Chimpanzee Families in Kyambura Gorge

Chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge amount to 7, and comprise 30 habituated individuals in the forest. Kyambura Gorge is situated in Queen Elizabeth National Park in the western region of Uganda. Its entire community is referred to as the ‘Lost Chimpanzees of Kyambura Gorge.’ They are under the leadership of an alpha male called Mweya. Below are the families of chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge,

E family,

Also known as Emiti with at least 6 members. Emiti is known for her fast reproductive rate, giving birth every 2-3 years. Unfortunately, this has led to the loss of 2 of her babies due to their competition for milk.

A family,

Also known as Asaba has at least 5 members. Asaba herself gave birth to a female, in 2003. She was her first baby before giving birth to 4 males. But, in 2018 her oldest son, Asiimwe disappeared and has never been found.

K family,

Also known as Kaaka which has at least 3 members. Kaaka is the oldest chimpanzee in the community, since her estimated age is over 50. This is evident in the form of her 2 youngest sons—Kihango and Kazinga—being above the age of 20. Therefore, K is among the best chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge.

N family,

Also known as Njuuko has a minimum of 4 individuals. Named after Njuuko who joined the community in 2005. Four years after arrival Njuuko gave birth to Namanya, her first child. Since then she has had at least 4 children including 3 sons and a daughter.

M family,

Also known as Mulungi has at least 5 members, thus one of the best chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge. This is where Mweya, the alpha male comes from. Mulungi herself is considered a good mother since she has sustained close bonds with her kids. At the moment she has at least 3 sons and a daughter.

O family,

Also known as Owoyesiga which has at least 2 members including Omugabe. Owoyesiga joined the Kyambura community in 2019 before producing Omugabe in the year 2022. Regardless of the size O is among the best chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge.

P family,

Also known as Pamba has at least 3 members. Pamba was born within the Kyambura community and has surprisingly never emigrated, a behavior which is not typical for female chimps. She has birthed at least 3 boys, each born 4 years apart.

How to track chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge?

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge starts with briefing so that you are edified about the rules of the adventure. Following this you will enter the forest at around 8:00 a.m. to search for the chimpanzees. Before and after meeting the chimpanzees, you will encounter birds and other mammals including the black and white colobus monkeys. You will also cross the Kyambura River to get beautiful photos. The 2-5-hour adventure offers not more than 60 minutes dedicated for viewing the chimps. Afterwards, return to the point where you were briefed for debriefing.

Cost of tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge?

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge is offered to visitors who possess permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority. Each is offered at US$100 for a foreign nonresident, US$80 for a foreign resident and US$65 for an East African citizen. With only 8 permits offered for each schedule, this implies that you have to book in advance to avoid missing out. Standard Safaris can do this on your behalf to ensure that your chimp trek happens as planned.

Besides, Standard Safaris ensures that you also enjoy other activities by ensuring that your tour package is comprehensive. This implies that your transport, accommodation, meals and others are included. Other activities recommended by Standard Safaris include game drive, launch trip and lion tracking among others.

Best time to track chimpanzee families in Kyambura Gorge?

Tracking chimps in Kyambura Gorge is offered daily to visitors from all over the world. Yet, depending on your plans, chimpanzee tracking is much simpler during the dry season. This is from June to August and December to February. Therefore, what makes this period awesome for chimp trekking are the weather patterns. They are favorable for chimpanzee trekking in the forest. Rainfall frequency/quantity is quite low, thus causing drier trails, low forest undergrowth and clear skies. With this, your movement and views inside the pristine forest are much better.

How to travel to Kyambura Gorge?

Kyambura Gorge is situated inside Queen Elizabeth National Park hence can be reached by either road or air transport. A scenic drive from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park covers around 374 kilometers. However, if road conditions are perfect, driving will take between 7-8 hours through Mbarara. Then you will arrive at the park. From the park entrance, you will head to Kyambura Gorge which is only around 13.6 kilometers away.

Nevertheless, you can make the transfer to Kyambura Gorge much shorter, thus saving valuable time. To do this simply take a domestic flight from Entebbe International Airport to the nearest airport to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kasese airstrip is one of the nearest, and traveling there from Entebbe takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. From Kasese airstrip, driving to Kyambura Gorge through Queen Elizabeth National Park gate covers only 46.7 kilometers.

Sándor Jakubinyi

14:31 22 Feb 24

2019 megigazulás

12:45 21 Feb 24

We went on a two-week trip with my family, organised by Coleb from Standard Safaris.

I had my concerns about organised trips, but this one didn’t justify any of those. Everything went very smoothly, even when some problems arose with one of the cars it got fixed by next morning, the accomodations were clean and comfortable, the programs were exciting and well-balanced - everything was done to a truly high standard.

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Bert Simoens

09:38 08 Jan 24

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The local company's planning was offering a tailor-made journey that matched our interests. We saw an array of wildlife in Murchison, enjoyed rafting at Jinja, and experienced mountain biking at Sipi. A visit to Kidepo National Park was a highlight and comes highly recommended.

The vehicle provided was comfortable and reliable. We highly recommend Standard Safaris for anyone seeking an unforgettable safari in Uganda. Their professionalism and the exceptional guidance of staff like Yonah make them an great choice.

Michał Kostrzewa

00:41 15 Nov 23

We are all extremely grateful Standard Safaris for an incredible East Africa experience. I recently booked a custom trip for group of 8 people, including an 8-year-old boy, from Kampala through Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Rwanda and Burundi. Coleb delivered on everything that was discussed and agreed upon beforehand.

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The whole trip was hassle-free and smooth. We saw amazing wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP, took in the sights of Rwanda and Burundi, and made lifelong memories.

I would happily book with Standard Safaris again in a heartbeat and recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone looking for the best East Africa trip. They provide top-notch service while ensuring you have an incredible, customized experience. If you want a hassle-free, flawlessly organized African adventure, Standard Safaris is the tour operator to book with.

Ivan Nammanda

18:31 27 Oct 23

Very organized travel operator who chose awesome guide to make our trip wonderful.

We booked a nine days trip with Standard Safaris and all was perfect from start to finish. Coleb was very prompt at replying and easy to liaise with ahead of the trip. We had done a lot of research and had an itinerary in mind and Coleb helped us to put everything together to make this happen for a very reasonable price.  On the trip we had a private vehicle for the whole tour which was exactly what we wanted. Bryan was our driver and an amazing guide - really friendly and knowledgable, working hard to find the things that we wanted to see and quickly understanding what was of interest to us/how much information to give.

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MUGAIGA KENNETH

18:01 27 Oct 23

The company has very courteous tour guides with wide knowledge of fauna and frola in the whole of East Africa.
The choice of safari Lodges is good with first class treatment.
Game drive security is assured.
Almost The whole of September I was traversing through DRC, Uganda,and Rwanda on a gorilla tour and wildlife expedition.
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travel uganda

16:35 27 Oct 23

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