How Many Daily Trekkers Can do Chimpanzee Habituation in Kibale
How Many Daily Trekkers Can do Chimpanzee Habituation in Kibale: Kibale Forest National Park is a top primate destination famous for chimpanzee habituation in Uganda. This prestigious park is located in western Uganda in the districts of Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kasese and Kabarore. Kibale commonly known as the primate capital of the world, hosts the highest number of primates with over 1500 chimpanzees and several other primates such as monkeys.
Kibale forest national park is home to 13 chimpanzee families and out of these 13 chimpanzee families only 1 is used for habituation. This chimpanzee family was put in place to enable wild chimpanzees get familiar to human presence around them and therefore, visitors are allowed to participate in this unforgettable habituation experience.
Several travellers have heard about chimpanzee habituation, but would love to participate in the activity. More still, many still think about the activity and what it really means, hence posing so many questions in their minds! Among the many questions they pose in their minds include how many people can participate in chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest National Park. Well, this article will guide you with an insight into what you have been looking for well explained.
How many people can visit a semi-habituated family in Kibale Forest national park?
How Many Daily Trekkers Can do Chimpanzee Habituation: The recommended number for a semi habituated chimpanzee family or possibly a chimpanzee family that is prepared to go through habituation in Kibale Forest national park is visited by a number not exceeding 12 people daily. This number of people don’t go at once but instead they go in groups of 6 and can as well be around those members at the same time because it’s a full-day activity.
Chimpanzee habituation exercise begins with a visitor briefing at Kanyanchu visitors center and here, trekkers are grouped not exceeding 6 in number. These two groups are formed for chimpanzee habituation and each of the groups is allocated armed ranger guides with researchers to lead them in the search for these chimpanzees in the jungle. These groups always use different trekking trails as they coordinate while searching for the chimpanzees and the first group to see these apes, it communicates to the other using radio callers.
Visitors should note that since a chimpanzee family in Kibale Forest national park can have over 100 individuals, therefore during the habituation exercise keep around different individuals that are never in the same group. Considering their social structures, a chimpanzee community in Kibale Forest National Park unites during the evening hours and nests in the same area but the moment it’s day breaks, they will disseminate in search for food or do their routine activities separately.
Since chimpanzee communities have various members and are never in the same group offers room for only 12 people to go for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest. These primates belong to the same family but spread during the day so in this situation, it’s the armed ranger guides who allocates for you which chimpanzees to habituate. Chimpanzee habituation is a little different and never like gorilla habituation experience where only 4 people habituate a gorilla family of less than 10 individuals.
At how much can I get chimpanzee habituation permits for Kibale?
Travellers should be aware that for one to qualify to trek and see a chimpanzee family in Kibale Forest National Park during chimpanzee activities such as chimpanzee habituation you need to have a chimpanzee habituation permit.
This permit is got from Uganda Wildlife Authority and can be got using a licensed local tour operator at the same fare. A chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest goes for $300 for non-foreign residents, $250 for foreign residents, and UGX 250,000 for citizens of East Africa.
Visitors planning to do chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest national park should be aware that there are very few permits compared to the number of people that may be interested in the activity. Therefore, there is need to book for the habituation permit 4-5 months or more in advance to avoid last-minute disappointments.
The chimpanzee habituation process in Kibale Forest national park
How Many Daily Trekkers Can do Chimpanzee Habituation: Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest national park takes place all year round and to participate in this activity you must have a chimpanzee habituation permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority the governing body which you must present at the briefing point early in the morning at Kanyanchu visitor’s center in order to be part of the team going for the habituation activity.
The briefing is essential to sensitize visitors about the rules and regulations of the chimpanzee habituation exercise before heading into the jungle. A maximum of 12 people is recommended to do chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest national park but these 12 members are divided into 2. Each group not exceeding 6 people, led by armed ranger guides and researchers into the jungle.
The search for the semi-habituated family in Kibale Forest takes visitors through different trails to different trees where these chimpanzees normally get fruits. This search may take between 2-6 hours to locate this chimpanzee family and once located, trekkers are given chance to see and interact with the chimpanzees as they get used to human presence.
During the chimpanzee habituation process, the visitors join researchers to be part of the activity that make chimpanzees get familiar to human presence around them. During this time, the trekkers have a chance and ample time for photography, videos, learning about the chimpanzee behaviours, and watching the members do their routine activities such as grooming, nesting, feeding, hunting, nurturing, playing, resting, coupling, and others.
