Photo Simone Dinoia / UnsplashWhat it is
The chimpanzee habituation experience is a dawn-to-dusk day in Kibale Forest, spent with a community that is still being habituated to people. You join the researchers before first light, as the chimps stir and leave their night nests, and stay with them through the day's feeding, grooming, patrolling and the building of fresh nests at dusk.
It is a far longer and more involved day than the popular one-hour chimpanzee tracking, and the forest gives up far more of its life along the way — other primates, birds and the sheer noise of a waking rainforest. Kibale, with one of the highest primate densities in Africa, is the place for it.
What to expect
Dawn to dusk
From the chimps leaving their night nests at first light to building new ones as the light goes.
Alongside researchers
With the field team habituating the community, learning to read its hierarchy and calls.
Deep in Kibale
One of Africa's richest primate forests; expect red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey and more along the way.
Where to do it
Safaris that feature it
11 journeys include chimpanzee habituation
7-Day Uganda Amazing Safari
A seven-day Uganda safari through Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with chimpanzee tracking, game drives, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
11 Day Uganda Safari
An eleven-day Uganda safari covering Ziwa rhinos, Kibale chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo. It begins and ends at Entebbe with a stop at the Equator.
14 Days Forest Birding Safari
A fourteen-day birding tour through Uganda's forests, from Mabira and Budongo to Kibale, Semliki and Bwindi, focused on rainforest and Albertine Rift endemic species. Chimpanzee and gorilla tracking are available as options.
14-Day Amazing Safari in Uganda
A fourteen-day Uganda tour running from Sipi Falls and Karamoja to Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi. It combines game drives and gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with rhino tracking and Lake Bunyonyi.
15 Days Uganda Tour
A fifteen-day Uganda circuit taking in Lake Mburo, Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi gorillas, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, with chimpanzee and rhino tracking. The tour closes with adventure activities in Jinja and a Kampala city tour.
16 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari
A sixteen-day journey across Uganda and Rwanda combining gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with savanna game drives, the Nile, Lake Kivu, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera. The route ends in Kigali with a city tour and Genocide Memorial visit.
Good to know
- How long does the day last?
- It can run most of the day, starting before dawn. You are free to turn back earlier, but the full experience is built around staying with the community from nest to nest.
- Will I definitely see chimpanzees?
- Because you set out with the researchers tracking a known community, the odds are high, though as with all wild animals nothing is guaranteed and the forest terrain is demanding.
Build chimpanzee habituation into your safari
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