Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa and naturally gifted. It boasts of ten national parks and twelve wild reserves with a combination of cultural encounters. Chimpanzee tracking is carried out in three of Uganda’s national parks: Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth (majorly in Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest), and Murchison Falls (in Budongo Forest in the Kanio Pabidi section). However, most tourists are always advised to track Kibale Forest National Park chimpanzees because it is always very flexible. Chimpanzee tracking refers to the process of trekking through the forest to see the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. It should be noted that chimpanzees are known to be man’s closest relatives because they share about 98% DNA with human beings.

Process of Chimpanzee Tracking

The chimpanzee tracking process is unique in its own way, based on the way that it always starts with a briefing where you will get guidelines from a trained ranger from the Uganda Wildlife Authority on how to behave while in the forest with the chimpanzees. For example, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest starts as early as 8am. After the briefing, you will be led to the forest in search of these closest cousins, and you will be allowed to spend only one hour with them. Only one hour may seem small to a tourist, but it is enough and worth it because from the time you get to locate these chimpanzees, you get to see them nurse each other, groom their young ones, and also look out for food.

Also, you get to learn about different roles different chimpanzees play in each group. Kibale Forest National Park is also known as the primate capital of the world, so expect to see other primates during the search for chimpanzees, like vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and L’Hoest’s monkeys, among others. As of 2024, chimp trekking permits for Kibale National Park are USD250 for Foreign Non-Residents (FNR), USD200 for Foreign Residents (FR), and 180,000 Ugandan shillings for East African Citizens (EAC), and permits can be purchased only from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) headquarters by your tour operator.