How many chimpanzee permits are available in Kibale NP daily
How many Chimpanzee Permits are available in Kibale Forest National Park daily?
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park starts at Kanyachu area (Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Kanyachu briefing point), like gorilla tracking in Bwindi you are required to have a chimpanzee permit for you to be allowed to go for chimpanzee tracking, the chimpanzee trek in Kibale is at times called the primate walk as you have chances of seeing other primate species once you find the chimpanzees you will spend one hour encounter. How many chimpanzee permits are available in Kibale forest National park daily, chimpanzee tracking is done in a group of 8 people tracking each chimpanzee family, in Kibale forest national park there are 56 chimpanzee permits and 36 chimpanzee permits available for trekking in the morning and afternoon sessions respectively.
Kibale forest national park is located in the southern part of Uganda. It is a home of the various primate species, it habitats 13 species of significant primates with the primary primate being the chimpanzees, it habitats the largest number of chimpanzees leaving in their natural habitat this is what was based on to tag it “The Primate Capital of the World”. Most parts of Kibale Forest are covered by tropical rain forests harbouring the chimpanzees, and other wildlife can be traced both in the forest and the savannah grasslands within some parts of the park and in the outskirts of the park.
Kibale forest National park was established as a forest reserve first back in the 1940s, then later it was upgraded to national park status in recognition of large biodiversity it holds that included 350 tree species, 71 species of mammals and 370 bird species; however this park is well known internationally for the 13 unique primate species it habitats with the most significant number of primates found here being the chimpanzees, it is estimated that the park has a total number of 1500 chimpanzees Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), other major primates include red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys. Kibale forest as well habitats various mammal species including elephants, buffalos and the giant forest hogs but these are very rare to see during your trek through the forest.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National park.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale is currently only done in two sessions morning that starts at 8am and afternoon that starts at 2pm. On both sessions, you have 99% chances of seeing the chimpanzees, so whichever session you choose to do the chimpanzee trek in Kibale forest, you will be able to see the chimps. However chimpanzees in Kibale are best seen in the morning hours as they head out to search for food, then in the afternoon session it is also good time to trek chimps as you will encounter them as they retrieve back to their nests after a long day of gathering food.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Kibale Forest National park
The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Kibale forest national park is done and starts in Buraiga area (Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), like gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi you are required to have a chimpanzee habituation permit for you to be allowed to go for chimpanzee habituation experience, this gives you a chance encounter chimpanzee groups and families which are not used to the human presence you will have a chance as well to trek with researchers who will share with you various in-depth information about the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest. How many chimpanzee habituation permits are available in Kibale forest National park daily, chimpanzee habituation experience is done in a group of 4 people tracking each chimpanzee family, in Kibale forest national park there are 12 chimpanzee habituation permits available for trekking in both morning and afternoon respectively.
How to book Chimp trekking and chimp habituation permits in Kibale Forest National park.
For you to be allowed to visit chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park for either trekking or the habituation experience you must have a chimpanzee permit with you, we do recommend you secure the chimpanzee permit in advance which means that you need to book your permit before going to Kibale. Booking your chimpanzee permit from anywhere in the world is very simple if you contact Encounter Africa safaris. We will ensure that you get instant availability, reservation and dates as per your plan of travel in 15 minutes.
You can contact Encounter Africa safaris using our telephone numbers, Whatsapp or sending us an email informing us when you want to trek the chimps. In your email, you should be able to tell us the exact dates when you want to come to Uganda to trek chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park. We will contact Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to check availability of the chimp permits respectively for your request dates. Once we’re able to get the number of available permits, we will reserve them on your behalf as we wait for you to make payment.
Encounter Africa Safaris accepts both bank transfers as well as Credit card payment and on rare occasions cash. Once we agree on dates of trekking, we will send you an invoice instructing you to make payment for chimpanzee permits. You may choose to pay to our Bank account or credit card. If you pay with a credit or debit card, you will have to pay a surcharge of 5% of the total, which is not the case with wire transfers. Once payment has been made, we expect you to send us proof of payment so that we go ahead and pay for your permit as we wait for your funds to show on our bank account. Bank transfers and credit card payments usually take 2-3 working days.
