How to spend more time with chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park
How to spend more time with chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park is one of the frequently asked questions but in this piece of work, we are going to give you all the necessary information that can give you an opportunity to spend more time with the chimpanzees.
How to spend more time with chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park
Under normal conditions, tourists are supposed to stay with chimpanzees for only 1 hour. The chimpanzee trekking permit which is commonly used in Kibale forest national park allows tourists to be around chimpanzees for 1 hour. Kibale forest national park now has an option of spending more hours with chimpanzees and this is called chimpanzee habituation.
chimpanzee habituation safari in Kibale forest national park is a process of making wild chimpanzees slowly get used to the human presence around them. The chimpanzee habituation process is done for 2-3 years until the chimpanzees pass the mocking stage. When the chimpanzees get used to human presence around them, they are open for trekking activities and another family is up for habituation.
One chimpanzee family is in Kibale forest national park for habituation activities ad it has more than 100 members. This chimpanzee family can be habituated by a maximum of 12 people a day and they do it in groups of six. For travelers that want to spend more time with the chimpanzees then chimpanzee habituation is the right permit to purchase.
With only 12 permits in Kibale forest national park every day, it means that the permits are few compared to the number of people there early booking is highly advised. A lot of people want to spend more time with the chimpanzees especially during the dry season therefore you should get your chimpanzee habituation permit 3-4 months or more in advance.
The price of the chimpanzee habituation permits in Kibale forest national park is very affordable as it goes for $250 for foreign non-residents, $200 for foreign residents, and UGX200,000 east African citizens. The chimpanzee habituation permits are sold to only travelers that are aged 12yrs and above. A person must pay money and later submit their personal information for their chimpanzee permit to be booked.
Travelers can still spend more time with chimpanzees if they do double trekking. Double trekking is when you trek on different days but the fact that Kibale has only one family for trekking and the difference between the prices of the permits is very small, its better to go for the chimpanzee habituation in the first place if you want to save money.
The chimpanzee habituation safari experience in Kibale forest national park?
Chimpanzee habituation is a whole day activity in Kibale forest national park. The activity is done by a maximum of 12 people, unlike gorilla habituation which is done by only 4 people. Many people can have chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale simply because it has more members compared to a gorilla family.
On the day of chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale, trekkers move to Kanyanchu visitors center where they meet other trekkers for a briefing. The briefing is about the rules and regulations of the chimpanzee habituation activity. Each group is given an armed ranger guide to lead them into the jungle where they begin searching for the chimpanzees.
The search for chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park takes 2-6 hours and the time taken depends on the location of the apes, and the speed of the trekkers. During the search for chimpanzees, trekkers are able to meet different park mammals, primates, and birds. When the chimpanzees are located, trekkers are given a whole day to be with them.
Whole day chimpanzee habituation safari in Kibale involves trekkers being part of the activities that make the chimpanzees get used to human presence around them. The trekkers go get enough time for photography, recording, and knowing the different habits of the chimpanzees. After a long day of habituation, you get back to the briefing point for your trekking certificate.
Where to stay on a chimpanzee habituation safari in Kibale forest national park?
Are you intending to visit Kibale for chimpanzee habituation and you would love to spend a night or more in the park? Well, there is a wide range of accommodation facilities within Kibale and they range from budget to mid-range to luxury options for example Chimpundu Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Primate Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, and Rweetera Safari Park to mention but a few.
Accessing to Kibale forest park
Travelers that want to spend more time with the chimpanzees of Kibale can get to the park in 6-7 hours by road and 3 hours by air.
Accessing to Kibale forest park road transport, travelers use different routes to get to Kibale forest national park and they are from Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese to the park. Others can use Kampala/Entebbe via Mityana, Mubende, Kyenjojo, and Fort Portal to the park.
Accessing to Kibale forest park air, luxury travelers or those that hate traveling for long distances can get to Kibale using domestic flights from aero link Uganda and bar aviation Uganda. The flights start from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kasese airstrip in 1 hour and 15 minutes. From the airstrip to Kibale forest national park is less than two hours by road.
What is the best time for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale?
Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest national park is carried out all throughout the year however some months are better than others. The two dry seasons from June to September and December to February are the best time for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale simply because there is little or no rainfall in the park. The trekking trails are dry and easily passable, vegetation is very short with good views of chimpanzees, and roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Tourists can still visit Kibale national park for chimpanzee habituation in the rainy season from March to May and October to November because the park will be open. The rainy season favors budget travelers because the lodge and tour operators reduce prices to attract the few travelers intending to visit the park. Too much rain makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads to the park are in poor conditions.
