Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is an interesting and memorable activity. It is a great addon to your safari in Uganda and Rwanda. These two countries have interesting sites for any person who wishes to go out for Chimpanzee trekking. Here are some of the great places to go for an awesome chimpanzee trek in Uganda and Rwanda. Lets start with Uganda.
Kibale Forest National Park
To start with, Kibale Forest in Uganda is the number one place to see chimpanzees in the wild. It has over 1500 Chimpanzees which is over 30% of Uganda’s total chimpanzee population. In the same forest are three Chimpanzee communities available for research and only one for the tourists. Chimpanzee trekking happens in two phases in the forest where one stars at 8:00am and the other at 2:00pm. The cost of Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda in Kibale forest is $150 and for a Chimpanzee habituation experience you have to pay $220.
Kalinzu Forest
After Kibale forest the second best place for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is Kalinzu forest. It lies just outside Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are about 290 Chimpanzees at Kalinzu forest and 70 habituated Chimpanzees. It is important to note that a permit for Chimpanzee trekking here is way cheaper than that at Kibale forest. It is at usd40.
The third best place is Budongo forest, and it covers 825km with over 800 Chimpanzees. It is within the Murchison Falls National Park. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo is best in the wet season in the months of May and August. This is because during the dry season the Chimpanzees move deep into the forest, and you have to move long distances to see them.
Kyambura Gorge
More to mention, the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National park is another place to see chimpanzees in the wild. This gorge is home to other primates including the olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and so on. Beacause its so close to the savanna and Bwindi Forest makes a safari visit to this area of the world complete. In close proximity, you can have game drives on the savanna, trek chimpanzees and as well trek to the mountain gorillas.
Let’s also see some of the good places to visit in Rwanda for a memorable Chimpanzee trekking.
Nyungwe forest in Rwanda is one of the best places you can visit to have an encounter with man’s closest relative.
Other places to see chimpanzees in East Africa include; Gombe National park in Tanzania, Olpejeta Conservacy in Kenya to mention a few.
That said, the best time for this adventure is during the rainy season.