CHIMPANZEE TRACKING
The queen of Kibale. The total chimpanzee population is estimated at over 1,500 individuals. Departures take place twice a day, at 8 am and 2 pm (in high season, an additional departure, at 11 am, is sometimes scheduled). Groups, accompanied by their guide, are limited to six people. It is therefore important, especially in the high tourist season (from early December to late February and from early June to late August-early September), to book your permit in advance with a tour operator or with UWA in Kampala, even if the deadlines are not as tight as for gorillas (the Uganda Wildlife Authority limits the number of permits issued for each day of tracking in Kibale to 90). The cost of the permit is US$ 200 per person (including entry into the park). The chances of seeing facetious primates are estimated at 90%, which means that even if the probabilities are high, the result is not guaranteed. The morning excursion is rather advisable, and it would seem that chimpanzees get lust after heavy rains where they tend to remain perched high in the trees whereas it is sometimes possible to meet them on the ground. Their emblematic cry can be heard long before you see them, with approach walks lasting up to 2 or 3 hours depending on their position. These are not normally too difficult. The observation time is limited to 1 hour, but the guides are more flexible than for the gorillas. However, you will have to follow a few instructions when meeting chimpanzees from one of the two habituated groups (Kanyantale and Buraiga): keep at least 8 meters away from the primates, do not use a photographic flash, etc. These rules will be listed during the briefing. Please note, in the same vein, that children under 12 years old are not allowed to take part in the tracking. If, by misfortune, our mischievous cousins were not at the rendezvous, you will be able to console yourself by crossing colobes, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tip monkeys or Hœst cercopithecus. The birds are difficult to see through the thick foliage, but their songs are an enchantment. Finally, the guides will be able to inform the botanists about a large number of plants. For the biggest primate fans, there is the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, which consists of spending four hours in the company of monkeys. It will cost you US$250, including park entrance.