Chimpanzee Tracking

CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN UGANDA

Uganda is one of the few countries where you can experience both gorilla and chimpanzee trekking on the same trip!

Kibale National Park is one of the best places to enjoy Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda. Kibale (The K is a ch sound – Chibale) is home to 13 primate species, including the drawcard, Chimpanzee. Red-Tailed Monkeys, Black & White Colobus Monkeys, the cheeky Vervet Monkeys and more share the forest with elephants, duikers, bush pigs, buffalo, and even elusive leopards.

Chimpanzees in Kibale number around 1500, with just 10% habituated to humans. Even knowing that chimps share 98.7% of our DNA, you are unprepared for how similar their mannerisms are to ours. They laugh, are affectionate and highly social creatures. While they do walk on all 4’s they can just as easily walk upright. Chimpanzees are intelligent and are adept at using tools, like large leaves as umbrellas, sticks to dig for insects, and more. Watching them, you can see they are highly intelligent beings with complex family structures.

Chimpanzee’s nest in stable tree’s at night in a nest built from leaves, a different tree each night. They prefer to stay up there, so be prepared to keep looking up while you spend your hour with them! They will happily eat meat but do prefer the plants, fruits, and nuts found in the forest.

Chimpanzee Trekking can be done by anyone who is able to do an easy 2-3 hour hike. Chimpanzee trekking is an extremely rewarding adventure, one that is fascinating, fun, and fast paced. The terrain is flat, although you may have a fallen tree or puddle to navigate. It is a rain forest, so pack the rain gear and waterproof hiking boots.

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CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

I stayed at Crater Safari Lodge, which had such a stunning view over the Nyinabulitwa Crater Lake, beautiful chalets and a great team on site. My guide dropped me at the briefing station, and I was paired with a lovely guide, she has worked in Kibale for over 10 years and loves being in the forest. We had another ranger with us, however, he was in the background, no doubt ensuring we didn’t run into any grumpy elephants or buffalo. We walked from the briefing centre into the forest and the outside world disappeared very quickly.
Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda’s Kibale National Park is fun! The terrain, while wet and slippery, is flat. The forest is alive with sounds of insects, birds and primates. The Kibale Forest is a typical rain forest with dense vegetation, pools of water on the ground and tall trees blocking most of the direct sunlight.

Top Tip: You will scramble over puddles and fallen logs, so remember your waterproof boots and a pair of gardening gloves, mine was invaluable as I clutched thorny brambles to stop falling into a pile of mud. Add your rain jacket and your day pack, preferably waterproof, and you are good to go. And tuck your trousers into your socks or wear gators – they have safari ants who just love to bite tourists!

Within a minute or two of walking from the road, we could already hear the screeching of the chimps. Our ranger found a lone chimpanzee lounging on the path in front of us. We watched him as he watched us for a while, then followed as he sauntered off to join the rest of the family. By now, the screeching, whooping and cackling was louder than ever and I became aware of a dull knocking sound. I was told that chimps bang on the trunks of trees, it is part of their communication.
Chimpanzees can fly through the treetops and scamper along the ground at quite a pace, so we hurried along behind our guide

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CHIMPANZEES IN KIBALE

The cacophony made by the chimpanzees got louder and louder signalling that we were near to the whole family. Totally relaxed in the trees and forest around us, these chimpanzees are habituated, allowing us to spend an hour in their presence. We watched as they foraged in the treetops, as the younger ones played and scrambled up and down trees, and all the while, their incredible social interactions and vocalizations providing a soundtrack to our experience.

We watched as they started finding a tree to nest in for the night and gather some leaves to pad the nest. Comfort is key, even at the top of a tree. Chimpanzee Trekking is so fast-paced that taking photo’s, especially with a DSLR camera, can be challenging. I kept my cell phone handy for a few snapshots and did manage to get one or 2 good photos. I realized that this was OK, it was more important to soak up the atmosphere, to enjoy the forest and revel in this thrilling experience.

Our hour was up far too quickly and our guide had to drag us away! Amped up after the exciting chimpanzee encounter, I spent the walk back to the briefing center enjoying the numerous birds I could see in the forest, including the gorgeous Great Blue Turaco. I spotted the Olive baboon, so similar to the Chacma baboons found in South Africa, saw the Colobus monkey and heard others off in the distance. We disturbed hundreds of black butterflies on the ground who swarmed around us in protest as we walked through them. It was a magical way to end a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon spent in the forest.

I returned to Crater Safari Lodge, in time to watch another sunset in Uganda, changing the sky from blue to pinks and purples and finally set over the Nyinabulitwa Crater Lake in front of me.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda was every bit as rewarding and magical as gorilla trekking was, in its own unique way. It belongs at the top of any bucket list of a serious safari-goer.

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A few of my own, awkwardly snapped photos of my Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda trip!

Chimpanzee Tracking

CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN UGANDA

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CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

CHIMPANZEES IN KIBALE