
Reschedule chimpanzee permits in Uganda
Is it possible to reschedule chimpanzee permits in Uganda? Chimpanzee permits are one of the basic requirements necessary for one to spend a period of 1 hour or 4 hours with chimpanzees. The chimpanzee trekking permits are sold to those that would love to be around chimpanzees for 1 hour while the chimpanzee habituation permits are for those that want to be around chimpanzees for 4 hours. In Uganda, the travelers who had booked the chimpanzee permits for certain dates are allowed to reschedule their permits to a new date only once. To reschedule chimpanzee permits you need to have genuine reasons as to why they want to change the dates and some of these are financial problems, an outbreak of diseases, and much more. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is only done in places of Kibale national park with the highest population, Ngamba island sanctuary, Kalinzu forest in Bushenyi, Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, and toro Semuliki wildlife reserve. Kibale forest national park is the most visited of the chimpanzee parks with more than 1,500 chimpanzee individuals and other 12 primates.
How can I best book chimpanzee permits in Uganda
Chimpanzee permits are the most required documents that a traveler needs to be with in order to be able to trek or habituate chimpanzees in Uganda. These chimpanzee permits can be got from Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Forest Authority as well as a trusted local tour operator. When you want the chimpanzee permits for any of the chimpanzee-protected areas you can contact Africa Adventure vacations and we book for you a permit. All we request from you are the travel dates, and we shall have to note them down and check for availability of permits on this day for the particular area you would want to encounter chimpanzees with the Uganda Wildlife Authority or National Forest Authority. Once the permits are available, we shall send you our payment details and once you have paid, we shall go further and secure you a permit and then send you a scanned copy to confirm your purchase. Travelers intending to travel in the high season (December to February and June to September) are advised to book their chimpanzee permits in advance since they do sell out quickly.
How much are Uganda chimpanzee permits?
There are several places where chimpanzees are found in Uganda and all of them have different prices to see these endangered primates. In Kibale forest national park the trekking permits go for $200 foreign non-residents, $150 foreign residents, and shs150,00 East African citizens. In Kyambura gorge trekking goes for $50 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents and for citizens of East Africa it’s shs30,000. Primate walk in Toro Semuliki wildlife reserve goes for $30 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while shs20,000 is for East African citizens and lastly, in Budongo forest the trekking permits go for $100 for foreign non-residents, $90 foreign residents, while East African citizens pay $55. The chimpanzee habituation permits for Kibale are sold for $250 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while East Africans pay shs150,000.
How to reschedule Uganda chimpanzee permits?
Uganda wildlife authority allows travelers to reschedule chimpanzee trekking or habituation permits and this is done only once. Africa adventure vacations can help you out on rescheduling permits for any of the areas you would like to trek or habituate chimpanzees. If you want to reschedule chimpanzee permits you will need to tell us about the dates you would want to change to and we shall submit your request to Uganda Wildlife Authority including the reasons as to why you want to reschedule the permits such as sickness, financial demand among others. Once the Uganda wildlife authority team has looked into your matter, they will allow you to reschedule your permit to a new date only once on the condition that your permit is fully paid. The rescheduling of permits is done at no extra cost with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. If you had used a local tour operator to book your permit, there is a possibility of them selling your permit to another client though there is no guarantee that the client will be readily available to buy the permit.
About chimpanzee tracking and chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda
After mountain gorillas, the other famous primates are the chimpanzees, and these are found in different parts of the country such as Kibale forest national park, Toro Semuliki Wildlife reserve, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Kalinzu forest, and Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park. Chimpanzee trekking is a once-in-a-lifetime experience of encountering chimpanzees in their natural habitat for a maximum of 1 hour and chimpanzee habituation, it’s 4 hours.
Chimpanzee trekking in any of the protected areas starts with a briefing where the trekkers are taught about the dos and don’ts of the tracking activity. After the briefing, different ranger guides lead different trekkers through different trails of the area as they look for the endangered chimpanzees. During the search that takes 2-4 hours, the trekkers get a chance to see different animals, birds, and tree species. When you meet the located chimpanzee family, you are given 1 hour to be around them as you learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities, and take photos.
Chimpanzee habituation in Uganda is only done in Budongo forest right next to Murchison falls national park and Kibale forest national park. the chimpanzee habituation experience takes up to 4 hours and allows the trekkers to be with chimpanzees as they make them get used to human presence around them, watch them do daily activities like feeding, patrolling their territories, hunting, and taking photos. The chimpanzee habituation is done at a fee and for the case of Kibale forest national park, it’s $250 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while for East African citizens it’s shs150,000.
What is the best time to visit Uganda for chimpanzee activities?
Uganda can be visited at any time of the year for activities related to chimpanzees but the best time to visit the country is the dry season. The dry season in Uganda happens June to September and December to February and during these months there is little or no rainfall. During this very time, the roads leading to the chimpanzee protected areas are passable, the vegetation is thin with less mist which gives clear views of the chimpanzees and other wildlife animals, and lastly, the trekking trails are dry and passable. The rainy season is not good for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda since there is too much rainfall during this season that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the roads leading to the park impassable but the good thing with trekking in this season is that the accommodation facilities do give out huge discounts.
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 gorilla trekking, primate habituation, birding, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Asking to to reschedule chimpanzee permits in Uganda can be done at any time of the year.