Chimpanzee trekking in Semuliki national park

Chimpanzee trekking in Semuliki national park: Chimpanzee trekking is an adventure you can never forget in Semuliki national park. Semuliki national park is one of the ten national parks in Uganda and one of the most visited destinations in western Uganda. The national park is a lowland tropical vegetated area covering 220 sq. km. Semuliki national park is located in Bundibudyo district near Rwenzori national park and Kibale forest national park.

Kibale forest national park has been the leading destination for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda for a long time but there are other places in the country where chimpanzees can be found. Semuliki national park is one of the places in Uganda where tourists can meet chimpanzees even though the population is not that much within this park. In Semuliki national park you meet a few chimpanzees which are open for trekking and habituation activities.

Because a few chimpanzees are found in Semuliki national park, tourists have lower chances of seeing them. Chimpanzee trekking starts early in the morning at 8 am and it goes for 4 hours and even more. Because Semuliki national park has sharp cliffs, there are times when chimps cross over and trekking stops because trekkers can’t risk going to such areas.

To spend time around the chimpanzees of Kibale forest national park, you will need a chimpanzee permit. The chimpanzee permits are purchased from the park headquarters at different prices. There is a price for foreign non-residents, foreign residents, and citizens of East African member states. Trekking is done twice a day which is morning and evening hours by persons above the age of 12 years.

Chimpanzee trekking in Semuliki national park

Chimp trekking in Semuliki national park starts at the park headquarters at Ntandi. Here is where you meet the armed ranger guides who take you for a briefing that contains the rules and regulations of the activities. Tourists are taught the dos and don’ts of chimpanzee trekking for security purposes when they meet them in the jungle. After the briefing, tourists are allocated ranger guides who lead them in the jungle and the search starts.

Searching for the chimpanzees takes up to 4 hours and even more in Semuliki national park because of the nature of the topography. Rangers communicate with each other to see where the chimpanzees are so as to make the trekking and locating them easy. Tourists use different trails with in the park to locate the chimpanzees and while searching they are able to meet some of the park animals.

Most of the chimpanzees in this park are wild however there are few habituated. When tourists are lucky and have located the habituated chimpanzees, they are able to be around them. Tourists are allowed to move with the chimpanzees for 1 hour and this enables them to learn about their habits, watch them play, and do other daily activities like hunting, nesting, and much more.

After chimpanzee trekking, the trekkers are able to trek out of the lowland tropical forest and head back to the starting points. Finding the chimpanzees will always leave you with a good memory because it’s a once in a lifetime activity. Chimpanzee trekking comes with additional benefits of meeting the different mammals, primates, birds, and other attractions within the park.

Chimpanzee trekking is carried out in Semuliki national park all throughout the year but it’s said that the dry season is the best. July to September and October to November, the park is receiving little or no rainfall which keeps the trekking trails within the park dry and easier to navigate.

Because Semuliki national park is located so close to Kibale forest national park tourists can also try chimpanzee trekking within Kibale. Kibale forest national park has the best chimpanzee trekking because it is home to the highest population of chimpanzees in East Africa. Kibale forest national park has 2 large chimpanzee families which are trekked by over 72 people a day.

The reason why tourists love trekking chimpanzees of Kibale forest national park is because there are more than 90% chances of seeing primates. Rangers know the location of the chimpanzees and by the time they step into the forest, they know the shortest trails to use. Chimpanzee troops in Kibale forest national park have more than 60 chimpanzees and the trekkers leave the group satisfied.

Trekking chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park comes with opportunities to meet more than 13 primates that have been recorded here. Tourists are able to see forest mammals, birds, and different species of trees. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park comes at a fee of $200 for foreign residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 for citizens of East African member states.