Kanyanchu visitor center

Kanyanchu visitor center is strategically situated in western Uganda in the central part of Kibale Forest National Park, which is approximately 300 kilometers, about 5-6 hours’ drive from Kampala on the Mubende-Fort Portal route, and 35 kilometers from Fort Portal. Kanyanchu visitor center is the main headquarters in Kibale National Park, accessed through the Fortportal-Kamwenge route.

Kibale Forest National Park has a total of 5 habituated chimpanzee communities, and those are Kanyanchu, Ngogo, Sebitole, and Kanyawara, and usually chimpanzee briefing sessions are in the morning at 8:00 a.m. and the afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and are often conducted by Uganda Wildlife Authority armed rangers and experienced guides from the Kanyanchu tourist center about the dos and don’ts of chimpanzee tracking experience.

Kanyanchu offers 85% chance of sighting chimpanzees, and chimpanzee trekking sessions always last between two and five hours, depending on the chimpanzee movement and previous nesting day, which includes 1 hour of direct interaction and observation of the great apes.

Primates and bird species Found Within or Around Kanyanchu visitor center

Different primates are often sighted while trekking through the jungle of Kibale Forest, which includes the l’hoest monkey, black and white colobus monkey, vervet monkey, grey-checked mangabeys, and several bird species like the Rwenzori Turraco, African green-breasted pitta, blue-headed bee-eater, crowned eagle, and Abbysinia ground thrush, to mention but a few.

Kibale Forest National Park houses a total number of 1,500 chimpanzees, 375 bird species, 200 butterflies, and 70 reptiles. However, to enjoy the chimpanzee trekking experience, one has to have booked in advance a chimpanzee trekking permit, which costs $250 and is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to licensed tour operators as ground handlers.

For better and long-hour experience, chimpanzee habituation is recommended, and a permit costs $300 per person for a fully day adventure.