Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda: Locations, Permits and Population Data

Uganda's chimpanzee population stood at 6,075 individuals in 2025, up from 5,072 in 2021/2022.

Uganda's chimpanzee population as of 2025 is 6,075 individuals, up from 5,072 in 2021/2022 — an increase of 1,003 animals. This growth is driven primarily by population increases in Rwenzori Mountains National Park, which recorded 739 individuals in 2025, up from 576 in 2021, alongside 426 individuals recorded in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the 2025 census and further growth in Kibale National Park.

The latest national chimpanzee census was conducted between 2017 and 2020, with additional site-specific surveys carried out in the Rwenzori Mountains, Kibale and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 2025. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are considered a flagship and endangered species in Uganda, ranging mainly through forest ecosystems of the Albertine Rift. Uganda's other great ape, the mountain gorilla, is tracked as a separate, longer-established tourism product with its own permit system.

Chimpanzee tracking takes place at Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge, Kalinzu Forest Reserve and Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve.

Kibale National Park is Uganda's top destination for chimpanzee tracking and receives by far the largest share of visitors. Kyambura Gorge, part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, was home to 28 chimpanzees as of May 2019, believed to have migrated from Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve due to habitat pressure. Tracking at Kyambura is capped at 16 visitors per day across two groups of eight.

Kalinzu Forest Reserve, in Bushenyi district, offers chimpanzee tracking for up to 12 tourists per day in two shifts of six. Visitor numbers there grew from 988 in 2017 to 1,136 in 2018. Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve has been earmarked by the National Forestry Authority for ecotourism development, including chimpanzee tracking, though the site faces challenges from human encroachment and occasional accidental snaring of chimpanzees. These forests sit within the wider national parks of western Uganda, an area also covered in the Western Uganda Tourism Attractions guide.

Permit prices vary by site, with 19,989 tracking permits sold in 2025; the specialised Chimpanzee Habituation Experience remains far less used, at 28.1% capacity.

According to the UWA Conservation Tariff 2024-2026, chimpanzee tracking fees are set per location: Kibale National Park charges 250 USD for foreign non-residents and 200 USD for foreign residents, while Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park charges 100 USD and 80 USD respectively. The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience at Kibale is priced separately at 300 USD (foreign non-resident) and 250 USD (foreign resident). All gorilla and chimpanzee permits for foreign visitors can only be booked through licensed tour operators.

In 2025, 19,989 chimpanzee tracking permits were sold, a 16.1% increase over the 17,214 sold in 2024, and enough to surpass the pre-pandemic 2019 baseline of roughly 19,855 permits. In 2023, 32,760 tracking permits were available annually, distributed in quarterly allocations of 8,100 to 8,280. Broader visitor trends across Uganda's parks are covered in the Uganda national park visitor statistics page.

The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX) is a separate, tightly capped product designed to protect the scientific and environmental integrity of the habituation process, with total availability restricted to roughly 4,380 permits per year. CHEX sales grew from 520 in 2021 to 1,229 in 2025, representing a 28.1% utilisation rate of the annually available permits. The reasons for this comparatively low utilisation are not documented in available data.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is an ex-situ care facility on Lake Victoria that currently houses 54 chimpanzees.

Alongside wild populations in national parks and forest reserves, Uganda maintains ex-situ care for chimpanzees that cannot live in the wild. As of the latest count, 77 chimpanzees are under ex-situ management in Uganda: 54 at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria and 23 at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC). This is a distinct conservation model from the wild populations tracked in Kibale, Kyambura Gorge and the mountain gorilla population in Bwindi.

Because of its location near wetland habitat and its animal-holding and visitor infrastructure, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary falls under the Schedule 5 requirements of the National Environment (Audit) Regulations, which apply to facilities combining wetland proximity, animal keeping and public visitor access.

Tracking rules include a minimum age of 12, a one-hour visit limit, a ban on tracking while sick, and no flash photography, food, drink or smoking in the forest.

The UWA Conservation Tariff 2024-2026 sets out safety and conservation rules that apply to all chimpanzee tracking:

• Minimum age for tracking is 12 years
• Visits are limited to one hour with the chimpanzees
• Visitors who are sick must not enter the forest, since chimpanzees can catch human diseases
• Keep at least 10 metres from the chimpanzees at all times
• Do not use flash photography
• Do not mimic chimpanzee vocalisations
• Smoking, eating and drinking are not permitted during tracking
• Do not chase the chimpanzees, and do not leave litter in the forest

All chimpanzee and gorilla permits for foreign visitors must be booked through licensed tour operators. Payment for other products and services can be made at reservation offices or park gates via mobile money, card payment, bank transfer or the online payment portal.