When Is The Best Time For Chimpanzee Trekking In Kibale National Park

The best chimpanzee trekking time in Kibale National Park is the dry season which is usually June to September or December to January. Although Kibale National Park is a tropical rain forest during the dry seasons the precipitation is lower and chimpanzees and other forest dwellers are full of life. There is a vibrant feeling and excitement in the forest. The Kibale National Park has a number of trails that lead to the different points of the forest.

Although these chimpanzees are wild, they are habituated to be in front of humans for atleast one hour. Before finding the chimpanzees, look out for other forest dwellers that co-exist with the chimpanzees like about 13 primate species are residents of this forest, more than 325 bird species and others. Botanists on chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale National Park have a long list of natural trees, other plants to see in the forest as more than 351 tree species have so far been recorded

Children also have something to enjoy in Kibale National Park as the age limit for chimpanzee trekking is 12 years and over. Children below this age can engage in eco friendly activities like batik making, pond dipping, forest walks, have lessons on the ecosystems, cyanotype, photography to mention but a few.

How To Book A Chimpanzee Trekking permit for Kibale National Park

To book a chimpanzee trekking permit card for Kibale National Park, you need to be eligible that is 12 years and over. Two sessions of chimpanzee trekking happen each day that is morning and afternoon each day. To minimize on the chances of agitating ad overwhelming the chimpanzees, maximum 6 tourists are allowed to visit a chimpanzee troop per session.

Choose a date for the chimpanzee trekking experience, identify the people travelling with for chimpanzee tracking and most preferred session then enquire about permit availability.

Upon receiving your chimpanzee trekking inquiry to Kibale National Park, our safari consultants checks availability from the list of Uganda Wildlife Authority and gets back to you in the shortest time possible. The status of the chimpanzee permits for Kibale changes any time without warning so the earlier you secure yours the better.

Booking a chimpanzee permits for Kibale can only be done with payment and first come first served basis is used.

Avail some personal details to be added to your chimpanzee trekking permit card for easy identification on chimpanzee trekking day. Some of the details include passport number, Nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date and others.

On chimpanzee trekking day, you present your chimpanzee trekking card to the ranger guides at Kanyanchu for clearance and you are randomly allocated a chimpanzee trekking group.

How Much Is The Cost Of A Chimpanzee Trekking Permit For Kibale National Park

The cost of chimpanzee trekking permit for Kibale National Park in Uganda is currently $200 for foreign nonresidents, $150 foreign residents, 200,000shs for East Africans.

The cost of the Kibale National Park permit includes park entrance fees, chimpanzee conservation fees, ranger guide fees, local community support and others.

However exclusions in the cost of chimpanzee trekking permits are accommodation, meals, transport and much more.

What Is The Cost Of Chimpanzee Trekking Safari To Kibale National Park

The cost of the chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale National Park varies with the number of days, number of people, number of additional activities to engage in and others. The cost of the chimpanzee trekking permit cuts across all budgets.

At Arch Safaris and Tours, we package our safaris according to Luxury, midrange and budget. The least number of days for a chimpanzee trekking experience in Kibale National Park is 3 days. A part from the cost of the chimpanzee permit, other logistics that support a chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale National Park include accommodation, transport and others.

How To Get To Kibale National Park For Chimpanzee Trekking

From Kampala the main capital of Uganda or Entebbe Airport, two routes lead to Kibale National Park that is Kampala via Mubende to Fort Portal to Kibale forest. This is the northern route to Kibale National Park which is about 336 kilometers to Kanyanchu visitor center the main headquarters of the forest.

The southern route to Kibale National Park is Kampala to Mbarara to Kamwenge to Kibale National Park.

Sebitoli visitor center is the secondary tourism center of Kibale National Park

Is Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park Safe?

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park is safe because the presence of the well trained Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides who occasionally patrol the forest for any wrong doings. They are on ground to protect Kibale forest and its inhabitants including the tourists.

Before heading for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, you must attend briefing at the ranger station. While at the station, you are given the guidelines you must follow during chimpanzee trekking which you must abide by. Every chimpanzee tour is guided by atleast two ranger guides carrying some defensive items like a machete and riffle.

Use the trails constructed by regular visitors to the Kibale National Park in order not to get lost in this tropical rain forest. Some of the trails in Kibale National Park also lead to the hit a dead end so in case you are forgotten in the forest, you may lose your way.

While with the chimpanzees, try to stay calm and follow the rules of chimpanzee trekking in order not to agitate them.

On a personal level, never enter Kibale forest without an escorting ranger guide because other than the chimpanzees, the forest has other inhabitants that crossover from Queen Elizabeth National Park. The forest is also home to forest elephants, leopard, wild forest hogs and others. Encountering some of these wild animals alone may be dangerous to you alone when you donot have backup.

While walking try to be careful not to be hurt by the sharp sticks along the way. Be very careful about the thorny plants or sharp ends of the dry braches along the way.

How Much Time Does Chimpanzee Trekking In Kibale National Park Take

The chimpanzee trekking safari in Kibale National Park may take about 2 hours to about 3 hours depending on the location of there food point. Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park may be habituated to be in front of humans for atleast one hour, they still posses there natural traits.

