Kibale National Park — Agandi Uganda

A morning chimp tracking expedition will be organized for you in this regard to catch up with the primates sharing 98.7 common DNA.

Trekking in the forest offers a lifetime opportunity of knowing the different primates better. However, it doesn’t come easy. At first it will feel like you are walking around in circles with no sense of direction. You will delve deeper into parts of the forest that are full of life but no light, as blocked by canopies which tightly interlocked to allow penetration of sunshine. For about two hours, you will track them alongside a Ranger-guide without much luck. When you are about to start cursing aloud, you will finally start hearing their vocalizations.

Considering they prefer hanging in tree branches, it will be a privilege to see them come to the forest floor to fish termites using sticks. You will then follow right behind them through the forest before they disappeared back into the canopies. It will be an overwhelming experience being so close to them. Although habituated, you will still get a sense of how wild they are, especially when they begin to communicate loudly to one another.

If you ever wonder if you are looking at an ape or a monkey, look for a tail. While the various monkey species in the forest such as red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and black and white monkeys have tails, apes do not have tails. Also, while monkeys and bush babies use hand gestures and verbal signs for communication, Chimpanzees communicate with each other through a complex system of vocalizations and facial expressions. In instances when that they want to communicate with each other even over long distances, they use loud calls called pant-hoots, or by drumming the buttresses of trees.

Later in the day, you could return to the forest to watch the gentle primates make their nests in the canopies. It is a swift process that entails interlocking branches and stuffing them with leaves until they are soft enough for a 12 hour sleep. It is equally an intriguing experience watching them groom each other affectionately before starting to snore.