Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda: The Ultimate Guide

Chimpanzee trekking (or simply chimp tracking), an adventure activity that takes you to the deep African jungle in search of chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

This is without a doubt one of the most exciting and unforgettable adventure you can ever have because it takes you to encounter these stubborn and intelligent primates in their wild state.

Imagine standing close to as you watch your closest wild relatives, the chimpanzees relate, feed, play and communicate in their natural habitat.

Compared to humans, chimpanzees display high level of intelligence such as use of sticks to solve problems, known to be emotional. The main explanation behind chimpanzee-human similar behaviors is attributed to the fact that chimps share over 98% of DNA with humans.

Chimpanzee Family in the wild

Why go Chimp trekking

An encounter with chimpanzees is undeniably like no other primate expedition. In contrast to other similar primates including gorillas and, chimpanzees are highly intelligent, more emotional and social creatures known for their social structure, communication, and problem-solving abilities.

During your chimp trekking adventure, you shall have opportunity to witness juvenile-adulthood interaction as the chimpanzees handle their grooming. This is a similar train with humans where mothers groom girls into women.

Currently, there are only two types remaining in the world and they include;

Common Chimpanzee: Predominantly found in the jungles across east, west and central Africa, they are large weighing up to 70kg and are led by a dominant male. Technically known as Pan troglodytes, display a more aggressive behavior

Bonobo (Pan paniscus): Solely found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this type of chimpanzee is relatively smaller compared to the common chimpanzees and are led by an older female and are even more peaceful and friendly

Both these types of chimpanzees can thrive for around 30 years in the wild and up to 60 in sanctuaries where they are taken care of for example in the zoo.

They are somewhat omnivorous with their favorite delicacies including fruits, seeds, leaves, insects and honey with occasional feast on small animals like monkeys not forgetting termites they fish out using sticks and nuts cracked with stones.

Chimpanzee in Kibale Forest National Park

Where to Go Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda

Uganda has won several awards and recognition as World’s best primate trekking destination and therefore it’s your best destinations in Africa to go when you are thinking chimpanzee trekking.

With a total number of over 5,600 chimps in the wild and multiple trekking sites. It has quite a number of tropical forests that harbor these primates and some of them include the following.

Kibale Forest National Park

Commonly known as the primate capital of Africa with a 90% success rate, Kibale Forest National Park is located in the western corner of the Pearl of Africa near Fort Portal.

It has a total number of over 1,500 individuals and three habituated communities with treks running twice daily at 8 am and 2 pm.

For a longer encounter with these apes, you can opt for the  chimpanzee habituation experience that allows a full day encounter with the troops. Chimpanzee trekking permits go for $250 while the habituation experience permits goes for $300.

Besides chimpanzees, this natural wonderland is home to over 13 other primate species with examples including, red colobus, blue monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys and many others.

Kalinzu Forest Reserve

Home to over 290 individuals with 70 habituated, Kalinzu Forest Reserve is located near Queen Elizabeth National Park offering a strong chance of sighting and excellent natural biodiversity.

It has been a Japanese study center for chimpanzees for over 20 years now with permits going for $130.