Kibale is Uganda’s primate capital and the most dominant is the chimpanzee family that has gone high up to over 1500 chimps in this park. This is the highest number of chimps in the whole of Africa making it the best place to watch and learn about the chimps. Chimpanzees in Kibale have been habituated and are available for tracking by the visitors. Kibale National park is home to other 13 primate species that are seen during your visit to this park a number of bird species have also been recorded here making it the birders’ haven.
Tracking the Chimps take starts in the morning with a short briefing at the starting point by the park officials. The briefing is for all the guests who are scheduled for the day to track the Chimps and have acquired the chimpanzee tracking permits through the relevant authorities. The visitors are then grouped into 8 and are allocated chimpanzee groups to track as guided by the rangers.
After meeting the Chimpanzees, the visitors are allowed to have a full hour interaction with them as they take pictures and observing closely the behavior of our closest relatives in the forest. The rangers will be there to share all the necessary information with you and also responding to the questions raised by you. The tracking experience will take you 2-4 hours depending on the movement of these Apes and the fitness of the trackers.
The Chimps feed on forest fruits that are seasonal and on the vegetation in the forests, the sleep in groups in nests built together as the sun goes down. They live in large groups of 80 to 100 individuals feeding together. The chimps are lively and you will confirm this on your tour as you watch most of them jumping from tree to tree. A young chimp becomes independent at an age of about 4 years and is detached from the mother to live on its own.
The different bird species in this park will excite you with their beautiful colors and their sweet melodies in the morning from your hotel window.
Male chimps can weigh 35-70 kilograms and have a life span of about 40 years. The female chimps can weigh from 26-50 kilograms and have the same life span as the males. It should be noted that the chimps can even live up to 60 years.
What to carry for Chimpanzee trekking
- Rain jacket due to the unpredictable weather of the forest
- Long trousers and long sleeved shirts/blouses
- Chimp tracking permit
- Shoes with a good grip
- Camera and extra batteries
- Hut
- Sunglasses
- Insect repellant
Chimpanzee tracking rule
- An 8 meter distance should be maintained
- Visitors with diseases like flu and diarrhea may not be allowed to track
- Avoid eating from the park
- Do not feed the chimpanzees
- Children below 12 years are not allowed to track the Chimps
- Avoid use of flash as you take the pictures
Cost of a Chimpanzee Tracking Permit
This is a document issued to the visitors allowing them to track the Chimpanzes in their protected areas. The permit is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority through a trusted travel agent like us at Gorillaland Safari Holidays. The Nonresidents are required to pay $150 per person, foreign residents are required to pay $100 per person. East African residents have to pat 150000 UGX to be allowed to watch the Chimps with guides.
