Where to go Chimp Tracking in East Africa

From Gombe and Kibale, to Mahale, Nyungwe and Queen Elizabeth

Greetings from East Africa!

This month's newsletter is all about East Africa's chimpanzees, specifically the Eastern chimpanzee, a subspecies that live in parts of Eastern Africa, including Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Based on the trove of fossil evidence found in Africa and Eurasia, it is now widely accepted that we, Homo Sapiens, first evolved in Africa approximately 315,000 years ago. Humans have a shared lineage with the great apes, from the modern-day gorillas to the endangered chimpanzees. Sharing 98.6% of their genetic make-up, chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. The Eastern chimpanzee is widely studied, by inspirational individuals such as Dr Jane Goodall, who we connected with in 2009 for an event in the United Kingdom. 

At the time, our Co-Founder, Richard, had teamed up with the Jane Goodall Institute and arranged for Dr Goodall to host 'An Evening with Jane Goodall' at ZSL London Zoo. This exclusive event provided guests with the opportunity to meet Dr Goodall and learn about her fascinating life and her work with Gombe's chimpanzees. With a packed auditorium of primate enthusiasts, the night was a big success, as was the accompanying safari Richard curated for his guests wishing to visit Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, the setting for Dr Goodall’s pioneering work with chimpanzees and the location for the longest-running study of an individual animal in the world. 

Fifteen years later, Richard's enthusiasm for chimpanzees remains, and his passion has been instilled into the entire Travulous team. We are a group of dedicated conservationists who are passionate about utilisling tourism as an economic engine to help protect the endangered chimpanzees who are nearing extinction in many parts of Africa due to deforestation and hunting for bushmeat. This is why we dedicate this month's newsletter to showcasing some of the best National Parks to see chimps roam wild and free in East Africa.

This month we are also launching a new section in our monthly newsletter, where we highlight new property openings in East Africa. Lastly, we have included some great chimpanzee footage - we hope you enjoy watching the videos.

CLOSE ENCOUTERS OF THE CHIMPANZEE KIND

Acting as your eyes and ears here on the ground in East Africa, we get a great sense of satisfaction from sharing our recommendations with fellow wildlife enthusiasts who seek to incorporate chimpanzee tracking into their safari itinerary.

While residing in tropical forests, chimpanzees eat, hunt, and play communally in groups, usually consisting of 20 or 30 individuals, sometimes more. Chimpanzees range in size from 1-1.7 metres and weigh around 32-60kg, with males being the larger of the species. Chimps are covered by brown or black hair, except for their faces, which are bare and framed with a white beard. Their face, hands and feet are typically black in colour, apart from the youngsters who tend to have pinkish faces.

Tailor-made Itineraries

To give an insight into the types of luxury travel experiences we create, please view a couple of our sample itineraries below. These can either be treated as a standalone programs, incorporated into a longer itinerary, or modified to match your particular interests and budget:

Alternatively, you may wish for us to start with a blank canvas, to handcraft a personalised itinerary based on what you want and nothing more:

Prices will fluctuate based on the time of year, length of stay, accommodation choices, number of participants and inclusions.

Tented Camps & Lodges

When choosing accommodations in Gombe National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mahale Mountains National Park and Nyungwe National Park, we can suggest a wide range of properties where guests can stay. A sample of some of our favourite lodges and camps are listed below. Click on the blue links to learn more about these properties:

Gombe NP

Mahale Mountains NP

Nyungwe NP

We have access to the best locally contracted industry rates, and we regularly compare our prices against those of our competitors to ensure we always offer a competitive service. We also conduct regular site inspections in every destination to ensure all properties and suppliers featured in our itineraries adhere to and maintain the service levels as expected.

NEW PROPERTY OPENINGS

Get in touch if you would like more information about these properties, or if you would like us to incorporate any of them into your next safari itinerary to East Africa:

FAMILIARISATION TRIPS TO RWANDA & UGANDA

There is no doubt Mountain Gorillas and the Big Five will be the big highlights of our safaris in 2024 and 2025, so why not experience these for yourself?

In 2024 and 2025 Travulous will be offering Familiarisation Trips for the Travel Trade to visit Rwanda and Uganda:

If you belong to the Travel Trade and are interested in joining us in 2024 or 2025 to learn more about Rwanda or Uganda, sign up or log in to our Agent Portal to review the itineraries, including dates and prices:

ONE-STOP-SHOP

info@travulous.com

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