Uganda and Rwanda
Chimpanzee and Primate Safaris in Uganda and Rwanda
One hour with wild chimpanzees in Uganda or Rwanda, or up to four hours in Kibale.
Chimpanzees in Kibale, Kyambura and Nyungwe, and the monkeys around them
We plan private chimpanzee safaris in Uganda and Rwanda. Kibale Forest in western Uganda holds 13 primate species and, by the Uganda Wildlife Authority's estimate, about 1,450 chimpanzees: the country's largest population, in the authority's words.
A chimpanzee trek is a walk through the forest with a guide until you find a group of chimpanzees that is used to people. Then you have one hour with them. On the habituation experience in Kibale you go out at dawn with the researchers and stay for up to four hours.
In Uganda children can track chimpanzees from age 12, three years younger than the gorilla minimum of 15, so it is often the one primate trek a whole family can share. In Nyungwe, Rwanda, the minimum is 15. Pair it with gorillas in Bwindi or Volcanoes on the same trip, for anyone 15 or over.
How a chimpanzee trek works in Kibale
Your hour starts once the guide finds the chimpanzees, and the guide keeps the time.
In Kibale the walks leave the Kanyanchu visitor centre, and the Uganda Wildlife Authority describes them as lasting two to five hours in all. It puts the chance of finding the chimpanzees at over 90 per cent.
Most of the Uganda Wildlife Authority's rules protect the chimpanzees from human illness. Keep at least 10 metres away, no flash, no eating, drinking or smoking near them, and do not go into the forest if you are ill.
Where to track chimpanzees in Uganda and Rwanda
The three main places to track chimpanzees, side by side. Permits for Kibale and Kyambura Gorge come from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and for Nyungwe from the Rwanda Development Board.
| Kibale, Uganda | Kyambura Gorge, Uganda | Nyungwe, Rwanda | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permit, per person | USD 250, or USD 200 in November 2026, park entry included; USD 300 from 1 January 2027 | USD 100 plus USD 40 park entry; USD 200 from 1 January 2027 | Set by the Rwanda Development Board; we confirm the current price when you enquire |
| Minimum age | 12 | 12 | 15 |
| Start time | 8:00 or 14:00 | 8:00 or 14:00 | Report at about 5:00 |
| Time with the chimpanzees | One hour, or up to four on the habituation experience | One hour | One hour |
| Other primates | 13 primate species in all, including red colobus and L'Hoest's monkey | Black-and-white colobus, vervet monkeys and olive baboons live in the wider park | 13 primate species in all, including L'Hoest's monkey and colobus supergroups |
| The setting | Forest at Kanyanchu, 35 km south-east of Fort Portal | A forested gorge 100 metres deep, running to the Kazinga Channel | Montane rainforest in south-west Rwanda |
Up to four hours with chimpanzees in Kibale: the habituation experience
You go out with the researchers and field teams who are getting a group of wild chimpanzees used to people.
That is how the Uganda Wildlife Authority describes it: visitors accompany the researchers into the forest and take part in the work of habituating the chimpanzees. It starts at 6:30 and allows up to four hours with the chimpanzees, against one on the standard trek.
It runs in Kibale only, costs USD 300 per person in 2026 and USD 400 from 1 January 2027, and has the same minimum age of 12. If you want it, say so in your first message.
One hour with the chimpanzees, or up to four hours in Kibale. Decide before we book your permits.
Bigodi wetland walk, 5 km from the Kibale chimpanzee trek
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary lies just outside the park, 5 km south of Kanyanchu, and the village community runs it. A boardwalk crosses the papyrus swamp, which holds eight primate species and more than 200 bird species.
It makes the other half of a Kibale day: chimpanzees in the morning, Bigodi in the afternoon, and the village runs it, not the park.
Other primates to see in Uganda and Rwanda
Chimpanzees are the main reason to come. These are the other primates in the same forests, and where to see each one.
- Kibale's 13 primate species, including red colobus, black-and-white colobus and L'Hoest's monkey.
