurious, Mid-range, and Budget accommodation facilities and you can choose from these with your tour operator to see what works for you best.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park

Located in the south western part of the country, Kibale National Park has quite a large number of chimpanzees with about 1500 chimpanzees 120 of which are habituated. The chimpanzees here can easily be located due to their high number and the trekking is done twice a day that is in the morning and in the afternoon. A chimpanzee trek permit in Kibaale goes for $1500 during the peak season and $100 during the low season. Chimpanzee habituation is also done at the Kibale National park and this is where visitors get to spend more time with the primates for example 6 hours or the whole day.

The park is ranked to be the best destination for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and besides meeting the chimpanzees, you will also get to see other primates including the different types of monkeys like the colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, a wide variety of bird species (400) and other wildlife.

There are several places where you can stay when you go for chimpanzee tracking in the Kibale National Park and these include the Primate Lodge, the Kyaninga lodge,

The most favorite activity in the park is the Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. Starts from Kanyanchu Visitor Center at 08.00 & ends at 15.00 and lasts 2-3 hours. The Primates are searched down by visitors during the tracking. These include black & white Colobus, grey cheeked Mangabey, red tailed monkey. Your guides will show you pittas along with other bird species & will explain the tradit of different plant species within the forest. This walk is for 6 individuals per tour group. Advance booking is all-important during peak sea:

Chimpanzee trekking in the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee sanctuary

Ngamba Island found along Lake Victoria and easily accessed by a speedboat from Entebbe is one of the places where you can enjoy chimpanzee trekking while in Uganda. Set up by Goodall to conserve the primates, the Island part where the chimpanzees are kept is fenced off in order to allow the chimps to roam freely without causing damage to the neighbours. The speedboat that goes to Ngamba has two shifts with a half trip starting in the morning and a full one starting at 5pm.

The cost of visiting the island depends on the number of people in the group . the smaller the group, the higher the cost and the bigger the group, the lower the cost. Children from 5 to 15 years always pay half the price before gaining entry to the sanctuary.

The sanctuary started with about 13 chimpanzees that were rescued by a few locals and Dr. Jane Goodall and ever since the number of chimpanzees has grown to over 50 chimpanzees that have either been rescued or orphaned. You get to see the chimpanzees at different stages, get in close contact with them and also carry out other activities like fishing, swimming, exploring the villages, and birding.

Chimpanzee trekking in the Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National park is one of the best National Parks that is sought after by many tourists with about 17 chimpanzees available. Chimpanzee trekking here is done in the Kyambura game reserve also known as the Kyambura gorge. The activity is best done in the mornings and it takes about 1 to 2 hours. You will be escorted by experienced tour guides and after the trek, you can as well enjoy a game drive around the National Park. Some of the lodges that you can check out while in Kyambura include the Kyambura gorge safari lodge, KingFisher camp, Mweya safari lodge, jacana lodge and Katara lodge among others.

Chimpanzee trekking permit

A chimpanzee trekking permit is a legal document that will give you access to the chimpanzees. They are processed by the Uganda wildlife Authority and they still remain the property of the Republic of Uganda even after being issued to you. Just like the trekking permit for gorillas, limited permits are printed per day and these are only valid for the date that they have been printed. The reason as to why few permits are printed is to try as much as possible to reduce the interaction between the chimpanzees and humans to conserve them. The chimps are prone to diseases and that is why interaction is limited.

The best way for one to get a chimpanzee trek permit is by booking through a trusted tour operator. Local tour operators know more about the process of booking and other related costs so it is better to let them take up the planning process. The tour operators will book the permit at the Uganda wildlife Authority and once payment is done, a scanned copy will be sent out to you via email with details on when you are to trek, the time, your name, passport details, and the unique serial number that makes it unique from the rest. Note that these permits cannot be interchanged and it is also hard for you to get a refund if you do not make it.

Cost of the chimpanzee trekking permit

The cost of a Chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda varies according to the season. There are two seasons that are the peak season (the dry season) and the low season (the wet season) and they both see a variety of tourists come for chimpanzee trekking. During the peak/high season, a chimpanzee trek permit goes for $1500 per day per person and during the low season, the cost of the permit can go as low as $100 per person per day in Kibaale forest National Park. The cost of a chimpanzee permit in Budongo goes for $90 during both the peak and low season and in the Kyambura gorge, the permit goes for $50.

What to Expect During the Trek

Chimpanzee trekking begins with a briefing from park rangers who explain safety guidelines and trekking procedures. Visitors then venture into the forest in small groups led by knowledgeable guides who track the chimpanzees based on their movements and vocalizations.

The trek can last anywhere from one to four hours depending on the location of the chimpanzee community. Once found, visitors are allowed to spend up to one hour observing and photographing the chimpanzees. During this time, you may witness individuals swinging through trees, caring for their young, foraging for food, or interacting with other members of the group.

What is the best time to see chimpanzees in Uganda?

Chimpanzee trekking can be carried out all year round however the best time to chimp trek is during the dry season which is experienced between the months of June to September and December to January. This is also known as the peak season due to the fact that there are many tourists who come for chimpanzee trekking in the country. During the dry season, the trek trails are passable and it is also easier to see the chimpanzees during the dry season unlike during the rainy season when the roads become slippery and the vegetation is dense. Chimpanzee trekking can also be done during the wet season due to the presence of plenty of food for the chimpanzees making it easy for them to be spotted.

Chimpanzees as well as humans share over 98 percent of their DNA.

However these being wild animals, chances of spotting these chimps are not always guaranteed although they are over 95% within the Kibale Forest, hence making it the most perfect destination in the whole of East Africa for chimpanzee tracking.

It is in addition probable to take part in the fascinating habituation experience, meaning that you can actuallty get a chance to spend the entire day with this impressive creatures.

Chimp Trekking