Chimpanzee trekking
Discover the wonders of Uganda through chimpanzee trekking in their national habitants. Chimps are man’s closest relatives considering that they share over 98% of our DNA. They live in communities that can contain has a unique culture. And way of doing things depending on their habitat and diet. They are highly social primates while their intelligence comes second to only humans in the wider primate family.
Because of their intelligence, chimps can communicate using complex body language, barks, hoots and pants. To convey their emotions, chimps use facial expressions. Chimps can use tools to dig out insects, open nuts or bring down fruit in difficult to reach parts of a tree. Chimps make daily nests on top of trees. Although they feed largely on fruits, flowers and insects, chimps usually hunt down antelopes. And other small primates for meat in a group. Chimps can weigh up to 70 Kilograms and live up to 60 years in captivity.
In Uganda chimpanzees tracked in Toro-Semliki wildlife reserve, Kyambura Gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Budongo Forest reserve, Kibale National Park and Kalinzu Forest Reserve.
Kibale National Park
known as the “Primate Capital of the World,” it boasts a lush jungle full of diverse wildlife, perfect for chimpanzee enthusiasts.With a population of over 1500 chimps, Kibale National Park is arguably the best place for tracking chimpanzees in the world. Trekking in Kibale starts at 8am with a briefing from the rangers at the visitor’s center in Kanyanchu which covers important aspects of the activity like what to expect, length of the activity and how to act around the primates. Rangers will also give you a brief background of the forest and chimpanzees in general.
Chimpanzees are very loud and you can hear them hooting miles away even before spotting them, you will still need to follow them sometimes at high speed in order to catch up with them. Chimps are very observant. So much that by the time you spot them, they would have already seen you, once you are in the midst, expect a lot of drama and activity. You will watch them look for food, breastfeed, groom each other and mate. You may even witness fights between members of the group or larger males
Kibale National Park also offers an opportunity of going for the chimpanzee habituation experience. This activity is different from standard chimpanzee tracking because it involves spending a whole day with the chimps. The park authorities have set aside four chimp communities for research and tourism purposes. Like Kanyawara which consists of between 50 to 60 individuals and is open to tourists, Sebitoli which has been set aside for research purposes, Kanyanchu is the most visited and the 4th one is located at the center of the park with over 200 individuals.
The chimpanzee habituation experience starts much earlier than usual at 5:30am. The reason is so that you can find them while still sleeping in their nests. You then follow them throughout the day until 7:00pm when they make their night nest. By the end of the activity you would have learnt a lot more than what you would with normal chimp tracking.
The best time for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest is during the drier season.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
this combines Savannah and forest scenery, creating a distinctive setting for chimpanzee tracking. The art of strolling through the forestsin order to a glimpse of the fascinating primates swinging around the forest branches. In Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee tracking done in the Kyambura Gorge. This lies in the eastern part of the park and it is known as the Valley of Apes.
the vegatation in this region is adoptable to the life of the chimpanzees characterised with tall thick trees and underground rainforest vegatation. The gorge has a number of mobile chimpanzee communities compared to other chimpanzees found in other National parks thus it gives chance to visitors to see these habitauted chimpanzees meaning they are familiar with humans and can carry out their activities in presence of people.
Kalinzu Forest
Kalinzu Forest close to Queen Elizabeth National Park is another amazing chimpanzee trekking spot. This is home to over 220 chimpanzees with almost half of them already habituated. For chimpanzee trekking experiences with 95% chances of seeing the chimps. Tracking chimpanzees in the Kalinzu forest can be an all-day activity or half-day depending on how much time you would love to spend in the primate forest. Kalinzu forest is also home to several primates. Including vervet monkeys and colobus monkeys.
Budongo Forest
within the expansive Murchison Falls Conservation Area. Offers an engaging experience with habituated chimpanzee groups.Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo forest is one of the memorable activities done. While in Murchison Falls National park. Located just 30minutes away from Kichumbanyo gate, Budongo forest sits on square area of 825km and it shelters over 600 chimpanzee. Making over 4chimp communities such as Kaniyo Pabidi community withover 100 individuals. It is centered closest to the forest established in the late 1990s
Trekking at this community done twice per day in groups of 8 people per trip; in the morning when the Apes are more active, during this time you can see the chimpanzee leaving their nests from up the trees, gathering ripe fruits, flowers and leaves for food. In the evenings, you can see the chimpanzees howling and screeching from the ground and playing with each others while others making beds in the trees.
Semliki Wildlife Reserve
Gazetted in 1926, Toro Semliki Wildlife Reserve one of the first reserves to be gazetted in Uganda. This was with the aim of protecting the many Uganda Kobs within this area. Primates, communities, and the hot springs in the adjacent Semliki National Park are the top attractions in this area.
Chimpanzees tracked during a primate walk in the park. However sightings rare as they are mostly semi habituated. Researchers from the University of Indiana have been studying chimpanzees in the riverine forest of Mugiri. And therefore a good spot to sight chimpanzees.
