Why is it important to plan your Uganda gorilla and chimp experience in Advance?

Why is it important to plan your Uganda gorilla and chimp experience in Advance? To plan a gorilla and chimpanzee experience is very important however you must choose which safari to do. Uganda has two gorilla and chimpanzee safaris that is gorilla or chimpanzee trekking and gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience.

Most Popular Safaris

3 Day Murchison Falls National Park safari

2 Day Lake Mburo game & Boat safari

3 Day Lake Mburo wildlife, boat & walking safari

4 Day Kidepo Valley Fly in Safari

3 Day Queen Elizabeth wildlife safari

3 Day Mgahinga Gorilla Trekking safari

16 Days Primates, Game & Culture

19 Day Best of Uganda Safari

3 Day Fly in Gorilla Habituation Safari

5 Days Gorillas & Game Safari

For both gorilla and chimpanzee safaris, you must secure a permit in advance. This is because they sell out earlier due to there limited supply. A maximum of 8 gorilla trekking permits are open to the public whereas a maximum of 6 Uganda chimpanzee permits are open to the public per troop per session. The limit to the number of both gorilla and chimpanzee permits is to minimize the effects of mass tourism to the forest.

It is very safe to book the gorilla and chimpanzee permits in advance to prevent last minute panic when availability is closed. The safest time to book a Uganda gorilla or chimpanzee permit is atleast 6 months to a year in advance. There is another opportunity of purchasing the gorilla or chimpanzee permit in installments during this period but it must be topped up before 90 days to trekking date.

Other than reserving the gorilla or chimpanzee trekking permits, you need to book most of the necessary logistics that support Uganda safaris including accommodation, transport in advance. These tours logistics support your comfortable stay while on Uganda safari. During the peak tourism season in Uganda, the demand for the competition for the logistics that support tourism gets high.

There is need to do the appropriate shopping for the gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda. Both gorilla and chimpanzee safaris require following the right packing list for this adventure. Contact us for more information.

What is the difference between gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience in Uganda?

Gorilla trekking is an adventure where maximum 8 tourists are allowed to visit a fully habituated gorilla family and spend only one hour with them. Gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where maximum 4 tourists follow a team of researchers to visit a semi-habituated gorilla family and have 4 hours with them

What is the difference between chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda?

Chimpanzee trekking is a safari where maximum 6 tourists follow a fully habituated chimpanzee troop and have one hour with them. Chimpanzee habituation experience (CHEX) is a safari where maximum four tourists escort a team of researchers and have fours with a semi-habituated chimpanzee community.

Where to do gorilla and chimpanzee safari experience in Uganda

Gorilla Safari Experience in Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi forest is a prehistoric forest situated in the southwestern part of Uganda. Bwindi impenetrable National Park just like the local lukiga meaning for the word Bwindi which is impenetrable fits perfectly. Gorilla trekking and Habituation experiences are some of the main activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. For either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi forest, you need a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Note that gorilla trekking permits for Uganda are sold according to areas under which Bwindi is partitioned that is Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija, and Nkuringo. These gorilla trekking areas alsoinfluence where to book accommodation of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The topography of Bwindi is ragged with several highlands which becomes an obstacle to crossing from one area to another.

Bwindi currently has about 19 gorilla trekking families some include Bitukura, Rushegura, Nkuringo to mention but a few. At the moment 4 gorilla habituation experience families are open to public viewing all situated in the southern sector of the park.

Other than the mountain gorillas, Bwindi forest hosts other primates including chimpanzee, L’hoest, olive baboons, vervet monkeys and other. More than 350 bird species are residents of Bwindi including Albertine rift endemics. More than 200 tree species are current residents of Bwindi forest, 51 reptiles and others are confirmed residents of this forest. 

Mgahinga National Park

Even though Mgahinga National Park is the smallest National Park in Uganda, it is home to some of the few leftover mountain gorillas in the world. At the moment, the only gorilla trekking family open to the public is Nyakagezi even though it bears a history of wandering into Rwanda but this habit is in the past.

The three high towers of mountains that form part of the park influence the conditions of this park that is mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo. Sometimes the mountain gorillas spend some time on the slopes of these mountains so you need to hike to get to them.

Mgahinga forest may be small but hosts a multitude of in habitants including other primates like the golden monkeys, grey cheeked magabey, vervet monkeys, black and white mangabey and others. An array of birds inhabit Mgahinga forest including Albertine rift endemics. Mgahinga forest is one of the few untouched forests in the world.

Chimpanzee safaris in Uganda

Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park is a tropical rain forest located in western part of Uganda. Chimpanzee safaris are the main activities in this park that is chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation experience. At the moment about a population of about 1500 chimpanzees are confirmed residents of this park.

Two chimpanzee trekking sessions are done every day in Kibale National Park that is morning and afternoon. Other than the chimpanzees, Kibale National Park is home to other 12 primate species some including black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons and others. Over 325 bird species are residents of Kibale forest including the rare shoebill stock. Bigodi sanctuary wetland is an iconic habitat on the outskirts of Kibale National Park.

Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park

On the floor of the right valley is Kyambura gorge which was created as a result of erosion by River Kyambura as it flows towards Kazinga channel. The forested part of this gorge is where chimpanzee trekking happens but it involves some beat of hiking because the gorge is about 100 meters deep.

The chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge starts with briefing at the fig tree then carry on to search for these elusive primates. The gorge also host other primates such as blue monkeys, olive baboon, vervet monkeys and others.

Kaniyo Pabidi Forest

Situated 8 Kilometers from the Kichumbanyombo gate of Murchison Falls National Park is Kaniyo Pabidi forest. The forest hosts community of chimpanzees and other primates that linger around and enjoy the environment within the forest.

Other than the chimpanzees, Kaniyo Pabidi forest is home to other primates including grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys and others. The rich bird life in this forest cannot be missed by keen birders on chimpanzee trekking adventure in Kaniyo Pabidi forest.

Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island

Located on Koome Island in Lake Victoria is Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary the new home for rescued, abandoned, orphaned chimpanzees that cannot be returned to there communities. This chimpanzee sanctuary is under the management of Jane Goodall. While at the sanctuary, visitors may participate in feeding the chimpanzees from the feeding platform, keeper for the day, chimpanzee up-close and others.

To get to Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island you need to sail on a boat from the pier at Entebbe.

Uganda Wildlife Education Center ( UWEC)

The Uganda Wildlife Education center in Entebbe is like the summary of the National Park of Uganda. This was the former Entebbe Zoo and a community of chimpanzees is kept in exhibits with an environment similar to the common areas where chimpanzees live in the wilderness. You can view these chimpanzees play when you stand at the visitor’s view platform.

When Is The Best Time To Book Gorilla And Chimpanzee Experience In Uganda

The best time to book Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee experience is the dry season that is normally June to October and December to January. This is the Uganda high tourism season too. Note that gorillas and chimpanzee safaris in Uganda are open the entire year.

During the dry season, in general, the environment in the dense forests where these primates of Uganda live has less precipitation even though they are called rain forests. More sunlight is allowed to penetrate through to the ground evaporating some of the water to enable faster movement for visitors.

It is safer to book the gorilla and chimpanzee permits for Uganda atleast 6 months to a year in advance to avoid last minute panic when there options are limited. The number of gorilla and chimpanzee permits is restricted to prevent the effects of mass tourism to the environment where they thrive

It is best to reserve even other logistics that support tourism in Uganda including accommodation, transport to mention but few. Competition for these supporting logists hits its peak during the high tourism season in Uganda because of the competition for these services. Even other Uganda safari destinations experience the peak of this season.

The wet season which is, normally the low tourism season in Uganda may have availability of both gorilla and chimpanzee permits for last minute bookings however this is not guaranteed all the time. The low tourism season of Uganda is normally March to May and late October to November.

To be safe, book the low season gorilla or chimpanzee permits for Uganda atleast 3 months upfront to avoid uncertainties. Be sure to find the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees of Uganda no matter the season.

How much is the gorilla and chimpanzee experience in Uganda

The cost of the gorilla and chimpanzee experience in Uganda varies with package that is luxury, mid-range and basic. The cost of the permit that is gorilla or chimpanzee permit is the universal cost.

At the moment, the cost of gorilla permit in Uganda is

Cost of Uganda gorilla trekking permit $800 for international nonresidents, $700 for International residents and 300,000shs for East Africans

Cost of Uganda Gorilla habituation experience permit $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, $1000 for other Africans and 750000shs for East Africans.

Current cost of Uganda Chimpanzee permits is

Cost of Uganda chimpanzee trekking permit Kibale $250 for international nonresidents, $200 for foreign residents and 180000shs for East Africans.

Cost of Uganda chimpanzee trekking permit Kyambura $ 100 for international nonresidents, $80 for international residentsand 50000shs for east Africans.

Cost of Uganda chimpanzee habituation experience permit Kibale $300 for international nonresidents, $250 for foreign residents and 250000shs for East Africans.  

The other costs of logistics that support tourism in Uganda like cost of accommodation, transport, driver guide and many other all are added to form a Uganda safari quotation. Our team of experienced and professional tours consultant are on ground to work with you to tailor an itinerary that suits your needs and budget.

Is The Cost Of Gorilla and chimpanzee experience in Uganda worth The money and Time

Chimpanzees and mountain gorillas are some of the endangered primate species in the world with limited habitats. When you book a gorilla and chimpanzee safari, you get the opportunity to get closer to these highly preserved primates yet the number of permits open to the public is minimized for conservation reasons.

Even though the time of being with these primates is minimized to reduce on the chances of agitating them, it creates everlasting safari memories. Walking through the jungle exposes you to a chance of meeting other dwellers of these biosphere reserves such as black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, l’hoest, multitude of birds and others. The tangled vegetation that has accumulated over time is amazing and botanists have a chance of identifying so much during the walk to locate these primates.

By purchasing the gorilla or chimpanzee permits, you contribute to the fund that supports the conservation of these primates in Uganda. If you have the intention of giving back to the community around the gorilla and chimpanzee safari destinations, one of the direct ways of doing this noble contribution is by hiring a porter to help with carrying your bags at a friendly cost.

When you tip the service providers that supportWhy is it important to plan your Uganda gorilla and chimp experience in Advance your Uganda tour, it is one of the ways to encourage them to better there services. It is a boost to the incomes of these service providers too as they use the money to support their families. At Encounter Africa Safaris we encourage our tourists to tip generously as a token of appreciation.