Why Chimpanzee Tracking is a Great Wilderness Experience
Just want to relax off may be on your holiday and searching for that experience that would reward and satisfy your travel desires. While in Uganda choosing to track Chimpanzees the human closest cousins sharing 98% human DNA is a prevalent tourist activity next to gorilla trekking is best alternative, this shouldn’t miss on your African safari. Chimpanzees are one of the most exciting apes to see on a safari in Uganda, Uganda has one of the largest Chimpanzees population in the world recorded with about 5000 chimpanzees in different parks and forests.
Chimpanzee-family -Tracking-in-Kibale
On African continent their 21 countries where you can bargain for chimpanzees in the wild. However, Uganda stands the best East African country offering Chimpanzee sighting and in their natural sanctuary. gazetting Kibale National Park that signified in protecting variety of primate spices including the Chimpanzees. In west and central Africa, there is a lot of human encroachment on chimpanzee habitats and hunting them for meat, which has eventually threatened their numbers.
Excites about Chimpanzees in Uganda even under aged travelers can encounter them in their protected zones like Zoo (Uganda Wildlife Education Center UWEC). There primary encounters of these apes in sanctuaries like Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary where orphans and injured Chimpanzees are kept and left in their natural setting. Tracking Chimpanzees at Ngamba Island at Entebbe rewards with direct contact of the Chimpanzees by feeding them and playing with the young ones.
However, what makes Chimpanzee tracking one of the greatest wild experience, the adventurous nature of the activity where you have to hike into slopes of exotic topography looking for them. Tracking can’t be done by week and sick tourists as well children under 15 years, it’s done by physically fit trackers.
For visitors who can’t afford gorilla trekking can go for instead, tracking these great apes of the wild highlights all African safaris. Any tracker should not be sick and cough free because a simple cold cough can cause its death, being the fact that Chimps share 98% of human DNA and because they feed on green vegetation they have a weak immune system and any kind of human infection can cause their earth.
From different parks and game reserve you can encounter the giant primate in their natural setting from the wildness. Tracking Chimpanzees you can decide to take an hour encounter in their presence or have more hours with chimpanzees in the forest. In the number of exotic environments you can encounter the apes including Kibale National Park the world primate capital, Budongo forest reserve with more number of habituated Chimpanzee families in Murchison falls national park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Kalinzu forest near Queen Elizabeth and Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve.
US$150 Rewards-Chimps in the wild
More visitors are tracking chimpanzees and have an hour in their presence, there is however another option that allows you to be with chimpanzees all day long in the forests of Budongo and Kibale forest, the habituation experience all day with chimpanzees in their natural setting.
The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience is not for the faint of heart it means an early breakfast a packed lunch and enough drinking water you are off before dawn breaks into the forest. You meet your guide and you head to where the chimpanzees built nests the night before. Dawn is just breaking and the chimpanzee community you are going to be with the rest of the day is rising from their sleep.
Habituation process takes not less than two years long process, so you get to spend the day watching and following the apes of forest studying and learning their behaviors.
Kibale National Park
The park is found in the western direction 308km/h from Kampala capital and embraces the highest number of primate species in the world. The park is the world’s primate capital with 13 different primate species including the rare L’hoest monkey, red tailed colobus, white and black colobus, vervet monkey, bush babies, mangeby. However, the giant apes is dominant in the forest attracting a reasonable number to traveler around the world. In Kibale there about 1500 Chimpanzees that rewards lifetime experience to trackers, before tracking you choose when booking your tracking permit either one hour encounter with the apes or full day habituation following the giants to study their behaviors and making them used to human presence.
Budongo Forest Game Reserve.
Budongo forest is only 4 hours from Kampala and is the nearest of the chimpanzee tracking destination. At Budong a one day chimpanzee trekking experience is possible and driving back to Kampala on the same day, but ensure your overnight before tracking either at Masindi town or Murchison fall National park. However, you can choose exploring other parks and tracking rhinos while on your trip which may cover only three days. The well-known mahogany tree forest on the other hand offers chimpanzee habituation experience where you experience a day with researchers who are involved in the chimpanzee habituation process but this is only available during the off season months. The forest located adjacent to Murchison Falls National Park and is 2nd forest that rewards best experience of tracking Chimpanzees in the wildness and while in the forest there higher chances to encounter the Chimpanzees.
A wash of tiresomeness- summit with the Chimpanzees
Kyambura Gorge
The Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth Park is another descent place to spot chimpanzees in Uganda. Kyambura Gorge is part of the Western Rift Valley and it provides such a unique setting and backdrop for chimpanzee tracking. BBC called this gorge the lost valley and the Valley of the Apes by others. The terrain is a bit on the rough side, it means crossing creeks and rivers all part of the excitement of being with the chimpanzees of Kyambura Gorge. Tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge is 3 hours well spent, and the chimpanzee permits here are usually cheaper US$50.
Every now and then, you might come across a chimpanzee outside a national park such as in the Buniga forest, the Bigodi wetlands sanctuary, and the Bwindi impenetrable forest on a gorilla tour. Tracking Chimpanzees is a generational narration documentary in an exotic forest.
Permit Prices of chimpanzee tracking in Uganda vary from one Chimpanzee destination, “tracking at Kibale National Park costs US$150, Bigodi forest costs US$80 and at Kyambura Gorge at Queen Elizabeth National Park a permit costs US$50″. And it’s advisable you book your tracking permit at least three month before your tracking date.
