The Minimum Age for Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda and Uganda

Chimpanzee Trekking is one of the most sought after wildlife activities after the mountain gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda. Just like gorillas, Chimpanzees have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are not so many of them left in the wild and hence the need to double efforts for their conservation. Chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than even gorillas and that is why they are popular with tourists. They live in communities led by one or several dominant individuals. Chimps are very intelligent primates with the ability to use various tools and even show emotion.

Chimpanzee Trekking can be done at Kibale forest national park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Kalinzu forest close to Kibale and the Budongo forest at the Murchison falls national park. Chimps can also be sighted in Semuliki National Park, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Entebbe Wildlife Education Center. In Rwanda, Chimpanzees can be seen in Nyungwe National Park and Gishwati-Mukura National Park. You can also find out more about chimpanzee trekking in Tanzania.

Whereas Nyungwe National Park is the Number one destination for Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda, Kibale forest national park is the best destination for chimpanzee trekking in the world. Kibale has a total population of about 1500 individual chimps. Kibale national park is so vast that it spreads to the districts of Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kabarole and Kyegegwa. The Kibale forest national park is also home to several other wildlife like reptiles, mammals, a variety of birds and 12 other types of monkeys. To get to the Kibale forest national park, a traveler can choose to go by road or by air. It takes about 4 to 5 hours to drive to the park from either Kampala or Entebbe. The interesting thing about the road drive is that you will have the opportunity to view the beautiful landscape along the way. Traveling by air is also possible as there are daily domestic flights offered by companies such as Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation. With these one can decide to take on either a chattered or a scheduled flight to Kasese airstrip and then connect to the Kibale national park by road which is just about a 2-hour drive.

Age Limit for Chimpanzee Trekking – Permits

Parents traveling with children on safari often wonder if their children can track primates like chimpanzee. For one to see chimps, he or she is required to have obtained a permit ahead of the actual day of the trek since the permits are usually on very high demand. Both Chimpanzee Trekking and Habituation permits are not very costly like that of gorilla trekking. The permits are sold by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority or the Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda. A chimpanzee Permit costs 100 US Dollars in Nyungwe National Park of Rwanda but one has to also part with 100 US Dollars as park entrance fees. In Kibale, Chimpanzee Permits go for 200 US dollars and the Chimpanzee Habituation Permit costs $250. Foreign residents pay $150 for Chimpanzee permits in Kibale while East African residents pay 150,000 Uganda Shillings. These permit prices are inclusive of both entrance and guiding fees. The permit allows you to view and stay with the chimpanzees for one hour. The Chimpanzee Habituation Permits allows you to spend 4 hours with the Chimps as you observe the primates go about their daily lives. Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale forest national park is done in three sessions. The first starts early morning at 8am, the second session starts at midday and the last session starts at 2pm.

Chimpanzee Permits in Budongo forests cost $120. Permits in Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu forest cost $50 per person. These trekking sessions always start with pre-briefing at the park headquarters by the park Guides and game rangers who take you through the process of the trek, the rules and regulations to be followed during the trekking. This follows the grouping of trekkers into small groups each headed by a Guide. The trekking usually takes between 30 minutes to several hours of searching. The duration of the activity depends on the movement of the primates around the dense forests. When you finally locate them, you get the opportunity to spend some time with them while also observing how they play, eat, communicate and care for their young ones. Chimpanzee trekking is a lot more exciting than gorilla trekking. Why? Because there is a lot of drama in chimp communities. Chimps are very loud and you seem to feel that the dominant male doesn’t have full control like a Silverback gorilla.

Minimum Age for Chimpanzee Trekking

Can a child take part in the chimpanzee trekking? What is the age limit for Chimpanzee Trekking? Well, according to the Uganda wildlife authority regulations and policies, the minimum age for chimpanzee trekking is 12 years. This means that any child below the age of 12 is considered a minor and hence prohibited from taking part in the trekking activities. The minimum age for chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda is 15 years. The reason behind these age limits is that kids are very playful and can easily deviate from the chimpanzee trails and so could get lost in the forest. Kids are also not strict followers of rules and regulations. They can do something that could cause the primates to charge at them. The trekking activities are also very tedious and so kids could get tired very quickly even before locating a chimpanzee family. You can also read about the age limit for gorilla trekking.

Despite the fact that young children aren’t allowed to go chimpanzee trekking, the Kibale forest national park has got several other tailor-made activities to keep them engaged while their parents are out trekking. These activities include nature walks, birding, photography, lessons on forest surviving skills and visiting the neighboring indigenous communities to experience their culture and heritage.

In conclusion, chimpanzee trekking can be done by adults and children above 12 years of age in Uganda and 15 years in Rwanda. Travelers with trekking challenges do not need to worry as they can be assisted by porters who are found at the briefing points. these porters can also help trekkers to carry their backpack to help relieve them from the additional weight during the treks.