When can one book a chimpanzee permit to Kibale national park?

When can one book a chimpanzee permit to Kibale national park?: Advance chimpanzee permit booking in Kibale forest national park is very essential. We highly recommend booking a chimpanzee permit for Kibale forest national park at least 3-4 months in advance or even more. This is the only way to save you from last-minute booking disappointments especially if you are to visit the park in the high season which is from December to February and June to September.

Kibale forest national park has 84 chimpanzee permits every day and these are very few compared to the number of people interested in chimpanzee activities. The 12 chimpanzee permits are for habituation activities and 72 are for trekking activities. It’s from here that we advise early chimpanzee permit booking for you to avoid last-minute disappointment.

Chimp trekking and chimpanzee habituation are some of the treasured activities in Kibale forest national park and the majority of travelers want to be part of these activities. Advance chimpanzee permit booking is advised because the Uganda Wildlife Authority sells chimpanzee permits on a first come first serve basis.

How to book a chimpanzee permits for Kibale forest national park?

There are several ways through which our clients can book a chimpanzee permits as they are discussed below in this article

Using a local tour operator

The best way to book chimpanzee tracking permits for Kibale forest national park is using a local tour operator. Once you have used a local tour operator for your safari then it’s their role to book the chimpanzee permits after you have deposited some money for the safari. The local tour operators help you to save time since they have direct contact with people who work with Uganda Wildlife Authority.

To get the right tour operator is not easy but the work has now days been simplified by Uganda Tourism Board. Some companies that are good at doing their work have been licensed and allowed to carry out tourism activities including booking permits. Travelers can use tour companies that their friends have used before during their safari to Uganda only if they were good.

Africa Adventure Vacations is one of the local tour operators to use when booking chimpanzee trekking permits for Kibale forest national park. What you need to do is get the dates of the month and year you want to visit Kibale forest national park and the number of people in the group then contact us via email. We shall use this information to check for the availability of permits with the reservations office at Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Once the permits are available, we shall ask you the different banking details that you will use to send part of the money for your safari. We shall use some of the deposit to pay for the chimpanzee tracking permits. We shall before ask for your personal details which are needed when booking the chimpanzee permits. Once we have booked the permit we shall send you a scanned copy of the permit for you to be assured of trekking.

Directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority

Chimpanzee tracking permits for Kibale forest national park can be booked directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority but this is done by tourists that are not using local tour operators on their safari. To book directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority you must get to the dates of the month and year you want to trek first and then contact the reservations office via email. The emails should clearly indicate the number of people and the type of permit you want.

The information shall be used to check for the availability of the permits and once they are available, you will be sent different banking details which you will use to pay money for the permit. After paying, you will send the scanned copy of the receipt of payment for confirmation and they will ask for your personal details. Your chimpanzee tracking permit shall later be booked and you will have to pick it up at the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices on your arrival.

The cost of chimpanzee permits in Kibale forest national park

The cost of chimpanzee permits in Kibale varies as follows, $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 for foreign residents, and UGX150,000 East African citizens. The chimpanzee trekking permits in Kibale come with one hour around the chimpanzees but tourists who want full day chimpanzee habituation have special permits.

The cost of chimpanzee habituation permits in Kibale chimpanzee habituation permits cost $250 for foreign non-residents, $200 for foreign residents, and UGX200,00 East African citizens. With this permit, you are allowed to be around semi-habituated chimpanzees and be part of activities that make them get used to the human presence around them. All permits in Kibale national park come with paid park entrance fees, armed ranger guide fees, and community development fees.

When to visit Kibale forest national park for a chimpanzee trek?

Kibale forest national park is open all throughout the year for chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation. The dry season is proved to be the best for chimpanzee activities because here you expect a few rains, the trails are dry and easier to navigate, vegetation is short with good views of wildlife, while the roads leading to the park are passable so you will get there in time.

Tourists can still visit Kibale forest national park in the rainy season from March to May and October to November but they should expect too much rainfall. The rainy season is the best time for budget travelers because the lodges and tour operators reduce prices. What makes the rainy season not good for chimpanzee activities is the too much rainfall, the trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are impassable.