Kyambura gorge
Kyambura gorge: Located on the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth national park, Kyambura gorge is part of Kyambura wildlife reserve. Kyambura gorge is a 100meter deep forested area that is home to 13 primate species and 332 bird species. The gorge is drained by River Kyambura (a source of water for different Kyambura wildlife) which gets its waters from the hills of Kyambura.
What makes Kyambura gorge famous are the endangered chimpanzees that have found their comfortable home here. There were so many chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth national park but because of poaching a few survived and these are staying in Kyambura gorge. Most of these have been habituated and tourists are able to be around them for 1 hour if they have trekking permits.
Kyambura gorge is not home to chimpanzees only but other animals such as verve monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and much more. The area is also a habitat to over 332 bird species which can be seen during guided nature walks.
Activities to do in Kyambura gorge
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge
Chimpanzee trekking
Kyambura gore is home to more than 100 chimpanzees most of which have been habituated and open for trekking activity. Trekking chimpanzees is the main activity done here and 16 permits are available every day. The chimpanzee trekking is done in the morning and evening hours where 8 tourists are led by armed ranger guides in the jungle.
Those going for trekking gather at the starting point and learn about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity. Armed anger guides lead trekkers in the jungle searching for where the chimpanzees could be at the same time protecting them from dangerous wild animals.
On the trekking process, trekkers will encounter different wildlife in Kyambura and when the chimpanzees are found, the trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them and this comes with opportunities of learning about their habits, compare them with human beings, take photos, record videos and watch them do daily activities like hunting, nesting, grooming, breastfeeding, coupling, and playing among others.
Bird watching
Kyambura gorge is one of the best birding watching regions in Queen Elizabeth national park. The area is home to over 332 bird species that live in the riverine and tropical forests. On a birding watching safari in Queen Elizabeth national park, Kyambura gorge is one of the areas you don’t have to miss out on while in the park.
Birds of Kyambura gorge include Africa pygmy goose, Senegal coucal, little swift, abidim’s stork, black-crowned night heron, yellow bill, African palm swift, yellow-throated cuckoo, African emerald cuckoo, mourning collared dove, hamerkop, handsome francolin, Nubian nightjar, crested guinea fowl, black cuckoo, common cuckoo, African darter, long-tailed cormorant, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, woolly-necked stork, and water thick-knee.
Other bird species in Kyambura include the great white pelican, white crested tiger, great egret, ross’s turaco, goliath heron, black heron, spotted thick-knee, pied avocet, comb duck, white-fronted plover, Senegal lapwing, crowned lapwing, African jacana, lesser jacana, greater flamingo, black-tailed godwit, great snipe, jack snipe, common greenshank, emerald-spotted wood dove, little grebe, gull-billed tern, black-winged kite, African harrier hawk, Egyptian vulture, and black-billed wood dove.
Nature walks
Guided nature walks in the gorge are organized for travelers that love exploring the park on foot. The activity takes you to Kyambura gorge the valley of apes and a walk through the forest will give you an opportunity to see the different wildlife in Kyambura. You will be able to see some of the 10 primates here, mammals, 332 bird species, and different vegetation cover among others.
When to visit Kyambura
Tourists can visit Kyambura at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to visit Kyambura gorge especially if you want chimpanzee trekking and nature walk activities. The trails are dry due to little or no rainfall, vegetation is short with good views of animals, and roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Travelers can still visit Kyambura gorge in the rainy season from March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. However there is plenty of rainfall which makes the trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife but it’s a good period for birds because there are many bird species due to plenty of food everywhere.
Stay at Irungu Forest Safari Lodge on your Safari to Kyambura Gorge
Accommodation in Kyambura gorge
There are budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodation facilities where tourists can stay around Kyambura Gorge and these include Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Engiri Game Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Kyangabi Crater Lake, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, and Queen Elizabeth Park View Tourist Lodge among others.
Accessing Kyambura gorge
The gorge is found inside Queen Elizabeth national park and tourists can access it by road transport or air transport. By road transport, it depends on which route you want to use and where you are coming from. From Bwindi, it takes 2-3 hours to access Queen Elizabeth through Kihihi, Kanungu, and then Ishasha sector.
Travelers from Kampala can drive through Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi to Kasese or drive through Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Kasese to the northern sector of the park. From Kampala to Queen Elizabeth national park takes 7-8 hours and tourists are bel to have stopovers as well as great views of the different attractions along the way.
By air transport, tourists can access Queen Elizabeth park in 1 hour and1 5 minutes by taking chattered flights from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Mweya airstrip which is located inside the park. It takes a few hours to get to Kyambura gorge from Mweya airstrip.
