Kyambura Gorge is one of the few locations in East Africa where chimpanzees, an endangered primate species, may be found. Due to poaching by neighboring communities prior to the parks’ gazettal, these chimpanzees are now in danger. Following the gazetting of Queen Elizabeth National Park, a small number of chimpanzees remained in Kyambura Gorge. Due to the outstanding efforts of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, their numbers are currently growing, and some have been acclimated for tourism purposes.
The primary thing to do in Kyambura, which is on the east side of Queen Elizabeth National Park, is chimpanzee trekking. The Uganda Wildlife Authority, which oversees park activities, regulates the activity. Similar to any other primate park, tourists are given an hour to spend time with the habituated chimpanzees under the direction of armed ranger guides.
The chimpanzees are the most well-known of the more than ten primate species found in Kyambura because they are thought to be closely related to humans. Other species include red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, and vervet monkeys.
The majority of the chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge have been habituated, allowing visitors to interact with them while adhering to the regulations. Tourists engage in the activity in Queen Elizabeth Park, which they pair with other park activities such as the boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and game drives.
Tourists must notify their tour operator in order for them to reserve the chimpanzee permits in advance in order to participate in the chimpanzee trekking trip. Since Kyambura Gorge’s chimpanzee trekking permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis, you should make your reservation well in advance of your trip.
During the dry season, when the park is seeing a large number of visitors, Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee permits often sell out quickly. Because the park receives little to no rain, the vegetation is low, offering excellent views of the wildlife, and the roads leading to the park are in good shape, many tourists visit during the dry seasons, when they have a wonderful experience.
Kyambura’s chimpanzee trekking experience
Twice daily, in the morning and evening, chimpanzee trekking is carried out in Kyambura Gorge. Before setting out into the jungle, tourists will congregate at the beginning for a briefing on the rules and guidelines of the trip.
The party is led by armed rangers, who take no more than eight people at a time into the woods to look for potential ape locations. Finding the chimps in Kyambura requires a few hours of searching since it is a small area. Their apes engaging in their everyday activities take 2–4 hours to interact with.
Armed ranger guides do allow trekkers an hour to be around the chimpanzees in accordance with the regulations when they are spotted. This gives them the opportunity to observe their behavior, contrast them to humans, snap pictures, and observe their everyday routines, such as hunting, nesting, mating, and grooming.
What is the cost of chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge?
Chimpanzees are a threatened species of primates that require a lot of care and protection to prevent them from going extinct. A visitor must pay a specific fee in order to come across acclimated chimpanzees in any of the nation’s parks; the money is put toward conservation efforts.
For foreign non-residents, a single chimpanzee hiking license for Kyambura Gorge costs $50, while for foreign residents, it costs $40, and for East African residents, it costs UGX 30,000. These licenses must be reserved three to four months in advance from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a reputable local tour provider.
When to go trekking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, what should you bring?
The packing list for chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge should include, among other things, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved trousers, a sweater, a rain jacket, gardening gloves, a hat, sunscreen, waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton socks, a pair of gaiters, toiletries, a first aid kit, sanitizer, insect repellents, a face mask, a drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, a camera, and a pair of binoculars.
The optimum time to go chimp trekking in the Kyambura canyon
Although it is possible to trek chimpanzees in Kyambura at any time of the year, some months are preferable to others. Due to the low or nonexistent rainfall, which keeps the pathways dry, the sparse vegetation, which provides excellent views of the chimpanzees, and the accessible roads leading to the canyon, the dry months of June through September and December through February are ideal for chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge.
Since the park is open during the rainy season from March to May and October to November, you may trek chimpanzees in the Kyambura Gorge. Tourists should be aware that the area receives a lot of rain during the rainy season, which causes the roads to Kyambura to be impassable, the trails to be muddy and slick, and the vegetation to be tall, making it difficult to see chimpanzees.
Kyambura’s lodging for a chimpanzee trekking safaris
Tourists in Queen Elizabeth National Park can easily find a place to stay that fits their trip budget thanks to the abundance of lodging options available. The accommodations range from budget to mid-range to luxury, including establishments like Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Engiri Game Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, Kyangabi Crater Lake, and Queen Elizabeth Park View Tourist Lodge, among others.
Accessing The Gorge
Kyambura Gorge is situated on the eastern side of Kyambura Gorge and is accessible by either road or air. Visitors to Kyambura can arrive by air by flying to Mweya airstrip, which is situated inside the park. Aerolink Uganda or Bar Aviation Uganda arranges flights from Entebbe International Airport and the Kajjansi airstrip.
Tourists may access Kyambura Gorge by driving from Kampala to the park in seven to eight hours via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese, or via Mubende, Kyenjonjo, Fort Portal, and Kasese. Visitors to the park can visit Kyambura Gorge by driving through Kihihi and Kanungu from the Buhoma area of Bwindi.