Booking and purchasing the chimpanzee habituation permit in Uganda : The initial step is knowing the dates you wish to participate in the habituation process and this has to be communicated to the tour operator in advance. Since the number is limited to just 4 people, you also have to explain the quantity of people you are buying. After sending the inquiry with the dates and the permits to be purchased, the tour consultant will check for the availability of the permits and if the response is negative, you will be asked to change to available dates. Once the permits have been confirmed to be accessible, we kindly ask you to pay the permits immediately once and notify your bank to cover the withdrawal charges so that the transferred money is not less. We will proceed and make the purchase on your behalf when we verify that the funds have been received; a scanned copy will be given for record needs and as confirmation of purchase.
When to book the chimpanzee habituation permit.
Chimpanzee habituation is an all-year-round activity open to tourists in Kibale National Park, and the best time to book the permit is 3 to 6 months before the trek date and this is because there are few permits printed per day.
The dry season (June to September and December to February) receives less rainfall and since during the exercise you are going to be after the chimpanzees as they go about their daily activities, it is better to do the habituation exercise when there is less humidity in the forest and the trails easy to use when they are not slippery and wet. The dry season is also a good time to go for habituation exercises because chimpanzees can easily pick their food like leaves, fruits, and soft stems, among others.
The rainy season (March to May and October to November) is also an excellent time to go for habituation because you have fewer chances of being disturbed during the habituation process as there are few tourists in the national park during this period. You also have the best time to explore the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, take photos and record videos since there are few people in the park.
The cost of the chimpanzee habituation safari
The cost of the chimpanzee habituation safari in Uganda is affected by several factors, including the cost of the permit, which is $300 per person, the number of days spent on the safari, other activities added to the safari, the number of people in a group and the type of safari package chosen.
The safari package: There are three safari packages offered in Kibale and these are luxury, mid-range and budget packages. The higher the safari package chosen, the better the services offered and more money spent and the lesser the package, the fewer services offered in the quotation.
The number of days: Spending extra days on your chimpanzee habituation safari will allow you to afford more daily expenses including transportation and lodging. Spending more days in Kibale National Park can help you to spend more; vice versa.
The number of people: The chimpanzee habituation safari is more affordable when you travel in groups because you get to share the costs of some services, including transport and accommodation. When you have a solo safari, it becomes costly as all the services are paid for by one person.
The season of travel: There are two seasons of travel, and these are the dry season, which is also known as the peak season, and the rainy season, which is also known as the low season. Large numbers of visitors during the dry season cause service providers to raise the cost of the given services, which makes traveling for the safari costly. The low season offers occasional discounts, especially on accommodation and other services.
When you visit Kibale for a chimpanzee habituation exercise, you can readily mix it with other safari activities including bird viewing, guided nature walks, game drives and boat trips. Less activities mean a cheap safari; the more activities you include into your trip, the more money you get to pay.
Chimpanzee habituation experience
On the day of the chimpanzee habituation experience, you will start off the day with breakfast early morning, and you need to get your lunch packed because you will need it since you do not know the time you are going to spend in the forest.
After packing your food, you will head out to meet your guide, who will then lead you into the forest. You will be taken to the place where the chimpanzees set up their nests the previous night and if you wake up early, you will find the chimpanzees getting up from their nests and going about their day-to-day activities. There are several activities that you get to see the chimpanzees participating in, and these include hunting for food, resting, grooming the young ones and patrolling, among others.
Two groups are formed when going for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale and each group has to undergo a morning briefing. The briefing is meant to inform the several people on the guidelines they should follow during the trail. Beginning the practice, each of the two parties receives a guide, researchers and armed rangers; they follow the chimpanzees using distinct paths.
The trekkers will be able to discover more about the chimpanzees, capture movies and pictures, and learn about their activities include hunting, relaxing, mating, feeding, nesting and grooming the young ones among others during the habituation process. Spending more time with someone will help you to see their own unique qualities.
