How to book Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee permits

How to book Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee permits. To do chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth National Park, you need a permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority. This 100 meters deep gorge at the Albertine rift valley floor is home to a community of chimpanzees. Expect to do some hiking to get to these chimpanzees that reside in the forested area on the gorge's escarpments.

Kyambura Gorge was formed by the erosion of River Kyambura that flows towards the Kazinga channel at the floor of the rift valley in Queen Elizabeth national park. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is the gorilla permit regulating and selling body.

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Each day, Uganda Wildlife Authority releases 6 chimpanzee trekking permits for every chimpanzee troop per session. Two chimpanzee sessions are carried out: morning at 0800 hours and afternoon at 1400 hours. Briefing before chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge happens at Kyambura fig tree Camp.

Combining chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge with other activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park is the best to enjoy more fun and accumulate more wildlife and great scenery photos of the park. Within Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can do other activities like game drives, launch trips, nature walks, and birding, to mention but a few.

How To Book Chimpanzee Trekking Permit For Kyambura Gorge

Identify the date and time when you wish to do chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth National Park.

When you enquire from us, our safari consultant checks availability from Uganda Wildlife Authority.

In case there is availability, we advise clients to pre-purchase their chimpanzee permits, especially those for the high season: June, July, August, September, December, and January. This season, demand for chimpanzee permits is high yet limited, with those allowed for public booking.

Present some personal identifications like your name as presented on your passport, date of birth, nationality, and passport expiry date.

What Is The Cost Of Chimpanzee Permit For Kyambura Gorge?

A chimpanzee trekking permit for Kyambura Gorge is $50 per person per trek. You can book the chimpanzee permit through a credible tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris or Uganda Wildlife Authority.

What Is Included In The Cost Of Chimpanzee Permit For Kyambura Gorge?

The Kyambura chimpanzee permit cost includes the following:

• Security during trekking.
• One hour with the chimpanzees.
• Ranger guide services.
• Chimpanzee conservation support.
• Local community support.

What Is Excluded In The Cost Of a Chimpanzee Trekking Permit For Kyambura Gorge?

The cost of a chimpanzee permit for Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park excludes park entrance fees, tips, porter fees, transport, accommodation, and any other items of personal nature.

What Is The Age Limit For Chimpanzee Trekking In Kyambura Gorge?

Only trekkers aged above 15 years are allowed to do chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge. This is because of the topography of this area, which is sloppy and slippery during the severe rainy seasons.

A person above 15 years can best follow most guidelines for chimpanzee trekking, like no shouting in the forest because you may scare the chimpanzees. Many factors in the forest may trigger a child 15 and below years to shout like a touch from the chimpanzees.

It would be best if you had some patience with the chimpanzees before locating them, which is quite hard to follow by a child 15 and below because they easily get tired.

When Is The Best Time To Book Chimpanzee Trekking Safaris For Kyambura Gorge?

Doing chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge is open all year round; however, the dry season is booked more. Usually, the dry period of Queen Elizabeth National Park is June, July, August, September, December, and January.

The chimpanzees, with other forest dwellers that live in this forested gorge, are more vibrant in the dry season and can easily be traced. You may spot several primates like black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, etc.

During the wet season, chances of doing chimpanzee trekking alone are high because fewer bookings are received. You have the chimpanzees to yourself with no extra payment incurred.

Is Chimpanzee Trekking In Kyambura Gorge Difficult?

Although this forested gorge is about 100 meters deep, tourists can trace the chimpanzees. It would be best to have some fitness and patience when doing chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge.

If you wish to test your fitness level while on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, this is one of the destinations to select.

How Safe Is Kyambura Gorge In Queen Elizabeth National Park For Chimpanzee Trekking?

Kyambura Gorge is safe for chimpanzee trekking because the park has a well-trained team of ranger guides who escort each group heading for chimpanzee trekking. A ranger guide with a machete and another with a rifle gives extra protection to the trekkers while escorting each group.

Although Queen Elizabeth National Park has lions, they have yet to be traced in Kyambura Gorge, so the chimpanzee trekking experience is wonderful. Other Uganda security agencies are in place for extra security to keep law and order.

Pay attention to personal safety by only moving into the gorge with an escorting ranger guide. The forest has other dwellers who may harm you without extra support.

Stay close to the group you are trekking chimpanzees with so you are not lost in the forest. The ranger guide follows the slowest trekkers but does not delay the rest.

Follow the guidelines the ranger guides give during briefing so you do not cause a stampede in the forest.

How Aggressive Are Chimpanzees In Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth National Park?

The chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge were first habituated for some time before allowing the public to trek them. This, however, does not mean you provoke or mimic them because they have feelings too.

In the animal kingdom, chimpanzees are the closest relatives to humans, with DNA of about 98% to that of humans. This means they possess some of the traits of anger humans have but follow the rules provided during the briefing and do not test their patience. They are still wild animals that are in the jungle and not the zoo where they are confined.

