What to pack for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

What to pack for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

The Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda is a top destination in East Africa to encounter Chimpanzees. The same forest is also a place where Chimpanzee habituation experiences where visitors spend 4 hours in this incredible rainforest following the troop of chimpanzees in their natural habitat. This rainforest is home to about 30% of the Uganda Chimpanzee population, to nearly 1500 chimpanzees.

Chimpanzee permits

Before you embark on a trip to trek chimpanzees in Uganda you should ensure that you secure the permits in advance Our Africa adventure experts will help you book this from the Uganda wildlife authority or National forestry authority without you hustling and chimpanzee permits range from $50-400 American dollars per person depending on where you trek from.

Accommodation

There are several ranges of accommodation near the park but we recommend booking a mid-range lodge Luxury budget for this activity is extreme downgrading but we can tailor it to suit your budget. Our top picks are Kibale forest camp, Primate Lodge, and Papaya Lake Lodge.

Getting there

Kibale forest national park is located 6-7 hours from the capital Kampala on a scenic drive and those that may wish to fly can fly into Kasese airstrip and take the 2.5-hour drive to the lodge or the forest.

What to pack for the trek

Please note while you are packing for the chimpanzee trekking adventure we recommend packing nature blending colors try to avoid harsh colors like Red, extreme green, and yellow something army or khaki is fantastic.

• 1. A cap

Why: Protect your face while trekking through a dense forest cover.

• 2. Long-sleeved quick dry shirt

Why: There a stinking nettles and biting insects in the forest and also to avoid scratches from the branches.

• 3. Gloves

Why: helps protect your hands in case you slip or touch a stinging nettle tree.

• 4. Long quick dry pants

Why: It helps avoid injuries, insects, and stinking nettles while trekking through the forest.

• 5. Thick long stockings with Gaiters

Why: helps in keep your lower pants dry and also you tuck in your pants so that insects like safari aunts have no access to your body.

• 6. Hiking boots with good traction

Why: helps trek in the dense forest without skidding and sliding where the terrain is steep or slop

• 7. A waterproof bag pack

Why: helps to carry all your belongings for the trek and also helps in case of heavy rain.

• 8. Drinking water

Why: for drinking while and the trek and also cleaning yourself in case of any minor injuries.

• 9. Camera, binoculars and spear battery, and SD Card.

Why: Chimps can be way up in the trees sometimes and you will need binoculars to see them well and also a camera with good zoom to get good photos.

• 10. insect repellent just in case.

Why: it is not usually necessary but there are small tiny insects sometimes of the year in that case if they are there then you have the repellant with you.

• 11. A rain jacket

Why: Kibale forest being a lowland tropical rainforest can rain any time of the year so having the rain jacket helps in case it starts raining.

• 12. Cash

Why: After the trek, there is usually a small appreciation for the ranger guides and this is done in cash it can be international currency or local currency.