Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo: The forest is situated inside the borders of the Murchison Falls National Park in northwest Uganda. It takes four to five hours to get there by car, and it takes one hour to get there by domestic flight from Entebbe Airport. Once there, visitors can land at Pakuba Airstrip or Chobe, which are both inside the park. With a total area of over 826 square kilometers, Budongo Forest is one of Uganda’s oldest and largest natural forests. Three popular tourist destinations—Busingiro, Kaniyo Pabidi, and Sonso section—are separated by the forest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budongo_Forest
Beyond the unique mahogany trees, it supports more than 464 different varieties of trees, 24 different animal species, 300 different kinds of butterflies, and more than 9 primates. Thus, trekking chimpanzees is a highly popular activity in this area, where the forest is home to around 800 habituated animals. On your trekking day, you may also spot blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, and other primates. Being a part of the largest national park in Uganda, Murchison Falls, Budongo offers hiking opportunities to see a variety of huge species, including buffaloes, lions, leopards, warthogs, and many more.
In addition, the Budongo Forest is a popular spot for birdwatching, home to over 380 different species of birds, including the Brown Twin Spot, Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Blue-throated Roller, Piping Hornbill, White-thighed Hornbill, Spotted Greenbul, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Dwarf Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Yellow-mantled weaver, and Little Green Sunbird, to name a few.
Facts about Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo Forest
• You must be in good health and free of illnesses like the flu or tuberculosis in order to trek chimpanzees.
• Female chimpanzees can typically leave the group as soon as they reach adolescence, in contrast to males who can live up to 60 years in captivity.
• Chimpanzees are a unique species that are thought to have 99% of human DNA. They are highly intelligent primates who consume a wide variety of foods, including fruits and plants. They also eat meat whenever they have the chance.
• Just like humans, chimpanzees are easily able to adapt to new environments and acquire the use of new tools.
• To track chimpanzees, a person must be at least 15 years old.
• While adult female chimps may weigh 50 kg, adult males can weigh up to 70 kg.
• Tourists are given only one hour with the chimpanzees.
How Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo is done?
The adventure of trekking chimpanzees in Budongo Forest begins early in the morning with a hearty breakfast at Budongo Eco Lodge or any other park lodging. Visitors then receive a briefing on the rules they need to abide by. Subsequently, they are divided into eight-person groups and escorted by the UWA guide, who provides accurate information on the forest, wildlife, and activities. Depending on where the chimpanzee family was last spotted, the trekking search can take anything from 30 minutes to 6 hours. Tourists get one hour to engage with them, snap photos, and record videos of them for memory.
How much is a Permit for Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo?
However, Uganda Wildlife Authority offices handle every permit necessary for people to participate in the activity. Trekking with the Budongo chimpanzees costs USD 130 per person for foreign non-residents, USD 120 per person for foreign residents, and USD 85 per person for citizens of East Africa. It is advisable that you make reservations in advance, particularly during the dry seasons of June through September as well as December and February.
Be aware:
Without a valid permit, no one is allowed to see this family of habituated chimpanzees.
Accommodation facilities available for Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo
Since Budongo Forest is located within the borders of Murchison Falls National Park, which is awe-inspiring with an abundance of ideal lodging options that you can reserve and enjoy a comfortable stay amidst the jungle, you do not need to worry about where to stay while on safari in Budongo Forest.
Budongo Eco Lodge
Budongo Eco Lodge is an affordable lodge with beautiful dormitory rooms and comfortable private cottages with balconies. A well-stocked restaurant serving both international and local fare is available at the lodge.
Other lodges include; Parkside safari lodge, Red chill safari lodge, Sambiya River lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge, Nile Safari lodge, Murchison Safari Lodge among others.