How many people can go for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale a day
How many people can go for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale a day: Kibale forest national park is the only place in Uganda where chimpanzee habituation does take place. The national park is located in Fort Portal and Kasese districts in the western part of Uganda. Kibale national park is home to the highest number of chimpanzees in Uganda having over 1500 individuals.
Kibale forest national park has 13 chimpanzee families and among these families include only 1 that is undergoing habituation. The chimpanzee family was put in place to make the wild chimpanzees get used to the human presence around them and tourists are allowed to be part of the habituation activity.
There are so many tourists that have heard about chimpanzee habituation and they are interested in being part of the activity. When one is still thinking about chimpanzee habituation, among the many questions they have in mind include how many people are allowed to go chimpanzee habituation. Well, this article has got all the answers you have been looking for well explained.
How many people can visit a semi-habituated family in Kibale forest national park?
A semi-habituated chimpanzee family or a chimpanzee family that is going through habituation in Kibale forest national park is visited by a maximum of 12 people a day. These 12 people don’t go at once in fact they go in groups of 6 even those they can be around the members at the same time because it’s a full-day activity.
Chimpanzee habituation starts with a briefing at Kanyanchu visitor’s center and it’s from here that trekkers are grouped not exceeding 6. Two groups are formed to go chimpanzee habituation and each of the groups is given armed ranger guides and researchers to lead them in the jungle. These groups use different trails while searching for the chimpanzees and the first to see it communicates to the other using radio callers.
Since a chimpanzee family in Kibale forest national park has over 100 individuals, trekkers during the time of habituation are around different individuals who are never in the same group. It’s said that a chimpanzee community in Kibale forest national park unites during the evening hours and sleeps in the same area but the moment it’s day starts, they will spread and look for food or do daily activities separately.
The fact that chimpanzee communities have many members and are never in one group allows over 12 people to go for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest national park. They are of the same family but scatter during the day so it’s the armed ranger guides who choose for you which chimpanzees to habituate. Chimpanzee habituation is never like gorilla trekking where only 4 people habituate a family of less than 10 individuals.
At how much can I get chimpanzee habituation permits for Kibale?
We all know that to see a chimpanzee family in Kibale forest going through habituation you need a chimpanzee habituation permit. This is obtained from Uganda Wildlife Authority and can be got using a local tour operator at the same price. A chimpanzee habituation permit in Kibale forest costs $250 for foreign non-residents, $200 for foreign residents, and UGX200,000 east African citizens.
Tourists that are intending to habituate chimpanzees of Kibale forest national park should know that there are very few permits compared to the number of people that want to trek. This means that there is a need of booking the habituation permits 3-4 months or more in advance to avoid last-minute booking disappointments.
The chimpanzee habituation process in Kibale forest national park
Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest is carried out all throughout the year. To be part of the activity you must have a chimpanzee habituation permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority which you must present at the briefing point at Kanyanchu visitor’s center in order to be part of the team going for the activity.
The briefing is done to teach the rules and regulations of the chimpanzee habituation activity before heading into the jungle. A maximum of 12 people can habituate a chimpanzee family in Kibale forest national park but these are divided into 2. Each group not exceeding 6 people is led by armed ranger guides and researchers into the jungle.
Searching for the semi-habituated family in Kibale forest national park takes tourists through different trails to different trees where these chimpanzees normally get fruits. Ts takes 2-6 hours to locate a chimpanzee family and once it’s allocated, trekkers are given the rest of the day to be with the apes.
During the habituation process, the trekkers join researchers to be part of the activities that make chimpanzees get used to the human presence around them. The trekkers do have enough time for photography, videos, learning about the chimpanzee habits, and watching the members do daily activities such as nesting, feeding, hunting, playing, resting, coupling, and much more.
