The best way to spend more time in Kibale Forest with chimps: One of the most commonly requested topics is how to spend more time with chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park. In this article, we will provide you with all the information you need to increase your chances of spending time with the chimpanzees.
The best way to spend more time in Kibale Forest National Park with chimps
Tourists are only expected to spend an hour with chimps under typical circumstances. Tourists may spend an hour with chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park with the popular chimpanzee trekking permit. Chimpanzee habituation is the practice of spending more time with chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
The goal of Kibale Forest National Park’s chimpanzee habituation safari is to gradually acclimate wild chimpanzees to human presence. Until the chimpanzees past the mocking stage, the habituation process takes two to three years. The chimpanzees are receptive to hiking activities once they become accustomed to humans being around, and another family is ready for habituation.
With almost 100 individuals, one chimpanzee family is housed in Kibale Forest National Park for habituation purposes. A maximum of 12 persons every day can habituated this family of chimpanzees, and they do so in groups of six. Chimpanzee habituation is the ideal permit to buy if visitors wish to spend more time with the chimpanzees.
Since Kibale Forest National Park only issues 12 permits per day, early reservations are strongly encouraged because there aren’t enough permits relative to the amount of visitors. Obtaining your chimpanzee habituation permit three to four months in advance is advised since many individuals choose to spend longer time with the animals, particularly during the dry season.
Chimpanzee habituation licenses at Kibale Forest National Park are reasonably priced; they cost $250 for non-resident foreigners, $200 for locals, and UGX200,000 for East African nationals. Only visitors who are 12 years of age or older are eligible to purchase chimpanzee habituation licenses. To obtain a chimpanzee permit, a person must first pay money and then provide their personal information.
Double trekking allows visitors to spend more time with chimpanzees. If you want to save money, it’s best to go for the chimpanzee habituation in the first place because Kibale only has one family for trekking and the permit charges are extremely modest. Double trekking is when you walk on separate days.
The safari experience of chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest National Park?
In Kibale Forest National Park, chimpanzee habituation takes place over the course of a day. In contrast to gorilla habituation, which is carried out by just four individuals, the activity is completed by a maximum of twelve people. Because chimpanzees have more members than gorillas, many people can become habituated to them in Kibale.
Trekkers head to the Kanyanchu Visitors Center on the day of the chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale, where they get a briefing from previous trekkers. The guidelines for the chimpanzee habituation exercise are covered in the briefing. After being led into the bush by an armed ranger guide, each party starts looking for the chimpanzees.
It takes two to six hours to look for chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park, depending on the primates’ location and the trekkers’ pace. Trekkers can encounter a variety of park animals, primates, and birds while looking for chimpanzees. When the chimpanzees are located, trekkers are given a whole day to be with them.
Trekkers participate in activities that help the chimpanzees become accustomed to humans being near them during the Kibale full-day chimpanzee habituation safari. The hikers have enough time to take pictures, make videos, and learn about the many chimpanzee customs. You return to the briefing location for your hiking certificate following a hard day of acclimatization.
Where can I stay in Kibale Forest National Park while on a chimpanzee habituation safari?
Would you like to stay overnight or longer in the park if you plan to visit Kibale for chimpanzee habituation? Well, Kibale offers a variety of lodging alternatives, ranging from low-cost to mid-range to high-end choices, such as Chimpundu Lodge.To name a few, there are Rweetera Safari Park, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Primate Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Turaco Treetops, and Chimpanzee Forest Lodge.
Kibale Forest Park access
In three hours by plane and six to seven hours by road, those who like to spend more time with Kibale’s chimpanzees may reach the park.
Road transit to Kibale Forest Park: Visitors arrive in Kibale Forest National Park by a variety of roads, including Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese, from Kampala/Entebbe. Through Mityana, Mubende, Kyenjojo, and the Fort Portal to the park, others may access Kampala/Entebbe.
Luxurious tourists or those who detest long trips can use local flights from Aero Link Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda to reach Kibale Forest Park Air. The flight takes one hour and fifteen minutes from Kajjansi Airport or Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airport. It takes less than two hours to drive from the airport to Kibale Forest National Park.
In Kibale, when is the ideal period for chimpanzee habituation?
In Kibale Forest National Park, chimpanzee habituation is done year-round, albeit certain months are better than others.
Because the park receives little to no rainfall, the two dry seasons—June to September and December to February—are ideal for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale. The roads going to the park are in good shape, the foliage is sparse and offers nice views of the chimps, and the walking routes are dry and manageable.
During the rainy season, which runs from March to May and October to November, visitors can still visit Kibale National Park to observe chimpanzee habituation. Budget tourists benefit from the wet season since lodges and tour companies lower their rates to draw in the few visitors that plan to visit the park. The roads leading to the park are in poor shape, the foliage is thick and obscures views of the animals, and the trekking routes are muddy and slick due to excessive rain.