Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda: Chimpanzee trekking is one of the most sought after Uganda Safari Activities after by many tourists on Africa Safari to Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking involves trekking through the forests in search of the chimpanzees that keep on swinging from one tree to the next.
Uganda has several chimpanzee destinations, each of these places have its own chimpanzee groups that you can trek. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is mainly done in Kibale Forest National Park – the primate Capital of Africa, other destinations include Budongo Forest found in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park among others.
About Chimpanzees
The average weight of an adult well grown male chimpanzee is between 35 and 70 kilograms, with a height of approximately 3 meters whereas an adult female chimpanzee weights between 26 and 50 kilograms and a height between 2 and 4 feet.
Life expectancy of a chimpanzee is at 40 years whereas those living in captivity can extend up to 60 years.
Chimpanzees are the closest relatives to humans sharing about 98% of their DNA composition with humans, they are sociable, intelligent and communicative, chimps have the ability to utilize tools like rocks for crushing nuts, empty pods for hollowing out water plus stick for capturing termites from the holes. These skills are for long been passed on from generation to another and researchers say that different troops have specialist tasks, basing on their habitat as well as diet.
Chimpanzees are social creatures staying in groups of 10-100 members, they can babysit each other’s young, kiss, groom one another and even hold hands. The young chimpanzees become independent at the age of 4 year. Nonetheless, chimpanzees can be aggressive and unsociable, mainly if disturbed.
Where to do Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda
Kibale National Park
Crowned the Primate Capital of Africa, Kibale National Park is the best place to do chimpanzee trekking in Uganda as well as Africa. The park is located in the south western part of the country and is home to a large number of chimpanzees with about 1500 chimpanzees, 120 of which are habituated.
The chimpanzees in Kibale Forest can easily be located due to their high number and trekking is done twice a day, morning and in the afternoon.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is home to numerous forests including the Budongo Forest, the Kaniyo Pabidi and the Rabongo Forest where chimpanzee trekking takes place. These forests are home to over 600 chimpanzees making Murchison Falls National Park is a great destination for chimpanzee trekking.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular wildlife destination in the park, here chimpanzee trekking is done in Kyambura Gorge. The Gorge is situated in the northeastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park and lies within Kyambura Game Reserve and was created as a buffer zone, protecting the park from encroaching human activities.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge is best done in the mornings and takes about 1 to 2 hours.
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Ngamba Island Sanctuary is found along Lake Victoria and easily accessed by a speedboat from Entebbe, the sanctuary is one of the best places where you can enjoy chimpanzee trekking on a safari in Uganda.
Ngamba Island Sanctuary is set up by Goodall to conserve the primates, the island park where the chimpanzees are kept is fenced off in order to allow the chimpanzees to roam freely without causing damage to the neighbors. The speedboat that goes to Ngamba has two shifts with a half trip starting in the morning and a full one starting at 5 pm.
The Sanctuary started with about 13 chimpanzees that were rescued by a few locals and Dr. Jane Goodall and ever since the number of chimpanzees has grown to over 50 chimpanzees that have either been rescued or orphaned. Here you get to see the chimpanzees at different stages, get in close contact with them and also carry out other activities like fishing, swimming, exploring the villages, and birding.
Best Time to see Chimpanzees in Uganda?
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda can be carried out all year round, however the best time to chimp trek is during the dry season which is experienced between the months of June to September and December to January. This season is also known as the peak season due to the fact that there are many tourists who come from chimpanzee trekking in the country.
During the dry season, the trek trails are passable and it is also easier to see the chimpanzees during the dry season unlike during the rainy season where the roads become slippery and the vegetation is dense. Chimpanzee trekking can also be done during the wet season due to the presence of plenty of food for the chimpanzees making it easy for them to be spotted.