3 Days chimpanzee tracking tour Kibale National Park
Our 3 days chimpanzee tracking tour takes you through the jungles of Kibale National Park to see man’s closest relative – chimpanzees. Kibale forest national park is located in the western part of Uganda, in Fort Portal town and covers an area of 795 square kilometers. Over 1500 chimpanzee individuals have been documented in this park.
While here, you will also spot the other 12 primates found within the boundaries of this park. It’s because of such a reason that Kibale Forest National Park is named the primate capital of Africa as there’s no any other place that equates to the number of primates this park holds.
Primates you look forward to seeing while here include; Grey Cheeked Mangabey Monkeys, Olive Baboon Monkey, Blue Monkeys, Black and White Colobus, Red Colobus Monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys, Red Tailed Monkey and the Grey Vervet Monkey. While in search of chimpanzees, you will also encounter other species found within the park that include – forest elephants, lions, bushpigs, leopards, warthogs and hippos. You will also find different species of trees, birds, butterflies, insects among others.
The highlight of your safari is to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat that are believed to have 98% of our DNA. Its breathtaking seeing these species hanging and screaming on tree branches within the forest. To track chimpanzees, you will need a chimpanzee tracking permit from the Uganda wildlife authority. These permits cost $150 for foreign nonresidents, $100 for foreign residents and Ugx 100,000/= for East African residents.
Highlight of the 3 Days chimpanzee tracking tour Kibale
Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzee tracking
Bird watching
An English-speaking driver
Bigodi swamp walk
Detailed 3 days chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park Itinerary
Day 1: transfer from Kampala to Kibale Forest National Park
Our guide/driver will come and pick you up early in the morning from the airport or hotel of residence to embark on journey to Kibale Forest National Park – the primate paradise of Africa. Before departing, you will be briefed about the itinerary and it’s at this moment that you will be allowed to ask as many questions as you want so that you get equipped with so much knowledge about the park before even getting that memorable experience. At 7:00am, you will set off from Kampala via the Mityana – Mubende then Fort Portal route to Kibale Forest National Park.
Along the way, you will enjoy the beautiful scenic views of countryside made up of different vegetation types, the landscape, plantations, tea farms and different trading centers. Here you will get to see how Ugandans carry out trade and how busy these small towns are. Upon reaching Fort portal which doubles as the tourism city of Uganda, you will have a stop over at Mountains of the moon hotel where you will have your lunch.
You will then proceed to your lodge where you will spend a night for dinner and resting as well.
Accommodation options
Primate lodge/Kyaninga lodge – Luxury
Bush lodge/Isunga safari lodge – Midrange
Ruwenzori guest house/chimpanzee forest guest house – budget
Meal plan
Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking and afternoon birding experience
You will wake up early in the morning, have breakfast and later our driver/guide will pick you up from the lodge to the park headquarters for briefing on the guidelines to follow while in search of chimpanzee and while close to these endangered species. Our guide will then hand in your details and permits for allocation of a particular chimpanzee community that you will track. From here, you will be led by a ranger into the Kibale jungles to search for chimpanzees.
In the jungles, you will be able to see some of the other 12 primate species found in the park, different tree species, insects, butterflies and other species. Chances of seeing chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park are more compared to other areas in Uganda and Rwanda as well. The activity does last 2-5hrs depending on the location of a particular community and on spotting the chimpanzees, you will be given time of upto 1hr to observe, take as many pictures of these species as they play around tree branches, feed and more. After tracking you will be led to the park headquarters where our driver/guide will pick you to back to your lodge.
After lunch and a few minutes of resting, you will go for a nature walk in Bigodi wetland sanctuary. This area is blessed with abundant species from plant life, birds, butterflies, insects and many others. Bigodi is perfect spot for birders and popularly known to be home to the great blue turaco bird specie. Other bird species you can find here include: the Papyrus Gonolek, Kingfishers, Waxbills, Cuckoos, Weavers, Hornbills and many others. You will also see monkeys in Bigodi.
After this walk, you will head back to your lodge, relax, have dinner and then rest.
Accommodation options
Primate lodge/Kyaninga lodge – Luxury
Bush lodge/Isunga safari lodge – Midrange
Ruwenzori guest house/chimpanzee forest guest house – budget
Meal plan
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Transfer from Kibale forest National Park to Kampala
You will wake up, have breakfast and ten check out of your lodge and then embark on a journey to Kampala via the Fort portal – Ibanda – Mbarara route. Upon reaching Mbarara, you will have a stop over at Agip hotel for lunch. Right after lunch, you will proceed with your journey as you capture the beautiful landscape that can be seen along this route. You will again have a stop over at the equator giving you an opportunity to be in the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere at the same time. Take pictures and then you will head to Kampala. You will be dropped either in Kampala or Entebbe international airport if you’re frying out of the country.
Meal plan
Breakfast and lunch
This 3 Days chimpanzee tracking tour Kibale includes
Chimpanzee tracking permit
An English-speaking driver
Bottled water
Enroute lunches
Airport transfers
Bigodi walk
Private 4×4 safari vehicle
Exclusions
Laundry
Air fares
Uganda visas
Tips to local guides
Luxury drinks
Personal insurance and shopping
Telephone and potter fee while trekking
What to pack for these 3 days chimpanzee tracking Kibale Forest National Park
Torch for safety reasons
Rain jacket to protect you from the rain
Hiking shoes
A camera to capture the memories of this safari
Light clothes