Chimpanzee safaris are very interesting excursions and Uganda is absolutely the best destination for chimpanzee excursions. Prepare today and set out to Uganda’s various chimpanzee refuges as you spend a number of hours tracking these impressive creatures. You will be allowed to spend some time (utmost one hour) with our mesmerizing relatives, as you observe them swing from one tree to another, feed, play about or progress speedily on the ground right in front of you. Meanwhile, before going to Uganda for a thrilling chimpanzee safari below are some of the things you really need to know:
Where to track chimpanzees from:
As already noted, Uganda is the prime destination for chimpanzee safaris with Kibale Forest National Park alone residing over 1,350 chimpanzees – more than any other Park in East Africa. Besides Kibale, there are several other chimpanzee refuges in Uganda, including; Murchison Falls National Park (Budongo Forest), Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kyambura Gorge), Semuliki National Park, and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Chimpanzee Permit:
As it is with gorilla trekking excursions, you are required to buy a chimpanzee permit whenever you’re heading in for a chimpanzee safari. However, chimpanzee permits in Uganda vary with the Park you are visiting but a chimpanzee permit for Kibale (the prime destination) costs US$ 150. If you want to track chimpanzees in any other Park besides Kibale, then your trusted tour operator will forward to you the appropriate rates accordingly.
Chimpanzees share 98% percent of Human DNA:
Before you go for a chimpanzee tracking session you should also know that these creatures share almost 98% of our DNA and they do have a high thinking capacity of course. Chimpanzee tracking is however a strenuous activity that requires a lot of physicality and determination.
Rules and regulations guiding Chimpanzee tracking:
-You are required to maintain a distance of just about 8 meters between you and the chimpanzees.
-Ill People are not allowed to go for chimpanzee tracking especially if you have flue and diarrhea.
-You should not mimic the chimps.
-You should not litter in the Park.
-You should not eat in front of the chimps.
-Children below the age of 12 are prohibited from tracking the chimps.
-All the chimpanzee excursions are spearheaded by a Park guide.
-Avoid provoking chimpanzees as they may cause harm on you, fact being they are wild animals.
-Flash cameras are not allowed while taking chimps photos as you may scare them.
What to Pack for a chimpanzee safari:
-First in place is carrying a chimpanzee permit.
-Do not forget your passport as well plus a yellow fever vaccination.
-Carry boots/shoes having a good grip ideal for climbing steep moist muddy slopes
-Pack long sleeved clothes as these will protect you from the pricking thickets as they move through the verdant jungle.
-Don’t forget to carry a rain gear along with you since the weather here is really unforeseeable, especially Kibale which is a rainforest Park.
-Carry enough drinking water plus snacks to bite on.
-Do not dare forget a good HD camera and pair of binoculars.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience:
Besides chimpanzee tracking, there is also an amazing and unforgettable experience of chimpanzee habituation which allows you to spend much time with our closest relatives. Chimpanzee Habituation Experience is a lifetime experience that allows you accompany the Park’s researchers who are specialists in habituating chimpanzees – making them get used to human presence and ready for tracking.Here you will spend almost a full day in their natural habitats, acquiring lifetime moments with these precious creatures.
The chimpanzee habituation experience is only done in Kibale Forest National Park of which a permit for the habituation experience costs US$ 200.
What Else to See:
Besides chimpanzees, you will also meet a lot of attractions as you track/search the chimps. Particularly Kibale resides more 12 primate species – making it a primate paradise. The other primates here include; olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, Uganda Mangabeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, L’Hoest monkeys, potos, Thomas’ galagos, eastern/elegant needle clawed galagos, and the demidoff’s galagos. Going for a chimpanzee safari in Murchison Falls or Queen Elizabeth will also grant you a chance to spot many other wild animals like buffaloes, savannah elephants, lions, leopards, warthogs, nile crocodiles, hippos, rothschild’s giraffes, and many antelope species as well as a myriad of bird species.