Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is one of the best activities you will ever experience in Uganda. Located in western Uganda, Kibale National Park is popular for housing 13 primate species including the common chimpanzees. This is also known as the ‘Primate Capital of the World,’ and shelters over 1,400 chimpanzees in the forest. This implies that there is a great chance of seeing a chimpanzee troop in the wild compared to other similar habitats.
How is chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park done?
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is done everyday and involves locating a habituated chimpanzee troop in the dense forest. You must possess a chimpanzee permit and be at least 12 years old to be allowed into the forest to track a habituated chimpanzee troop. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is done in 3 different sessions. Morning sessions start at either 8:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. and only one afternoon session that starts at 2:00 p.m.
Each chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park starts with briefing at Kanyanchu Visitor’s Center. Here, you are registered before the chimpanzee tracking adventure commences. The park authorities also offer advice on tracking chimpanzees successfully. Chimpanzee tracking takes 2 to 5 hours, with guidance from experienced trackers from Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once you find the chimp troop, you are allowed only 1 hour to observe them and take photos.
What is the cost of chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park?
Tracking chimpanzees in Kibale National Park will cost you only $250 if you are a foreign non-resident. For foreign residents or East African Community citizens chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park costs $200 and UGX 180,000 respectively. This fee is for purchasing a chimpanzee tracking permit. The chimpanzee trekking permit fee provides entrance into Kibale National Park. This fee also covers the guiding services and nature walk.
How to travel for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park?
Currently, there are only 2 options you can utilize to travel to Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking. Air or road transport are the options available for you to choose depending on your purpose, needs or requirements. By road, you will take great pleasure in the 276 km journey from Kampala to Kibale National Park westwards. You will spend roughly 6 hours on the road from Kampala to Kibale National Park.
Air transport is available from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airstrip. AeroLink offers scheduled daily flights that take an hour and 15 minutes. The airstrip is only 51 km from Kibale National Park. This journey is completed by road transport, which covers approximately 51 km and done in 81 minutes. You can also connect to Kasese Airstrip from Kihihi Airstrip, Kisoro Airstrip, Chobe Airstrip, Pakuba Airstrip, Bugungu Airstrip and Masai Mara.
When to do chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park?
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is done throughout the year. The entrance into Kibale National Park is open each day of the year. The key factor to be cautious about during chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is the heavy rainfall. Kibale National Park is a moist evergreen tropical rainforest with average annual rainfall of around 1,700mm. You could address this by avoiding chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park during the rainy season.
Heavy rains mostly fall during the months of March, April, May, September, October and November. So, you can travel in the drier months of the year—June, July, August, December, January and February. The caveat to traveling during the dry months is the chimpanzee troops move longer distances looking for their scarce food. This could make locating them quite challenging for a person who cannot walk for long distances.
Is Kibale National Park safe for chimpanzee tracking?
Yes, Kibale National Park is safe for chimpanzee trekking. First of all, you are accompanied by an armed ranger while in the forest tracking chimpanzees. It is true that wild chimpanzees are aggressive to humans when threatened or if their territories are being encroached on. But you are only allowed to track habituated chimpanzees. This implies that they are familiar to human presence for a given time.
In case of any wild animal attack, the armed rangers are well-trained to solve the issue in the best possible way. All activities in Kibale National Park including chimpanzee tracking are guided. Experienced and well-trained ranger guides are available to offer guidance. These people ensure that you get the right information on how to track chimpanzees in Kibale National Park successfully.
Kibale Forest itself is not subjected to incidences of insecurities like hostilities or large-scale crimes. This makes it a safe destination to track chimpanzees without worrying about any sort of attack. Kibale Forest is patrolled by rangers with sufficient military training to fend off poachers and armed incursions. Even the lodges in and around Kibale Forest offer security on their premises for guests to be safe during their stay.