Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimpanzees share around ninety-eight per cent of our DNA, and an hour in their company makes the kinship impossible to ignore. Uganda's Kibale Forest holds one of the highest concentrations of primates in Africa and is the continent's premier destination for tracking them, while the Kalinzu Forest and the dramatic Kyambura Gorge offer quieter, equally rewarding alternatives. Treks begin with a briefing before guides lead small groups in to find a community already accustomed to careful human visitors.

Unlike the measured stillness of a gorilla encounter, time with chimpanzees is fast and noisy. They move quickly through the canopy and across the forest floor, calling, grooming, cracking nuts and squabbling over fruit. You may find yourself half-jogging to keep pace, then suddenly surrounded as a group settles to feed overhead. Guides read the forest expertly, interpreting the pant-hoots and buttress-root drumming that signal where the troop is heading.

Beyond the chimps, these forests teem with life. Red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabeys, black-and-white colobus and a riot of birds and butterflies share the same canopy, making the walk rewarding from the first step. For those who want more, habituation experiences allow a full day with researchers as a community grows used to human presence.

The trekking is generally easier underfoot than gorilla tracking, though humidity and the chimps' brisk pace still ask something of you. It pairs naturally with a wider safari, as the best chimpanzee forests sit within easy reach of Uganda's classic savannah parks.