Chimpanzee Habituation – Full Day with Chimps in Kibale …
It is one thing to spend an hour tracking chimpanzees in Uganda – it is another thing to be with them all day long participating in an all-day Chimp Habituation Experience. Most people do not realize that they have a choice between Chimpanzee Trekking and an all-day Chimpanzee Habituation Experience Encounter.
In Uganda where everything is abbreviated this is also referred to as CHEX – whatever you may call it – it is being with a group of Chimpanzees that is being habituated all-day long and you will learn a lot more about their behaviors and ways than you would on a normal Chimpanzee Trek in Kibale Forest.
You will also have your own Uganda Wildlife Authority Guide for the day who will point not just the Chimpanzees being habituated but other inhabitants of the forest and there are many of them, mammals, birds, butterflies all calling Kibale Forest their home.
It is one thing to spend an hour tracking chimpanzees in Uganda – it is another thing to be with them all day long participating in an all-day Chimp Habituation Experience. Most people do not realize that they have a choice between Chimpanzee Trekking and an all-day Chimpanzee Habituation Experience Encounter.Travelers come Uganda majorly for Mountain Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tracking. There are 5000 plus chimpanzees in Uganda – Kibale Forest has the most with almost 1500 Chimpanzees.
Most visitors visit the chimpanzees much like the Mountain Gorillas for one hour in a group – there is however another option that allows you to be with chimpanzees all day long in the forests of Budongo (during off-season) or Kibale Forest – it is the Chimp Habituation Experience – all day with chimpanzees in their natural setting. The Chimpanzee Habituation experience is limited to the number of visitors that can participate, one has to plan early in order to get a spot on the day that you like.
“The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience” is not for the faint of heart – it means an early breakfast – a packed lunch and you are off before dawn breaks in the forest. You meet your guide and you are off to where the chimpanzees built nests the night before. Dawn is just breaking and the chimpanzee community you are going to be with the rest of the day is rising from their sleep in the nests.
Keep your eyes open, you will see much more than chimpanzees this day – Kibale Forest has Forest Elephants, Buffaloes, Bush Pigs, over 350 species of birds, 12 other kinds of primates and yes, there is much more to see besides the Chimps.
However you are here for the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience – which entails getting the chimpanzees used to the presence of humans (to remove the fear of humans from the group), a process that takes up to two years – and today you are part of that process by your all day presence in the forest.
Your day will be full, your camera will fill up with quality pictures of the chimpanzees and you will get to learn to identify them as individuals by their markings, sometimes scars and other unique features that make them stand apart from rest.
The day ends as the chimpanzees climb into their newly built nests for the evening and you head back to your lodging for the evening, Enjoy your Chimp habituation Experience…
What to bring and wear for the Habituation Experience:
You will need a daypack, inside two liters of water, a packed lunch from the lunch, some snacks like dried fruit or granola bars. Clothing: waterproof hiking boots, a hat, light rain jacket, long-sleeved shirt, long trousers, insect repellent, binoculars, and anything else you might like.
Chimpanzee Habituation Experience –a day not soon forgotten can be included in any safari that includes a Kibale Forest Visit – or Budongo Forest (Budongo Forest during the off-season) Participants must be over 15 years old.
