Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda’s Kibale Forest

I’ve always been a sucker for the great apes. You know, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Well, technically we humans are also part of the animal kingdom but let’s not get technical. I’ll save my biology background dorkiness for another day…or later in this post.  It has been a decades’ long dream to see these creatures in the wild. I have seen them in zoos and frankly, it made me sad. You can imagine my profound delight when I was researching seeing another of my favorite animals…the mountain gorilla…and discovered a tour that would allow me to see both. Chimpanzees and Gorillas. I jumped at the chance and wild horses couldn’t have stopped me. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda was easily one of the most memorable experiences of my life, one that exceeded all my expectations!

Read More:  One Week Safari in Uganda

If you want to brush by the facts and get to the good stuff below, I won’t judge you. The drama I witnessed was soap opera worthy. Chimpanzees have intricate social structures like we do and I couldn’t believe the betrayal, bloodlust, and forgiveness that played out in the few hours I was there. Intrigued? Grab a glass of wine and read on my friends.

Fun Facts about Chimpanzees

Chimps and humans share 98.8 percent of DNA. That’s only 1.2 percent difference!

They live about 50 years, weigh between 55-100 lbs and stand about 4 feet tall.

Like us they are omnivores and one of their favorite things to eat is the red-tailed Colobus monkey. They actually form advanced hunting parties to go after them with all the chimps playing different roles.

Where do Wild Chimpanzees Live?

Chimpanzees can be found from Southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to Western Uganda and Western Tanzania.

It’s estimated that between 170,000 and 300,000 chimps exist in the wild.  They live in groups of 10-100 members.

What Are They Threatened By?

Humans and Leopards. Leopards for obvious reasons. Leopards can climb trees very well and are known for stealth and ambush. Humans hunt chimps for bush meat and destroy their forest habitats for various reasons.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda

Kibale National Forest

Kibale Forest in southern Uganda is home to 352 tree species, over 70 different mammals including 13 primate species, including chimpanzees. Around 1400 chimpanzees to be exact.

You must plan this ahead of time to get necessary permits and to get a time scheduled for your trek. The cost is $150 USD.  There are morning and afternoon treks. They split you into groups of roughly 6-8 people and you meet your forest ranger/guide. We had a very fun sassy female guide.  She explained to us that although chimp encounters are not guaranteed, that she has an excellent track record for finding them. She went over the rules.

Rules and Regulations

•  Keep a distance of about 8m between you and the chimps.
• People with infectious diseases such as flu or diarrhea may not be allowed in the park. Chips share so much of our DNA that they are susceptible to the same diseases.
• Avoid eating near the chimps.
• Children below the age of 12 are prohibited from entering
• You must walk in the forest with a guide
• No provoking the chimps
• No flash photography

The Beginning

Our group went into the forest in one direction while the other group went in a different direction. The guides communicate via radio.  It didn’t take long before we heard the tell-tale “whooping” of a chimp. I actually LOVE that sound. It makes you feel like you are somewhere wild (which we were!). We looked up into a tree and saw one…laying on its back eating leaves. It was really far up and required binoculars or a zoom lens to appreciate.

As we continued to walk we came to our first real sighting…a chimpanzee on the ground. I could barely breathe, nor get my camera ready fast enough. He slowly ran away from us. According to our guide, he was going to lead us to the rest of the family so we walked quickly to follow him.  We sort of played this game for a while. Seeing glimpses of him and some other chimps as they descended from the trees and ran along the ground.

They are really fast and much bigger than I expected. We stopped to observe a few in the trees. I admit I thought that this was going to be it for the experience and although it was amazing to see them, I was a bit disappointed (and my neck hurt from looking up so fervently). I was, however, getting lots of exercise chasing after them!

The Drama

At one point we hit the jackpot. We followed the whooping sounds and found the family. The guides know the chimps well and were able to point out that the two large males sitting in the center of a clearing were the 2 dominant males (Big Poppa and 2nd in command, as I came to call them).  There were a few others hanging around as well. We quietly and respectfully observed and photographed them, loving every second.

The peaceful environment quickly changed when another male came onto the scene and was chased by the dominants as he screamed and ran up a tree. According to the guides, this screaming male had been caught earlier by the boss “messing” with the females. This is a chimp “no-no” and he was running for his life because Big Poppa was out to teach him a lesson. We found ourselves in the middle of this drama again and again and it was kind of scary to have a large scared and/or angry chimp race by you with inches to spare. The guides repeatedly warned us to keep our distance.

