Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience : It is one thing to spend an hour with the chimpanzees of Uganda and another experience to spend the entire day with these amazing creatures. Most tourists do not actually realize that they have a choice between chimpanzee tracking and a chimpanzee habituation experience.
Chimpanzee habituation in Uganda is an experience of a life time that no tourist should miss out on when on safari in the country. Chimpanzee habituation experience is filled with adventure and lots of exciting memories to take back home with you.
Chimpanzee habituation experience involves getting the chimpanzees used to the presence of humans, a process that can take up to two years. Visitors on a chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda spend an entire day in the presence of chimpanzees; tracking them, monitoring their behaviors and feeding patterns while in their natural habitat.
The chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda requires one to be both physically and mentally ready for the challenge. The activity begins early in the morning before the break of dawn, around 6:00 or 6:30am. This means that visitors need to have their breakfast really early and pack lunch before heading out into the forest.
There are about 4950 chimpanzees in Uganda, with an estimated total of 1500 chimpanzees in Kibale Forest alone. In Uganda, tourists can partake in chimpanzee habituation experience in only two designated locations, and that is Kibale Forest and Budongo Forest. However, chimpanzee habituation also takes place on Ngamba Island, which has a Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Just like chimpanzee and gorilla tracking activities begin with a briefing; likewise, all chimpanzee habituation experience activities commence with tourists being briefed by the UWA head ranger at Kibale national park. You will be met by your guide, briefed and later head out into the forest before dawn breaks.
In Kibale national park , the chimpanzee habituation experience takes place in groups. A small group can have a maximum of 6 people (an UWA ranger, guide and 4 tourists), while a large group can have a maximum of 8 people (UWA guide and ranger, plus 6 tourists.)
At the end of the day (around 7pm), the chimpanzees climb back into their newly built nests for the evening and visitors head back to their lodges for the evening. This usually marks the end of the amazing chimpanzee habituation experience for most visitors, with lots of pictures to take home, as memories of an awesome chimpanzee habituation safari in Uganda.
The fear that chimpanzees have and might still have for human beings arose due to the continuous poaching of the species, especially during the past years. People hunted down chimpanzees for their bush meat which was then sold off in the black market. However, thanks to ongoing conservation and chimpanzee rehabilitation programs, the once endangered primates are being protected from such external threats, which in turn has seen their numbers grow tremendously.
Tourist a second option of doing chimpanzee habituation in Kibale forest, located in the south- western part of Uganda. Chimpanzee habituation experience and tracking in Kibale Forest is offered by Kibale National Park, which is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority..
During the chimp habituation experience in Kibale forest, visitors can get a chance to see other wildlife inhabiting the forest including 13 primate species and mammals, such as; black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, buffalos, warthogs, bush pigs and elephants among others. Visitors can also get to see over 350 bird species that live in the forest like; the olive long tailed cuckoo, the ground thrush and the grey parrot to mention but a few.
Tourists doing chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest will have to first sign in at the visitor center in Kibale National Park. You will then be briefed by the head ranger at the park and later head out to the forest.
Tourist will have to travel about 308km from Kampala City to get to Kibale National Park. This journey will take you about 5-6 hours of driving on the road. VIA Mubende.
Chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda is such an amazing experience and visitors who are adventurous should not hesitate to include chimpanzee habituation to your tour itineraries. Take home with you wonderful memories of your visit to the Pearl of Africa.