Chimpanzee habituation
Chimpanzee habituation is one of the great primate experience travellers can encounter during their Uganda Chimpanzee safari. The habituation is done only in Kibale Forest national park in Uganda. It is more of research safari where guests spend the whole day in the forest following all the movements of the Chimpanzees from the time they leave their beds to the time they make their new nests. Kibale forest national park which is called the Primate capital of the world is the most concentrated rainforests with primate species. The forests inhabits 13 primate species that includes the Chimpanzees, Olive Baboons, Red colobus monkey, Bush babies, Grey-cheeked mangabey, Potto, L’Hoest’s Monkey, Red-tailed monkey, black and white colobus monkey, blue monkey and others.
Kibale Forest national park has over 250 butterfly species, over 375 bird species. The park also inhabits some large animals like Forest Elephants, Forest warthog, Buffalos, Golden cats, Duikers and many more. However, the presence of over 1500 chimpanzees in the forest has made the activity of Chimpanzee trekking overshadowing the rest. The park is now popular as chimpanzee trekking area. It is not until Uganda wildlife Authority added Chimpanzee habituation is another activity which is unique and capturing the tensions of many travellers. Like Gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee habituation starts early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. Chimpanzee habituation is done with a maximum of 6 tourists which are escorted with the ranger guide. The habituation is done in semi habituated Chimpanzee families which still have more wildlife characteristics. This is simply because the research main objective is to get the true characteristics and behaviour of the chimpanzee.
The habituation starts at around 6:00 am-6:30 pm in the morning when the chimpanzees are just preparing to start their daily activities. It’s a great experience to see the chimpanzees yawning early in the morning. The mothers waking their baby Chimpanzees up to look for the breakfast of the day. The process takes the full day but spending 4 to 5 hours with the chimpanzees after meeting them. After briefing you will be led by the game ranger to the jungle of Kibale forest National park or Budongo Forest which is found at the outskirts of Murchison falls national park. You will follow the chimpanzee family from the time they wake up till late when the Chimpanzees are resting. The main purpose of Chimpanzee habituation is documenting more details on the daily life of Chimpanzees.
The habituation is one of the sure activities guests can do and be assures 100% of meeting the Chimpanzees. The selected Chimpanzee families that are set apart for habituation is special one. Due to longer hours you spend in the forest there are high chances of seeing other primate species and wild animals in the forest.
Chimpanzees lifestyle
Chimpanzees live in families with a big number that ranges from 20 chimpanzees and above. The families are led by one dominant male that is in charge of the chimpanzee family. While feeding Chimpanzees can split into small groups that are led by females. This includes small females and young ones and sometime semi adults. The life span of chimpanzee is 40 to 50 years in the wild while 50 to 60 years while in the captivity.
Chimpanzee habituation permits
Chimpanzee habituation is increasingly becoming a more famous activity in Kibale and Uganda as a country. Its good alternative to Chimpanzee trekking which gives guests enough time to be with Chimpanzees. For one to do habituation you have to book the Chimpanzee habituation permits in advance since the number of habituation permits are currently only 12 per day. The habituation permits costs 220$ currently but from July 2020 it will be 250$ per person.
Guests can book their habituation permits directly from Uganda wildlife Authority through their website. If within the country, you can walk directly to their head offices located in Kampala in Kamwokya near the British Council. Alternatively, if you’re doing safari package with the local tour operator they can book for you all the Chimpanzee habituation permits. The added advantage of booking full package with tour operator they provide you more necessary information about the Chimpanzee habituation experience. You only need to contact directly reputable local tour operators for your best habituation safaris in Uganda. The habituation is restricted to Children below 12 years of age. The chimpanzee habituation is currently done on two bases those are half-day chimpanzee habituation and full day habituation. This is determined by the traveller’s physical fitness but the charge remains one. The experience is best for documentaries, bloggers, filmmakers and researchers who want to know more information about the Chimpanzees.
One has to be well prepared for a whole day experience hence park your lunch, enough water, rainy jackets two camera batteries and other trip essentials. The location of Kibale Forest national park in the game route of national parks like Queen Elizabeth national park, Semuliki National Park and Bwindi impenetrable forest. This makes your experience more by combining one or two parks alongside the Chimpanzee habituation safari. We have a wide range of habituation packages like 3 days Chimpanzee Habituation Safari, 5 days Chimps habituation and Gorillas safari and many more safari packages.
When to do Chimpanzee habituation?
Chimpanzee habituation safari can be done at any time of the year though the best months are the dry months which ranges from June to October, December to February. The rainy season months are also possible since the rains are always short. The rainy months are from March to May and November. The dry months are called high season and the wet months are called the low seasons. During the high season periods, the habituation permits are on high demand and one has to book in advance for more than one month in order to get them. While on the low season months one can even get permits weeks to the habituation day.
Chimpanzee habituation is becoming one of the key activities in Uganda that highly gives value for money. Combining Chimpanzee habituation with Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park or Gorilla trekking or Gorilla habituation makes your wildlife experience in Uganda lifetime experience. Contact our senior consultants that can give you more details on the availability of the habituation permits and other interesting information for your preparation of the safari planning.
