CHIMPANZEE TRACKING

The queen of Kibale. The total chimpanzee population is estimated at over 1,500. Departures are twice daily, at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (in high season, an additional departure at 11 a.m. is sometimes scheduled). Groups, accompanied by their guide, are limited to six people. It is therefore important, especially during the peak tourist season (from early December to late February and from early June to late August/early September), to book your permit in advance with a tour operator or with the UWA in Kampala, even if lead times are not as tight as for gorillas (the Uganda Wildlife Authority limits the number of permits issued for each day of tracking at Kibale to 90). The cost of the permit is US$250 per person (park entrance fee included). The chances of spotting the mischievous primates are estimated at 90%, which means that although the odds are high, the outcome is not guaranteed. The morning excursion is recommended, and it seems that chimpanzees make themselves scarce after heavy rains, when they tend to remain perched high in the trees, whereas it is sometimes possible to meet them on the ground. You can hear their emblematic call long before you see them, and the approach walks can take up to 2 or 3 hours, depending on their position. These are not normally too difficult. Observation time is limited to 1 hour, but guides are more flexible than for gorillas. However, there are a few rules you'll need to observe when meeting chimpanzees from one of the two regular groups (Kanyantale and Buraiga): keep at least eight meters away from the primates, don't use flash photography, etc. These rules will be listed during the guided tour. These rules will be listed during the briefing. In the same vein, please note that children under the age of 12 are not allowed to take part in tracking. If you're unlucky enough not to see our mischievous cousins, you can console yourself with colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tipped monkeys or Hœst's cercopithecus. The birds are hard to see through the thick foliage, but their songs are enchanting. Last but not least, our guides can provide botanists with information on a wide range of plants. For primate fans, it's possible to take part in the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, which consists of spending four hours in the company of apes. The cost is US$300, including park entrance.