The chimpanzee trekking experience in the Kyambura Gorge is an exciting activity in Uganda. It involves travelers moving on foot into an African tropical rainforest searching for habituated chimpanzee troops; once they have allocated the chimpanzees, travelers spend an hour with them in the natural jungle. Kyambura Gorge is situated in the eastern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is Uganda’s second-largest savannah national park, and is located in the western region of Uganda in four different districts, namely Kasese, Kamwenge, and Rukungiri, among others. Queen Elizabeth National Park protects bio-diversified wildlife species such as the famous tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector, African elephants, Cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, warthogs, and over 600 bird species. Besides Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking experiences can also be had in Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest of Murchison Falls National Park, Kalinzu Forest, and Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve.

 

The chimpanzee trekking encounter in Kyambura gorge begins early with a morning briefing regarding the rules and regulations for chimpanzee trekking. After the morning briefing, travelers are assigned to different chimpanzee families, and chimpanzee trekking starts in the forest with an experienced park ranger guide who is familiar with all the chimpanzee trekking trails. A chimpanzee trekking encounter takes approximately 30 minutes to 4 hours, and travelers are lucky to spot other primate species within the park, such as hoofed monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, bird species, and mammal species, among others. Once the chimpanzees are located, travelers can only spend an hour with the chimpanzees in their natural environment, which gives travelers an opportunity to learn more about the chimpanzee's habits, lifestyle, and behaviors. They can watch the chimpanzees feed themselves, breastfeed their young, play, hunt, rest, take beautiful photos, and record their lifetime videos with the chimpanzees.

 

Cost for a chimpanzee trekking permit in Kyambura gorge

A chimpanzee trekking permit is a legal document that is issued to travelers by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) who are over 15 years of age, allowing them to see the habituated chimpanzee group in the Kyambura gorge. A chimpanzee trekking permit for Kyambura Gorge costs $50 per person who is a foreign nonresident, $50 per person who is a foreign resident, and 30,000 UGX per person who is an East African citizen, which is cheaper than Budongo forest where the chimpanzee trekking permit costs travelers $130 per person who is a foreign nonresident, and Kibale Forest National Park, where a chimpanzee permit costs $200 per person who is a foreign nonresident.

 

How do I book a Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trekking permit?

A chimpanzee encounter permit for Kyambura gorge can be booked directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority by getting in touch with them from their head offices in Kampala, or a chimpanzee trekking permit for Kyambura gorge can be booked with the help of a trusted tour company like Devine African Safaris.

 

The Best time for chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge Queen Elizabeth National park 

Chimpanzee trekking encounters in Kyambura gorge can be carried out all year round, although it is best done in the dry months of June to September and December to February. This is because in the dry seasons there is less rainfall in the park and the vegetation layers are thinner, which allows travelers to spot chimpanzees and other wildlife species with ease.

 

Where should you stay while trekking chimps in Kyambura Gorge?

Queen Elizabeth National Park offers countless accommodation options where travelers can stay during their chimpanzee trekking safari in Kyambura Gorge. Luxury lodges, midrange lodges, and budget types are available in Queen Elizabeth National Park, including Kyambura Tented Camp, Elephants Hab Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Enganzi Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Simba Safari Camp, Elephant Plains Lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, King Fisher Lodge Kichwamba, Lake Chibwera Camp, Katara Lodge,

 

How to get to Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national

Kyambura gorge is set in Queen Elizabeth national park which can be accessed by road transportation, whereby travelers can be driven from Entebbe or Kampala via Mubende-Fort Portal or Masaka-Mbarara road to Queen Elizabeth national park headquarters and then a simple connection to Kyambura gorge. The drive from Entebbe or Kampala may take from 5 to 6 hours to reach Kyambura gorge.

 

Kyambura gorge of Queen Elizabeth National park can also be approached by air transportation, whereby travelers can opt for a scheduled or domestic flight operated by Bar Aviation Uganda or Aerolink Uganda Limited from either Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Kasese or Mweya Airstrip and get a pickup, then connect to Kyambura gorge by road.

 

The chimpanzee trekking experience of Kyambura Gorge can be combined with wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park. For more information regarding the chimpanzee trekking encounter in Kyambura Gorge, you can contact Devine African Safaris or book different Chimpanzee trekking Safaris in different national parks.