Chimpanzees live in 21 countries in Africa and are grouped into four subspecies which include eastern, western, central and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies eastern, central and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees as ‘endangered’ and the western chimpanzee as critically endangered. Chimpanzee population is declining especially those living outside of protected areas. They face a high risk of extinction due to habitat loss, poaching for bush meat, illegal wildlife trade, and infectious human diseases.
Eastern chimpanzee
Eastern chimpanzees (pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are found in East and central African countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, DR Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. The primates live in lowland and montane forests and in open acacia-Combretum woodland interspersed with open grassland savanna such as the one found in Uganda’s Toro-Semliki wildlife reserve on the southern shores of Lake Albert. As such, eastern chimpanzees walk on all fours using their knuckles and can also stand or walk upright for short distances.
They’re relatively smaller in size with dark fur covering their body. The infants are distinguished by the pale face and tuft of white hair on their rumps which turns into gray hair after maturity. Eastern chimpanzees are the most studied of the four subspecies with pioneering research by DR. Jane Goodall who established Gombe Stream Research Center in 1962 and conducted behavior studies on the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Gombe Stream national park in western Tanzania along the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Among other studies on eastern chimps were carried out by Japanese researchers in the adjacent Mahale Mountains national park. The estimated population of eastern chimpanzees in the wild is between 181,000-256,000 individuals of which DR Congo has the largest number with 70,000 to 110,000 followed by Uganda with over 5,000, Tanzania with 2,700 to 2,800 chimpanzees, Burundi and Rwanda with over 700 chimps that live in the trans-boundary protected areas of Nyungwe forest and Kabila national parks.
Central Chimpanzee
Living mainly in dense tropical forests of DR Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, the Central chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) have the second largest population with over 115,000 individuals. They have dense body fur, large limbs, and dark faces. Central chimpanzees are known to construct their nests high in trees.
Western Chimpanzee
Classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the western chimpanzees (pan troglodytes verus) have become extinct in the wild in some countries which include Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso. The species remain in Senegal, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee
As the name implies, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) are found only in Nigeria and Cameroon. According to Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), there are fewer than 6,000 individuals left in the wild of which Cameroon has the largest number with estimated population of 1,400- 2,300 individuals.
Behavior and social structure of chimpanzees
Chimpanzee share 95% of DNA with humans and are considered to be the closest relative to man. They live in communities known as troops ranging from 2 to 150 individuals each led dominant males. Within the communities, chimps interact, groom and communicate with one another through gestures and vocalizations. Pant-hoot calls are the most common form of vocalization and these calls can be heard from a considerable distance which aids in locating chimps during chimpanzee trekking sessions.
Chimps socially interact in several ways including sharing food, mating, or forming alliances and it is through these that chimps form bonds and groom each other. Jane Goodall, in her book “In the Shadow of Man” described the act of grooming among chimpanzees as the glue that holds chimpanzee society together. Chimps tend to groom each other during napping routines. Afternoon chimpanzee trekking sessions in Uganda’s Kibale forest national park offer an opportunity of encountering chimps at ground level.
One may observe a chimp sitting while another picks through its fur, removing dirt or parasites. As much as they groom and bond, chimps in the wild also get involved in conflicts due to competition for resources, social dominance, intergroup aggression, territorial control and mating. For instance, the Gombe Chimpanzee War which started on January 7th, 1974 and ended on June 5th, 1978 was documented by Dr. Jane Goodall. The conflict involved the Kasakela and Kahama communities of which the Kasakela won the war and expanded its home range.
Among other chimpanzee conflicts recorded include Ngogo chimpanzee warfare in Kibale forest national park, Uganda. The Ngogo community which is one of the largest with over 140 members has been observed on several occasions in 1995 and 2009 carrying out attacks against other troops due to intergroup aggression. Ngogo has claimed lives of 14 chimps and acquired a relatively larger home range.
Making and use of tools
Dr. Jane Goodall’s behavior studies among Gombe stream Kasakela chimpanzee community provided insights into how chimps make and use tools such as sticks to fish for honey bee, termites and ants from ground mounds. Chimps also use sticks to eat the bone marrow of smaller monkeys. They also use stones to crack fruits and nuts, and leaves to make their nests.
Where to see chimpanzees on safari in East Africa
Top destinations for chimpanzee trekking safaris include Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
Chimp trekking in Uganda
Uganda has a population of over 5,000 eastern chimpanzees of which several chimps have been habituated for tourist visits at 7 destinations which include Kyambura Gorge, Kibale national park, Budongo forest, Kalinzu forest, Bugoma, and Toro-Semliki central forest reserves.
Kibale national park
The best place to see chimpanzees in Uganda is Kibale national park given that the park is famous for harboring 13 primate species including over 1,400 eastern chimpanzees among others primates including red colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, Ugandan mangabeys, velvet monkeys, and olive baboons. The Kibale chimps have been well studied and habituated with the establishment of Kibale Chimpanzee Project in 1987.
At Kibale national park, there are two ways to see chimps in the wild which include chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation experiences which start at Kanyanchu the park’s main tourism hub. The standard chimp trekking offers 1 hour to spend with a fully habituated troop of chimps and is available for the morning session starting at 8:00 AM and afternoon session at 2:00 PM.
