Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda : Chimpanzee trekking is the most gorgeous safari activity in Uganda, Chimpanzee trekking is done in about three hours and with the one hour where the tourists do spend with the chimpanzees while keeping the distance of 8 to 10 meters, on a safari to Uganda on the chimpanzee trekking the tourists do discover the beauty of the chimpanzee, intelligence and the social structures. Chimpanzee trekking just like gorilla trekking, it involves trekking through the forest in search of the chimpanzees that keep on swinging from one tree to the next. Chimpanzee trekking is an activity where the travelers are led by the experiences guides into the gazetted territories where the chimpanzees are found in order to find the primates and explore them, the chimpanzee trekking activity is one of the famous activities done in Uganda and it runs throughout the year.
Where is Chimpanzee trekking done in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park.
Murchison falls national park is a great safari destination where the chimpanzee trekking is done in the Budongo Forest reserve, in the wooded south of the national park is where Budongo Forest Reserve and which is an excellent location for the chimpanzee trekking in the park. The forest reserve is perfect for the chimp trekking even higher than the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park though Kibale keeps the higher sighting for the chimpanzees. During the chimpanzee trekking that takes about 30 minutes to 3 hours a tourists can be able to view other primates like the blue monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red tailed monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons, view a variety of tree species and bird species. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest is usually done in the morning and in the afternoon, there is also the center’s historical association with the Jane Goodall Institute means that the interpretive guides are excellent at telling the wider story of the chimps and the forest.
Chimpanzee trekking in the forest takes a tourist 30 minutes to 3 hours and contact is usually done in the one given hour or walking, also the tourists on the safari can be given the a day habituation experience is also given where the adventures who seek an extended encounter with the chimps.
Kibale Forest National park.
Kibale Forest National Park is the main chimpanzee trekking safari destination in Uganda, with the most excellent chimp populations ranging about 1500 chimpanzees 120 of which are habituated, where the park has become the most synonymous with the a variety of chimpanzee, here the tourists who visit the park can be having 90% chances and even more of sighting the chimpanzees in the park. In Kibale during chimpanzee trekking, it is done in two sessions that is the morning and the afternoon. The chimpanzee permits are required and they can be booked with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Kibale Forest national park also does the chimpanzee habituation and for those joining for the full day, you start very early in the morning that is from 06:30 until they nest again that is more especially in the evening at around 19:00pm.
Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Inside Queen Elizabeth National Park there is there is Kyambura Gorge which is the third most popular safari destination for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with about 17 chimpanzees available, Kyambura Gorge is located far on the east of the park and also named as the valley of the apes. Kyambura Gorge is the perfect area where the tourists can do chimpanzee trekking from their in that the place rewards the chimpanzee trekkers as if they have entered in the new world. Kyambura Gorge rewards tourists of seeing the 60% of the chimps in Uganda and with 17 chimpanzees that inhabit the gorge. The nature of the gorge is such rewarding which generates and makes the good sight for the tourists during the chimpanzee safari trekking, the permits for chimpanzee trekking can be booked through Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Kyambura gorge is so rewarding to Queen Elizabeth National Park it gives it the best safari ever, the park being the most admirable bio-diversity safari favors activities like the game drives, boat cruises, without forgetting the most incredible tree-climbing lions in the Ishaha sector of the park.
Semiliki Wildlife Reserve.
Semiliki is called a home to a certain population of the chimpanzees in the western Uganda, most of the times regarding to the nature of the reserve being dry and sparse forest environment that means at times the chimps do have to roam far and wide do secure enough food that’s why at times it cannot be easy to find. Chimpanzee trekking is an interesting activity in Semiliki, as the chimps do play in the trees within Semiliki game reserve, although not found than any other primate the time spend with them is such rewarding, the chimp tracking in Semiliki is conducted with the help of the professional guides who lead the tracking trail through the forest, while doing the chimpanzee trekking in Semiliki it gives the opportunity to the tourists to watch other primates like the baboons, red tailed monkeys, monkeys, leopards and among others without forgetting the insects as well as butterflies.
Chimpanzee Habituation.
Chimpanzee habituation is also done in the mentioned places which is a fully immersive safari experience, here the tourists join the researchers of the habituation team for a full or half day in the deep forest, as these chimps are less used to the to human presence and so the experience is more unpredictable. Though it is challenging but the experience is best rewarding. Chimpanzee habituation takes quite a long time before it is actualized that is about 2 to 3 years and in Uganda, this has been achieved in Kibale National Park then after 3 years of training, the habituated chimps are let out so that they can start interacting with the humans.
The only difference between the chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation is the period spent with them, this is where the chimpanzee habituation experience allows the tourists to spend more time while enjoying the company with the chimpanzees in the forests.
Best time to do Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda.
The dry season of June to September and December to February is the best time to go for trekking chimpanzees in Uganda, during this time the forests are not thick and the trekking trails are also not muddy and slippery hence making it easy to see the chimpanzees on your Uganda Safari.
