Best time to trek chimpanzees in Kibale National Park : Trekking chimpanzees in Kibale National Park is one of the most exciting adventures in the park. And given that Kibale National Park has the highest number of chimpanzees in East Africa, you are sure you will find chimpanzees at this park on the day you trek.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park like mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi National park and Mgahinga National is done all year round, every day of the week so any time you wish to have the chimpanzee trek is good.
Then unlike mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park, where the trekking times are strictly morning, In Kibale National Park, chimpanzee trekking can be done in the morning and in the afternoon.
So what time the best time for a chimpanzee trek in Kibale National Park?
You could say any time you wish to have the chimpanzee trek. However we can breakdown for you what each time entail to help you choose the best time for you.
First we shall look at the times of trekking in a day.
Morning chimpanzee trekking
This trekking starts at 7am with a brief and then you enter the forest to see the chimps, spend an hour with them and then head out the forest.
The beauty with this timing is you start the trekking first and then finish it’s, the entire experience takes about 5 to 6 hours, so you have the rest of the day to yourself. But since its morning the forests have dew and if it rained the trails are soggy but otherwise everything else is as expected. This is the most preferred day time to trek.
Afternoon chimpanzee trekking
This trekking starts at 2 pm and goes on till 5pm like the morning one it starts with a brief and then you go into the forest to see the chimps and get out.
Usually after this afternoon trek, you heading back to your accommodation to retire for the day, nothing much changes about the trek, it’s just the time of the day that is different.
The beauty with the afternoon trek, after you just go to rest, also you can use the morning for other things and then trek after.
Considering time of the year
The year has two main weather seasons the dry season and the wet season and you can trek in either season
Dry season
In the dry season, there are no rains, so most trails are dry, the tree branches are not so full making the forest light and easy to walk through, also because there are no rains the chimpanzees are not hiding for shelter you can easily find them playing or nesting.
However the heat in this season is top notch, you are literally sweating on the trek in and out, you need to rehydrate often and also you are prone to more cuts from dry tree branches falling around and just hanging on a tree. That said this is the peak season of chimp trekking in Kibale National Park, so it’s more competitive and more crowed.
The dry season in Uganda runs from June to August and December to February
Wet season
The wet season is characterized by rain and cold weather, so even on a trek, you may encounter rain. But also because it’s raining the trails are soggy but passable. The trees and leaves are blooming so you may feel like the forest is thick and dark. But on a brighter side, the weather is perfect for a trek, it’s not burning so you’re not sweating or getting worn out by the hit.
Also less people trek chimpanzees in this season so it’s less crowed and cozier compared to the dry season.
