We hear the chimpanzees long before we see them. Ear-piercing hoots and shrieks cut through the forest understory like a machete, as our group — eight tourists, two guides and three porters — descends a steep, muddy trail, stamped with hippo footprints, into Kyambura Gorge.
The small rift valley in western is home to an isolated community of habituated chimpanzees, and before our arrival, trackers had searched out one of its 10 chimp families. (Habituated chimps have become accustomed to seeing humans through repeated exposure, which is crucial for safe ape tourism and conservation.)
Hiking to see chimps is the country’s second most popular tourism activity after gorilla trekking, and this lush rainforest, sunk 100 metres below the savannah of , is one of the best places to see them.
A chimp spotted with Volcanoes Safaris. The company pioneered primate trekking in Uganda and Rwanda 25 years ago.
Volcanoes SafarisAlmost immediately we spot movement in the treetops, and we mask up to protect the apes from communicable diseases like influenza, which can be fatal to them. For our own safety, we’ve been briefed not to mimic their calls, or consume food or drink in front of them.
“We always recommend when they are coming close, to take a step away,” cautions Judith Nyamihanda, a guide with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. “When you hear that strong vocalization, don’t get scared. Stay calm.”
Soon, screeches echo through the gorge as a young male displays his strength by running, swinging around limber branches and drumming forcefully on mossy buttresses.
On ape treks, travellers must mask up to prevent spreading disease to the vulnerable animals, explains the writer (pictured).
Courtesy of Lisa KadaneRather than feeling trepidation, I’m filled with awe, watching his eerily human bravado. The feeling of kinship continues as I observe the alpha chimp holding a staff like a king before drinking water from the Kyambura River and, later, see a baby practice its tree-climbing skills while a suitor grooms Mom — all while a bloat of hippos snorts from a shallow pool in the narrow river.
The opportunity to spend a magical hour watching our closest ape relatives go about their daily business is one reason this landlocked East African nation is attracting more travellers. Uganda welcomed 1.2 million international visitors in 2023, up 56 per cent from the previous year.
Dubbed the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill for its lush beauty and diversity of landscapes and wildlife, it’s a place where you can view classic game, such as elephants, lions, leopards and Cape buffalo, in its 10 national parks, or see the source of the Nile River on Lake Victoria.
Great apes aren’t the only creatures you can see in Uganda: wildlife seen by the writer on the Kazinga Channel.
Lisa KadaneWhat sets Uganda apart from its neighbours Kenya and Tanzania is its Great Ape Circuit, offered by tour companies in the region. It’s an unofficial wildlife route through parks that offer the chance to see and spend time with chimpanzees and gorillas, on foot, in a responsible and sustainable way.
These great ape treks limit visitor numbers and come with heavy restrictions and a high price tag, in order to safeguard the animals and their environment. Tourists must wear masks, maintain a safe distance (where possible), and pay upwards of $800 (U.S.) for the privilege of spending an hour with gorillas. (Chimp trekking permits cost less, between $80 and $250 for an hour with the animals. All ape permit numbers are limited and vary by location.)
I’m travelling with , the company that pioneered primate trekking in Uganda and Rwanda 25 years ago. Our stops on this seven-day safari include , the primate capital of the world; there are 13 species here, including some 1,500 chimpanzees and eight kinds of monkeys. We also visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to four of the Big Five (everything except rhinos), and , famous for its endangered mountain gorillas.
Inside Volcanoes Safaris’ recently opened Kibale Lodge.
Shaun S. Ritchie / Volcanoes SafarisBetween adventures, we stay at the company’s safari lodges, which are as much a part of the experience as the wildlife encounters. Though luxurious, the lodges are rooted in community; they incorporate local art and traditional foods, and 85 per cent of staff hail from neighbouring towns. Guests also have opportunities to participate in programs supported by the non-profit Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT), which connects the properties to surrounding towns and conservation programs.
At , for example, we plant trees in the gorge buffer zone, a tract of land purchased by the VSPT to create a cushion between the chimps’ habitat and the community. It’s seeded with non-fruiting indigenous trees, as well as arabica and robusta coffee plants that aren’t tasty to chimps, so they don’t venture through the buffer onto local farms looking for food. Human-wildlife conflicts are one of the apes’ main conservation challenges.
Women in the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative harvest, process and sell the coffee back to Volcanoes Safaris’ lodges to serve to guests. The locals earn a fair, sustainable wage and become invested in the apes’ protection. It’s a message we hear everywhere in Uganda: When communities benefit from tourism, they protect the wildlife and habitat.
Kibale Lodge, Volcanoes Safaris’ new lodge for chimp safaris, overlooks the Rwenzori Mountains and the Queen Elizabeth plains.
Volcanoes SafarisWhile tourism in the country is growing, it will remain small-scale, says Volcanoes Safaris founder Praveen Moman, who grew up in Uganda. “That’s sort of its charm. There’s enough to see, but it’s not teeming with millions of people,” says Moman. “And the primate experience is, by definition, limited. It becomes very intimate and special.”
It’s that intimacy with the apes that grips my heart — and gives me goosebumps. On our final day, in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, our small group follows a staircase of forest elephant footprints into the apes’ secret garden, a misty jungle fastness where steep, narrow trails form a natural barrier to entry.
Although our guide with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Gloria Asasira, has briefed us on what to expect, I’m utterly unprepared. After almost two hours of hiking, we’re suddenly surrounded by a family of 17 habituated gorillas, including a mom cradling a baby. The silverback’s pungent odour announces his presence before I see his muscular body emerge from the woods. He grunts softly, a vocalization that Asasira says lets his family know it’s OK — we’re like visiting kin.
Some of the habituated gorillas encountered during the writer’s hike, including the baby that stole everyone’s heart.
Lisa Kadane“They are our cousins because we share their DNA at 98.4 per cent,” says Asasira. “They always mind their own business. If they are feeding, they will not stop feeding. If they are playing, they will not stop playing.”
And if you’re crouched on the path, like me, taking pictures, they will walk right past you, brushing your sleeved arm with their bristly, furry one.
Led by the silverback, the gorillas move quietly up the trail and into the bush, stuffing their faces with leaves as they go, the little ones hitching rides. We track them into a tea field, then higher into dense bush, with vertigo-inducing views of green hills, quilted with farmers’ fields below.
When our short hour is over, the gorillas are gone, as if on cue. They left quietly as suddenly as the noisy chimps of Kyambura Gorge arrived. But that’s Uganda — understated yet simultaneously in-your-face, a destination that leaves you wanting more.
Lisa Kadane travelled as a guest of Volcanoes Safaris, which did not review or approve this article.
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