Is chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park worth the money?
Is chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park worth the money?: Yes, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park is worth the money you will spend. Many of the clients that trek the endangered chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park come saying it’s worth the money. For travelers that are intending to trek chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park anytime soon, the activity is worth the money, and this article here is for you.
Kibale forest national park is home to the highest number of chimpanzees in Uganda. The estimated number of chimpanzees living in Kibale forest national park is about 1500 chimpanzee individuals. With this population, the chances of seeing these chimpanzees in Kibale is high compared to any other protected area in Uganda. Other areas in Uganda where tourists can find chimpanzees are Kalinzu forest, Kyambura gorge, and Budongo forest.
Kibale chimpanzee trekking is worth the money reason being there are over 95% chances of seeing the chimpanzees and sit a few meters from the members. Kibale forest national park is a better choice when it comes to chimpanzee trekking because the large forest gives more experience with the chimpanzees. The forest has 2 families that are visited by tourists and the families have over 200 chimpanzees already used to human presence around them.
Kibale forest national park chimpanzee trekking will give you opportunities of meeting different forest mammals that are over 60, 370 bird species, and 12 primate species. Animals to see in Kibale forest national park include warthogs, forest buffaloes, forest elephants, duikers, leopards, blue-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive baboons to mention but a few.
With an increasing population of chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park, you have better chances of seeing them within the park than anywhere else in Uganda. Trekking in Kibale forest national park is not difficult like in any other area because the forest has a flat plateau. Yes, you can get tired but only if you are not physically fit. The trekking is done in the lowland area and in case there is high speed by the ranger guides you can always tell them to slow down.
In Kibale forest national park it’s a must to leave the jungle after seeing the chimpanzees. The park has got armed ranger guides, researchers, and wild reserve officers who monitor the movement of chimpanzees every day. They know where these chimpanzees usually be and they are always ready to take you to search areas with chances of seeing them.
Inside the forest are ranger guides who use radio callers to communicate with fellows once they see where the chimpanzees could be. If a ranger guide leading a different group sees the chimpanzees before others he will call them using radio callers and they move to the area where the chimpanzees are. This idea was brought up to help trekkers not to move long distances and easily locate chimpanzees.
When it comes to time one is allowed to be around chimpanzees it’s 1 hour. The 1 hour is worth the cost of chimpanzee trekking permits which is $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 East African citizens. The money paid includes 1 hour with chimpanzees, park entrance fees, and ranger guide fees. During the 1 hour given, trekkers are able to learn about the chimpanzee habits, take photos and watch them do daily activities like nesting, hunting, breasting, and coupling among others.
To those who want to know about the safety of chimpanzees, yes the activity is very safe for all kinds of travelers. Following the rules ad regulations of the chimpanzee trekking activity, trekkers will have the jungle without any harm. The money paid for a Chimpanzee trekking permit includes a ranger guide fee and their role is not only showing you where the chimpanzees could be but also to protect you from anything that could be dangerous.
The chimpanzee habituation exercise in Kibale forest national park
The chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest national park starts with a briefing at Kanyanchu visitors center in the morning or evening hours. The briefing is about the rules and regulations of the chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest and the grouping of trekkers. The groups not exceeding 8 trekkers are given armed ranger guides who will lead them in the jungle and protect them from animals that could be dangerous.
After the briefing, trekkers are driven with their ranger guides to that starting point. Here the armed ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle and start looking for where the chimpanzees could be. During the search, these armed ranger guides move to trees where these chimpanzees normally are and see if they are there. The trekking goes through different trails within the park until the chimpanzees are seen.
During the search, trekkers will meet different forest mammals, primates, and birds. The search for apes goes for 2-6 hours within Kibale forest national park. When the chimpanzees are finally located, trekkers do get 1 hour of being around them and this helps in knowing their habits, take photos, record videos and watch them do daily activities like nesting, coupling, hunting, feeding, and playing among others.
Are lodges of Kibale forest national park worth the money?
Kibale forest national park has three categories of lodges and they are of different prices. There are budget lodges that charge between $50 to $200, mud ranger lodges that charge from $200 to $400, and luxury lodges that charge from $400 and above. The price charged by these lodge is always worth it. They have good customer care services, they prepare nice meals that are local and international and they do have nice rooms with good facilities.
The lodges in Kibale forest national park that are good include Primate Lodge, Turaco Treetops, Chimpundu Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Crater Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp, Rweetera Safari Lodge, Isunga Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Guest House, Rwenzori Guest Cottages, and Kitojo Guest Cottages among others.
Best time to track chimpanzees
Are you wondering about what’s the best time to track chimpanzees? Tourist can visit Kibale forest national park at anytime of the year however there’s always the best time to track chimpanzees. The dry season months is the best time to track chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park and they do happen from June to September and December to February. They are characterized by little or no rainfall that makes the trekking trails stay dry, vegetation is short and thin with good views of wildlife and the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Tourists especially budget travelers can visit the park in the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. During the rainy season, a few travelers that visit Kibale do get huge discounts from the lodges and tour operators. The rainy season is not the best for trekking in Kibale forest national park because it has plenty of rainfall that makes the trails dry and passable, vegetation is thick and tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are impassable.
