How much does it cost to see chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park?
How much does it cost to see chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park? Kibale forest national park is one of the places in Uganda where one can meet chimpanzees. The national park is located in the western part of the country harboring the highest number of primate species in the world. Kibale forest national park has 13 primate species and out of these it’s the chimpanzees that have been habituated and tourists can spend time around them.
The price of seeing chimpanzees in forest differs from someone’s travel budget. There are budget, mid-range, and luxury travelers therefore each traveler gets to know how much the cost of seeing chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park will be after choosing the category of travel they want to be in.
When it comes to the cost of chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park, we look at transport, accommodation, food, and chimpanzee tracking permit we as travelers. On these factors, a tourist adds on VISA, tickets, porters, tips, and packing list, etc. because they are never part of the itinerary.
What is the chimpanzee tracking permit?
A chimpanzee tracking permit is part of the cost to see chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park. It is a legal document issued by the Uganda Wildlife authority to allow a traveler above the age of 12 years encounter chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Tourists can book them directly from Uganda wildlife authority or a trusted local tour operator in advance of 3-4 months.
To see any of the chimpanzee families in Kibale forest national park, you need a chimpanzee permit. It could be a normal chimpanzee tracking permit which allows you to be around chimpanzees for 1 hour or it could be a chimpanzee habituation permit which allows you to be around chimpanzees for the whole day.
A cost single chimpanzee tracking permit in Kibale forest national park is $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 east African citizens. A full chimpanzee habituation permit cost $150 for foreign non-residents, $20 for foreign residents, and UGX200, 000 East African citizens.
What is the cost of accommodation?
The chimpanzee safari in Kibale forest national park take up to 4 hours or even a full day if it’s habituation. This means that on your chimpanzee safari you will need where to spend a night or more to relax from the activity or to get another to and explore the park.
Tourists should keep in mind that the cost of the accommodation is always not part of the cost of chimpanzee tracking permit. This means that while counting the cost of seeing chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park they should add on the money for accommodation. The accommodation in Kibale forest national park varies from budget to mid-range to luxury options and where to stay depends on the client’s budget.
The budget lodges in Kibale forest national park charge between $50 to $100 per night, mid-range lodges charge $100 to $300 per night while the luxury lodges start from $300 onwards. These charges include food which is breakfast, lunch, and supper. In the low season, the prices of these lodges tend to be cheaper to attract the few tourists to the park.
What is the cost of food?
Yes, the accommodation where you will stay gives you food but when you are out of the accommodation or if you are not going to use any while on your tracking safari you will need money to buy this food separately. You might need breakfast, lunch, or dinner somewhere at a hotel and these will charge you money.
Food and drinks can cost you $40 and above depending on the restaurant or hotel you have used. For travelers that drink alcohol or spirits, plan separate money about $50 and above. Tourists who book the safari with a tour company must know that the price of food outside the lodge is always on their money therefore they don’t have to worry about that.
What is the cost of transport?
On a chimpanzee safari to Kibale forest national park, you do need transportation too and from the park. There is road transport to the park and this is cheaper compared to air transport. Tourists can still use chattered airline companies to fly on safari and must prepare money for the flight and road transport because the airstrip is located kms away from the park.
Using road transport to Kibale forest national park tends to be cheaper because tour companies normally charge $200 to $250 per day and this includes the driver guide fee. The price of flights is automatically expensive and the price is set by the airline companies which organize domestic flights to the park. The flights are usually $300 to $800 depending on the airline company used.
The cost of items on the chimpanzee safari packing list
For the best experience in Kibale forest national park, tourists need waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved clothes, a camera, a pair of binoculars, insect repellents, a rain jacket, a backpack, a drinking water bottle, and energy giving snacks to mention but a few. These items are of different prices from the country you are coming from. Tourists intending to have a safari to Kibale need to put the cost of these into consideration.
The cost of porters
For tourists that have excess luggage on a safari, a porter is needed to help them on carrying these items. These porters are always at the starting point ready to lift things for you at very affordable fees. They can lift bags, cameras, lunch, or even help you during difficult sections of the trek. Hiring a porter in Kibale forest national park costs $15 to $20.
Tips
Tips on a chimpanzee safari to Kibale forest national park are a sign of appreciation to people like porters, drivers, rangers, and hotel staff among others. Tourists normally give these people a certain amount of money out of their will to appreciate the work done. The among given depends on you since it’s not compulsory.
Number of days on the safari
The number of days on a chimpanzee safari to kibale determines how much the cost of seeing chimpanzees will be. Tourists can have a 1 day, 2 days, or even 3 days safari to Kibale forest national park, and the more the number of days the more the price. Tourists should know that traveling along on a safari to Kibale forest national park is more expensive than when you travel as a group because a person traveling with others shares the costs of transport and accommodation.
