Chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo Forest: One of Uganda's best tracking habitats for chimpanzees and habituation with over 600 Chimpanzees,

Chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo Forest

March 21, 2024
News Journeys Uganda

Chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo Forest: One of Uganda’s best tracking habitats for chimpanzee tracking and habituation is Budongo Forest, with over 600 Chimpanzees, distributed across four Chimp communities. The forest is an extension of Murchison Falls National Park, covering an area of 825 square kilometers. Budongo Forest is part of the Murchison Falls conservation area, the largest natural rainforest in East Africa. Approximately twenty minutes are needed to go from the Kichumbanyobo Gate to the Budongo Forest Kaniyo Pabid visitor centre. The forest is comprised of more iron and mahogany trees than any other forest in Uganda or all of East Africa. It is located on the route to Northern Murchison Falls National Park.

Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, under the Jane Goodall Institute, oversees the chimpanzee area in Budongo Forest for research purposes. You might take pleasure in getting accustomed to the endangered chimpanzee species. To allow enough time to observe the Chimpanzees, the habituation activity is not conducted on a regular basis and is primarily carried out during the low season when the park is less crowded. Nonetheless, the area’s seclusion draws large cats like lions and Leopards to the region. Since the region offers the lions a secure sanctuary, you should exercise caution and stay with your group when monitoring the chimpanzees in the forest. Kibale Forest National Park, Kyambura in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu Forest, and Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park are further locations for chimpanzee trekking and habituation.

How do you do a chimpanzee trek?

Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest occurs twice daily, with shifts starting at 7:00 am in the morning and 3:00 pm in the afternoon. There are only 16 slots available each day, allowing 8 people per trek for chimpanzee tracking in the Budongo Forest. Any of the chimpanzee tracking shifts in the Budongo Forest are up to you to select. After driving from their lodgings or lodges to the Kaniyo Pabidi Eco Site, trekking begins with a briefing at 8 am at the Kaniyo Pabidi tourism eco-site, where visitors receive instructions on how to conduct the tracking exercise. At Kaniyo Pabidi, you’ll find a habituated Chimpanzee community estimated to be around 100 individuals.  After that, they follow their tour guide—who must be a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guide—as they make their way via the tracking paths into the bush. Note: It is recommended that any tracking shift obtain a UWA guide for safety reasons.

What is the duration of Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest?

Expect a 5-mile walk (approximately 3–4 hours round trip) that starts at 8:00 am and concludes by 12:00 pm or so to find and observe the chimpanzees. The three-hour Chimpanzee tracking activity consists of hiking to the chimpanzee community, spending an hour there interacting with the primates and taking photographs, and then walking back. At times, the chimpanzees can even be located close to the eco Lodge in the Budongo Forest. Finding them can be challenging during the dry season since they migrate deep into the forests in search of food during this time of year when food is typically scarce, but their very loud calls are very helpful.

When are chimpanzee tracking permits issued?

Only 16 Chimpanzee tracking permits are provided daily, at a cost of $85 per person per day, and are distributed to tourists at the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters. Only eight people are permitted per shift. Chimpanzee trekking allows pricing to fluctuate with the seasons. Tracking licences are typically more expensive during the peak chimpanzee season than they are during the low season. It should be noted that chimpanzee tracking licences are slightly less expensive than chimpanzee habituation permits, which are only conducted during the low season.

On the other hand, the permits for chimpanzee trekking include optional activities like bird watching, nature adventures in the Budongo Forest, and walking along the chimpanzee tracking paths. After engaging in the exercise, which lasts for an hour and teaches you about the Chimpanzees’ habits, the expense of the permits will be meaningless.

Qualifications for  Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest

Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest requires a minimum of 15 years old to participate in the tracking activity. A child is not eligible for Chimpanzee monitoring if they do not meet this strict condition, which applies to all trackers. The periodic forced birth certificate requests from Uganda Wildlife Officers verify the age limit method for tracking chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest of Murchison Falls National Park. Chimpanzee tracking licence bookings are best made at any time of year.

In the Budongo Forest of Murchison Falls National Park, you have the option to reserve low-season tracking permits. If you do so, you might be able to take advantage of low-season savings on both permits and lodging.

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