How long does chimpanzee trekking take in Kibale?
How long does chimpanzee trekking take in Kibale?: One of the questions frequently asked by tourists who want to visit Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee trekking is how long the activity takes. Well, we can’t tell the exact hour and minute chimpanzee trekking takes in Kibale forest national park because there are so many factors that determine the total time for trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity in Kibale forest. Kibale is a protected area covering 776 sq. km in the western part of Uganda. The national park is home to over 13 primates but the famous ones are the chimpanzees which are over 1500. Some of these chimpanzees have been habituated and are open for chimpanzee trekking activities to tourists above 12 years and with valid chimpanzee trekking permits.
Chimpanzee tracking being the main reason as to why tourists visit Kibale forest national park brings up to question of how long does the whole activity take. The time taken to locate the chimpanzee community is never the same to all trekkers. Some take little time to locate the chimpanzees while others take longer. The time taken to locate a chimpanzee community, be around the members, and trek out of the jungle is determined by factors such as the nature of the trail and the speed of the trekkers.
Chimpanzee trekking is an activity that takes you deep into the forest of Kibale forest national park to look for the chimpanzees. Armed ranger guides usually say that the activity takes 2-6 hours and on rare cases more. Unlike mountain gorillas, chimpanzees never stay in an area for some minutes. They keep on moving looking for food until the day ends. Lucky tourists can meet them in 2 hours if they slept near the starting point but others can see even after 6 hours is they keep moving looking for what to eat.
Chimpanzee trekking in the dry season tends to take longer even though the trekking trails are dry and easily passable. This is because there is little food within the park and the chimpanzees keep on moving to different areas of the park looking for what to eat. In the rainy season, there is plenty of food within the park so chimpanzees don’t move to all areas but again the activity does take long because of the plenty of rainfall and slippery trails.
2-6 hours in Kibale forest national park are enough to locate a chimpanzee community. There are armed ranger guides always inside the jungle monitoring different animal species and if they happen to come across them they will contact the armed ranger guides with tourists about where they have seen them. When the chimpanzees are located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them and watch them do daily activities.
The fitness of the trekkers, the nature of the trails, and the location of the chimpanzee community are some of the factors that determine how long the chimpanzee trekking activity will be. Trekkers who are fit enough move faster and this reduces on the time taken to locate the chimpanzees when trails are dry finding chimpanzees becomes easier than when they are slippery and lastly the location of chimpanzees does determine the time taken for trekking within Kibale.
Is chimpanzee trekking difficult in Kibale forest national park?
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park is not difficult. This is because the area is not hilly and there are trekking trails designed for trekkers to use. Trekking can take you upwards for a few minutes but during most of the hours it’s sloping or moving through a flat area. Trekkers can’t get that really tired and if they do they can always tell the armed ranger guides to slow down on their speed.
Does chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park need one to be fit?
You don’t have to be that fit to take part in the chimpanzee trekking activity in Kibale. Chimpanzee trekking is not difficult in Kibale because the park is not hilly. Trekkers who are not fit enough will still trek and get to find chimpanzees. If you want to be fit for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park you can exercise back home before the chimpanzee trekking day.
Best time for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale
The dry season is the most appropriate time for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park. The activity is best done in June to September and December to February when there is little or no rainfall During the dry season, the trekking trails are dry and easily passable, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of wildlife and roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Tourists can still visit Kibale in the rainy season of March to May and October to November however this is not the best time. The rainy season has a lot of rainfall which makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of chimpanzees, and roads leading to the park are in poor condition.
How much is chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park?
Normal chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park goes for $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 east African citizens. The chimpanzee trekking permit for Kibale forest national park comes with 1 hour around chimpanzees, park entrance fees, armed ranger guide fees, and community development fees.
