Trekking with Chimpanzees
One of the most popular tourist activities in Uganda is chimpanzee tracking, which entails a person walking through gazetted regions looking for the primates. Because humans and chimpanzees share over 98% of their DNA, tourists are particularly interested in tracking and observing these animals’ behaviors.
Chimpanzees can be found in Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kalinzu Forest and Kyambura Gorge, and Murchison Falls National Park’s Budongo Forest in Uganda. Red-tailed guenons, gray-cheeked mangabeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, white-nosed monkeys, blue monkeys, nocturnal pottos, bush infants, and olive baboons are among the other fascinating species that can be found in Kibale National Park besides chimpanzees.
The Kanyachu region, where chimpanzee walks are conducted, is the ideal location for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park. Because of the large numbers of chimpanzees in this region, it is the ideal place for this tracking activity.
The optimal times to engage in the chimpanzee tracking activity are around 8:00 in the morning and 15:00 in the afternoon. Chimpanzees are most visible in the morning when they venture out into the forest to forage for food. It’s amazing to watch these primates swinging across the trees and caring for one another. As the chimpanzees return to their nests following a day of food search, the afternoon hours are also favorable.
Chimpanzee Trekking Permits must be reserved in order to participate in this chimpanzee tracking activity. The Uganda Wildlife Authority issues these passes so that visitors can enter the national park and take part in the activities.
In order to have a successful expedition, chimpanzee tracking also has rules and laws that must be followed. Children under the age of fifteen are not permitted to track chimpanzees in Uganda. To prevent contracting human infections, a visitor who has come into contact with chimpanzees should keep an 8-meter distance. Because of the ease with which the diseases might spread, travelers who are ill with flu or diarrhea are not permitted to follow the lowly primates. Because primates are wild animals that could charge at any time and react, travelers are advised not to provoke them. It is forbidden to dump any droppings in the forest because they may contain papers and polythene, which could injure the chimps. One needs a camera that doesn’t emit flash lights in order to shoot pictures for memories.
One must reserve a tour with a reputable tour operator in order to have a successful chimpanzee tracking safari. It is recommended that they get in touch with a reliable tour operator to assist them in scheduling their transportation, lodging, meals, and chimpanzee tracking permits. Travelers can find a good tour operator by researching their relevancy on Google, TripAdvisor, and Safari Bookings. Tour operators make travel easier for travelers. These websites assist in offering evaluations of a tour operator’s prior travels as well as the prior experiences of their customers.
Similar to gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking necessitates a permit. A gorilla trekking permit is required to trek gorillas, and a chimpanzee tracking permit is required to monitor chimpanzees.
