I have finally talked my husband into going to see the gorillas. Not that he doesn't want to, but he doesn't believe it's safe going to Rwanda or Uganda. Can you see chimpanzees in Rwanda or only in Uganda?

There is a national forest in Rwanda called Nyungwe where you can track chimpanzees. I believe there is also a forest in Uganda to observe wild chimps, called Kibale. It is relatively near the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, so it would be relatively close if you are gorilla trekking there.
Several members of this forum have gone chimp tracking in one or the other of these areas. The report I see most often is that it is physically extremely demanding (much more so than gorilla trekking) and you don't get good views of the chimps for very long (or maybe not at all). Wayne Hazle can probably comment on this.
That's why we went to Ngamba Island instead of trying to see wild chimps.

Chris
www.pbase.com/cwillis

I haven't done it, so this is from research only. From what I understand, your chances of seeing chimps are better in Kibale than at other locations in Uganda or Rwanda where chimp tracking is possible. I've also read that the tracking in Kibale is over relatively flat terrain (I think I read this in the most recent edition of the Bradt Uganda guide). To get from Bwindi to Kibale would most likely be a full day of driving and as you would pass through Queen Elizabeth NP, it might be better to break up the journey with a few nights here.

Again, this is all from research only.

I have been summoned

I found the Nyungwe trek to be murderously hard & the glimpse of the chimps so fleeting that one would likely say it was not worth it.
www.travelistic.com/video/show/1501
Look about 16:33 minutes into this clip. MY ENTIRE view of the chimps starts at around 18:30

there was another thread here talking about the Golden Monkey trek and how trekking for them is hard because the monkey skip around in the trees and you struggle to keep up. This is Nyungwe times 10,000

The chimps are not nice and habituated and sitting on the ground waiting for you like a sanctuary.

Even with that, if I was in Rwanda, I would go again, because I think I am in better shape and also I would keep my expectation incredibly low.

Wayne, I knew you would answer this thread! Your description of the trek in Nyungwe in your trip report is still with me!

Chris

Perhaps one's better off seeing chimps in Mahale. In combination with Katavi (hidden gem, they say) it should be quite a trip.

There's also Gombe stream (where Jane Goodall did her research), but I heard nothing but bad news about this one. Read here;

http://www.africatravelresource.com/.../T22-gombe.htm
(be warned; VERY sad read ahead)

Ciao,

J.


(I mention Mahale + Katavi as there's a lodge that has "sister camps" in both parks.)

We recently returned from East Africa and my chimp experience in Nyungwe was just the opposite of Wayne's. It was an easy trek down the trail and we had an unobstructed 15-20 minute viewing of the chimps eating in the trees right next to the trail. After that they disappeared into the forest, but we still had more than just fleeting glimpses for the next hour or so. Maybe we were just lucky. More on the gorilla treks later.

WELCOME BACK ROBERT!

I have always wanted to hear someone say that they had great chimp sightings in Nyungwe. How fitting that it should be you.

I can't wait to hear more about your experiences. A 15 - 20 minute walk?!?! That is amazing. They must have taken you in the new secret entrance in the back.

I do hope you got pictures and video.

I just went chimp trekking in Nyungwe. it is hard, it is demanding, you do get dirty. We could hear the chimps the entire time, but they move so much that its hard to catch up with them. We got about 1/2 hour of viewing them in the trees. Hardly a close encounter, but I think it was great and it was worth it. Plus, Nyungwe forest is outstanding - absolutely beautiful, dense and goes on for as far as you can see. Even without the chimps, I would recommend it.

If you really want a better chance at viewing them, you should go in the wet season when the fruits are more plentiful. This way, they stay in one tree for longer and don't need to move around as much.

I went in Kibale as well 11 years ago, but didn't see any. However, I think things have changed in their ability to track them now. But as far as forests go, Nyungwe beats everything.

I did the chip tracking this year in Kibale. The area we were in was flat and we did watch the chimps for about 40 mins but they are usually quite high up in the trees and once they start to move it's hard to follow them but it was a great experience and the sounds were amazing.

Correction. I tracked chimps - not chips!

Robert Mitchell,

Congrats on your chimp success in Nyungwe. Did you attempt to see any other species there? Did you do a report on the whole trip anywhere?