Chimpanzee Habituation in Uganda

During Chimpanzee habituation tourists get to spend more time with the primates as they are given about 6 hours to spend with the primates and some get to spend the whole day with the chimps. Uganda is known to be a good place to enjoy chimp habituation and tracking at the same time. As you compare chimp trekking and habituation, the first thing that you should put into consideration is the amount of time spent with the chimpanzees.

Chimp trekking normally involves trekking around the National Park until you get to see the chimpanzees and this can take 2 to 3 hours. Each group gets to spend at least an hour with the chimps after trekking. However, during chimpanzee habituation, tourists get to spend at least 6 hours and sometimes the whole day with the chimpanzees. While chimpanzee trekking permits cost $150, chimpanzee habituation permits cost $150.

Chimpanzee trekking is on the rise and is a favourite for tourists. Carried out in different destinations that as the Kibale National park, Budongo, and Queen Elizabeth National Park, tracking chimpanzees is one activity that you will want to try out while in Uganda. A chimpanzee trekking permit goes for $150 and during the low season, it can go as low as $100 per person per day. While trekking, you get to spend an hour with the primates observing them as they play, swing from one tree to the next, and go about their daily activities.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried out in the Bwindi Impenetrable national park and the Mgahinga National Park. Gorilla trekking has its own rules and regulations that you must follow like keeping a distance from the primates, not feeding them, and not using cameras with flashlights just to mention but a few. You also get to spend an hour with the gorillas and this is done with the help of the tour guides. A gorilla permit is on the high end as compared to the chimpanzee trek permit going for $1500 per person per day.

Chimpanzees are believed to have the closest DNA to humans with 98%. They are known to be extremely playful and keep on moving from one place to the next but note that they can as well become aggressive once they are provoked. Adult chimpanzees weigh differently depending on the sex that is an average adult female chimpanzee can weigh between 30 to 50kgs at a height of 2 to 4 feet whereas a male adult chimpanzee weighs between 35 to 75 kgs at a height of 3 meters.

Chimpanzees relatively stay in groups of 10 to 100 with one dominant male as the leader. With their high intelligence, they can easily take care of each other like humans, hold hands, search for food, and care for the young ones. When a baby chimpanzee turns 4 years, they tend to become independent and start looking for their food.

A chimpanzee living in the wild can live up to 40 years and those that are kept in zoos can live up to 60 years. Chimpanzees are very sociable, can easily and effectively communicate with each other, search for food, and build their nests and these skills are passed down from one chimpanzee to the next. Chimpanzees are known to spend most of their time on the ground but when it comes to feeding and sleeping, this is done way up in the trees.