What is included and excluded in a chimpanzee permit from Uganda and Rwanda

What is included and excluded in a chimpanzee permit of Uganda and Rwanda? When you purchase the chimpanzee trekking permit in Rwanda or Uganda, you support the conservation of these endangered primates plus their habitat. Although chimpanzee permits are limited to a maximum of 6 per troop per session, their demand keeps increasing every season. The chimpanzee permit also includes ranger guide services, security, etc.

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Uganda, which currently has over 5000 chimpanzees, has different chimpanzee destinations. In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking is done from a number of destinations, including Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kalinzu Forest, Semuliki Valley National Park, Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island, and others.

Rwanda has only one chimpanzee trekking destination called Nyungwe National Park. The chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park are semi-habituated but very exciting to watch as they interact with each other. They still possess their natural traits.

Most of Uganda's chimpanzee permits are sold and regulated by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Other chimpanzee habitats like chimpanzee sanctuaries are under the supervision of conservation bodies like Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary is under Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT)

The Rwanda Development Board is the selling and regulating body of all chimpanzee trekking permits of Nyungwe National Park.

Whether you do chimpanzee trekking or habituation in Uganda or Rwanda, purchasing a chimpanzee permit is a must. The number of chimpanzee trekking permits is restricted to 6 per troop for conservation reasons per session.

What is chimpanzee trekking?

Chimpanzee trekking is an adventure where tourists follow a fully habituated chimpanzee troop and stay with them for one hour.

What is Chimpanzee Habituation Experience?

Chimpanzee habituation experience (CHEX) is an adventure where tourists escort a team of researchers and trackers to follow a semi-habituated chimpanzee community and stay with them for four hours.

What Is Included In the Chimpanzee Permit For Uganda or Rwanda?

Ranger Guide fees

A ranger guide is necessary for every chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda or Uganda. One of the ranger guides carries a machete while another holds a rifle. These rangers explain in detail about the chimpanzees and their characteristics. They also know each community's birth, alpha males, names of most family members, and recent news prevailing in the chimpanzee community.

In a knowledgeable ranger guide's company, you learn more about the chimpanzees and other interesting features.

You can still extend tips to the rangers as a token of appreciation. This encourages the ranger guides to continue protecting the chimpanzees and their habitat, as this is a noble cause.

Security during chimpanzee safari

Every tourist would like to return home in one piece, and this is because of the excellent security rendered to them during the safari. The Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board security consists of trained rangers who defend the forest and its dwellers.

The ranger guides coordinate with other Uganda or Rwanda security agencies to provide law and order in the chimpanzee trekking destinations.

Every tourist must also pay attention to personal security by only entering the forest with an escorting ranger guide. The tropical forest has unhabituated dwellers that may be dangerous to a straying tourist.

Time with the chimpanzees

When you find the chimpanzees, only one hour or four hours are allowed before them as they have been habituated to be in front of humans for just that time. The presence of humans disrupts the running of the day-to-day life of the chimpanzees, like grooming, procreation, feeding, and lounging, to mention but a few.

To minimize the chances of violating the rules of chimpanzee safaris, time is restricted to one hour for the chimpanzee trekking experience and four hours for the chimpanzee habituation experience.

Chimpanzee conservation

Chimpanzees are the closest human cousins, with about 96% human DNA. The existence of chimpanzees is threatened by a number of factors, including human encroachment on their habitats, pandemics, and others. 

More funds are required by the conservation bodies to defend the chimpanzees and teach the local community to love these primates. Even though chimpanzees are wild and must seek their treatment in the wilderness, some extreme cases may require the intervention of veterinarians.

Local community support

The existence of the chimpanzees can only be secure when the community is sensitized about the importance of having them in their midst, plus their habitats. Part of the money collected from the annual sale of chimpanzee permits and other related safaris is given back to the community to support the running of their projects like school construction, health care provision, road maintenance to mention but a few.

Government tax

For every chimpanzee permit issued, government tax is levied on it.

Park Entrance fees on some chimpanzee permits

The chimpanzee trekking and habituation permits for Kibale National Park in Uganda include park entrance fees cost. For anyone to access the national parks in Uganda or Rwanda, park fees must be paid. These last 24 hours from the time of entry into the park.

Researcher fee

 It would be best to have some researchers during the chimpanzee habituation experience as they have the most updated information about the semi-habituated chimpanzee community. 

The researchers follow and collect information about the chimpanzee community and are the only ones who can tell about the traits of these chimpanzees.

To support the chimpanzee researchers, they need financial support.

What is the cost of a chimpanzee permit?

The Rwanda chimpanzee permit currently costs $90 per person per trek

Uganda chimpanzee permits vary with destination. The Kibale National Park Chimpanzee trekking Permit costs $300 for foreign nonresidents, $250 for foreign residents, and 150000shs for East African residents.

Chimpanzee habituation experience permits for Kibale National Park cost $300 for foreign nonresidents, $300 for foreign residents, and 300,000 shs for East African residents.

Uganda's Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee permit costs $50 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $40 for foreign residents, and 30,000 shs for East African residents.

