2 min summary When to go Map & highlights Uganda Rwanda Gorilla photography Central African Republic Gorillas & safaris Chimpanzee tracking Other wildlife Advice Responsible tourism

Chimpanzee watching

Seeing chimpanzees in the wild is an exciting experience. Unlike majestic gorillas, who tend to sit and feed, chimps squabble and socialise, climb up and down trees, feed, fight and generally keep you entertained. This chimpanzee watching article explains all you need to know about seeing chimps in Uganda, from permit fees to packing tips.

Home\Wildlife\Gorilla safaris

Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda

Chimps are one of our closest relatives, sharing around 98 percent of their DNA with humans. If you fancy hanging out with your extended family on holiday, Uganda is one of the best places to do so.

Current estimates for the total wild population of chimpanzees range from 150,000 to 250,000, with Uganda home to about 5,000 individuals. Almost 1,500 are found in Kibale National Park, the most popular place for chimp tracking in the country.

You can also track chimps in Kyambura Gorge, Kalinzu Forest, Budongo Forest and in the Semliki Valley. Most of our Uganda holidays focus on Kibale, which has very high success rate for sightings, and the atmospheric Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where sightings are less certain but the scenery is spectacular.

Chimpanzee tracking is not only fascinating, but a lot of fun. It’s often a more active experience than gorilla trekking, which involves adopting a very submissive pose while in the presence of these forest giants. Chimps tend to move around more, and you can feel like a child on an adventure following them through the forest.

See all our Gorilla safari Holidays

Give us a call

Our Gorilla safari Holidays

Kevin Nicholson, from our specialist tour operator Experience Uganda, explains the differences:
“Chimp tracking is a bit underrated. Gorillas are awesome, that’s probably a good word for them, but seeing chimps is more exciting. That’s the main difference. When you go to see gorillas, you’ll be told ‘we’re going to see this or that family; it’s a family of 13 individuals, with a silverback male…’ With chimps it’s more like people. They live in communities, so you might come across a group of kids, then two will leave and another eight different individuals will join, so it’s more active. Gorillas are quite static, they spend a lot of time just eating and farting. With chimps there’s always a fight breaking out over who is alpha male, there’s more movement up and down the trees, and it’s really fun.”

The chimp groups you can track in Uganda have been habituated. This means that the presence of long term research teams has made them less shy of humans and easier to view, without compromising or interfering with their natural behaviour.

On your trek, you may reach the chimps in minutes or it may take hours or walking. Once you reach them, you’ll need to be on your best behaviour, staying at least 8m away from the chimps, and remaining with them for a maximum of one hour. This protects both you and them from disease transmission, and also prevents the animals from feeling stressed. Be aware that if you are unwell, with a cold or upset stomach for instance, you won’t be allowed to trek. You cannot eat anywhere near the chimps, and you should watch them quietly and respectfully – no shouting or pointing. Flash photography is forbidden, and remember to put your camera down for some of the experience so you can take it all in.

It costs US$600 to see gorillas in Uganda, but permits to track chimps are much less, and vary from park to park. Permits for Kibale Forest cost the most, at US$150, and this fee goes towards invaluable conservation and anti-poaching work, and pays the wages of the rangers and park staff.

WWF identifies chimpanzees as a priority species – one of the most ecologically, economically and/or culturally important species on our planet. They are also endangered, with habitat loss and degradation, the bushmeat trade, and even the spread of human diseases threatening wild chimp populations throughout Africa. Responsible tourism does much to support the chimpanzee’s survival, while also providing income to local people who might previously have resorted to poaching to make a living. It’s the ‘worth more alive than dead’ model of wildlife tourism, providing a financially viable alternative to destructive practices that threaten chimpanzees – and delivering an unforgettable wildlife experience for you, too.

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Gorilla safari or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.

01273 823700 (UK)

rosy@responsibletravel.com

01273 823700 (UK)

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Where to track chimps in Uganda

Kyambura Gorge

Located in the far east of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kyambura is one of Uganda’s most impressive corners. While the chances of seeing chimps here are lower than in Kibale, the incredible scenery is just as much part of the attraction. Nicknamed ‘the valley of the apes’, this gorge is around 100m deep and 1km across. Trek down into it and you’ll feel like you’re in an underground forest, home to diverse wildlife and dazzling birdlife. Hop over streams and traverse rivers as you seek out the chimps; once you find them you can spend a wonderful hour watching them interact, feed, play and go about their daily lives.

Kevin Nicholson of Experience Uganda on including Kyambura Gorge on your itinerary:
“Kyambura is a good option for a second chimpanzee trek. There is wide savannah then this random gorge running through it. Only 17 chimps live here, it’s an isolated community, and there’s only a 50 percent chance of seeing them, but there are hippos and elephants, it’s a lovely nature walk. Permits cost US$50 and eight people in the morning, and eight in the afternoon can trek here.”

Budongo Forest

Budongo Forest, on the way to Murchison Falls National Park, is not quite as convenient to reach as Kibale (unless you use an internal flight) so you’ll need to allow a bit more time to reach it. It’s run by the Forestry Authority and a private concession, and permits cost US$90.

Kevin Nicholson from Experience Uganda on the benefits of Budongo:
This feels like real tracking, looking for dung, working out what the chimps have been eating, maybe it’s figs, let’s find a fig tree... The rangers have been trained by Kenyan wildlife guides and bring a lot of experience and interactivity to tracking here. Sighting rates are 80 to 85 percent and it’s a really nice experience as you feel you worked for your chimp sighting. In Kibale, you can feel a bit like you’re simply being led to them.”

