After Gorillas, chimpanzees are the second thought. Chimpanzees are among the most intelligent primates in the world. Chimpanzees are mostly found in the tropical regions of Africa like Uganda (Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National park), and Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park among others, not forgetting Rwanda where a wide variety of Rwanda tour packages are mainly composed of gorillas and chimpanzee tracking, historical and cultural tours.
For chimpanzee tracking, many tourists often prefer the months from June to September and then December, January and February.
In many parts of Africa, the first rains start coming in late February through March, April and May and so many tourists try to avoid these months for fear of getting muddy and all wet while tracking the chimps. However, during these months, because of the rains there’s plenty of chimpanzees’ food.
In Uganda, kibale forest National Park is the best site for tracking chimpanzees and meeting them is a guarantee. You can decide to track chimpanzees in the morning or in the afternoon and once you meet the chimps, one hour is given to chat and take pictures. It should be noted that, not always heavy though make it rather harder to trek the steep terrains. Even then, the rain only comes for like 1-2 hours in like every 2-3 days and the sun comes out. We have noticed that even in the so-called drier months, the rain will often come in.
This seasonality of chimpanzee trackers can also be attributed to the weather seasons in the visitors’ home country and the nature of their jobs. When it summer for example in Europe, numbers of chimpanzee trek visitors increase and the chimpanzee trackers numbers dip when it’s winter.
For visitors willing to stay with chimps for long time, they are advised to book chimpanzee habituation permits to be able to chat with chimps the whole day. With chimp habituation, trekkers wake up early, get briefed and search for the chimps – meet them before they leave their nests and leave them in the evening after they have left to sleep.
However, it should be noted that Chimp habituation is a bit expensive than mere trekking due to the variation in time spent with them – one hour and full day respectively, for instance, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park (Uganda) costs US$150, while Chimps habituation Experience costs US$220 per person. These are rates for None Residents.
Best Time to Do Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda
December to February and the months of June and July are the driest months and are therefore the best times for this activity. Walking the trails is easier at these times and the overall experience tends to be more enjoyable.
What is the best time to see chimps in the wild?
Best time to visit is June to September and December to February (trails are drier and chimpanzee trekking is easier) Peak season; June to September Low season is March, April, May, and November (it is the rainy season and some camps and lodges are closed) Best weather conditions: June, July and December to February (there is less rainfall during this time.) Worst Weather conditions: March to May and September to November (there is heavy rainfall and trails become hard to travel).
The dry season: June to September, December to February
These are the driest and hottest months but they are the best for chimpanzee tracking. The forest is less dense and the chimpanzees are much easier. There is a lot of sunshine during this season, and very little rain. There are very few or no mosquitoes at all so chances of contracting malaria are very minimal. Because it is peak season, there are a number of tourists, so it is common to encounter other people while chimpanzee trekking but the park and forest never gets really crowded.
The Wet season: March to May, September to November
Typical of rainforests, the park is beautifully green during this season. There are migratory birds in the park, making this the best time to go bird watching. The chimpanzees are usually harder to track, especially since the trails are slippery and challenging to traverse during this period. It is also quite hot and humid during this time. Kibale National Forest has one of the highest diversity and concentration of primates in Africa. It is home to a large number of endangered chimpanzees, as well as the red colobus monkey and the rare L’Hoest’s monkey. The park is also home to over 325 species of birds, 4 wild fellids, 13 species of primates, a total of at least 70 other species of mammals, and over 250 tree species.
The predominant ecosystem in Kibale is moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forest. Much of the forest was logged during its time as a Forest Reserve, and some exotic species of trees were planted in plantations (pines and eucalyptus). Since the national park was gazetted many of these introduced trees have been removed and logging has ended. Kibale is highest at the park’s northern tip, which stands 1,590m above sea level. The lowest point is 1,100m on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley to the south.
Booking / Organizing a Chimpanzee tour in East Africa
Best time for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale NP is that time of the year when getting permits is easy and the trails are smooth and permeable. Kibale NP is visited all year round most especially the chimpanzee trekking experience since it boosts with over 1500 individuals of Chimps and Uganda has more than 5000 chimpanzees but the biggest number can be viewed in Kibale. The park is not only a home for Chimps but also a home to other primate species and a good area for game viewing as it stands with over 70 mammals, 330 bird species.
You must posses a chimpanzee permit to be able to join the trek in search for these amazing creatures. Chimpanzee permits can be booked through Travel Agents / Tour Operators, or direct through responsible bodies of respective countries like Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda. The whole tour to see chimpanzees can be escorted (Booked / organised through Tour Operators and Travel Agents) or self-drive without a tour guide; where the clients only rent a car from car rental companies and drive them selves to their preferred destinations.