Rwanda Vs. Uganda : Where To Go For The Best Chimp Trekking Safari Experience? After their Mountain gorilla trekking Safari experience, most tourists choose to go chimpanzee trekking, which is another once-in-a-lifetime experience with primates. Both species are great primates that live in tropical rain forests and have similar trekking rules and regulations. Since most gorilla treks take place in Rwanda and Uganda, we are also comparing chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda to chimpanzee trekking in Uganda because most tourists prefer to combine their gorilla safari with a chimpanzee trekking Safari experience.
Chimpanzee Destinations: Rwanda vs. Uganda
However, chimpanzee trekking in Uganda can be done in three major chimpanzee destinations, including the most well-known and famous primate capital of Kibale Forest National Park, Kyambura George of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Budongo Forest National Park. Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda can only be done in two destinations, which are the most popular tropical rain forests of Nyungwe National Park and the new Gishwati Mukura National Park in the southern province of Uganda. In the Kalinzu Forest Reserve in Uganda, chimpanzee trekking is also possible.
Because both countries follow the same chimpanzee trekking rules and guidelines, trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda and Uganda both offer a similar experience of a magical chimpanzee encounter in the rain forests.
Cost of a chimpanzee permit: Rwanda vs. Uganda
The price of a chimpanzee permit varies significantly between chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, which is one of the main differences between the two. A chimpanzee permit costs 90 dollars per person in Rwanda for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park; in contrast, chimpanzee trekking costs 200 dollars per person in Kibale National Park in Uganda and 50 dollars per person in Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Rwanda.
Number of Chimpanzee Primates: Rwanda vs. Uganda
In comparison to the chimpanzees that reside in the Rwandan rainforests of Nyungwe National Park, the number of chimpanzees in Uganda is significantly higher, with an estimated 500 chimpanzees living there. Although Uganda has earned the moniker “a primate’s capital,” there are only an estimated 1500 chimpanzees living there in total. This makes it simpler for visitors to see numerous chimpanzees together while out on a hiking excursion.
Ease of Trek: Rwanda vs. Uganda
It is much simpler to trek chimpanzees in Uganda, especially in Kibale National Park, than it is to trek chimpanzees in Rwanda’s Nyungwe forests because Uganda has a large population of chimpanzee primates in its various chimpanzee habitats, which include the most well-known Kibale National Park. On a chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe National Park, there is a chance that you won’t see any chimpanzees; however, in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, there is a very good chance that you will definitely see a number of them walking through the forests. Chimpanzees in Rwanda are typically seen in trees.
Distance to the Parks that inhabit Chimpanzees: Rwanda vs. Uganda
Another comparison between trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda and Uganda is the distance between the parks where the chimpanzees live in the two different countries. It is simpler to reach Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda than it is to reach the chimpanzee-inhabited national parks in Uganda.
While it typically takes 5 to 6 hours to drive from Kigali to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda due to the country’s excellent, clean, and well-maintained roads, the journey takes 9 to 10 hours to complete in Uganda due to the country’s poor roads and the parks’ remote location in the south-western region.
In Rwanda, visitors who don’t like to drive long distances have the option of taking a helicopter flight operated by Akagera Aviation from Kigali to Nyungwe National Park, or they can take a domestic RwandAir flight that lands at Kamembe airport and typically takes only 45 minutes. However, it is possible to use helicopter flights to Queen Elizabeth National Park that land in Mweya or Kasese in order to go chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This typically takes 2 to 3 hours, but if you’re interested in chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, you can then use ground transportation from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale National Park. In contrast, there are no direct helicopter flights to Kibale National Park in Uganda.
Chimpanzee Habituation: Rwanda vs. Uganda
A magical and more rewarding alternative to chimpanzee trekking is chimpanzee habituation. The experience is very similar to chimpanzee trekking, but visitors tend to spend more time with chimpanzees that are being habituated during habituation, typically a full or half day, whereas during chimpanzee trekking you are only allowed one hour with already habituated chimpanzees after finding them in the forests. It is possible to do chimpanzee habituation in Uganda after your chimpanzee trekking experience, but this is not possible in Rwanda because the chimpanzee habituation experience has not yet been introduced there. This is the main difference between trekking with chimpanzees in Rwanda and Uganda. Only Kibale National Park in Uganda offers chimpanzee habituation, which costs $250 per person for a full day of interaction with the primates.
CONCLUSION: RWANDA CHIMPANZEE TREKKING VS UGANDA CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
With the help of the aforementioned comparisons, you can now select the ideal location for your chimpanzee trekking Safari Experience. Additionally, you can combine your chimpanzee trekking activity with gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park, or wildlife viewing in our various savannah parks, like Akagera National Park in Rwanda, Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, or Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. Please contact us at Focus East Africa Tours so that we may set up your incredible gorilla, chimpanzee, and wildlife safaris in Rwanda and Uganda for life-changing adventure experiences.
