Combining chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Uganda amazingly offers you a lifetime opportunity to see two different primates in their natural habitat. Chimpanzee trekking entirely involves a search for the Eastern chimpanzees in the lush tropical rainforest and embarking on gorilla trek, you get a chance to immerse yourself into the dense rainforest in search for the rare mountain gorillas.
Uganda is home to diverse primate species including a huge concentration of chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. These unique primates can be visited right in their natural habitat, thus guaranteeing you a magical encounter and deep understanding on how they behave in the wild. It is 100% distinct experience from the usual zoo visit.
Best places to visit for gorilla trekking in Uganda
Uganda alone has 2 (two) beautiful National Parks where mountain gorillas live, each of them with already habituated gorilla families. Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda is perfectly done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga and Bwindi are situated in the far Southwestern Uganda and they offer refuge to almost half of the world’s remaining 1063 endangered mountain gorillas.
While on Uganda gorilla tour, you can choose to pay a visit to one park or both. What is interesting is that Bwindi and Mgahinga are close to each other and it is easier to connect to any of them by road.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda begins from any of the five sectors that is Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo sectors/region in Bwindi and Ntebeko in Mgahinga Park. In each region or sector, there are habituated gorilla family groups and on actual gorilla trek, a single gorilla family is assigned to a maximum of 8 visitors.
The actual trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda begins with briefing from the respective sectors and later, allocation of gorilla families and park guides. This is usually done from 7:00am and by 8:00am, visitors embark on actual search for the families of mountain gorillas assigned by the park official.
A normal gorilla trek runs for 2-6 hours but it may take less or more time depending on varying factors like your speed of walking, location of gorilla groups and general nature of gorilla habitat. After the long day search for either Bwindi or Mgahinga gorillas, your guide will allow you to stay with these apes face-to-face for a maximum of an hour.
Gorilla permits
Gorilla permits are a must have on any gorilla trip to Mgahinga or Bwindi. A single gorilla permit is obtainable at USD 800 per person and feel free to reach out to your tour operator to assist you book it and also plan your entire gorilla trip in Uganda.
Where to track Uganda chimpanzees
Over 5050 chimpanzees survive in the different parts of Uganda. But the key places worth visiting for exhilarating chimpanzee trekking adventures include Kibale National Park, a destination with more than 1500 chimpanzees (Chimpanzee permits for Kibale National Park are available for booking at USD 250 per person); Budongo Forest with over 800 chimpanzees, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, and Kyambura Gorge at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
How to combine chimpanzee and gorilla trekking adventure
The best way to combine your chimpanzee trek and gorilla trekking expedition is by booking an itinerary with Kibale National Park and Mgahinga or Bwindi. Combining Kibale and Bwindi may require about 6 days for you to experience the best of Uganda’s unique chimpanzee and gorilla trekking.
While in Kibale National Park you get a chance to trek anyone of the four habituated chimpanzee communities. The chimpanzee trek begins at Kanyanchu Visitor Centre and you can go for the morning or afternoon session. Interestingly, it is possible to go for unusual chimpanzee habituation experience (CHEX).
Driving from Kibale to Bwindi/Mgahinga can take about 6-7 hours in a good mechanical safari car. From Kampala to Kibale National Park, it is 5-6 hours’ drive. To connect from Kampala or Entebbe city to Bwindi or Mgahinga, you can spend about 8-9 hours driving on road or 4-5 hours when you start your journey from Kigali capital.
The other options of enjoying a combined chimpanzee and gorilla trekking experience is by having an addition of Kyambura Gorge. A significant chimp population resides within Kyambura Gorge and some have undergone habituation meaning, they can be visited during normal chimpanzee trekking.
Remarkably, combining Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trek with Bwindi National Park gorilla safaris even allows you explore of the wonders in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This vast savanna protected area shelters diversity of wildlife species including the distinct tree climbing lions.
Best time to go for chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Uganda
Chimpanzee and gorilla trekking are unique adventures entirely enjoyable in the tropical rainforest parks. By nature, these protected areas experience rains more often than other areas. To have the best of chimp and gorilla trek, the most ideal time is the dry season when there are relatively low rains.
On your travel calendar, the dry months to mark are; June, July, August, September and December, January to February. Luckily, during the rest of the months (that is March, April, May or October, November), the different primate parks in Uganda don’t close their gates. Visitors can still travel to enjoy their trek to see gorillas or chimpanzees.
What should you pack for your combined chimpanzee and gorilla trekking experience?
The must-have items for your combined gorilla and chimp trekking tour include valid chimpanzee permit, gorilla permits, long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, rain jacket, a good camera but ensure that it has no flashlight, carry some extra batteries for your camera, first aid kit, insect repellents, a safari hat, gardening gloves, and more.
In summary, combing chimpanzee and gorilla trekking adventure guarantees you magical encounters beyond chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. The protected areas where the two adventures are offered boast of their abundant primate species and other species like birds. On your trek, you start a chance to encounter them thus making your entire holiday memorable.
