Activities In Kyambura Gorge

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 famously known Queen Elizabeth National park in the Southwestern Uganda. The gorge is well drained by River Kayambura which makes the landscape impressively swarmed with a rich wildlife biodiversity including primates, wild animals, and some bird species. Kyambura Gorge features tall trees with thick fruit-filled vegatation enclosed with rocks and its 100metres deep into the Kichwamba Escapment where it runs 11km long. Most of Uganda Safari tourists go to Queen Elizabeth National Park are offered a trip to this spectacular part of the park as bonus.
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 which is 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 because it offers more than just a chimpanzee experience. Kyambura gorge has limited numbers of habituated chimpanzees in the valley with only one family and tracking them is done twice a day in groups of a maximum of six people with help from a ranger guide provided by Uganda Wildlife Authority who leads the trek to the chimpanzees. Each group is given a chance to interact
in-depth with the rangers and take the trek at a slower pace, which enables them to see more than just the chimpanzees, including other primates and birds.

Birding

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, Martial Eagles, Sooty chat, Yellow Bishop,Papyrus Canary, African
Broadbill, African Fish Eagles, Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, African Finfoot, African skimmer, Lesser and Greater Flamingoes among others.

Primates watching

In addition to Chimpanzee tracking, Kyambura Gorge is also home to other Primates and adding them to your itinerary will reward you with the best experience. Being densely dominated with both the tropical and Riverine forest trees which create thick canopy covers, 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 you to the new paradise with adventurous sights and it will offer you with amazing photographs. The gorge has a number of trails that are used while on the nature walks, this gives you chance to enjoy sights of various tree species like the Fig tree, flowers, primates like the white and black columbus monkeys, chimpanzees, the Olive baboons and birds such as the Blue-headed bee eater, Martial Eagle, Bar tailed Godwit, Black rumped buttonquail, African skimmer, Lesser and Greater flamingos, pink backed polican among others.

The Gorge

The gorge, named after the Kyambura River that flows through this thick “underground forest”, 100 metres below the Kichwamba escarpment. The gorge is best known for its resident chimpanzees– some of which are habituated and can be tracked through the forest with trained UWA guides. When you get into this remarkable Gorge, you will forever be impressed by the green, rich tropical forest near the Equator crossing making it another territory on its own. 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 sight 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. The channel has the highest concentration of hippos in the country amounting to over 5000 hippos which are seen swimming in the waters. Along the boat ride, one gets to enjoy the various sights and sounds that the park’s rich aquatic life extravagantly offers such as the Elephants, Buffaloes, Waterbucks,Unda kobs, Giant forest hogs, Leopards and Lions. Keep your eyes open for the water birds which are plentiful including the water thick knee, Yellow-billed stork, and various Plovers, Black headed gonolek.

The best time to visit

Kyambura Gorge is visited 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.

How to get 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.