Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tour packages are the perfect combination for primate adventures in the heart of East Africa. Trekking with both gorillas and chimpanzees offers a unique chance to interact with up to 2 great apes.
However, many primate adventure seekers often ask, “Gorilla trekking packages Vs chimpanzee trekking tours: which is better?” This complete guide provides a detailed comparison between gorilla trekking packages and chimpanzee trekking tours.
Key aspects covered in this comparison guide include the cost of permits, physical fitness demand, behavior, duration, destinations, and other tips for planning a successful primate safari.
Comparing Gorilla Trekking Packages to Chimpanzee Trekking Tours
Primate species.
Gorilla trekking packages are a better deal for travelers who need to see mountain gorillas, also a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla. These unique primate species survive in the wild and only in Africa. Booking a gorilla trekking package is an incredible opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the African jungle to enjoy a close interaction with these unique species.
Chimpanzee trekking tours are best for tourists who are interested in seeing chimpanzees in their natural environment. Compared to gorillas, 98.8% of the chimpanzee DNA matches that of humans, making them our closest living relatives. Mountain gorillas share with humans about 98% DNA, making them our second-closest living relatives among the Great Apes.
Permit cost.
Valid permits are needed whether you want to engage in the trek to see mountain gorillas or chimpanzees. The current cost of a gorilla permit in Uganda is USD 800 per person, while in Rwanda it is USD 1,500 per person. Chimpanzee permit costs also vary depending on the destination. Uganda chimp permits cost USD 300 per person (if you are visiting Kibale National Park to see chimpanzees in 2027) and USD 250 for chimpanzee treks in Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Behavior of gorillas and chimpanzees.
Mountain gorillas are naturally calm, quiet, & grounded. A dominant silverback gorilla leads each gorilla group, while chimpanzees tend to be fast, energetic, loud, and often spend most of the time in the trees. An alpha male usually leads a chimpanzee community.
Physical difficulty level (altitude).
Expect to encounter moderate to high steep mountain terrain during the gorilla trekking session. The terrain in Uganda’s gorilla destinations ranges from 1,160 to 2,607 m, and in Rwanda, the altitude breakdown ranges from 2,500 to 4,500 meters.
Viewing time.
Both gorilla and chimpanzee treks offer a strict 1-hour limit for you to interact with gorillas or chimpanzees. It is during this session that you can take photos and observe the unique behaviors displayed by gorillas and chimpanzees.
Trekking duration.
A standard gorilla trek can extend for 2 to 6 hours, whereas chimpanzee trekking can last for 2 to 4 hours. Gorilla trekking is only conducted once a day compared to two sessions offered in most of the chimpanzee trekking destinations like Kibale National Park.
Best Places to go for Gorilla or Chimpanzee Trekking
A few places are available for gorilla trekking compared to chimpanzee trekking. In Uganda alone, you can visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to engage in the trek with mountain gorillas. In Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is where you can enjoy the mountain gorilla trek, and lastly, Virunga National Park in the DRC.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Located in the southwestern circuit of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an ancient, mist-shrouded mountain rainforest protected area. It is home to over half of the world’s 1,063 mountain gorillas. This is one of the compact parks in Uganda, with an area of 331 square kilometers, and was created in 1991.
At Bwindi, visitors begin their gorilla search from the designated trekking regions/sectors, including Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija, and Nkuringo. Besides gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park also hosts forest elephants, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and a total of about 350 species of birds.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park lies high at an elevation of 2,227 to 4,127 meters in southwestern Uganda. It is one of the best parks to explore mountain gorillas on a Uganda safari. Mgahinga is famous not only for gorilla trekking but also for golden monkey tracking and Virunga volcano hikes. It is a compact protected area, occupying only 33.7 sq.km. Mgahinga’s boundaries extend to cover Bufumbira County in Kisoro District.
Volcanoes National Park –Rwanda
Located in the northwestern part of Rwanda, Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park is Africa’s oldest park. It was established as a park in 1925 and currently covers 160 square kilometers of land area. Its landscape features mainly the scenic rainforest and bamboo, plus 5 Virunga volcano peaks (Karisimbi, Gahinga, Muhabura, Bisoke, and Sabyinyo).
Beyond mountain gorilla encounters, Volcanoes National Park also offers incredible golden monkey treks, hikes to the Dian Fossey tomb site, volcano hikes, and cultural tours in the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village.
Kibale National Park
Kibale is Uganda’s top chimpanzee trekking spot. Lying in Kabarole district, western Uganda, Kibale National Park hosts over 1,500 chimpanzees that make up part of its 13 primate species. The Kibale tour highlights include chimpanzee trekking and a chimpanzee habituation experience.
Nyungwe Forest National Park –Rwanda
Nyungwe is a special destination to explore chimpanzees in the wild on a Rwanda safari. This park is located in the Western Rift Valley circuit and, in Rwanda, it lies in the southern part. It is in Nyungwe Forest National Park, where over 500 chimpanzees survive in the natural environment.
The 970 square kilometers of Nyungwe feature key chimpanzee trekking areas/sectors, including Uwinka, Gisakura, and Cyamudongo. Each of these sectors has a habituated community that tourists visit to interact with chimpanzees in the wild.
Notably, Uganda offers chimpanzee trekking in other destinations, such as Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, and Kalinzu Forest, among others.
Conclusively, gorilla trekking packages and chimpanzee trekking tours promise captivating encounters with the world’s unique apes. Gorilla packages are best for mountain gorilla encounters, and chimpanzee trek tours are perfect for primate adventure seekers who need to see chimpanzees. Both gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tour packages can be combined, thus offering you an exceptional opportunity to explore 2 Great Apes.
