The Price of Chimpanzee Permits for Budongo Forest depends on what Kind of trekking/Tracking activity you are doing. Budongo Chimpanzee trekking Permits cost $130 per person/permit while Budongo Chimpanzee Habituation Permits cost $230 per person/permit.
Price of Chimpanzee Permits for Budongo Forest
A permit is a must-have for anyone planning to trek or track chimpanzees in Budongo Forest. However, the Price of Chimpanzee Permits in Budongo Forest varies depending on whether you choose to do the traditional 01-hour with chimpanzees experience or the 04-hour habituation experience.
What is the difference between the 01 hour experience & the four (4) hours experience?
The 01-hour chimpanzee trekking or tracking experience involves visiting a fully habituated (used to human visits) chimpanzee family. while the four (04) habituation experience visits a group of chimpanzees still undergoing the process of habituation to get them more comfortable with human visits. precisely to mention, the 01-hour experience is with chimps used to humans, while the 04-hour experience is with wild chimpanzees.
What is the Cost of a Chimpanzee trekking Permit of 01-hour with chimps?
The Price of a chimpanzee trekking permit which allows you up to a maximum of 01-hour in the presence of a fully habituated chimpanzee Family costs;
- $130 per person/permit for Foreign non-residents.
- $120 per person/permit for Foreign Residents.
- $85 per person/permit for Ugandan citizens.
What is the cost of a Chimpanzee Habituation Permit of 04-hours with Wild Chimps?
Unlike the traditional 01-hour with chimps, the habituation experience allows you up to 4-hours with a wild chimpanzee group still undergoing the process of preparing and getting them used to human visits. The habituation permits in Budongo forest cost;
- $230 per person/permit for Foreign non-residents.
- $160 per person/permit for Foreign Residents.
- $90 per person/permit for Ugandan citizens.
When is the best time to trek/track chimpanzees in Budongo Forest?
Although Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo is considered an all-year-round activity, the best time in our opinion is December to March and also in June and July when rainfall is less.
June to September is the Peak/High season for tourism in Murchison Falls National Park and Uganda at large. If you choose to travel this time of the year, then ensure you plan and book your safari well in advance as permits, accommodation, etc are very competitive to book and often get sold out. You should also be ready to deal with the effects of crowds during game drives, and traffic at your buffets.
March, April, May, October, and November are the low season with fewer crowds, and most lodges are offering amazing discounts on accommodation. Chimpanzee permits are available and often less competitive to book. However, this is the time when the rains are heavy, making the trails slippery and very challenging to navigate.
- If you are a bird-lover, March – November is a good time to see some migratory birds.
- The low season months are characterized by rains that give the vegetation varied shades of green – a good time to do some photography.
- Stay longer (up to 4 hours) with the chimpanzees of budongo Forest on a program called Chimpanzee Habituation.
**Depending on when you choose to go chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, it’s important to understand that chimp tracking in the wet season often lasts a short time because the forest has plenty of fruiting trees and food is in abundance compared to the dry season when there is a scarcity of food which causes a change in chimpanzee movements as they tend to go deeper into the forest in search for food.
January and February are the hottest months for Murchison Falls National Park with the temperature soaring to 29°C. It can be very uncomfortable to engage in activities like game drives, and boat safari including hiking up to the falls.