The Finale

We tried to follow when they ran and I was very worried about the chimp who was being chased (the “trouble-maker”). I was afraid the others would kill him. Because our experience is a few hours, eventually time was up and we had to head back to the entrance. Our group was the last to get going and right when we were about to leave,  we heard some noises and our feisty guide said: “let’s go”!  We found the two dominants again, 2nd in command painstakingly grooming big Poppa’s face like the godfather that he was.

We heard screeching and the troublemaker chimp made an appearance, crying, creeping up slowly to the others holding out his hand with his head down. HE WAS ASKING FORGIVENESS!  The photos aren’t great but I managed to capture a bit of this.

I was happy to see that 2nd in command sort of lightly slapped his hand like “OK” and then Big Poppa moved aside and troublemaker chimp began grooming 2nd in command’s backside, while Big Poppa watched, stroking his face. So very mafia!

We were not only thrilled to have witnessed this interaction but I was happy they all made peace. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be an up-close observer of an episode of “Chimp Manor”.

I have multiple clips from this experience in my Uganda Instagram story highlights and you can hear what the chimps sound like! Spoiler..they are loud! 

What to Bring for Chimpanzee Trekking

Hiking Boots

Wear shoes that have a good grip, suitable for climbing steep moist muddy slopes. The locals wear gum boots (Wellies) but not everybody is comfortable walking in these and they are heavy to travel with. I think a waterproof ankle hiking boot is ideal. Good hiking boots are an investment I think. I tend not to go cheap with these.

Socks (duh)

I love the smart wool ones because they are somewhat water resistant and dry quickly. They don’t advertise themselves like this but being someone who always manages to get her feet wet…I was happy to be wearing these.

Long Pants

Tuck into socks to prevent leeches, fire ants and other creepy crawlers from getting in. (You’re beginning to rethink this whole thing aren’t you?)

Gaitors

I wore these because I was super worried about above mentioned creepy crawlers. They are light and easy to pack. They also kept my pants from being super muddy.

Lightweight long-sleeved shirt

You need protection from bug bites and being pricked by sharp things growing in the dense forest.

Rain Poncho

This lightweight packable one is great, just in case since the weather is highly unpredictable

Binoculars

I researched for days before settling on these. I was spending weeks in Africa so I wanted something high quality but not too big. These are considered mid-size binoculars. I was very happy with this purchase as were the other people in my group! LOL

Camera with good zoom

Practice with fast shooting settings on your camera. Also, the lighting is difficult since there is shade mixed with bright light and the subject is black. And they often are far away or zipping by you quickly.

I’ve been using the Sony Alpha for years. There is a cheaper zoom lens that goes up to 210mm but I didn’t think it was good enough for my safari so I invested in the much better one (and more expensive one) below.  My jeep mates fondly called my lens “the Bazooka”.

Drinking water

Plus snacks (preferably before or after the chimp encounter). I just threw an apple and some bread from breakfast into my backpack.

I take my own reusable water bottle everywhere to avoid wasting plastic. This one actually makes any water drinkable.

Travel Insurance 

I NEVER travel without travel insurance. If you can afford to travel, you can afford travel insurance. I travel so much that yearly policy made sense. I use Allianz and they have a great reputation. You can check out their plans here!
More than one trip this year? Consider the Annual Plan from Allianz Travel Insurance and save money for your business. Get a free quote.

*Disclaimer. I participate in multiple affiliate programs so if you buy something from my links I may make a small commission. This is at no extra charge to you and helps the cost of running this blog! In other words…help a sista out:)

How To Get Here

I did a tour with G-Adventures because I wanted to see chimpanzees, gorillas and more of Uganda.

Here is a guide to self-driving and doing many of the same things I did with the tour, written by a lovely British girl I met. One Week in Uganda

If you go on your own and need a hotel, start your search here:

Booking.com

Someday I want to go back and participate in the habituation experience where tourists can spend the whole day helping to get a new group of chimpanzees accustomed to being around humans. If you are a wildlife junkie like me, this is a bucket list experience!

Tell me…what animals do you most want to see in the wild?

Pin it!