What is excluded in the costs of chimpanzee permits for Uganda and Rwanda?

Accommodation during chimpanzee safari

Spending the safari nights closer to the chimpanzee destinations in Uganda or Rwanda is a great decision. Although chimpanzee safaris have two sessions, that is, the morning and afternoon, being closer to the briefing point saves you from arriving late. The briefing is a must-attend before any chimpanzee safari adventure.

A number of accommodation facilities of all budgets are present within and at the periphery of the chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda and Rwanda.

Transport to chimpanzee destinations in Uganda or Rwanda

Most of the chimpanzee safari destinations of Uganda and Rwanda are located in remote areas where one needs to have at least a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle. Most of the roads in the countryside are bumpy and become slippery during the severe rainy seasons.

Even air transport is available to most chimpanzee safari destinations, which hire in advance to go through all necessary clearances, especially for charter flights.

Uganda has domestic daily flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi to different upcountry airstrips like Pakuba in Murchison Falls National Park, Kasese for Kibale National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park, to mention but a few.

Snacks during chimpanzee safari

Breakfast is taken too early to last the entire chimpanzee safari adventure, so you need some energy treats during the breaks. You need to include and carry them among the chimpanzee safari gear.

Tips after chimpanzee safari

After doing a chimpanzee trekking or a habituation experience, you should tip the ranger guide or porter. This is from your pockets as a sign of appreciation. When you tip the rangers and porters, you encourage them to love what they do for the chimpanzees and treat their vulnerable primates better.

Porter hired during a chimpanzee safari.

A porter is a person who helps you carry some chimpanzee adventure gear so that you can walk freely and take the best photos of the chimpanzees. They use the funds collected from being porters to support their day-to-day life.

Hiring a porter is one of the most direct ways of giving back to the community while doing chimpanzee safaris.

Park entrance fees

Apart from chimpanzee safaris in Kibale National Park in Uganda, the other chimpanzee permits, whether in Uganda or Rwanda, possess no Park entrance fees. To enter a National Park, anybody must have an entry permit, which lasts 24 hours from entry.

Other items of a personal nature

Every tourist on a chimpanzee safari has different interests, which are not included in the cost of the chimpanzee permits. You can carry a souvenir, do research and others.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can meticulously tailor your chimpanzee safari itinerary, reserve your permits, organize transport, secure accommodations, and other safari amenities. When you contact us, our safari consultant will assist you with the necessary arrangements per your plan.

How difficult is chimpanzee safari?

The chimpanzee trekking or habituation experience is quite strenuous, especially for those who need to be physically fit. The trails in the wilderness are sometimes covered by overgrown undergrowth, which may need to be trimmed by the ranger guide.

Even the chimpanzees feed from up the trees during the severe rainy season, making the gorilla trekking or habituation experience challenging.

This tropical forest where chimpanzees live has some stinging nettles that may itch you while searching for the chimpanzees, but you need to wear the right wilderness attire.

What Is The Best Time To Book Chimpanzees Safaris In Uganda And Rwanda

The chimpanzee safaris of Uganda or Rwanda are open all year; however, the dry season is preferred. The chimpanzees, at this time, feed closer to the ground, and the forest is full of life. You may have a chance to spot other forest dwellers like blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and any other primates.

 Look out for a number of forest birds that love spending their time enjoying the freebies of the forest.

The dry season normally runs in June, July, August, September, December, and January. All factors are kept constant.

You must purchase your chimpanzee safari permits upfront to avoid last-minute panic as you try to find availability. The chimpanzee permits are restricted to 6 per troop per session for conservation reasons.

What are the rules of chimpanzee safaris in Uganda and Rwanda?

• No shouting while you trek to find the chimpanzees because you may scare other forest dwellers that may be interesting to watch or take photos of.
• No feeding the chimpanzees; if you eat, do it at least 300 meters away. This is to prevent any chances of them grabbing it from you, yet they are wild animals that must search for their food.
• Sneezing or coughing before the chimpanzees may spread an infection to them, so do it away from them.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the chimpanzees when you locate them to prevent the chances of spreading infectious germs to them.
• Use a clean mask with the chimpanzees to prevent the coronavirus's spread to these precious primates.
• Only children above 15 years are allowed to do gorilla trekking because of the nature of the entire experience. Chimpanzee adventures are challenging at times, which may be challenging for children below this age. Even the time of locating the chimpanzees is still being determined, which requires patience. A child below this age may not withstand this.
• Dumping in the forest is forbidden, which may alter the nature of the forest where chimpanzees and other forest dwellers live.
• Only enter the forest with an escorting ranger guide because there are other unhabituated forest inhabitants that you may encounter, and they hurt you.
• Only one hour is allowed with the chimpanzees during the trekking and four hours during the chimpanzee habituation experience when you locate them. They have been habituated to be in the presence of humans for just that time.
• Surrounding the chimpanzees is forbidden because it makes them feel ambushed.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for chimpanzee permits in Uganda and Rwanda.