After paying for your chimp permits, we will purchase them immediately and then send you scanned copies of your permits receipts for you to keep and when the time comes, we will collect your permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority on your behalf. These gorilla permit cards will be carried by your guide and will present them to park headquarters on the day of trekking. Note that chimpanzee trekking permits includes one hour encounter with the chimps and for chimpanzee habituation permits these include a 4-hour encounter with the semi habituated chimpanzee families, park entry fees as well as services of well-trained ranger guides who will be with you in the forest. The Chimpanzee permit fee excludes transport to and from the park plus accommodation for the time you want to stay at the park.
How to get to Kibale Forest National park
Kibale forest national park is located on the southern part of Fort portal town, the main headquarters where chimpanzee trekking starts from that is Kanyanchu can be accessed from Fort Portal-Ibanda road, and it is about 27km, 30 minutes drive to get there. You can get to the park through various routes from Kampala the most direct is Kampala-Mityana-Mubende-Fort Portal High way (335km 4-5 hours drive), from the south, is via Mbarara-Ibanda highway (405km), via Lyantonde-Ibanda high way (392km) and from Queen Elizabeth National park, via Kasese-Fort Portal High way (76km, 2hours drive).
Kibale Forest National park can also be accessed by air transport. The park has close access to two airstrips that is Nyakisharara near Mbarara (100km to the park) and Kasese airstrip (76km), this means you can fly to either Kaesese or Mbarara and then drive to the Kibale Forest national park for chimpanzee trekking or chimpanzee habituation experience on the same day.
Where to stay in Kibale Forest National park.
Kibale Forest National Park has various options of accommodation to stay in as they participate in various activities in the forest. Safari lodges vary from Luxury to Midrange to budget; you can as well stay in Fort Portal town accommodations here include Rwenzori view guest house, Fort Motel among other as it is the only 30-45mins drive to the starting point of the chimpanzee and habituation treks in Kibale forest. You can stay at Papaya Lake Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge or Crater Safari Lodge for Luxury, Kibale Forest Camp, Primate Lodge and Tree Tops Lodge for Midrange options then for Budget options/Camping include Chimpanzee Forest Guest House, Kibale Homestay, Kibale Guest Cottages and Isunga Lodge. These lodges are on standard and very comfortable for your stay. Contact Encounter Africa safaris to tailor your trip with the best accommodation for your visit to Kibale Forest National Park.
Alternative things to do in Kibale forest national park besides chimpanzee trekking.
Nature walks
A nature walk allows you to trek through Kibale Forest to see other primates and wildlife including tree species and mammals; these may not be focused during the chimpanzee trek. This activity is suitable for tourists with a family that is young ones unable to accompany relatives on the chimpanzee trek can opt to do this activity.
Night walks.
This involves night treks in Kibale forest National Park. This is done after dark to search for nocturnal creatures such as galagos, pottos and bush babies. It is an unusual activity as you have a chance to feel the nightlife in the forest.
Birding Tours.
Kibale Forest National park being a tropical rain forest with grasslands and many swamp wetlands, it is one of the birders’ havens in Uganda to spot the unique local endemic bird species. This activity is combined with a visit to Bigodi wetland sanctuary where you have a chance of spotting various bird species. The forest protects more than 300 bird species, so we will expect to encounter specialities that include; Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Owlet, Scally-breasted, Pale-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Red-caped and Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Fire-crested and Brown-chested Alethe, Forest Robin, Buff-spotted, Brown-eared and Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Red-winged Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, White-naped and Afep Pigeon, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Yellow-whiskered, Cabanis’s, Yellow-throated, Red-tailed and Little Greenbul, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Yellow-spotted, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-billed Barbet among others. We come back to the lodge, have lunch and later go to Bigodi swamp for a nature walk/birding. This is located some 4kms from Kibale national park visitors’ centre. Here we expect to see species like; the Buff-spotted Woodpecker, Great-blue Turaco, White-naped Pigeon, White-tail Ant-Thrush, White-spotted Flufftail, Slender-billed, Cameroon Sombre, Joyful and Toro olive Greenbul among others. Professional guides and Birders will help you to spot them.
Crater Lake Tour
Various crater lakes surround Kibale Forest National Park, and a visit to these lakes gives you great sightseeing and history about each lake.
For more information on how many Chimpanzee Permits are available in Kibale Forest National park daily and all activities in Kibale Forest National park, kindly contacts us or visit our website to get more safari Packages for a great experience while in Uganda. As Encounter Africa safaris, we are waiting to tailor your interests for a memorable time.
