Chimpanzee Trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Chimpanzee Trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park : Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda is the second largest and most visited national park in the country. The national park is located in the western region of Uganda in Kasese district. It is home to a wide range of biodiversity including the famous chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking is the second most done activity in Uganda after gorilla trekking which is conducted in Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga Gorilla national park.

Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park is carried out in Kyambura Gorge. The activity can either be done in the morning or in the afternoon. Chimpanzee trekking starts with a briefing at the park headquarters and the visitors are grouped into a group of 6 and allocated a park guide who will be sharing information about the chimpanzees while trekking.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge takes between 2 to 4 hours or even longer depending on the location of the chimpanzees in that they are mobile and like to move from one place to another in search of food. Just like gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks, the trekking also allows visitors to spend a maximum of 1 hour in the presence of the habituated chimpanzee family.

During the 1 hour with the chimpanzees, visitors will get an opportunity to view the chimpanzees de-nesting, breastfeeding, feeding, playing with each other in the trees and you will be able to take plenty of photos with flash disabled cameras. Kyambura Gorge is a habitat of other primates like black and white colobus monkey, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons and different bird species which will be viewed in the jungle during chimpanzee trekking activity.

Cost of Chimpanzee Trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

A chimpanzee trekking permit in Kyambura gorge in the national park costs $50 for the foreign non-residents and foreign residents and UGX 30,000 for East African citizens and the permit is valid for one day. Chimpanzee trekking is like gorilla trekking in that the rules and regulations are the same and visitors preparing for a chimpanzee trekking and gorilla trekking safari should pack the same equipment’s because they all involve trekking in the jungle.

Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

When doing chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge in the park, visitors can stay in the following accommodation facilities; Park View Safari Lodge, Elephant Hub Safari Lodge, Engiri Game Lodge and Campsite, Kyangabi Crater Resort, Mweya Safari Lodge, Kasenyi Lake Retreat Lodge, and Elephant Plains Lodge to mention but a few.

How to book a chimpanzee trekking permit in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

In order to participate in chimpanzee trekking in the park you first have to acquire a chimpanzee trekking permit. A chimpanzee trekking permit in the national park can either be booked directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kampala by contacting the offices via email or telephone calls or on ground at the offices in Mweya. A chimpanzee trekking permit in Queen Elizabeth national park can also be booked via a trusted tour operator like Explore Rwanda Tours. Booking through a tour operator is the best option in that it will save you all the hustle and your entire safari will be taken care of for example transportation will be planned, accommodation, other activities you want to engage in among others.

A chimpanzee trekking permit in Queen Elizabeth national park can be acquired anytime throughout the year though it’s advisable to booked in advance before the trekking date especially during the peak season because there is limited number of chimpanzee trekking permits therefore they might get sold out.

Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.

The national park can be accessed by road from Kampala via Mbarara which covers approximately 420km. Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda can also be approached from the north through Fort Portal covering a total distance of 410km. Visitors can also access the park south from Bwindi National Park which is great after a gorilla trekking safari.