Like trekking permits, habituation permits are also issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority to visitors above the age of fifteen years. These permits allow you to spend up to four hours around chimpanzees.
The experience starts in the morning at Kanyanchu headquarters with a short briefing about the rules and regulations. After learning the dos and don’ts, you begin the trek with a group of researchers, scientists, park rangers, and guides in search of chimpanzees. During the trek, you may also observe how strong chimpanzees are, which is both fascinating and humbling.
The trek may take the whole day, but along the way, you will also see monkeys, mammals, birds, plants, and trees, which will give you a natural feeling of the forest.
The most interesting part is when the chimpanzees are found. You will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their natural habitat, watching how they behave and live their daily life.
You will observe them feeding, resting, hunting, building new nests, and how they split into small groups during the day but come back together at night.
You can book these permits through our recommended tour operators.
The habituation process is very important because it helps the chimpanzees get used to human presence. This is done before tourists are allowed to track them.
The process usually takes two to three years and is only done in Kibale National Park because it has a high number of primates.
The park also has over 370 bird species, including African pitta, great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, little greenbul, dusky crimsonwing, and many others. Other animals in the park include forest elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, bushbucks, and giant forest hogs.
If you are interested in habituation, you have to pay a fee of 300 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 250 USD per person for foreign residents, and 250,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
The chimpanzee habituation experience (CHEX) can be done all year round, but many people prefer the dry season when there is little or no rain. The dry season runs from June to September, while December to February are wet months.
Chimpanzee habituation is a special experience. Feel your moment in the chimpanzee sanctuary at Kibale National Park.
Visit Kibale National Park in Uganda with these recommended Uganda chimpanzee companies or inquire with us below to book your tour directly through this website.
