How many people can go for chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale

October 25, 2015

How many people can go for chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale

4 people are allowed to do chimpanzee habituation per group in Kibale National park. 4 hours is allowed to be with the chimpanzees during habituation. these are semi-habituated chimpanzees so expect them to show off some wild behaviors.

Chimpanzee habituation is the process of getting wild chimpanzees used to the presence of humans without altering their nature. In order to promote the conservation of the chimpanzees in Kibale National park, humans have to be brought closer to their lives and habitats. Teaching the community reasons why the chimpanzee habitats deserve to be protected.

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During chimpanzee trekking, 6 people are allowed to be in the presence of a group of chimpanzees per trek. Chimpanzees live in communities of over 100 members and each day they separate into groups or troupes to find feeding grounds for the day. each chimpanzee community is led by an alpha male whose authority is checked by community members. The Alpha male is democratically chosen by members but the females have a great influence on the overall selection.

Two sessions are available for doing chimpanzee trekking in Uganda but chimpanzee habituation takes more time as you may follow the chimpanzee from the time they de-nest to at times the time they re-nest in the evening.

How To Book Chimpanzee Habituation Permits In Uganda

Know the date when you hope to do gorilla habituation in Kibale national park. The number of people you hope to enjoy this experience with is restricted to only 4 people per session.

When you send us your enquiry, our safari consultant gets back to you with the status of the chimpanzee habituation permits for Kibale National park. In case it’s positive, we request you purchase your permits as soon as possible. The cost of chimpanzee trekking permits for Kibale National park as of now is $250 per person.

Pack the right gear for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale National Park when traveling to Uganda. You can pack insect repellants, safari clothes in wilderness-friendly colors like Tan or Khaki, a camera, safari boots, and others.

When Is The Best Time to Book Chimpanzee Habituation Permits In Kibale National Park

All year-round chimpanzee habituation is open for tourists to book in Kibale National Park. The most interesting period is June to September and December to January when there is less rain in the forest. During chimpanzee habituation, you follow researchers and habituation as they follow chimpanzees during their daily activities.

It is best to do chimpanzee habituation when the forest has less humid conditions and the trails are passable. The chimpanzees feed closer to the ground during the dry seasons because they can easily walk on the ground to get food like wild fruits, leaves, soft stems, and others.

The low seasons that is March to May are interesting seasons for chimpanzee habituation because there are fewer chances of disturbing you while taking on this adventure. Fewer people are in the forest so a lot of free space for you to capture the best moments of the chimpanzees with less disturbance. You may have the community of chimpanzees to yourself in case you wish to do solo chimpanzee trekking.

What Is The Cost Of Chimpanzee Habituation Safari

The chimpanzee habituation permit for Kibale National park is $250 per person per trek. This is the common cost for all chimpanzee habituation packages that are graded according to Luxury, Mid-range, and budget.

Other factors that compose the chimpanzee habituation package include

Number of people Travelling for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale National Park

The more paying people that are interested in booking the gorilla trekking adventure the less the cost for the safari per person. They get to share some chimpanzee habituation package components like vehicle hire, ranger guide fee, accommodation cost in case Twin rooms are booked and so much more.

When you take a solo chimpanzee habituation safari, you bare all the expenses incurred for the entire safari as an individual on safari.

Number of Days on Chimpanzee Habituation Safari

The more days you spend chimpanzees habituating the more you spend on the services whose cost is levied per day. When you spend more time in Kibale National Park, your cost increases accordingly.

The Type Of Package you choose for Chimpanzee Habituation

Chimpanzee habituation is charged according to Luxury, midrange or Budget. The better the services included in a safari quotation the higher the package. The less the inclusive the less the quotation and the package level too

Number of Other Activities To Combine with chimpanzee Habituation

When you combine chimpanzee habituation with other activities like chimpanzee trekking, game safaris, birding in Uganda, white water rafting, gorilla trekking, hiking, and others. These all have different costs that one must pay to participate. These are added to the general cost of chimpanzee habituation to get the gross Uganda safari cost

Season For Chimpanzee Habituation in Kibale National Park

During the peak season, the cost of chimpanzee habituation safaris in Kibale National park is high because of high demands for services that are shared with other activities. During the low seasons, some facilities may be discounted like accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guide fees, and others.

How Safe Is Chimpanzee Habituation in Kibale National Park

Kibale national park is safe for chimpanzee habituation and rangers are always on the watch with other Uganda security organs. You need to mind self-security too including

Do not count money in public during chimpanzee habituation because the wrong characters may follow you and take your money

Never carry precious items that you may not be in a position to protect during chimpanzee habituation. Declare them to the lodge manager to keep in the safe in case the lodge has one. Remember to collect them when departing.

Stay closer to the people who are doing chimpanzee habituation with you so that you are not lost in the wilderness. Kibale forest is a tropical forest that is wide so getting lost in the jungle is possible. The forest is adjoined by Queen Elizabeth National Park where animals like lions can easily cross into this forest.

