Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trekking

A trek to see a group of chimpanzees in the jungles of Kyambura Gorge is remarkably one of the most rewarding experiences that visitors on a Uganda safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park shouldn’t miss. These unique primates thrive mainly in the dense and old forested gorge, which also stretches through the African savanna.

Kyambura Gorge is also popularly known as the Valley of Apes. A trip to Kyambura Gorge rewards visitors beyond chimpanzees as the reserve also features distinct vegetation, birds, monkeys, and many more. Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge is entirely about discovering the general behaviour of these unique creatures as they play, swing, interact with one another, and many more features that will display for you to catch a glimpse. The usual trek lasts 1 to 3 hours and begins at 8:00 am and 2:00 pm.

Chimpanzees share about 98.7% of their DNA with humans, making them our closest wild cousins. They communicate through vocalizations, body gestures, and facial expressions, just as humans do. Kyambura Gorge is one of the most incredible sites in Uganda, offering visitors the chance to spot chimpanzees in their natural habitat.

This reserve is famous for being home to 25 habituated chimpanzees, which visitors can track on Uganda safaris. Also known as Kyambura Game Reserve, Kyambura Gorge is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is renowned for its stunning biodiversity, including both savanna and forest species.

Kyambura Reserve was established as a buffer zone to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The dry spell usually left the largest part of the protected area parched, though this stunning gorge is an oasis of wildlife worth exploring.

The water flows from rocks and maintains the gorge green throughout. This reserve is situated in the northeastern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, about 30 kilometres away from the park headquarters. It extends up to 16 kilometres south of Lake George and connects to the Kazinga channel, which forms the northern boundary of the reserve.

The gorge lies at an elevation of 1100 meters above sea level and covers an area of around 156 square kilometers.  Its visitor centre is situated at the popular Fig tree camp just at the edge of the Kyambura gorge approximately 2.5 kilometres east of the main route via the turn off which is clearly marked, some 9 kilometres south of the bridge and this route isn’t in better conditions but hiring one of our best 4×4 cars you will certainly have a chance to realize your dreams.

The gorge itself offers the most remarkable views in Uganda, with an amazing viewpoint platform where you can take outstanding photos of the gorge, the surrounding savanna, and the dense tropical forest.

Besides chimpanzees, visitors can also spot 12 other primates, including vervet monkeys, giant forest hogs, black-and-white colobus monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, and many other mammal species. This remarkable game reserve isn’t only for primate watching, but also a birder’s paradise, and the notable avian species for you to spot include the African finfoot, blue-headed bee-eater, and several falcons, as well as butterflies.

Other birds to spot in this reserve include the flamingos, especially at the 3 salty crater lakes. Its green riverine forest features birds such as the martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, shoebill, bar-tailed godwit, African skimmer, lesser and greater flamingo, Chapin’s flycatcher, white-winged warbler, Verreaux’s eagle owl, papyrus canary, papyrus gonolek, corncrake, pink-backed pelican, and many more.

Chimpanzee trekking is the leading adventure in Kyambura Gorge, and trekking permits cost $200 per visitor. You can book one through the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and you will have a chance to stir your imagination with these dramatic creatures. Like mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking also gives visitors only an hour of face-to-face encounter with these primates. The trek is breathtaking, and visitors need to be physically fit, as it entirely involves hiking up and down the slopes of Kyambura Gorge. Interested visitors for this lifetime experience must be 15 years or older.

Kyambura Gorge is reachable by road from Kampala city centre via Mbarara, about 420 kilometres away. Through Fort Portal, it is 410 kilometres. Car rental in Uganda is cheap and easier from US$60 per day (self-drive). Alternatively, you can hire a car with a driver in Kampala from as low as US$90 per day, without fuel.

You can also take chartered flights from Entebbe International Airport, where you will land at one of the airstrips in southwestern Uganda, at Mweya or Kasese. The flight can take you no more than an hour, compared to the 6-8 hour drive from Kampala.

From Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kyambura Gorge is a 5-hour drive and a 3-hour drive from Kibale National Park.

For night stays, the key accommodation facilities include;

In conclusion, Kyambura Gorge is more than chimpanzee trekking. Visitors have a wide range of attractions and activities to enjoy, making their stays on safari in Uganda very memorable. You can incorporate your Kyambura gorge safaris with other exciting tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park.