What Is The Best Time To Track Chimpanzees In Uganda

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is one of the most exciting adventure activities commonly included among the key highlights most Uganda safaris. The breathtaking activity is best done in Kibale forest national park – famously termed as the “Adventure Capital of East Africa”, the park harbors about 13 primates species and over 1450 chimpanzees recorded here. However, one can as well enjoy chimpanzee trekking in other intriguing places like Kalinzu forest, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls national park plus Ngamba Island where you get chance to see orphan chimpanzees that have been rescued from poachers and settled in this place.

In this article, we present you the best time to track chimpanzees in Uganda if you plan on visiting Kibale forest, Ngamba island, Kyambura gorge or Mabira.

The Dry season

It is paramount to note that, chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda are open to all travelers for tourism through out the year, however we recommend the dry season as the best time to trek chimpanzees in Uganda, during this time the roads and trekking trails are dry thus making it easy for a 4×4 safari vehicle to navigate through compared to the wet season when the ground is wet, muddy and slippery. The dry season in Uganda is experienced in the months of December, January, full end of February, July, august, September and mid October. During this time there is little or no rain or no expected to interact the trekking exercise.

On the other hand, the dry season is as well the peak season when there are many travelers flocking the country, we therefore argue you to book your chimpanzee trekking permit in advance at least 4 to 6 months prior to the dates of travel. In the peak season, the chimpanzee permits are on a high demand thus they can easily get sold out so easily, so to avoid missing out on trekking, we advise you to make early bookings.

The wet season

The wet season can be ideal time to trek Chimpanzee, during this season, there is plenty of food due to the fact that many tree plants are flowering, therefore it will take you little time to locate the chimpanzee community whilst in the dry season, the chimpanzees do a lot of movement as they jump from one tree to another looking for food so trekking in the dry season takes you more hours. The wet season occurs in the months of October, November, March, April, May and June, during this period expect heavy rains though it doesn’t take the whole day.

The rain season is characterized with wet grounds, muddy and slippery roads which makes it difficult to drive through the forest without a 4×4 safari vehicle. But for the budget travelers, this is can be the perfect time to go uganda safaris since most of the accommodation lodges, camps reduce the price of their  rooms and tour operators as well offer discounted safari packages during this time since it is considered as a low season and tourism business is slow with few tourists coming to enjoy uganda safaris.

The wet season is known for having plenty of food for the birds thus it is a great time for birding experience while trekking chimpanzees, you as well get chance to see other primates like white and black monkeys, red tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, olive baboons, bush babies and many others.

To see chimpanzees in kibale forest national park, you are required to purchase a chimpanzee trekking permit that is charged $200 per person per single trek. The Permits can only be bought from the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarter offices in Kampala, feel free to request your tour operator to purchase for you the permit and also assist you with the availability of the chimpanzee permits.

Incase you would love to enjoy a chimpanzee trekking experience in Uganda this season and still wondering when could be the perfect time to trek, with the above information, we hope it helps you organize an awesome chimpanzee experience. For booking and inquiries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our reservation team by simply sending us an email on info@mumwesafarisuganda.com or call us on  +256-700135510 / +256 414-699459