Low Season Chimpanzee Trekking Permits in Uganda

Low Season Chimpanzee Trekking Permits in Uganda: Many nature enthusiasts have always missed out on this incredible adventure experience, but Uganda, the pearl of Africa, is one of the top destinations known for chimpanzee trekking. In order to accommodate tourists on a tight budget who might not be able to buy the high season chimpanzee trekking permits, low season permits were established.

In Uganda, permits to track chimpanzees are currently only $200 for Foreign Non-Residents during the off-peak months of April, May, and November 2026. Kyambura Gorge and Kibale

Forest National Park have official Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) tariffs. Make reservations before the price hike in 2027. For your journey, Rwenzori Trekking Safaris offers knowledgeable guides.

Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda is not a secondary attraction if you have ever sat quietly at the edge of a forest canopy and heard chimpanzees calling that cascade of whoops and screams that builds from a single voice into a full community chorus, echoing off the trees until the forest itself seems to be speaking.

Tracking chimpanzees is more than simply a way to pass the time until you see the gorillas. For an increasing number of wildlife tourists, spending a morning with Uganda’s wild chimpanzees is the most memorable experience, the one they find most difficult to convey to their loved ones back home, and the one they return to Uganda to repeat.

In February 2026, the Uganda Wildlife Authority formally recognised what seasoned Uganda safari guides had long known: April, May, and November not only provide a more private, less crowded chimpanzee trekking experience, but they are also officially less expensive.

Low Season Chimpanzee Trekking Permits in Uganda: The foreign non-resident fee for chimpanzee tracking licenses has been lowered by the UWA to USD 200 for these months. This is a considerable decrease from the USD 300 fee that will be in effect at Kibale National Park starting in January 2027.

This is a thorough, professional guide on Uganda’s low-season chimpanzee permits. We’ll go over the official fees, where chimpanzee tracking is available, what these months are really like in the field, how the new booking regulations operate, and why this is one of Africa’s most underappreciated and truly remarkable wildlife encounters.

This essay will persuade you to include chimpanzee trekking at the top of your schedule if you are organising a safari in Uganda.

Low Season Chimpanzee Trekking Permits in Uganda

The legal permission from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to visit a designated chimpanzee zone in one of Uganda’s national parks and spend time usually an hour with a population of habituated wild chimpanzees is known as a chimpanzee tracking permit. Similar to gorilla permits, chimpanzee licenses are only granted by licenced operators who have registered with the Uganda Tourism Board, are restricted in quantity, and are associated with particular habituated communities. The administration and preservation of Uganda’s primate habitats are directly funded by these conservation levies.

These licenses fall under a cheaper category called “low-season chimpanzee permits,” which are valid in April, May, and November. These months coincide with Uganda’s two wetter seasons, during which the nation experiences more frequent rainfall.

UWA’s announcement in February 2026 formalises the discounts as an official incentive to disperse tourism throughout the year, a conservation-minded policy that benefits both visitors and the parks. The discounts reflect historically lower visitor volumes during certain months.

Chimpanzee trekking is available in Uganda at two main locations: Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a drastically different setting that provides a more personal and difficult encounter, and Kibale National Park, which is considered the best chimpanzee destination in Africa. Both sites should be included in any serious Uganda safari itinerary, and they both operate under the UWA low-season permit regime.

Official Low Season Chimpanzee Trekking Permits in Uganda 2026

The following costs are applicable in April, May, and November and take effect immediately after the UWA announcement on February 26, 2026:

New Chimpanzee Trekking and Habituation Rates

FNR- stands for Foreign Non-Residents

FR- stands for Foreign Residents

EAC- stands for East Africa Citizens

It is noteworthy that during the off-peak season, permits for chimpanzee habituation experiences which allows an extended four to six-hour session with researchers are not discounted. The standard tariff, which will be updated in January 2027, is reflected in the rates for habituation displayed above.