Kibale chimp tours
One of the top things that many visitors to Uganda seek out is chimpanzee trekking. Trekking into the jungle to find the chimpanzees who are constantly hanging from tree to tree is similar to gorilla trekking. Trekking may take a few hours or less, but each group gets to spend an hour with the chimpanzees before returning to the camp. Kibale chimp tours.
Every one of Uganda’s chimpanzee sites offers a troop of chimpanzees for you to trek with. The Kibale Forest National Park is the primary location for chimpanzee trekking. Other locations include the Budongo forest in the Murchison Falls National Park, the Kyambura Gorge in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Semuliki Wildlife Reserve, and the Kalinzu forest in Busenyi.
Chimpanzee trekking begins early in the morning, and each trip starts with tour guides explaining the rules and regulations that visitors must abide by. Other primates and animals, such as red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and many bird species, can be seen while trekking.
Permit for Chimpanzee Trekking
The legal paperwork that grants you entrance to the chimpanzees is a chimpanzee trekking permit. Even after being provided to you, they are still owned by the Republic of Uganda and processed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Similar to gorilla trekking permits, only a certain number of permits are issued each day, and they are only good for the day they are printed. Few licenses are issued since the goal is to decrease human-chimpanzee contact as much as possible in order to preserve them. Because of their propensity for illness, chimps rarely socialize with one another.
Seasonal variations affect the price of a Chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking attracts a diverse range of people over the two distinct seasons. The low season, also known as the rainy season, and the high season, also known as the dry season. A chimpanzee trek permit in Kibale Forest National Park can cost as little as $100 per person per day during the low season, but it can cost as much as $1500 per person per day during the peak/high season.
Trekking chimps in Kibale National Park
There are around 1500 chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, which is in the southwest of the country. Of these, 120 are habituated. Due to their large population, the chimpanzees are easy to find here, and trekking is done twice a day, in the morning and the afternoon. Kibale chimp tours
The park is regarded as the top chimpanzee trekking destination in Uganda. In addition to seeing chimpanzees, visitors can also observe other primates, such as colobus and red-tailed monkeys. As well as 400 different bird species and other animals.
In Uganda, chimpanzee tracking is the most popular park activity. Lasts two to three hours, beginning at the Kanyanchu Visitor Center at 8:00 and ending at 15:30. During the tracking, guests look for the primates. These include red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and black and white colobus. Your guides will explain the customs of various plant species in the forest and show you pittas and other bird species. Each tour group is limited to six people for this stroll. During periods of high demand, reservations must be made in advance.
Chimpanzee Habituation
The process of chimpanzee habituation is spending a few hours in close proximity to the primates. The term “chimp habituation” describes the process by which chimps are conditioned to be accustomed to human presence at all times, including while being tracked. Chimpanzee habituation takes a long time to develop roughly two to three years but in Uganda, it has been accomplished in the Kibale National Park. Following three years of training, the chimps are released to begin interacting with people.
The cost of the specific permission required for chimpanzee habituation is approximately $150 for international residents, $70 for East African citizens, and $220 for non-foreign residents. To enjoy your habituation experience, the permits must be reserved in advance.
What to bring on a Ugandan chimp excursion
Having too much luggage on a safari can make it difficult to enjoy the experience, so nobody wants to do that. When it comes to trekking chimpanzees, you should make sure you have the following items, which are deemed essential:
- Repellant for insects
- Hiking boots that are waterproof
- Water in bottles
- Shirts and pants with long sleeves to prevent scrapes on your body.
- Binoculars and a camera
- Sunscreen and a sun hat.
Rules and restrictions for trekking
To have a positive chimp trekking experience, you must adhere to certain laws and regulations. The Uganda Wildlife Authority established these to safeguard both the primates and the tourists. Among the rules you have to abide by are the following:
- Trekking is prohibited if you are ill, particularly if you have the flu or a cough.
- You must maintain an 8-meter gap between you and the chimps.
- You should always abide by all rules that the tour guides provide you.
- The chimps cannot be fed by anyone.
- Eating or drinking close to the chimpanzees is prohibited for visitors.
- Pooping and urinating in the park could make the animals ill, so avoid doing so. You have to dig a hole approximately 30 cm deep and then bury everything, including the toilet paper, if you want to poop.
- In Uganda, chimp trekking requires a minimum age of fifteen.
- The tour guides are the only ones who can assist you in entering the park to begin hiking.
- Verify that there are no flashlights attached to the camera you are using.
- Avoid making noise while walking as this annoys the chimps, who may decide to migrate elsewhere.
