Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge: The Kyambura Gorge, also known as the Valley of the Apes, is an underground tropical forest situated in the far eastern corner of the famous Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda’s southwestern region. This gorge is around 30 kilometers from the park headquarters and 420 kilometers from Kampala. It is 1km long and 100 meters deep and connects to the Kazinga waterway via a marsh that forms the reserve’s northern boundary.
The Kyambura gorge gets its name from a legend in which the river once flooded and swept up local people with their property. When the waters receded, people followed the river in pursuit of their friends but were unsuccessful. So they returned lamenting that Kyambura meaning “I couldn’t find it” in the native language, thus naming the place Kyambura. This picturesque valley was formed by the turbulent waters of the Kyambura River. The gorge contains a rain forest and a river that serves as a home for some of the park’s species.
The only area in Queen Elizabeth National Park where habituated chimps can be found is in Kyambura Gorge. It also houses primates such as red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, and vervet monkeys. Birds such as the African pigmy kingfisher, Blue headed kingfisher, falcons, black and white conquering hornbill, and many others can be spotted.
According to biologists, there are only 80 chimps left in the gorge. The chimps in this region have been habituated for about two years, so they are comfortable with humans and can go about their everyday lives in their presence.
Chimpanzee tracking permits can be purchased through your tour company or they can be purchased directly at the park headquarters or the (VIC) Visitor Information Center in Mweya.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge is not tough, but it does include trudging up and down hills seeking for chimps, which can be easily found owing to their loud yells and hooting that can be heard from a distance. If no voices are heard, you may follow their foot prints. When the Chimps are spotted, they can be observed playing, engaging with each other, mating. These chimps here frequently climb down the trees when they detect people, allowing you the opportunity to snap fantastic shots of them up close.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge is divided into two sessions: morning and afternoon. There are only 8 permits available per session, for a total of 16 permits per day. If you include this hiking adventure in your itinerary, you will be assigned a guide who will accompany you to the gorge following the briefing. The entire exercise lasts approximately 2-3 hours.
The odds of seeing chimps in Kyambura gorge are lower than in Kibale Forest National Park because the chimps occasionally wander too far down the gorge hunting for food, making it difficult to get them. On making contact, the experience is unforgettable. Only persons above the age of 12 are permitted to track chimps because they must be old enough to withstand the physical and emotional aspects of the exercise.
Trekkers can also view hippopotamus, elephants bathing in the valley, and other forest animals and primates along the river, in addition to the chimps.
Aside from Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge, other activities include nature walks and birding. The gorge may be explored on foot, providing you the opportunity to engage with wildlife and nature. Don’t miss out on this wonderful wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Park.
Chimpanzee trekking regulations:
The rules and guidelines are the same as in other Ugandan chimp tracking areas:
You must follow these basic chimp trekking regulations throughout the forest pathways for your own safety and the preservation of the chimps.
- Because chimps share 98% of their DNA genes with humans, they can catch your sickness. When you are sick, you must not visit the forest to track them.
- People interested in chimp tracking must be at least 12 years old.
- Leave no litter in the forest. In other words, whatever you take there should be carried back with you.
- If you need to urinate or defecate, do so off the route and bury your waste in a 30-centimeter-deep hole with any toilet paper.
Keep as quiet as possible if you want to see more and enjoy everything the woodland has to offer.
- Keep at least 8 meters (25 feet) away from the chimp at all times. • Do not copy the chimp’s vocalization; you may not do it correctly and will not get valuable experience.
- Do not eat near the chimps. • Never chase the chimps; you may get terrible outcomes because they are wild even while acclimated.
- Avoid using flush photography because it may frighten the chimp away.
- Pay attention to everything your guide says; you’ll have a great time in the forest jungle.
Other things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
DRIVES IN GAME
The picturesque game drives that allow you to see even the most elusive of the park’s animals are the main pleasure of a visit. The exhilarating drives, which are best done in the morning, include up close sight of the park’s wildlife from the luxury of a car. Your driver guide is familiar with the various trucks in the park and will take you in search of various species.
During the game drives, you might see an elephant, the world’s largest land mammal, feeding with its trunk, a lion preying on an antelope, or a hyena eagerly waiting to consume the lion’s carcass.
leftovers from a long way away Throughout the day, several animal groups such as buffalo herds and Uganda kobs traverse the game area. Warthogs, leopards, and the huge forest hog are among the other animals you may encounter on your game drive.
Birding
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a popular birding destination in Uganda. The park is a home for over 600 bird species, so avid bird watchers will have a field day. Sedge warblers, Papyrus canary, martial eagle, pink-backed pelican, yellow-throated cuckoo, and Verreaux’s Eagle Owl are just a few of the birds that will grace your photographic memories as they occupy the park’s vast grasslands, woods, and wetlands. Don’t miss the flamingos at Katwe and Bunyampaba salt lakes.
A boat trip
The boat trip/launch cruise on the Kazinga Canal, a long natural water channel connecting Lake Edward to Lake George, is an exciting event for park visitors.
During the trip, passengers can take in the different sights and sounds that the park’s abundant aquatic life has to offer. Aside from the big hippopotamuses swimming in the waterways, the fearsome Nile crocodiles sunbathing peacefully on the channel banks for a taste of the warm sun are some of the once-in-a-lifetime encounters you will have on the tour. The Pied Kingfishers attempting to catch a meal are not to be missed.
ISHASHA’S TREE CLIMBING LIONS
It’s not every day that you see a lion climbing a tree; in fact, climbing one was thought to be a safe option if you ever found yourself being followed by one. Not while in the Ishasha section, which is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lions perched on acacia and fig trees are a magical sight to behold here.
Whether it is for a better view of their surroundings, including potential prey such as the Uganda Kob that grazes nearby, for a cool breeze in the trees, or to avoid the notorious bites from the tsetse flies on the ground below, the reason for the lions choosing residence up the trees remains a mystery. The Ishasha sector, where these lions can be found, is accessible while traveling to or from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on the way to or from gorilla trekking in the forest. Aside from the magnificent tree climbing king of the jungle, the sector is also home to herds of buffalo, vast numbers of elephants, warthogs, and antelopes, all of which make for a fantastic trip to the game park.
