Vibrant Holiday Safaris brings you an experience at Kyambura Gorge, also known as the “valley of Apes”. Kyambura Gorge is located in the East corner of the famous Queen Elizabeth National park in Southwestern Uganda. The gorge is drained by River Kayambura which makes the landscape impressively swarmed with a rich wildlife biodiversity. Kyambura Gorge features tall trees with thick fruit-filled vegetation enclosed with rocks and its 100metres deep into the Kichwamba Escarpment. Tourists here enjoy a trip to this spectacular part of the park.
Kyambura Gorge has a lot of amazing activities one can engage in while on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National park.
Chimpanzee Trekking
Kyambura Gorge offers an incredible chimpanzee trekking experience. It is home to the famous Kyambura gorge chimpanzee family. Also known as the lost chimpanzees. The gorge has sixteen habituated chimpanzees remaining in the valley. Although you can do chimpanzee tracking in other places like Kalinzu Game reserve, Kibale Forest National Park, and Budongo Game Reserve, the gorge remains a must-visit destination. Kyambura gorge has limited numbers of habituated chimpanzees in the valley with only one family. Tracking them is done twice a day in groups of a maximum of six people. Each group interacts in-depth with the rangers and takes the trek at a slower pace. This enables them to see more than just the chimpanzees, including other primates and birds.
Bird Watching
Birding is also a beautiful adventure to do in Kyambura Gorge. The Gorge is a host to numerous bird species including both the forested and Albertine birds. Some of the birds to expect include the Pelicans, Turacos, Bee Eaters, African Falcons, and so much more.
Primates watching
In addition to Chimpanzee tracking, Kyambura Gorge is also home to other Primates rewarding you with the best experience. Being densely dominated with both the tropical and Riverine forest trees, these offer a thriving home to other primates. These Primates include the Red-tailed monkeys, Black and white columbus monkeys, Vervet monkey sand the Olive Baboons.
Nature Walks
Taking Nature walks is the best way of exploring Kyambura Gorge. This will unveil a new paradise with adventurous sights. There are a number of trails to use during nature walks. This gives you chance to enjoy sights of various tree species like the Fig tree. Primates like the white and black columbus monkeys, chimpanzees and so much more can also be sighted.
The Gorge
The gorge, named after the Kyambura River that flows through this thick “underground forest”, 100 metres below the Kichwamba escarpment. Kyambura gorge has resident chimpanzees and some of them are habituated. Visitors can track through the forest with trained UWA guides. Once you arrive here, the green, rich tropical forest near the Equator will forever impress you. The Savannah above the gorge has a sensible aggregate of sun shine that provides brightness. The rich tree cover in the under-ground jungle includes rich chunks of plant life locked out of much of the sunrays. You do not need sunglasses or caps to have a
clear view for the great variety of wonders within the Gorge while standing in a clear place. Spice up your trip with a trip to the Ishasha sector to witness the tree climbing lions, which will offer you a breathtaking sights to see the king of the jungle perched up in one of the huge fig tree branches in the area, lazily resting as the day goes by or you can go for our famous Boat ride along the kazinga Channel which is one of the popular activities to do while on your safari in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Over 5000 hippos swim at the Kazinga channel channel. This makes it the place with the highest concentration of hippos in the country.
When To Visit
Kyambura Gorge receives visitors throughout the year especially during the dry seasons which are from December to February and June to August because during these seasons, the weather is favorable making it easier to trek and spot wildlife including the famous Chimpanzees. Contact Vibrant Holiday Safaris for amazing Kyambura experiences.
Getting There
The Kyambura Gorge is a fragment of the much visited Queen Elizabeth National Park in south western Uganda. You can either travel from Kampala, Uganda’s Capital City via Mbarara town, which is 420 kilometers to the park, or you can move from Kampala going through Fort Portal, where you will cover a distance of 410 Kilometers. However there are Ugandan Local Charter flights available from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi to the Airstrip in south-western Uganda at Mweya or Kasese, taking about an hour.
Where To Stay Around Kyambura
Being part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, there are a wide range of lodges and accommodation facilities within and outside the park good for use during your Uganda safari to have a feel of the sights and sound of this detached and impressive valley and these range from high-class, mid-range to budget lodges. Examples are Katara lodge, Enganzi Lodge, Jacana Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Safari Lodge and Kingfisher Kichwamba Lodge, Mweya lodges among others.