Morning chimpanzee tracking Vs Afternoon Chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park is one of the prime activities that attracts many travelers to Uganda. In the league of popular gorilla trekking experiences in Bwindi impenetrable national park, many people often in the same spirit of encountering primates in their natural habitat; are inspired to try out the chimpanzee tracking experience in the Kibale forest.

Unlike gorilla trekking which is generally a full-day activity, chimpanzee tracking is a half-day nature walk activity available in mainly two major slots. The morning chimpanzee tracking activity and the afternoon chimpanzee tracking activity.

There are quite many reasons to consider when choosing your chimpanzee tracking slot. Among these include but not limited to your day itinerary. If you intend to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the afternoon, then there is no logical reason you would opt for the afternoon chimpanzee tracking. If you intend to spend most of your afternoon merely relaxing at your lodge, again there is no logical reason you would opt for an afternoon tracking experience.

To do a thorough guide on what to consider when choosing your chimpanzee tracking slot, we ought also to do a thorough comparison between morning chimpanzee tracking and Afternoon chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park.

Morning Chimpanzee Tracking

The Chimpanzee trekking permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority often stipulate that the trekking starts around 8:00 am however out of the experience and continuous communication with the Kibale Forest National Park wardens, the trek sometimes starts as early as 6:30 am. Chimpanzees are not early risers, they often leave their nests between 7 am and 8 am. This implies that if you can set out early enough, you are likely to find these chimpanzees in large groups just leaving their nests.

Whenever chimpanzee tracking starts as late as 8:00 am, chances are very high that you will walk quite a long distance to find the chimpanzees given the fact that they will be on the move looking for what to eat. To avoid this quite unbearable long walk, the guides often do their best to ensure that by the time you reach the chimpanzee nests, the chimpanzees are still in the area.

Besides rising early, morning chimpanzee tracking is less tiresome. Sometimes by sunrise, you will have already found the chimpanzees. To many people, morning tracking is preferable because it allows you to either relax in the afternoon or transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park on the same day.

 Afternoon Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest

Afternoon chimpanzee tracking starts at 2:00 pm. During this time, chimpanzees are fond of relaxing. However, later in the afternoon, they set out to start moving in search of more food before returning to their nests.

Some people opt for afternoon chimpanzee tracking in the hope that they can do a separate activity in the morning, have their lunch, and then set out to go chimpanzee tracking. In other instances, some people do not want to wake up early in the morning. They rather sleep up until 10:00 am and do the chimpanzee tracking later in the afternoon.

Regardless of the trekking time you choose, it is important to note that you will still track through the same trails, and you will most likely see the same chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking is only possible among chimpanzees that have undergone habituation. The none habituated chimpanzees will always flee whenever they sense a human being in their environment.

It is also important to note that both morning and afternoon chimpanzee permits are the same price. They go for $250 for foreign non-residents, $200 for foreign residents, and Ugx 200,000 East Africans. Uganda Wildlife Authority also introduced special tariffs for  Africans outside the East African community.