1 Day Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo Forest Reserve
Measuring 825 square kilometers in size Budongo Forest Reserve is the largest natural forest in Uganda and East Africa. It is located on the northwest of Kampala Capital City and also partly in Murchison Falls National Park.
Budongo forest reserve has 6 groups
of Chimpanzees to be habituated and trekked all year round, this means that
visitors are always at high chances of seeing these primates. Trekking starts early
in the morning and you are led by the ranger guides on this tour. Chimpanzee
trekking can take you 30 minutes or even a full day, depending on the location
of these primates.
Essentially Budongo Forest is made up of 3 areas, that is, the woodland forest, high forest, and the grasslands. This has encouraged a wide diversity of wildlife which include up to 360 species of birds, 95 mammals, and 29 species of amphibians all recorded in Budongo forest, in addition to the variety of butterflies, insects, trees, and shrubs. The forest is well known for its big Mahogany Trees.
The Forest has two sites developed for tourism activities these include Kaniyo Pabidi and Busingiro Eco Tourism Sites. Kanyiyo Pabidi is located along the southern edge of Murchison Falls National Park which is only a 30 minutes drive from the park gate of Kichubanyobo to the Visitor Information Center at Budongo Eco Lodge, while Busingiro lies further to the western edge of Budongo forest.
Chimpanzee Tracking at Kaniyo Pabidi
Trekking of the only habituated Chimp group can only take place in Budongo forest at Kaniyo Pabidi in southern Murchison Falls National Park. The Chimp trek sets out from the visitor’s information center at Budongo Eco Lodge. The Chimps can be so near that they can be heard from the Budongo Eco lodge and the trek to find them will take a few minutes. But during a certain period when food is no longer enough they travel away from this territory, wondering deeper into the forest as they search for food and water, and thus tracking them will be longer and finding them becomes less certain. Budongo forest provides two Chimp tracking sessions in a day, that is, in the morning and the afternoon, and whichever session you choose you spend only one hour with the Chimps and no more than 8 persons can track.Chimp Habituation at Kaniyo Pabidi
Chimpanzee habituation experience is more intimate because you will spend an entire day with the Chimps. You set out as early as 5am to witness as the Chimps de-nest and start their day. The Chimp habituation in Budongo Forest however is not available all year round but only during less busy months of tourism.Nature Walks
Nature walks or guided nature walks are offered at Kaniyo Pabidi and Busingiro eco sites via an excellent network of trails that provide plenty of things including a variety of trees and shrubs, unique wildlife such as the Cicada, monkeys, animals, birds, and also a chance of seeing chimpanzees.
Detailed Chimpanzee Tour Itinerary
Early in the morning be picked up by
your driver guide from your hotel and drive northwards to Budongo forest reserve
for chimpanzee trekking.
Upon arrival at Pabidi, lunch will
be had at any lodge/restaurant of your choice as you prepare to go for
Chimpanzee tracking. The trek will be guided by the ranger guides who are
skilled and knowledgeable about these primates; during this you will also be
able to see various tree species like the mahogany and monkeys like the velvet,
olive monkeys, snakes and birds and many more
The journey then ends and you will
start off your journey back to Kampala Trekking can take a long time sometimes
but it is always worth it. Please note that the groups of chimpanzees can
be tracked by 6 people in each group.
The Tour includes;
- Chimpanzee permits
- Transport(in a 4WD vehicle)
- Drinking water during the safari
- Professional English speaking guide/driver
- Touring and photography
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