Chimpanzees In Queen Elizabeth National Park
Chimpanzees In Queen Elizabeth National Park : Chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth national park are among the wildlife species which can be seen during safaris at the destination.
When visiting Queen Elizabeth national park, chimpanzees can be seen in the Kyambura gorge which is known for being one of the places to engage in chimpanzee trekking. The chimpanzees can also be seen around Kalinzu forest.
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in south western part of Uganda and is among the savannah parks in the country where different wildlife species can be seen during safaris.
The chimpanzee population in Queen Elizabeth National Park is estimated to be around 23 individuals. The Kyambura Gorge is particularly renowned for its habituated chimpanzee groups, allowing tourists to participate in guided chimpanzee tracking experiences.
Chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge involves an exciting search for chimpanzees in their natural habitat. This activity gives tourists the opportunity to interact closely with the chimpanzees and observe their behavior.
Chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park can typically be seen during the morning hours when they are most active. The best time to observe them is usually between 7:00 am and 10:00 am which is a time when they are waking up, feeding, and engaging in various social behaviors and only 1 hour is spent with the chimpanzees.
The chimpanzee trekking tour in Kyambura starts with a briefing done by the park rangers about what to expect during the activity and the different guidelines on the chimpanzee trek are also communicated during the briefing session which is followed by trekking into the forest to begin the search for the chimpanzees.
The activity of chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge takes place twice a day with the morning chimpanzee trek around 08:00 am and the afternoon chimpanzee trek around 01:00 pm and it takes about 3 hours of exploring the forest in search of the chimpanzees.
During the chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge, many other primates can also be seen around the forest such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys as well as numerous bird species like Bee eaters, Hornbills and many others.
Kyambura gorge is also referred to as the valley of apes and has stunning landscapes where hiking and guided nature walks can also be done during safaris. The cost of chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge is 50 USD for foreign nonresidents, 40 USD for foreign residents and 30,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.
The fees paid for the chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge includes guide fees but excludes park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth national park which is 40USD for foreign nonresidents, 30 USD for foreign residents and 20,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens for adults on safari.
There are different rules and regulations that are set aside to be followed during interactions with chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth national park and they include maintaining a safe distance from the chimpanzees of about 8 meters, not littering in the forest, avoiding making noise while searching for the chimpanzees, not using flash photography to record the chimpanzees, not chasing the chimpanzees and following the instructions of the ranger guides is also an important thing to do during chimpanzee tracking.
Children below the age of 12 years are not allowed to engage in chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge.
Chimpanzees can also be seen in many other destinations around Uganda such as Kibale forest national park in western Uganda and the Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park in the north western part of Uganda.
The Kyambura gorge is also a place where guided forest walks can be done during safaris around Queen Elizabeth national park. These trails can take tourists to the elephant trenches in the national park and other wildlife species can also be encountered during the walks which are done with ranger guides.
The habituated chimpanzees in the Kyambura gorge consists of individuals such as Kihango, Emiti, Kazinga, Lumumba, Mweya, Brutus, Enjojo, Kaaka, Namanya, Enyanja, Maani, Asaba, Pamba, Natukunda, Murungi, Ekibiira, Njuuko, Mulefu, Agaba, Pesa and also Embogo.
Some of the items which tourists can pack for their chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge include a camera, sunscreen, insect repellant, a rain jacket, day pack, long trousers and shirts, gloves, sunglasses and a sunhat and also comfortable shoes.
Best time for chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park
While chimpanzees in the Kyambura gorge can be seen throughout the year, certain months of the year are better for visiting the chimpanzees in the national park with higher chances of easily locating them in their natural habitat.
The months in the dry season from June to October as well as December to February are considered some of the best times of the year to engage in chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura gorge. During the dry season, the trails are easier to navigate while searching for the chimpanzees.
However, chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge during the wet season (March, April, May and November) can also be rewarding as the chimpanzees don’t move far to search for their food in the forest making them easy to spot.
Other wildlife in Queen Elizabeth national park
Apart from the chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth national park is home to other wildlife species such as elephants, tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector, leopards, buffalos, hippos, Nile crocodiles, warthogs, Uganda kobs, impalas, hartebeests, waterbucks among others.
Other activities to do in Queen Elizabeth national park during safaris include morning and afternoon game drives, boat rides on the Kazinga channel, guided nature walks, lion tracking, community tours, visiting the salt mines in Katwe and also bird watching.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
The different ways to get to Queen Elizabeth national park during safaris in Uganda include flying from Entebbe international airport to Kasese airstrip and by road there are different routes which can be used to get to the destination.
The drive from Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kasese to Queen Elizabeth national park takes about 6 to 7 hours.
