Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee Tracking is an art of taking a stroll through the forests in order for one to be able to catch a glimpse of the fascinating primates the swing around the forest branches.
This summer our group trips are still ongoing, check on our websites for the different tour packages or inbox us for your special organisation
Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda
What is Chimpanzee Trekking?
Chimpanzee trekking is an exciting sport in which people travel into the forests in search of habituated chimp families and spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. After gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, chimp trekking is Uganda’s second most popular safari activity.Uganda is home to approximately 5000 chimps, which are spread across several national parks and game reserves, including Kibale Forest National Park , Toro-Semuliki Game Reserve, Budongo Forest National Park in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Kalinzu Forest Reserve in Bushenyi District.
Where to go for Chimpanzee Trekking Safaris in Uganda
Kibale National park
Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda and is one of the most popular chimp trekking sites in the country with roughly 1500 chimps.This park is famously named the “Primate Capital” since it is home to 13 primate species such as chimps, grey-cheeked Mangabeys, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, l’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, bush infants, and pottos. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park has two sessions: one at 8:00 a.m. and one at 3:00 p.m.
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda’s Kibale National Park begins with training at the Kanyachu Information Centre, following which tourists are divided into groups of six to hike each habituated chimp family. Following the briefing, you will begin hiking in the forest with a park guide who will show you the chimp routes to follow and share facts on the endangered chimps. Trekking in the forest takes around 2 to 3 hours, and after the chimps are located, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural environment shooting photographs, capturing the moments, and learning more about their lifestyle, customs, and mannerisms, among other things.
Visitors who wish to spend more time with the chimps can take advantage of Kibale National Park’s chimp habituation experience. Chimpanzee habituation is the process by which chimps are educated to get accustomed to human presence. The procedure is carried out by a team of researchers, guides, and trackers, among others. A full day chimpanzee experience permits four guests to spend four hours with the chimps under habituation, as opposed to the one hour provided while trekking.
The full-day Chimpanzee Habituation Experience(CHEX) works with a chimp community which is undergoing habituation. Early visitors can watch chimps leaving their overnight nests between 6:00 – 6:30am before feeding, copulating, hunting, breastfeeding, resting, patrolling and displaying until it is time to build new nests around 7pm.
The park’s population of elephants travel between the park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Other terrestrial mammals that are found within Kibale National Park include red and blue duikers, bushbucks, sitatungas, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, common warthogs, and African buffalo. The carnivores that are present include African leopards, African golden cats, servals, different mongooses and two species of otter. In addition, lions visit the park on occasion. BBC
