Nyungwe National Park in southwestern Rwanda has no chimpanzee habituation tours at all. Regardless, Nyungwe National Park offers chimpanzee trekking tours throughout the year. With at least 2 habituated chimpanzee troops, Nyungwe National Park is positioned as a captivating destination for chimpanzee trekking tours. The park allows each visitor to spend only one hour observing and photographing the chimps once they meet in the forest.
How much is chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park?
Foreign non-residents are charged $150, foreign residents, $75 and $25 for East African nationals. This fee is charged per person and it is for a single day of chimpanzee trekking in the forest. Moreover, this caters to the park entrance and guiding fees. Regardless, each chimpanzee permit is issued by the Rwanda Development Board. A reputable tour operator like Standard Safaris can make reservations for you in advance to avoid wasting time.
Where to do chimpanzee habituation tours?
Since Rwanda does not offer chimpanzee habituation tours, your only options are in Uganda. Here, you will enjoy a chimpanzee habituation tour in either Kibale National Park or Budongo Forest Reserve. Kibale has at least 1,400 chimpanzees, positioning it as the best place to do chimpanzee habituation tours. Budongo Forest Reserve is another destination in the northeast of Uganda where you can track and spend time with a semi-habituated group of chimpanzees.
How chimpanzee habituation tours are done in Kibale and Budongo Forests?
You must wake up as early as possible, at least 5:00 a.m. Arrive at the starting point. You will be briefed by ranger guides to know what to do and not to do in the forest. You will accompany the chimpanzee researchers and habituators into the forest. Once you locate the semi-habituated chimpanzee troop, you will spend 4 hours with them. Observe their behavior while learning from the experts regarding chimpanzee studies. After enjoying your time with the chimps, you will now hike back to Kanyancu Visitors Centre for a debriefing.
How much is the cost for a chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda?
Each person planning a chimpanzee habituation experience will pay $300 if a foreign non-resident. For a foreign resident and East African citizen, $250 and UGX 250,000 are charged, respectively. These rates also cater for the guide and park entrance. In Budongo Forest, a chimpanzee habituation experience will cost $230 for a foreign non-resident, $160 for a foreign resident, and $90 for a Ugandan. This also caters for the guides, but not the entrance.
Entrance fees for Budongo Forest are paid at the Murchison Falls National Park entrance. You will have to pay $45 there. To avoid inconveniences, a registered tour operator like Standard Safaris is available to help you make payments in advance. Advanced purchasing of permits is done to avoid missing out on the adventure because the experience is among the most sought-after. This could be around 3 months before traveling for the chimp habituation experience.
What is the best time of year to experience chimpanzee habituation?
The wet season is the best time to go to Kibale National Park and Budongo Forest to enjoy chimpanzee habituation tours. Firstly, Uganda experiences 2 climatic conditions every year. A wet season and a dry season. During the wet season, heavy rains fall in both Kibale and Budongo Forests. This results in dense vegetation and food availability for the chimpanzees. The chimpanzees will then not move deeper in the forest in search of what to forage on.
They are therefore easier to encounter despite the muddy and slippery trails in the forests. Regardless, chimpanzee habituation experiences can be done all year round, even in the dry seasons. The wet season happens from March to May and also from October to November. The dry season is experienced from June to August and also from December to February. In the dry season, expect to search for the chimp troop deeper in the forest but walking on drier trails.
What else can to do in Nyungwe National Park?
Nyungwe National Park is an intriguing tour destination with a lot of activities besides the chimpanzee trekking tours. The first activity that will leave you desiring more is the canopy walk. This gives you the chance to hike on a 160-meter-long suspension and 70 meters above the forest floor. During this walk, numerous birds, primates, insects, plants, and mammals can be seen. The forest canopy is so beautiful and offers a cool atmosphere.
After a canopy walk, what’s next is a captivating birding tour. Birding in a place that has at least 345 species of birds seems like the best time ever for a birder. There are plenty of Albertine endemic bird species here that will take your breath away. These include the Rwenzori turaco, Shelley’s crimson-wing, regal sunbird, red-throated alethe, strange weaver, handsome francolin, and Kungwe apalis, etc.
If birding tours are not enough, you can also explore the tea estates, either Gisakura or Gisovu. This is among the best places to learn how tea is grown, harvested/picked, and processed. Chances of testing the tea are also provided, and you can sense the sweet aroma that sets Rwandan tea apart from the rest. Taking photos of the scenery could help you enhance your future memories of Rwanda or Nyungwe itself.