Habituation experience allows a smaller group of 6 tourists accompanied by habituators to follow chimps right from morning up to afternoon. In addition to Kanyanchu, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) recently opened another trekking center called Buleiga in the north of the park. This center is ideal for those intending to go off-the beaten path and track chimps in a relatively less dense section of Kibale forest. Those intending to see other primate can visit Bigodi wetland where 8 species are found including the red colobus monkeys.
Budongo central forest reserve
Located within the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area, Budongo, a moist semi-deciduous tropical forest interspersed with swamps and savanna woodland is home to over 600 chimpanzees among other primate species including blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, patas monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys. Researchers at the Budongo Conservation Field Station (BCFS) have studied chimps since in 1990 habituating three chimp communities which include Kaniyo-Pabidi, Sonso and Waibira for both tourism and research.
The signature experience for chimp trekking in Budongo is an opportunity to see chimpanzees hunting red colobus monkeys. Hunts often occur during the dry season from December to February and June to August when fruits are less and chimps tend to seek out protein. BCSF continues to facilitate primate research and offers an opportunity for volunteers to participate various projects including investigating threats to chimps in Uganda.
Kyambura Gorge the Valley of Apes
Uganda’s deepest gorge, Kyambura is 100 meters deep and 11 km long stretching from Kyambura escarpment to Kazinga channel within Queen Elizabeth national park. The gorge contains the Kyambura River and tropical forests which harbor a population of 80 chimpanzees among other 5 primate species which include black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, velvet monkeys, and olive baboons.
Mammal species from the park tend to visit the gorge such as hippos, elephants, leopards, lions, hyenas, and buffaloes. Chimpanzees in Kyambura have been studied from 1995 and there were 27 individuals at the time according to the Peace Corps Census. The forests in Kyambura gorge became isolated from the neighboring Kasyoha-Kitomi forest due to human activities as a result the chimps can’t move out of the gorge which offers a relatively good chance of observing them in their natural habitat.
However, such isolation has led to inbreeding and limited resources for the chimp population to grow. According to Nicole Simmons’s study on chimpanzee feeding ecology and ranging patterns in Kyambura gorge in 2006, a 6.5 km wildlife corridor was proposed to link Kyambura Gorge to the Maramagambo forest reserve which harbors over 300 chimps. The proposal was approved by UWA and it hoped to restore natural wildlife migration, prevent genetic diseases, and promote sustainable tourism and conservation.
Where to see chimpanzees in Rwanda
Rwanda offers chimpanzee trekking in two destinations which include Nyungwe forest and Gishwati Mukura national parks.
Nyungwe forest national park
A top choice for chimp trekking in Rwanda, Nyungwe forest national park covers 1,019 sq. km with both lowland and Afromontane tropical forest situated in south western Rwanda in the Albertine rift valley south of Lake Kivu. The protected area adjoins with Kabira national park in Burundi and supports rich biodiversity including over 1,000 flowering plants, 300 species of birds of which 16 are Albertine rift endemics, and 13 primate species including a population of over 450 chimpanzees.
Among other primate species include Hamlyn’s monkeys, Angola colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, L’hoest monkeys. Nyungwe was declared a UNESCO world heritage in 2023 and is managed under a long-term partnership between African Parks and Rwanda Development Board, making for a world-class destination, ensuring both top-notch conservation and high-quality visitor experience.
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe is based on two habituated groups of which one is located in Cyamudongo forest on the eastern side and another at Uwinka visitor center in the central part of the park. In addition to chimps, the park offers canopy walkways, 13 hiking trails, birding, cultural and Gisakura tea estate tours.
Gishwati Mukura national park
Guided chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is available in Gishwati Mukura national park. With a population of over 30 chimps, the park offers a relatively high chance to see chimps in their natural habitat. The protected area is located along the Congo-Nile Divide in Rutsiro and Ngororero districts, north western of Kigali capital city. It was created in 2016 and opened for tourism in 2020 to become Rwanda’s 4th national park.
Prior to its formation, the Gishwati and Mukura forests were heavily degraded due to deforestation for agriculture, illegal logging and encroachment given that many people settled there during the genocide against the Tutsi of 1994. The Rwandan government in partnership with the Forest of Hope Association, Great Ape Trust, World Bank’s Landscape Approach to Forest Restoration and Conservation (LAFREC project), and local communities created the park through reforestation, buffer zone creation to unify the 15.70 sq. km Gishwati and the 19.88 Mukura forest and sustainable tourism and conservation.
The montane forest now covers an area of 35.58 sq. km with bamboo forest, swamps and grasslands is rich in biodiversity including 250 plant species including symphonia globulifera, carapa grandiflora, giant tree fern (Igishigishigi), prunus africana, and hagenia abyssinica; primates including chimpanzees, golden monkeys and L’hoest monkeys; mammal species such as side-striped jackals, African civets, serval cats, servalline genets, and reptiles including three-horned chameleon, and 126 species of birds of which 14 are Albertine rift endemics.
In addition to chimps, the park offers a wide range of activities in and outside the park including 10 trails, birding, and guided chimpanzee trekking, visiting a traditional healer for his stunning metaphysics, tea plantation tours, livestock and farm stay experiences. Due to strategic location in western Rwanda, Gishwati-Mukura fits perfectly into any Rwanda safari along with Lake Kivu, Nyungwe forest and Volcanoes national parks, and Congo-Nile and Kivu Belt biking trails.
Our guests’ on 14 day Uganda Rwanda safari review on Trip advisor offers insight as follows “Our next activity was the chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest. This was quite a short easy hike. We got to see 3 or 4 chimps quite close on the ground.