Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge

Are you looking for Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge? Also known as the valley of apes, Kyambura gorge is home to a certain population of chimpanzees that are left surviving in the world. Kyambura gorge is one of the areas to do chimpanzee trekking from and this activity is done among the one habituated chimpanzee family in the park. Chimpanzee trekking enables trekkers to spend 1 hour with the chimpanzees in their natural habitats and this helps them to know about their habits, watch them do daily activities, and take photos.

Tourists can get to Kyambura gorge in a single day and this can be achieved by taking chattered flights from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport. The other way to get to the lodge is by road transport using Kampala Masaka Road or Kampala Fort Portal road. The trekking of these chimpanzees can be done on any day of the year but you need to have a chimpanzee trekking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge Queen Elizabeth national park

Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity in Kyambura gorge and it’s done twice a day. The chimpanzee trekking activity in Kyambura gorge is done among one community that is found in this area. The only chimpanzee community in Kyambura gorge comprises of 16 habituated members and they do offer the trekkers the same experience that they would have gotten if they trek from Kibale forest national park or Budongo forest.

The chimpanzee trekking in this Kyambura gorge is done twice a day and all the sessions start with a briefing at the Visitors Center near the gorge. To be part of the trekkers in Kyambura you need to have a chimpanzee trekking permit which is got from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. During the briefing, the trekkers that are always 8 are taught about the dos and don’ts of the trekking activities. After the briefing, the trekkers are given a ranger guide and a walking stick to lead them down the gorge.

As the trekkers move down the gorge looking for these peaceful chimpanzees, they might come across other animals like the hippos, elephants, small primates, and they will spot rare vegetation types. Once the trekkers meet the chimpanzees, the rangers give them a maximum of 1 hour to be around them and they will help them to learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities like nesting on top of the trees, hunting, breastfeeding, and they are allowed to take photos and record videos.

How much is it spending 1 hour with chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge?

Kyambura gorge is one of the few places where tourists are given opportunities to meet chimpanzees in their natural habitats. To trek chimpanzees in the Kyambura gorge, you need to have a chimpanzee trekking permit which we at Africa adventure vacations normally book for tourists from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The chimpanzee trekking permit for Kyambura gorge is $50 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents, and the citizens of East Africa pay shs250,000. The chimpanzee trekking permit comes with 1-hour permission to be around chimpanzees and it’s sold to children above 15 years.

Activities to do after chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge

Encounter birds in Queen Elizabeth national park after chimpanzee trekking

Bird watching is another activity that travelers can do after chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge. The bird watching can be done in Kyambura gorge and other parts of Murchison falls national park. The total of birds that have been so far recorded in these areas is 600. Birding in this area will need tourists to carry along their binoculars so that they shouldn’t miss out on even the distant ones.

Common bird species in Kyambura gorge and Queen Elizabeth national park include Martial Eagle, the rare shoebill stork, African Broadbill, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Africa emerald cuckoo, barbets, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Black Bee-eater, African Skimmer, Pink-backed Pelican, yellow-throated cuckoo, White-tailed Lark, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, brown illadopsis, White-winged Warbler, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, marsh tchagra, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, pink backed pelican, Corncrake, pied kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, and Bar-tailed Godwit among others.

Game viewing activities in Queen after chimpanzee trekking

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the national parks with the highest number of wildlife in the country. The national park was gazetted to protect over 95 mammals that are still within this park. With this biggest number of different animals in the park, a game drive therefore is one of the things you shouldn’t miss out on while in this park. The game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done in the morning or afternoon or even in the night to see nocturnal animals like the leopards, white-tailed mongoose, civets, genets, serval cats, lions, bush babies, and bush pigs among others.

Morning and evening game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park expose you to some of the 95 mammals, birds, different vegetation types. The game drives are done in the Mweya peninsular, and the Kasenyi plains, and some of the animals normally seen on the game drives include lions, elephants, hippos, warthogs, giant forest hogs, hyenas, bushbucks, leopards, buffaloes, olive baboons, banded mongoose, Uganda kobs, topis, and waterbucks among others. Tourists can go further to the Ishasha sector to see the tree-climbing lions.

Boat cruise at Kazinga channel after chimpanzee trekking

The boat cruise is one of the most fascinating activities to do after having a chimpanzee trekking activity in Kyambura gorge. The boat cruise after the trekking can be done on the Kazinga channel which is the largest water body in Queen Elizabeth national park. The boat cruise on the Kazinga channel takes you around the park premises for about 2 hours.

During the boat cruise on Kazinga channel, the tourists are given life jackets to protect them while on the boat and they are given an UWA guide to give them all the necessary information about the channel and the water animals. During the boat cruise, the tourists get an opportunity to watch a school of hippos, crocodiles, water birds like the yellow-billed stork, martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, pink-backed pelicans, plovers, black bee-eater, black crake, malachite kingfisher, and white bullied cormorants among others.

Where to stay on a chimpanzee safari at Kyambura gorge?

Tourists on a chimpanzee trekking safari in Kyambura gorge have a variety of accommodation options where they can stay and these range from budget to mid-range to luxury options. The lodges where tourists to Kyambura gorge can stay include Katara Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Jacana Safari Lodge, and Mweya Safari Lodge among others.

What is the best time to book chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge?

Kyambura gorge chimpanzee trekking can be done at any time of the year but the best time has always been the dry season. The dry season normally occurs in June to September and December to February and during these months, the rainfall is little or not there at all. The dry season is characterized by thin vegetation cover in the parks hence giving clear views of the park animals, the trekking trails dry, and the roads leading to the park passable.

Tourists can as well trek chimpanzees in the Kyambura gorge in the rain season because during this time, the lodges give huge discounts on accommodation. Tourists need to know that during this season, the rainfall is too much in the area, the trekking trails are slippery and muddy, the vegetation is thick giving unclear views of the park animals and the roads to the gorge are impassable.

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa adventure vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as mountain gorilla trekking, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking can be done at any time of the year.