Trekking Chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs Trekking Chimpanzees in Uganda

Chimpanzee Trekking is another life time primate’s experience closely related to Gorilla trekking that most tourists prefer doing after their gorilla trekking experience, both species are found in the great primate’s animal species and live in the tropical rain forests and they have the similar trekking rules and guidelines. Most tourists prefer combining their Gorilla safari with a chimpanzee trekking experience and thus because Gorilla trekking is mostly done in Rwanda and Uganda, we are also comparing trekking Chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs trekking Chimpanzees in Uganda.

Chimpanzee Destinations

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda can only be done in just two destinations which is in the most popular tropical rain forests of Nyungwe National Park and now the new Gishwati Mukura National Park in the southern province of Rwanda however chimpanzee trekking in Uganda can be done in 3 major chimpanzee destinations which include the most popular and famous primates capital of Kibale Forest National Park, Kyambura George of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Budongo Forest near Murchison Falls National Park. In Uganda Chimpanzee trekking can also be done in Kalinzu forest reserve.

Trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs trekking chimpanzees in Uganda both offer quite the same experience of a magical chimpanzees encounter in the rain forests, this is because both countries follow the same chimpanzee trekking rules and guidelines, however there are differences between chimpanzees in Rwanda and Chimpanzees in Uganda that we mention below.

Cost of Chimpanzee Permit

One of the major differences between trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is the difference in the cost of a chimpanzee permit. The cost of a chimpanzee permit in Rwanda for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park is at 90$ per person, however in Uganda, tourists can do chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park at a cost of 200$ per person and they can also do chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge found in Queen Elizabeth National Park at a cost of 50$ per person.

Number of Chimpanzee Primates

The number of Chimpanzee primates in Uganda is greatly higher than chimpanzees that live in the rainforests of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, with a considerable great population of chimpanzee primates which are estimated to be about 500 chimpanzees. In Uganda which has been dubbed a primate’s capital however, there is an estimated total population of about 1500 chimpanzees. This makes it easier for tourists to see a great number of chimpanzees in a group on their trekking experience.

Ease to Trek

With Uganda having a great number of chimpanzee primates in its different chimpanzee habitats that feature the most popular Kibale National Park, it is so much easier to trek chimpanzees in Uganda especially in Kibale National Park than trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda in Nyungwe forests. there are chances that you would miss out on seeing chimpanzees on a chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe National Park, chimpanzees in Rwanda are usually spotted in trees however in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, most chances is that you will absolutely encounter with a number of them walking through the forests.

Distance to the Parks that inhabit Chimpanzees

Another comparison between trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs trekking chimpanzees in Uganda, is the difference in the distance to the parks that inhabit chimpanzees in these two different countries, it is easier to get to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda than getting to Uganda’s National Parks that inhabit the chimpanzees. Rwanda’s roads are good, clean and well maintained, and it usually takes roughly 5 to 6 hours to drive on road from Kigali to Nyungwe National Park however in Uganda the roads are not so good and the parks are tucked far away in the south western region, it usually takes 9 to 10 hours driving on road to get there.

In Rwanda for tourists who don’t prefer driving for long distances, there is an option of using a helicopter flight to Nyungwe National Park from Kigali operated by Akagera aviation, or you can use the domestic flights operated by Rwandair that lands at Kamembe airport and the flights usually take only 45 minutes. In Uganda on the other hand, there are no direct helicopter flights to Kibale National Park, but it is possible to use helicopter flights to Queen Elizabeth National Park that lands in Mweya/Kasese in order to do Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park, this usually takes roughly 2 to 3 hours, but if you are interested in Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, you can then use ground transfer from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale National Park.

Chimpanzee Habituation

Apart from chimpanzee trekking, there is a magical and more rewarding chimpanzee habituation experience, the experience is closely related to chimp trekking however, with habituation visitors tend to spend more time with chimpanzees that are being habituated usually a full day or half day, while for chimpanzee trekking you are only allowed one hour with already habituated chimpanzees after finding them in the forests. The difference between trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda Vs trekking chimpanzees in Uganda is that, it is possible to do Chimpanzee habituation in Uganda after your chimpanzee trekking experience, this is not possible in Rwanda since the chimpanzee habituation experience is not yet introduced in Rwanda. In Uganda Chimpanzee habituation can only be done in Kibale National Park and the experience costs 250$ per person to spend a full day with the chimpanzees.

With the above comparisons, you can now choose the best destination for your chimpanzee trekking, and also it is possible to combine your chimpanzee trekking activity with Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park or Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park, Wildlife viewing in our different savannah parks such as Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park or Murchison falls National Park in Uganda and also cultural, hiking and other primates adventures across the two countries.

Kindly get in touch with us and let us arrange your remarkable gorillas, Chimpanzees and wildlife safari in Rwanda and Uganda for unforgettable adventure moments.