Never go into the forest without a ranger guide because you may encounter dangerous animals like forest elephants, giant forest hogs, and solitary buffaloes that may cause harm to you in case you have no one to defend you.

Eating from undesignated food points during chimpanzee habituation may cause you to get food poisoning that may cost you your gorilla habituation experience.

Follow the rules of chimpanzee habituation like not provoking the chimpanzees because they may hoot at you and become violent to a greater extent.

How Difficult Is Chimpanzee Habituation In Kibale National Park

Apart from the tropical rainforest that Kibale forest is in, it has limited undergrowth that is passable. You need to keep up with the ranger guide by following the trails that have been created by regular visitors.

Wearing the right chimpanzee trekking gear gives you comfort when following the chimpanzees. Safari shoes, safari clothes in wilderness-friendly colors, energy bites, a camera, and other items.

Carry the insect repellants that your skin is comfortable with so that you can protect your skin from insect bites.

Do not part from the rest of the group and take a different direction because you may be lost in the wilderness.

Bring some warm wear because the forest gets cold early morning and late afternoon. A rain cost to prevent you from getting cold when it rains any time of the day, especially in the wet seasons.

The topography of this park is generally flat with fewer highlands and valleys so it is not a strenuous safari adventure.

Rules For Chimpanzee Habituation In Kibale National Park

If you have a communicable infection like covid-19, cholera, or flu volunteer to stay behind because chimpanzees are susceptible to human infections. They have about 98% human DNA bringing them to the closest primate to the animal’s kingdom
No noise making in the wilderness because you may scare a number of other forest dwellers. The chimpanzees also operate a spy network so in case you are in the forest, they alert others by hooting or beating the tree trunks.
Dumping garbage in the wilderness, especially indecomposable waste is forbidden because this may alter the natural setting of the forest where most wildlife survives.
Provoking the chimpanzees is forbidden because they may get angry and cause a stampede in the forest. Ensure you leave these primates in peace and just observe and take photos for memories.
Eating or smoking 200 meters from the chimpanzees is forbidden because they may grab what you are eating yet they are wild animals that must not depend on the human provision.
Never use flash photography to take photos of the chimpanzees because they are scared by new occurrences in their environment. They may run into hiding in case they get overwhelmed by camera flashing
Children age 12 years and below are not allowed to have chimpanzee habituation because they may be scared at first glance at the chimpanzees, and the time taken to be with the chimpanzees is long and tiring.
Keep about 8 meters from the chimpanzees when you locate them so that you prevent any chances of passing an infection to them or them to you.
In case you wish to defecate, ask the ranger to dig a hole of about 30 cm deep and bury everything beyond recognition so that no forest dwellers can exhume it.
Spitting on vegetation is forbidden because this is food for the chimpanzees and other forest inhabitants. It is unhygienic and may spread an infect to the chimpanzees
Only 4 people are allowed to follow habituation and researchers during this Uganda safari
Never enter the forest without an escorting ranger guide because you don’t know which wild animal you may encounter. The forest has forest elephants, solitary buffaloes, vipers, and other animals you may encounter. In case you go into the forest without any defense, you may get lost and hurt by these animals. Although some chimpanzees have been habituated, these animals are not. They have wild behavior.
Carry a clean mask to wear when with the chimpanzees as a conservation policy strictly adopted after the Covid 19 lockdown.
If you have to smoke or cough does it away from the mountain gorillas to prevent the spread of germs to these gentle giants.
Never surround the chimpanzees when you locate them because they will feel ambushed. Stay close to the group you walk in the wilderness.

What To Pack For Chimpanzee Habituation In Kibale National Park

A camera to take photos of what happens in the wilderness and make memories of every occurrence.
Insect repellent to keep away harmful infections that fly in the wilderness.
Rain gears protect you from getting wet when it rains in the forest.
Foldable water bottle to carry drinking water with in case you get thirsty while habituating the chimpanzees.
Binoculars to get a clearer view of the chimpanzees and other forest dwellers.
Sunscreen to protect your skin from sun rays, especially during the dry seasons
Closed Safari shoes protect your feet from hurting wood pieces that you may encounter on your way.
Snacks to feed on when you get hungry while in the wilderness.
A safari hat with a large brim to protect your hair from dripping water off the trees. It must be foldable.
Pajamas for the nights in the wilderness or outskirts of Kibale National Park.
Some hard cash to exchange into local currency in case you need to purchase anything, it is hard to use credit cards in Africa because of the lengthy procedure of collecting money from them.
First Aid Kit to use in case of an emergency.
Toiletries like soap, bathing foam, and Toilet Paper in case your lodge doesn’t provide them or not safe for your skin.
Sunglasses protect your eyes from buzzing insects in the wilderness.
Long-sleeved turn-up shirt, convertible trousers in wilderness-friendly colors like tan or Khaki.