comparing chimpanzee trekking of Kibaale to Kyambura George: where you should go

Chimpanzee trekking is one of the main tourism activities that are carried out with in the pearl of Africa. Chimpanzee trekking refers to the process of walking/hiking in to the jungles of rain forests in search for the chimpanzees.

This activity is mainly carried out in Kibale national park, kyambura gorge, the part of queen Elizabeth National Park and Budongo forest, the extension Murchison falls national park. Though, there are other areas within Uganda where these chimpanzees can be found.

In this blog we are going to compare chimpanzee trekking in Kibaale National Park verses that of Queen Elizabeth national park at Kyambura George. and there are many factors to consider which include.

NO OF HABITUATED GROUPS-Kibaale vs Kyambura George

With over 1500 chimpanzees leaving in the park and over 6 groups already fully habituated for the visitors to see kibaale national park is a must visit place for chimpanzee trekking. On top of chimps, the park is also a home to several other primates like black and white colobus monkey, l’host monkey, red tailored monkey and more. That is why the scholars refer to the park as the world capital of primates.

On the other hand, kyambula George located within the boundaries of queen Elizabeth national park has only one habituated gorilla family of 23 member led by alpha male called kihongo. Therefore, at kyambula George you won’t have a number of choices to choose from as the case with Kibaale national park but also this family is friendly to human being and will give you a good experience.

PRICE OF THE CHIMPANZEE PERMIT

The cost of chimpanzee trekking permit is 100$ at kyambura George. However, even with the low permit prices, stay warned of the higher chances of missing out on encountering the gorilla family in case it has moved for the long distance. Remember, there won’t be any backup as it is one group.

On the other hand, the cost of chimpanzee permit at kibaale national park is 250$. However, at this cost, you will have 99% chances of encountering chimpanzees in their natural habitats on top of encountering other primates that call the park their home.

LOCATION FROM ENTEBBE- KIBAALE VS KYAMBURA GEORGE

The distance from Entebbe international airport to Kibaale national park is a five-hour drive. However, the drive from Entebbe international airport to queen Elizabeth national park where kyambula George is found is a 7-hour drive. This makes accessing kibaale from kampala easier than accessing kyambula George.

ALOT TO OFFER- KIBAALE VS KYAMBURA GEORGE

To those who wish to enjoy other experiences, then Queen Elizabeth national park becomes number one. This is because Queen has a lot to offer for example the big 5 most thought animals, the tree climbing lions, a boat cruise, perfect place for birding and many others.

However, for those interested in meeting different primates other than gorillas and different bird species, kibaale national park is for you. The park is known as the world capital of primates due to various primates’ other chimpanzees that can be found there. These include black and white colobus monkey, red tailored monkey, l’host monkey and many more.

WHERE TO SEE CHIMPANZEES IN UGANDA?

Chimpanzees in Uganda can be located in three national parks and Kibale is the most popular destination. These amazing creatures can still be spotted in Queen Elizabeth national park in the sides of Kyambura gorge, Budongo forest, Kalinzu forest, Ngamba island and Semliki wildlife reserve. We are going to discuss some of them.

KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

This is the main out standing and exceptional destination for carrying out chimpanzee trekking expedition.  Kibale national park is also at times called the Primate capital of the world because its a home to many other primate species. The park is located in the western parts of Uganda covering an area of 766 square kilo meters.

Chimpanzee trekking is the main tourism activity to carry out while in Kibale national park.  The activity is carried out twice a day both in the morning and afternoon. This activity starts from the park main head quarters (Kanyanchu visitors center). It opens with a briefing at exactly 7:00am for morning session. A briefing gives you more details about the rules and regulations to follow while in the forest. After the briefing you will join a group of people to go in the jungle. Upon finding the great apes only one hour will be given to you to spend with them. This one hour mainly entails taking photos of the chimpanzees, see them feed, hunt and many others.

KYAMBURA GORGE

This is one of the popular areas that offers tourists with chances to participate in chimpanzee trekking.  Kyambura gorge is situated in the parts of Queen Elizabeth national park. Kyambura gorge is also referred to as the valley of apes and is mainly composed of many tropical rain forests.

Trekking chimpanzees opens up with a briefing at the park head quarters.  After the briefing, you will have to join a group of people embark on their trekking expedition. For those interested joining chimpanzee trekking with other adventures, this is the perfect place to go as you will be able to do other tour activity found in queen Elizabeth without wasting a lot of time in travel.

BUDONGO FOREST

Budongo forest is one of the other unique destinations in Uganda that offer opportunities to tourists to trek chimpanzees. The forest is situated on some parts of Murchison falls national park, the largest protected area in Uganda. Like in other destinations, chimpanzee trekking opens with a briefing that highlights about rules and regulations within the forest. Once chimps are encountered, you will spend only one hour with these human cousins in their natural habitats.

KALINZU FOREST

This forest is one of the best destinations in Uganda where chimpanzee trekking is carried out. Kalinzu forest is very close to Queen Elizabeth national park. Different tour consultants have gone on to advise their tourists to visit Kalinzu forest than Kyambura gorge. This is because there are high chances of viewing the chimps in Kalinzu compared to Kyambura gorge.

You will still have opportunities to see many bird species, butterflies, the monkey species and other attractions with in the forest. The current price of a chimpanzee permit in Kalinzu forest is $100 for foreign non residents.

BEST TIME FOR CARRYING OUT YOUR CHIMPANZEE TREKKING EXPEDITION

Chimpanzee trekking can be carried out all year round. The year is mainly made up of both dry and wet season. The best season for carrying out your chimpanzee trekking experience is majorly the dry season. The dry season runs from (June to September).

The dry season is the appropriate time for carrying out your chimpanzee trekking expedition.

This is because generally in the dry season there are little rains so the hiking trails are not slippery and the park is not filled with mud thus easy movements of the trekkers.

The other advantage of visiting in the dry season is that the vegetations are too lush thus easy spotting of many wildlife and this is the best time for wild viewing.

However, people can still carry out chimpanzee trekking even in the wet season and have a lot of unique experiences. The beauty of vising in the wet season is that some prices are reduced especially those of the lodges. Lodges tend to offer some discounts for tourists who visit in the low season. While to the bird lovers, the wet season is the perfect time for visiting you will enjoy both trekking chimpanzees as you see a variety of many bird species and chimpanzee tend to move for shorter distances due to the availability of plenty of food.

The 5 Days Uganda Chimpanzee Tour offers you remarkable Chimpanzee Tracking Adventures in the stunning Semliki National Park as well as nature walks around the Crater lakes and neighboring Local Communities.

TRIP DETAILS

REQUEST INFO

Transfer to Uganda on holiday to enjoy the best safari Adventures on the 6 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari as you track the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi forest, Chimpanzees of Kibale forest as well as Wildlife Safaris in Queen Elizabeth

TRIP DETAILS

REQUEST INFO

The 9 Days Uganda Tour starts and ends in Kampala. It will take you to Uganda’s un-spoilt wildlife destinations to experience Nature at its best. Explore all the best Uganda has to offer to tourists in the tropic Africa. Major tour activities in this tour include White water rafting, game drives

TRIP DETAILS

REQUEST INFO