Best time to go chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and Rwanda.
When is the ideal time to go chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda? Chimpanzee trekking is a fascinating sport that is the second most popular tourist attraction in Rwanda and Uganda after gorilla trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking is walking through a tropical jungle to find habituated chimpanzees and then spending an hour with them in their natural environment. Chimpanzee trekking is conducted at Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park, Uganda’s Kibale Forest National Park, Bushenyi District’s Kalinzu Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kyambura Gorge, and Murchison Falls National Park’s Budongo Forest.
When is the best time to hike chimpanzees in Rwanda and Uganda?
Although it is possible to go chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda at any time of year, the ideal time to do it is during the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February.
Trekking with chimpanzees during the dry season
Because there is little or no rainfall in the national park during the dry season, access roads and chimpanzee trekking paths will be dry and accessible, making walking easier. This makes the dry season the ideal time of year to go chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda.
Because there won’t be as much greenery in the national parks during the dry season, visitors may see the chimpanzees up close and get stunning photos.
There are several drawbacks to chimpanzee trekking during the dry season. For instance, since national parks will be overrun with visitors, permits for chimpanzee trekking will sell out rapidly, and many lodgings will be completely occupied. As a result, it is recommended that travelers make reservations two to three months in advance.
Trekking with chimpanzees during the rainy season
In Uganda and Rwanda, chimpanzee trekking is also possible during the low season, which is often referred to as the rainy season, which runs from March to May and October to November. Heavy rainfall during the rainy season makes chimpanzee trekking pathways muddy, wet, and slick, but it doesn’t halt chimpanzee trekking, and there are a number of benefits to trekking chimps during this time of year.
Because of the abundance of food in the jungle brought on by the significant rains, chimpanzees will be easy to detect during the rainy season, making it impossible to journey for very long.
The greatest time to go bird watching is during the low season, when visitors may see migratory and colorful bird species. This allows people to combine trekking with bird viewing and chimpanzee trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking during the rainy or low season allows tourists to see the national parks with less people. Additionally, some luxury lodges provide discounts to attract guests, which appeals to those on a tight budget.
Experience hiking with chimpanzees
In Rwanda and Uganda, chimpanzee trekking begins very early in the morning with a training on the guidelines to be followed. Because chimpanzees like to roam about in search of food, you will begin walking into the jungle after the briefing to find them. This process might take anywhere from two to five hours, depending on where they are.
In addition to seeing other primate species, a range of birds, and plants while trekking, you will be able to spend an hour with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. This will allow you to learn more about their natural habitat, watch them feed, nurse, play, hunt, fight, rest, and groom their young, as well as take pictures and videos to show back home.
The price of licenses for chimpanzee hiking in Rwanda and Uganda
Visitors over the age of 15 are granted legal cards known as chimpanzee trekking permits, which enable them to spend an hour with habituated chimpanzee families in their natural habitat. The cost of chimpanzee trekking permits in Nyungwe Forest National Park is $150 USD for non-resident foreigners, $75 USD for locals, and $25 USD for East African nationals.
Trekking with Chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest
In Kibale Forest National Park, chimpanzee trekking permits cost 200 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 150 USD per person for locals, and 150,000 UGX per person for East African nationals. In Budongo forest, chimpanzee trekking permits cost 130 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 120 USD per person for foreign residents, and 85 USD per person for East African citizens. In Kalinzu forest and Kyambura gorge, the cost is 50 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 40 USD per person for foreign residents, and 30 USD per person for East African citizens.