When you begin the search for the chimpanzees, they tend to keep moving as they go about there daily activities just a little patience will get you to exact where these primates may be. Kibale National Park too has other occupants like blue monkeys, black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, bush babies, red-tailed monkeys and others. A plethora of birds spend there day life in forest each day including Albertine rift endemics.

Finally when you get to see the chimpanzees, only one hour is allowed with them and later allows them to go about there daily activities. Chimpanzee ate foliage throughout the day and they need to collect and eat enough to last the night and day.

How Easy Or Difficult Is Chimpanzee Trekking In Kibale National Park

The chimpanzee trekking tour may have some challenges but at the end of the day, coming face to face with the closest humans cousins amongst the wild animals there natural home is heartwarming. Kibale forest being a dense tropical rain forest has high precipitation most of the times buy finally when you get to meet the chimpanzees you may forget what you may have gone through to locate the chimpanzees.

The trails in Kibale forest are sometimes obstructed by the over grown under growth as creepers match up the tree trunks. The ranger guide with a machete trims some of the overgrown vines to create a path to where the chimpanzees may be spending the day.

For early morning chimpanzee trekking, expect dew on the grass so wear some long safari trousers to protect you from getting so wet. Apply insect repellant to keep away the stinging insects. Try not to touch the plants along the way because you may land your hands on the stinging nettles. The wets season makes the chimpanzee trek in Kibale forest quite challenging

Finally when you find the chimpanzees, stay calm and go on with the flow in order not to agitate the already sensitive chimpanzees.

Are chimpanzees in Kibale Dangerous?

Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park are not dangerous since they are habituated to be in front of humans for atleast an hour. During chimpanzee trekking, you need to respect the guidelines of this adventure in order not to fall on the wrong site of the chimpanzee. Chimpanzees are very sensitive to unfamiliar occurrences in there presence like flashlight from the camera, noise and much more.

Avoid provoking the chimpanzees because you may cause them to charge. When agitated, the chimpanzees may react by hooting, pulling grass around them, throwing some fruits, dash into the deeper forest and much more. However this behaviors doesn’t mean that you have stirred this reaction. Wait for the ranger guide to establish the route cause of the matter and follow his or her instructions.

As you get away from the chimpanzees, do it slowly without causing any harm.

What accommodation to use in Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park accommodation is categorized into Luxury, mid-range and budget and these are situated with in and on the outskirts of the park.

Some Kibale accommodations include Primates Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Chimpanzee Guest house, C.V.K, Kibale Safari Lodge, Chimps nest

During the peak tourism season in Uganda, options of accommodations for Kibale National Park run out so it is best to book yours in advance.

Ensure you find out the service they have per package as some serve full board, bed and breakfast or bed only so you have to carry some cash with you to pay for some services in ground. Credit cards are not commonly used up country in Uganda because of card readers are not easy to operate. The lengthy process of obtaining money off the credit cards in Africa is another challenge.

What Else To Do In Kibale National Park Other Than Chimpanzee Trekking?

Birding in Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park has over 325 bird species of which Albertine endemics are present too. Keen birds may get the chance to spot little greenbul, crowned eagle, Abyssinian ground thrush, purple breasted sunbird, African pitta, blue headed sunbirds, yellow spotted nicator, collared Apalis and others.

A visit to Bigodi wetland sanctuary situated on the periphery of Kibale National Park opens opportunities to spotting several birds like the shoebill, even several primates may be spotted in this sanctuary like olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, chimpanzees and others.

Study purposes in Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park provides a conducive environment for researchers like primatologists, botanists and other. These is plenty to identify while on the study trip so you may need sometime around the forest. Advance booking is required in order get approval from Uganda wildlife Authority and other concerned bodies.

Community Visit Around Kibale National Park

There are several community initiatives around Kibale National Park and majority are community based.

What to Pack For Chimpanzee Trekking In Uganda

Safari foldable hat with a large brim to protect your head from buzzing insects in the jungle.

Safari convertible trousers and log sleeved shirt in wilderness friendly colors like tan and Khaki to use while in the jungle. Camouflage is not accepted in Uganda as this is related to military wear.

Warmers as it gets so cold in the morning and late afternoons so you need to keep warm.

Foldable waterproof bottle to carry with water in order to quench thirst

Waterproof backpack on wilderness friendly colors that you are not afraid to get dirty.

Safari waterproof boot to use when walking through the jungle which is quite slippery and soggy from the decomposing matter.

Garden gloves to hold a tighter grip on to the vines while walking along the trails

A pair of binocular to capture a better vision of the far ranging features in the jungle.

Rain coat in case it falls as these tropical rain forest may receive rains the entire day

Hard cash to use as a means of exchange when purchasing on ground items like souvenirs as credit cards are not easy to use in Africa because of the lengthy process of obtaining money from them.

First aid kit with medication for emergency treatment.

Insect repellant to apply and keep away insects that may hurt you while in the jungle.

Sunglasses to protect your eyes from insects that buzz in the jungle.

Fully charged batteries to exchange with in case one run low.

Energy treats to munch on as breakfast is taken too early to last the entire time you are in the jungle.

An adopter and charger in case you need to recharge your gargets.