Chimpanzee habituation kibale national park
Chimpanzee habituation kibale national park, Chimpanzee habituation experience involves training wild chimpanzees to get used to human presence. Chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda is offered in Kibale National Park Park and Budogo Forest. Kibale National Park is famous for chimpanzee trekking but it also offers chimpanzee habituation experience which is one of the most fascinating and exciting activity as you get to spend more time with the chimpanzees in the thick kibale forest as they play on the branches of the trees. Kibale National Park is a prominent park covered with a deep forest canopy covering an area of 776 kilometers sq. is found in western Uganda with Fort portal as its nearest city. The national park is one of the remaining areas in Africa consisting of both lowland and montane forests which makes it more outstanding from other parks. Kibale national park doesn’t only have chimpanzees it is also a home to 13 primate species, mammals and various bird species, the park neighbors Bwindi impenetrable national park creating a wildlife corridor.
Chimpanzee habituation in Uganda exceptional when compared to Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda’s experience since Uganda is home to approximately 4950 chimpanzees and particularly 1500 individuals in kibale national park. The process in Uganda is conducted by researchers and trainers under the Uganda wildlife authority which includes learning about the chimpanzees and getting to identify them individually from their markings, scars and unique features they poses which makes them different from others, after the habituation process which takes 2 to 3 years trainers can identify the chimpanzees.
Recently there were 20% chances of seeing the wonderful primates but after the habituation process, there is a 90% chance of seeing chimpanzee as they are comfortable with human presence. Unlike chimpanzee trekking where a tourist only spends one hour with the chimpanzee, chimpanzee habituation experience allows you to spend a full day in the thick forest with chimpanzee in their nature habitant. Kanyanchu primate walk is the most popular trail in kibale forest where a tourist is granted to see chimpanzee in the Kanyanchu group which is accustomed to human presence and the walk starts from Kanyanchu visitor where information and instructions concerning the habituation experience are read to tourists. In kibale national park walk to chimpanzee habituation experience is headed by a trained guide and starts at different intervals that are 08:00 am, 11:00 am and 02:00 pm daily.
chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale National Park is not an easy task in other words it is not for fainted hearted, to participate in habituation experience a tourist needs to be in possession of a chimpanzee habituation permit which purchased at the offices of Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) and as a tourist you can purchase them using your trusted travel operator agent and in this process you need to provide your agent with your valid information (scanned passport). A permit costs US$ 220 for foreign non-residents, US$ 150 for foreign residents and US$ 70 for east African citizens that is for Ugandans, Kenyans, Rwandese, Burundians, and Tanzanians. The permit entitles the tourist to free park entry and protection while on the experience, due to the high demand for chimpanzee experience permits it is advisable for tourists to book your ticket as early as two months prior to your day of habituation.
Months of March, April, May, and November are the best time to go for chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale forest national park when it is less congested and for a wonderful habituation experience. Tourists for chimpanzee habituation experience should start the experience as early as 6:30 am in the morning to get a chance to see chimpanzees as they are leaving their nests to go for hunting, breastfeeding, copulating to the evening as they build new nests. In chimpanzee habituation experience is are granted a chance to take beautiful and more pictures and on each trip, a group of four people are allowed to participate in the chimpanzee habituation experience which begins with early breakfast. You will have packed lunch taken along with you as the experience takes the whole day.
Chimpanzee habituation experience is led by a professional guide reading instruction and all the information they need to know about chimpanzees. While on chimpanzee habituation experience there are rules and regulations to be followed by tourists on habituation experience, the rules are drafted by the Uganda wildlife authority and are critical to be followed for the safety of both tourists and the chimpanzees. These include
- Chimpanzee habituation experience is not an easy activity though fun giving that is tourist below the age of 12 are not allowed to participate in the habituation experience.
- While in the proximity of the chimpanzees, though they are habituated and used to human presence it is recommended for the safety humans and the chimpanzees
- Photography is allowed during habituation experience but using cameras with flashlights on is greatly prohibited as the flashes irritate the chimpanzees.
- Not smoking and eating around the chimpanzees.
- Ill tourists are also not allowed to participate in the habituation experience, chimpanzees like mountain gorillas also attract human diseases like flu, cold and diarrhea
For parking, while embarking on the safari, the following items should not be missed
- Long sleeve shirts and trousers to protect you from rough thickets and biting insects
- Strong hiking shoes to help you through muddy trails
- Hat and glasses to prevent you from direct sunlight
- Waterproof jackets
- Binoculars
- Hiking stick
- Waterproof bag so that your belongings do not get wet in case it rains
- Camera
