Chimpanzee tracking experience in Uganda is regarded as a life-time adventure and a major highlight on any safari here. Uganda’s population of Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan.t. schweinfurthi)stands over 5000 individuals that range across diverse habitats from highland forests, lowland and mid-altitude-forests, woodlands and riverine sections.
Chimpanzee tracking experience in Uganda will bring you up-close and personal to these charismatic species that are way smaller but more mobile than the bulkier mountain gorilla. Chimpanzee live in “loose and flexible” social communities numbering over 100 individuals led by a closely affiliated male-group with a dominant male on top. These complex social communities are so fluid that they constantly change in composition, regardless of gender and age. So on a typical day in a chimpanzee community, related family groups mostly of mothers and their offspring will spread out to forage within the community territory while male groups take on daily duty routines of raids, patrolling and defending the territory. The troop always keep in contact through a variety repertoire of calls, drumming and cries across their expansive territory.
What to expect on a Chimpanzee Tracking Experience in Uganda
A typical day of chimpanzee tracking experience day begins early where you’re required to report at your booked trekking location. Upon your arrival, ranger guides will take you through registration and thereafter a short briefing on the trek experience and your safety. That covered, the lead guide will lead you and fellow guests to begin the trek. As you trek deep into the chimpanzee rainforest home range, your lead tracker will be looking for clues on the trails – calls, footprints, dung, nests and food left overs to locate the chimpanzee community. On locating the chimpanzee, you will spend up to one hour observing and learning diverse behaviors and habits of these charismatic species. This time limit is carefully observed; it protects the animals from undue stress!
Chimpanzee tracking experience in Uganda is offered under two trek experiences programs that both differ largely on permit fees and time/duration one spends with the chimpanzee. These include;
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Ordinary Chimpanzee Tracking Experience
An ordinary chimpanzee tracking experience is the standard experience where visitors trek to a fully habituated chimpanzee community and gets to spend One-Hour with the chimps. Communities of chimpanzee visited on ordinary trekking experience are more used to man’s presence therefore less-shy, allowing incredible sightings to the visitors. This is highly recommended to photographers and visitors who don’t want to spend much time trekking in the rainforest. It is important to note that although these these chimpanzee can tolerate human presence, they remain wild and unpredictable species, therefore no sighting is guaranteed.
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Chimpanzee Habituation Tracking Experience (CHEX)
For visitors seeking a longer and educative tracking experience chimpanzee will opt to chimpanzee habituation program where they trek in the company of research ranger guides. On this experience you the visitor get exclusive access as you trek with researchers and guides to visit a chimpanzee community undergoing habituation program. The home ranges of these chimps often lie far deep in the forests and away from established trails making the trekking hard and physical demanding. On locating them, you will follow along as they forage, as rangers work on familiarization routine to gain confidence to the chimpanzee individuals. It is worth note that these chimps tend to be unpredictable, extremely shy and highly mobile making it difficult if you’re a photographer. Nevertheless, this is a rewarding experience that offers you an exclusive access to observe the raw nature of chimpanzee and its complex social structure in its natural habitat.
The best place for this Chimpanzee habituation experience is Kibale Forest owing to its long and experienced chimpanzee researchers but also to its diversity of up to 12 primates residing within this vast forest. It is important to note that a limited number of guests up to 4 visitors per day are allowed on this trek.
Where to track the Chimpanzee in Uganda
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Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park is the Uganda’s prime and the East Africa’s to ranking chimpanzee tracking destination. The 760km2 Kibale Forest is also also a reknown primates capital hosts up to 13 species including more than 500 individuals of the Common Chimpanzee spread into different communities. Only a fraction of this population of chimpanzee is habituated for trekking experience under morning and afternoon scheduled programs. Kibale Forest also offers a rewarding and habituation trekking experience for visitors that seek a longer experience and insights with these apes. Kibale forest boasts an enviable, highly knowledgeable and experienced ranger guides teams that share that spice up the trekking experiences by sharing insights into not ony of chimpanzee but also other exciting flora and fauna in this rainforest.
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Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Another incredible place to encounter the chimpanzee is the underground tropical forested gorge of Kyambura set along the eastern edge of the expansive biosphere park of Queen Elizabeth NP. Cut out in the golden savanna plains and covered in a rainforest, Kyambura gorge stretches up to 18km long and a kilo-meter wide protecting an over 40-individual community of chimpanzee. The narrow forested gorge offer incredible trek experience with the chimpanzee whose hoots and cries mix up with other local resident calls including the hippos resonate across the valley. A standard one-hour is given with the chimps.
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Kalinzu Forest
Kalinzu Forest lying on the eastern escarpment walls edges of Queen Elizabeth NP, is a vast 137km2 medium altitude forest that protects large communities of chimpanzee. The trek experience at Kalinzu Forest may not rank to the levels of Kibale Forest but it provides an almost exclusive experience due to the low numbers of tourists and lower permit fees it attracts. The forest also host a vriety of primates notably the shy L’hoest, Red-tailed and Blue Monkey and a few forest duikers encountered on the trek. Chimpanzee trekking activities start daily with mornings and late afternoons sessions from the eco-tourism offices.
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Budongo Forest
Uganda’s largest intact mid-altitude forest lies north-west from Kampala, Budongo Forest hosts the largest population of Chimpanzee in Uganda estimated about 5000-strong spread in various communities across this vast forest. Chimpanzee trekking experience is offered at Kaniyo Pabidi section where a large habituated community offers a lifetime interaction. Trekking sessions begin every morning from the eco-center extending between 4-6hrs and attracts a fee of 120USD and because it lies within the Murchison Falls NP additional entrance fees apply.
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Ngamba Chimpanzee Island
Located 23km off Entebbe landing site, the Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary host mostly abandoned and rescued Chimpanzee mostly from pet traders and here they are rehabilitated and given a new life. Established in 1998 with only 19 orphaned individuals, now the numbers exceed 50 individuals living a semi-habituated lifestyle in this natural forested island home. The chimps are regularly monitored and occasional come over the camps on scheduled feeding times for fresh fruits and play. Experiences on the island target these feedings times where visitors are treated to exceptional views as chimps come to feed and alternatively one can opt for a behind-the-scenes tour with care taker staff for an extended experience with the chimps.
With time enough on your hands, a guided nature walk on the forest edged-sand beaches on this Island is fruitful and refreshing.
What you should know about Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda
As you plan for chimpanzee tracking experience in Uganda note;
- Minimum age is 12 years old
- Minimum fitness is required
- Check and pay in advance for Chimp tracking permits especially for the prime location of Kibale Forest
- If you have cold/flu you will NOT be allowed to trek for fear of disease transmission to the primates
- Success rate differs with location and season
- Kibale Forest offers great chances up to 90%
Because chimps’ dwell in rainforests one needs proper dressing, long pants, and long sleeves, good hiking shoes and rain jacket is highly recommended.