Chimpanzee habituation experiences

Some tours offer the chance to take part in a habituation experience, which involves spending the day with less habituated groups (although this is never guaranteed), as part of the process of getting them ready for tourists to watch them. Non habituated chimps would have disappeared into the forest long before you could see them, but this process, which takes at least six years, slowly, slowly reassures them that humans do not pose a threat. Kibale issues eight permits per day for chimp habituation; each costs US$200.

Kevin Nicholson, from our specialist tour operator Experience Uganda, has this advice about which chimp activity to choose: “The habituation experience is more immersive and a full day, nest to nest, from when the chimps get up in the morning and leave their nest to when they make their nest again for the night. As the communities you track are wilder, you can’t get as close, the chimps are more skittish and sighting chances are lower. It’s a long day, too – some people bail out in the afternoon to go and get a beer. It’s ideal for primate nuts, but if you just want to see chimps, I’d choose to simply track them for a morning or afternoon.”

Chimpanzee tracking practicalities

You can visit Uganda and see chimps on both tailor made and small group holidays, lasting from eight to 16 days. Tailor made trips cost a little more, but the price often decreases the larger the group, so bring some friends! Tailor made gives you freedom to choose optional activities, such as extra hikes, and includes a private guide and your own dedicated 4x4 for transport.

You’ll need to book well in advance. That’s because most chimp tracking sits within a wider itinerary that typically includes gorilla tracking, too. Few gorilla tracking permits are available and they sell out far in advance. If chimps are your primate favourite, though, opt for a tailor made trip so you can request more than one chimp tracking experience, and even skip the gorillas altogether if you prefer. This keeps costs down, too.

Small group trips often take only a maximum of six people, sometimes 10, so they really are small groups. The price for both types of trip typically includes all meals, chimpanzee and gorilla tracking permits, park entry fees, all activities and guides. Solo travellers are welcome and often pay no surcharge for use of a single room. The minimum age for both chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Uganda is 15.

Chimp forests are flat or undulating, at low altitude, not mountainous like gorilla territory, and porters aren’t necessary or, indeed, available. You’ll follow forest trails, although the chimps don’t always hang out near them, so be prepared for some bush-whacking through dense undergrowth, perhaps even pushing past stinging or prickly plants.

Pack long sleeved tops and long trousers made from a fairly sturdy material to protect you (or use gaiters), and also layers – mornings can be chilly but you’ll feel hot after a few hours of hiking. A waterproof jacket is sensible and walking boots or shoes that have a good grip, suitable for climbing steep and slippery slopes are essential. You might like to bring walking poles, too.

“Go to the gym, as the Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking is very physical.” – Linda Walker, in a review of her Uganda chimp tracking holiday

“Understand the level of physical activity and potential minor discomfort you will encounter so that you can be prepared. Little things like bringing appropriate footwear, gloves, camera equipment that can bear rough treatment, all of this is good to know before you start the tour.” – Andrew Parker, in a review of his Uganda chimp tracking holiday

More about Gorilla safari

Best time for gorilla trekking

In East Africa, the rainiest months are March, May and November. Tourists tend to stay away during those times, but mountain gorillas are always there.

Gorilla safari travel guide

Considered by many to be one of the most magnificent wildlife encounters in the world, our gorilla safaris travel guide attempts to capture why.

Where to see gorillas

Mountain and lowland gorillas exist across East and Central Africa. Rwanda and Uganda provide the best set ups in terms of permits, highly trained guides and accommodation.

Gorilla safari activities

Seeing gorillas in the mist may be the headline attraction, but with so many other safari activities to get involved in, it’s more like a festival.

Gorilla safari wildlife

It's not just gorillas... Other species to track include golden monkeys and chimpanzees, and of course you can also attach other safaris for a complete African wildlife holiday.

Uganda gorilla trekking

Gorilla tracking in Uganda is the highlight of any trip to this equatorial nation, whose densely forested mountainsides shelter over half the world's mountain gorillas.

Rwanda gorilla safaris

Gorilla trekking through Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park and Virunga Mountains is one of the world’s most sought after wildlife experiences, and one of the greatest.

Central African Republic gorilla safaris

Track gorillas in CAR with indigenous Ba'aka guides, whose ancestral knowledge offers unsurpassed insights into the rainforest, its ecosystems, and what life is like here.

Combining African safaris with gorillas

Travel to East Africa and you can squeeze the maximum wildlife watching from a single holiday.

DRC gorilla safaris

Gorilla safaris in DRC are particularly special. This is the only country in the world inhabited by both mountain and lowland gorillas, and you can track both while on holiday here.

Gorilla safaris in the Republic of Congo

Gorilla safaris in Congo take you into the habitat of the critically endangered western lowland gorilla - a world of primary rainforest, swampy bais and narrow rivers.

Gorilla photography

Take a walk on the wild side with man's closest cousin on gorilla photography holidays. Getting up close with these powerful yet gentle apes is an unforgettable experience.

Gorilla safari advice

We represent some of the world's top gorilla safari experts. They have done these treks over and over and are totally committed to conservation and responsible tourism.

Responsible gorilla safaris

As with all the most successful conservation movements, the protection of people, their lands, rights and lifestyles plays a vital role in the protection of gorillas.

More relevant guides

Written by Joanna Simmons

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: sarahemcc] [Hands on knees: NH53] [Budongo forest: ilf_] [Family: Elitre] [Holding onto tree: NH53] [Chimp with seeds: NH53]

Chimpanzee watching