Chimpanzee Trekking at Kibale Forest National park 

 Kibale Forest National Park protects Uganda’s chimpanzees, while Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park protect Uganda’s mountain gorillas. Travelers interested in chimpanzee trekking experiences in their natural environment should go to Kibale forest national park. Click here to see mountain gorilla trekking safaris.

Kibale forest national park offers two chimpanzee tracking options, the normal chimpanzee tracking takes a few hours, while the chimpanzee habituation experience goes for an additional cost and lets travelers spend more time with chimpanzees in their natural habitats. Click here to view our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

 Kibale forest national park difference between normal chimpanzee tracking and the chimpanzee habituation experience. Kibale Forest National Park: During normal chimp tracking, visitors always trek a chimp family that has become accustomed to human presence. Tourists experience chimpanzees on foot in the forest while observing their behaviors, feeding habitats, and caring for each other. Kibale forest national park’s chimpanzee tracking can be done either in the morning or in the afternoon.

 Kibale Forest National Park is the only national park offering chimpanzee habituation experiences in Uganda, which allows tourists to be joined by a group of Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and researchers that train these chimpanzees to get used to human presence. The Kibale Forest chimpanzee habituation experience takes 1-4 hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees.

 Chimpanzee Trekking at Kalinzu Forest Reserve

Kalinzu Forest Reserve is another Uganda’s chimpanzee tracking haven. Kalinzu forest is located near both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kalinzu Forest is the most recommended for chimpanzee tracking, especially for travelers who are interested in chimpanzee tracking featuring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park mountain gorilla trekking or combing Kalinzu forest chimpanzee tracking with tree-climbing lion tracking at Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. But the best place for chimpanzee tracking is Kibale Forest National Park.

 Chimpanzee Trekking at Kyambura Gorge, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s finest national park, offering a stunning savanna and protecting a range of different wildlife species. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to lions, elephants, buffalo, and other wild animals. The ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park in the southern sector is the only place there to spot tree-climbing lions. Catching a boat at the Kazinga channel will leave you speechless as you encounter Nile crocodiles, hippos, and bird species. Chimpanzee tracking at the Kyambura Gorge offers endless encounters to travelers.

Kibale Forest National Park is a prime playground. It offers the highest number of primates in East Africa. Kibale Forest National Park is the best and the most accessible place in Uganda to see chimpanzees. Kibale National Park fits neatly into the ultimate eight-day tour that takes tourists to Kibale for chimpanzee tracking, Queen Elizabeth National Park for unlimited game drives, and Bwindi for mountain gorilla trekking.

Kibale Forest National Park is home to over 1,500 chimpanzees plus 12 other primate species. Guided chimpanzee tracking with an experienced park ranger gives tourists an opportunity to spot chimpanzees, plus other primate species such as L'Hoest’s, grey-chipped mangabeys, black and white colobus, olive baboons, and red-tailed monkeys, among others.

Kibale Forest National Park offers a community of approximately 100 habituated chimpanzees and two other communities currently being habituation. Chimpanzee tracking excursions take place twice a day, at 8am and 2pm. Uganda Wildlife Authority issues 36 chimpanzee trekking permits daily each time slot, with eight tourists per family heading into the forest at a time.

Kibale Forest National Park offers the highest viewing success rate of chimpanzees, approximately 95 percent. During the peak season, Kibale Forest National Park can get so busy. There are meant to be eight tourists per chimpanzee family each morning and afternoon.

The long, dry months of June, July, August, and September are the best times to travel to Uganda. These peak months are normally dry, although you should expect rain. Book in advance if interested in tracking mountain gorillas, chimpanzee tracking, and golden monkeys, as permits sell out months in advance. But Uganda is a year-round destination because Uganda sits near the equator, so there is no true season in Uganda. March, April, May, October, and November receive the highest rainfall, but gorillas can still be tracked in the mist.