Is Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Better Than Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe?
Is chimpanzee trekking in the Kibale National Park better than the Nyungwe? This is one of the challenging questions that travelers encounter when choosing which destinations to see the chimpanzee between Uganda and Rwanda. Both parks are top destinations that travelers visit to encounter with chimpanzees during a safari to Uganda or Rwanda. Chimpanzees are large primates that live in the forested areas of Uganda and Rwanda. Chimpanzees share about 98% of DNA with man and are considered the closest cousins of man. Chimpanzee trekking creates a close encounter of man with the chimpanzee.
Both parks are near international airports where from the airport to the Parks is about 5 to 6 hours. The airports are Kigali International Airport and the Entebbe International Airport. Chimpanzee trekking in both parks is done under the guidance of the ranger guide who takes them through the forests in search of the chimpanzee. Travelers are recommended to book in time to ensure the availability of the trekking permits. Nyungwe National Park is one of Africa’s oldest national parks and forests. It is one of the diverse destinations, home to 12 primate species and over 300 bird species with some endemic species.
Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda and is home to 13 primate species which are situated around the park. The park is also known for having the largest number of chimpanzees in Uganda. The chimpanzee tracked are usually habituated for them to get used to the human presence.
Differences between chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park and Nyungwe National Park
The chimpanzee trekking in the two destinations differ and travelers have to know the following.
Tracking sessions
In Nyungwe Forest National Park, there is one session for chimpanzee trekking and travelers are expected to arrive at the park headquarters or the ranger post by 0430 hours. During this time, travelers start over with a briefing about the chimpanzee trekking. At 0500 hours, travelers get to their start points to start the tracking of the chimpanzee. While in the Kibale National Park, there are two sessions for chimpanzee trekking. The morning session starts in the morning from 0800 hours to 1200 hours of the day. In this morning session, travelers can easily track the chimpanzee where they will have spent their night and travelers have one hour viewing the chimpanzee. The afternoon session starts at 1400 hours to 1600 hours. The activity starts at 1400 hours and the activity lasts for 2 to 4 hours of the day.
Chimpanzee communities
In the Nyungwe Forest National Park, there are 3 families that travelers can track to see the chimpanzee and these families include; the Cyamudongo group which is within the Cyamudongo forest which is in the east of the park. The family comprises over 30 members. The Uwinka group is found within the Uwinka area near the park headquarters within the main area of the park. The family is the biggest in the park with about 60 members. Gisovu group is within the northern part of the park in a remote area called Gisovu near Kibuye town. This is one of the newly habituated groups.
Travelers planning to track the Gisovu community are supposed to spend their night in Kibuye town. Whereas in Kibale National Park, the communities live in extended families of about 25 to 150 members. These communities in the park are not named compared to those of the Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Availability of the chimpanzee permits
Kibale National Park has over 56 and 36 chimpanzee trekking permits which are available for travelers choosing to do either the morning session or the afternoon session. Each community of the chimpanzee is visited by a group of 8 people per day. While in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, there are 64 chimpanzee trekking permits which are available for the day. Travelers are supposed to book in time to ensure the availability of the trekking permits in both parks.
The cost of the chimpanzee trekking permits
The chimpanzee trekking permits cost differently in both destinations. In Uganda, the chimpanzee trekking permits in Kibale cost about 250 dollars for foreign nonresidents, 200 dollars for foreign residents, and 200,000 Ugandan shillings for East African citizens. The chimpanzee permits in Kibale National Park include the park entrance. When in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, the chimpanzee trekking permit costs about 150 dollars for foreign nonresidents, 75 dollars for foreign residents, and 25 dollars for East African residents. Travelers planning to do the chimpanzee trekking are supposed to pay a park entrance of about 100 dollars for foreign residents, 60 dollars for foreign residents, and 10 dollars for East African citizens.
Age limit for the chimpanzee trekking
In both parks, there is the age limit for chimpanzee trekking is 15 years and travelers are supposed to plan accordingly.
What are other activities that travelers can engage in to see chimpanzees?
In seeing the chimpanzees in both parks, travelers can also engage in chimpanzee habituation which is only done in the Kibale National Park. Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale National Park offers more time for travelers to encounter the chimpanzee. This is a full-day activity that travelers engage in to encounter with the chimpanzee. Chimpanzee habituation permits cost about 300 dollars for foreign nonresidents, 250 dollars for foreign residents, and 250000 Uganda shillings for East African residents.
Where to stay during the chimpanzee trekking in the Kibale National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park?
During the chimpanzee trekking safaris in the Kibale National Park, several accommodation facilities are situated around the Park. The accommodation facilities include the Chimpundu Lodge, Kibale Forest Lodge, Volcanoes Lodge, and many others. While in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, there are also accommodation facilities which are situated around the park and these include; Nyungwe Hill Lodge, only one Nyungwe house, Nyungwe Top View Lodge, and many others. The accommodation facilities in both parks range from midrange to budget, and luxury.