- The Uganda mangabey, which the Uganda Wildlife Authority calls Uganda's only endemic monkey, in Kibale.
- Nyungwe's 13 primate species, including L'Hoest's monkey, and colobus supergroups that the Rwanda Development Board describes as more than 400 strong.
- Kyambura Gorge, a forested chasm 100 metres deep in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you descend to track chimpanzees, with black-and-white colobus, vervet monkeys and olive baboons in the wider park.
- Gishwati-Mukura in Rwanda, home to a group of 20 chimpanzees alongside golden, L'Hoest's and blue monkeys.
- Semuliki's Mugiri River Forest, Uganda, where four to six hour walks can find habituated chimpanzees, most often in the rains when the figs are fruiting.
Golden monkeys in Mgahinga, Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
The golden monkey lives in the bamboo on the Virunga volcanoes, on both sides of the border, and you can track it in each country.
In Uganda, from the Ntebeko visitor centre in Mgahinga, on the slopes of Mount Gahinga. Tracking costs USD 60 per person plus park entry, with an hour in the monkeys' company; a golden monkey habituation experience, with the researchers, costs USD 100.
In Rwanda, in Volcanoes National Park, from Kinigi, where you report at 7:00. It costs USD 100 per person, the minimum age in Rwanda is 12, and no more than 16 visitors go to each monkey group.
Mgahinga and Volcanoes are both gorilla parks, so it fits on the same trip as a gorilla trek.
Uganda safaris through Kibale
Typically 10 to 14 daysUgandaBest of Ugandafrom USD 3,950per personSee the itinerary
Typically 8 to 12 daysUgandaUganda Family Safarifrom USD 3,600per personSee the itineraryLonger, shorter, a different month, two countries in one run. Say what you have in mind and a first route and a real price come back within one working day.
Start with a dateQuestions about chimpanzee tracking in Uganda and Rwanda
How much does chimpanzee tracking cost?
In Kibale, USD 250 per person, or USD 200 in November 2026, rising to USD 300 on 1 January 2027. The permit includes the guide, park entry for the day and a nature walk. At Kyambura Gorge the permit is USD 100 plus USD 40 park entry, and the Kyambura permit rises to USD 200 from 1 January 2027. The habituation experience in Kibale is USD 300, rising to USD 400 in 2027. In Nyungwe, Rwanda, the Rwanda Development Board sets the price, and we confirm it when you enquire.
What is the minimum age for chimpanzee tracking?
12 in Uganda, for the standard trek and the habituation experience alike, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. In Nyungwe, Rwanda, it is 15.
How long do you spend with the chimpanzees?
One hour on the standard trek, counted from when the guide finds them. The habituation experience in Kibale allows up to four hours.
Is a chimpanzee sighting guaranteed?
No one can guarantee wild animals. The Uganda Wildlife Authority puts the chance of finding them in Kibale at over 90 per cent, and the Rwanda Development Board says plainly that a sighting in Nyungwe is not guaranteed.
What time does chimpanzee tracking start?
In Uganda, standard chimpanzee tracking starts at 8:00 or at 14:00. The habituation experience in Kibale starts at 6:30. In Nyungwe you report at about 5:00.
Should I track chimpanzees in Kibale, Uganda, or Nyungwe, Rwanda?
Kibale for a minimum age of 12 rather than 15, the habituation experience, and what the Uganda Wildlife Authority calls Uganda's largest chimpanzee population. Nyungwe if you are already in Rwanda for the gorillas, and for its colobus supergroups. You can also do both, one in each country.
Can I see chimpanzees and gorillas on one trip?
Yes. Our Best of Uganda safari includes a Kibale chimpanzee permit and a Bwindi gorilla permit. Gorilla trekking has its own minimum age of 15.
What are the rules with the chimpanzees?
The Uganda Wildlife Authority asks you to keep at least 10 metres away, not to use a flash, not to eat, drink or smoke near them, and not to enter the forest if you are ill.
Send your dates. We check the permits first.
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