What Else Can I Do With Chimpanzee Trekking In Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth National Park

Game Drives In Queen Elizabeth National Park

The northern Kazinga and Kasenyi area are the main game viewing areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park. During early morning or late afternoon game drive through the tracks within the park, like the open Kasenyi plain track, where chances of lions in action may be open as Uganda kobs are common visitors.

By taking the volcanic crater lakes track, you can enjoy the scenic appearance of the rift valley floor. 

During the Queen Elizabeth National Park game drive, you may spot lions like topis, elephants, cape buffaloes, leopards, warthogs, giant forest hogs, hyenas, and others.

Visiting the Ishasha sector, which is 100 meters south of Mweya, the main administrative area of Queen Elizabeth national park. In the Ishasha sector, you can spot tree-climbing lions. Visit Ishasha River, savannah woodland, and the beautiful marshy Lake Edward flats that support a variety of wildlife.

Launch Trip On Kazinga Channel

The launch trip on the Kazinga channel is the highlight of activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The launch trip commences from Mweya jetty and runs for about 3 hours on the return trip. This launch trip runs from 1500 hours to about 1800 hours per day.

Look over the banks where you enjoy thirsty animals moving down to quench thirst or take a bath in the water of the Kazinga channel. You have a high chance of spotting animals like buffaloes, herds of elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, and others; a number of aquatic animals live in the channel, like hippos, crocodiles, and others.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery from the rift valley floor, where Rwenzori ranges stand gorgeously to form a stunning backdrop for the park.

Birding In Queen Elizabeth National Park

Doing birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park is exceptional, with a number of habitats that favor the survival of over 605 species. Some favorable bird habitats in Queen Elizabeth National Park include savannah and wetlands to the gallery, lowland forest, and others.

During the launch trip, you may spot several birds at the banks of the Kazinga channel, which is a natural magnet for water birds.

Some of the birds you may get to spot include the African Skimmer, Eagle Owl, Papyrus Canary, Grey Headed Kingfisher, Yellow Backed And Lesser Masked Canary, Martial Eagle, Grey-Headed Kingfisher, Shoebill, African Open Billed Ducks, African Jacana, Yellow Backed Weaver.

Forest Walk In Maramagambo Forest

Taking a walk in the Maramagambo forest, where a number of birds and primates are residents. Taking the trails in this forest allows you to see several primates like olive baboons, vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, and red-tailed monkeys. This is the largest tract of tropical forest. You get to spot a number of birds.

You can visit Lake Nyamusingire. Wildlife sightings vary daily, but guaranteed events include the bat cave with a python that feeds on these bats.

Visit Blue Lake, which is copper rich.

Visit Katwe Explosive Craters 

You can visit the beautiful side of the Crater Lake area. This is the cluster of extinct volcanoes north of Mweya. You drive through 27 kilometers of track which is a drive between the main gate and the equator gate.

You can visit Lake Nyamunuka, a putrid smell, which acts as the wild animal hospital. Drive to Katwe salt lake, an industry that has existed since immemorial. Learn how this salt is locally mined and taken to the markets.  

Chimpanzee Trekking In Kibale National Park

You can visit the Kibale National Park, which is about 45 minutes away from Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kibale National Park is the largest home of fully habituated chimpanzee communities, with currently about 1500 chimpanzees as residents.

You need to book a chimpanzee trekking permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority to engage in this activity.

What Are The Rules Of Chimpanzees Trekking In Kyambura Gorge

• No provoking the chimpanzees because you are not sure of their reaction towards what you do. Chimpanzees visited during chimpanzee trekking are first habituated to human presence for some time; however, they still possess their natural behavior.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the chimpanzees to reduce the chances of passing an infection to these chimpanzees. The chimpanzees are highly susceptible to human infections like cough, flu, covid-19, and others.
• Never eat while in front of the chimpanzees because they may grab it from you and eat it; they are wild animals that must search for their food. These primates must not depend on humans; the forest is their sole provider. Even when they stray into the local community, the locals are advised to report the matter to Uganda Wildlife Authority.
• Using flash photography is forbidden because the chimpanzees are very sensitive to new occurrences in their presence. They may dash for the forest.
• Spitting on vegetation is not a great idea because it is the food for the chimpanzees and may contaminate it too.
•  If you catch any communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind so that it is not passed to these primates. They are vulnerable primates that need to be protected from acquiring communicable infections.
• Only enter the forest with an escorting ranger guide because you do not know what you may encounter, like the forest elephants are dangerous, giant forest hogs, and others.
• Children 15 and below are not allowed to do chimpanzee habituation because they may not be able to follow some instructions.
• Four hours are allowed in the presence of the chimpanzees when you locate them.
• If you wish to take along call, as the ranger guide to dig a hole for you and cover everything beyond recognition.

Contact us for more information on how to book Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee permits.