Cost of a chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda
Cost of a chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda: A chimpanzee trekking permit is a legal document or card that allows visitors to track habituated chimpanzee groups in their natural habitats. This document or card is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government organization that is responsible for managing all the national parks in Uganda.
A chimpanzee trekking permit is issued to visitors aged 12 years and above. In Uganda chimpanzee trekking permits vary depending on the destination where you are going to trek chimpanzees from for instance a chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale national park costs USD 200 for foreign non-residents, USD 150 for foreign residents and UGX 150,000 for East African citizens while a chimpanzee habituation permit in Kibale national park costs USD 250 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents and UGX 200,000 for East African citizens.
A chimpanzee habituation permit in Kyambura Gorge costs USD 50 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents and UGX 30,000 for East African citizens. A chimpanzee trekking permit in Budongo forest in Murchison Falls National Park costs USD 90 for foreign non-residents and foreign residents while a chimpanzee trekking permit in Kalinzu forest costs USD 50 for foreign non-residents and foreign residents. In Toro-Semuliki Reserve, a chimpanzee trekking permit costs USD 30 for foreign residents and UGX 20,000 for East African citizens.
How to book for a chimpanzee trekking permit
A chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda can either be booked directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority by contacting the reservations office in Kampala by email or telephone calls or you can book via a trusted tour operator. When using a tour operator you will contact us with the date, month, year and destination where you want to trek the chimpanzees, we will check availability of the permit and get back to you. You will be asked to make a deposit on the chimpanzee permit and once the deposit has been made you will be asked to send your scanned passport details which will be used to register for your permit and we will acquire the permit for you.
Visitors planning to do chimpanzee trekking in Uganda should book their chimpanzee trekking permits at least 3 to 4 months in advance before the trekking date because during the peak season they are competitive and usually get sold out.
Best Time to go for a chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda can be done anytime of the year although the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. The dry season is also known as the peak season and visitors prefer the peak season because during this time there is less rainfall in the forests therefore access roads to the chimpanzee trekking destinations will be passable, there shrubs in the forest will be short and trees in the forest will have short leaves which enable clear viewing of the chimpanzees and the chimpanzee trekking trails will be dry and passable compared to the rainy season when the trails are wet, muddy and slippery.
Though there is heavy rainfall in the rainy season and makes chimpanzee trekking difficult, visitors who visit will have the park for themselves due to less crowds, lodges will offer discounts to visitors as a form of attracting visitors to visit, chimpanzee trekking permits will be less competitive which means that last minute visitors can also trek the chimpanzees and there will be plenty of food for the chimpanzees therefore visitors will not trek them for long because they can even be viewed near the park headquarters.
Conclusion: Visitors can always combine chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with other activities such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park, golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park, game drive or boat cruise in Murchison falls national park, horseback riding or game drive in Lake Mburo national park or Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park.
