Kyambura gorge is the most famous site for chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park. Kyambura gorge is also known as “the Valley of Apes” that is part of Kyambura Game Reserve found at the northeastern end of Queen Elizabeth national park. The gorge is about 9km wide and was designated to protect wildlife from humans to not destroy the wild animals and the thick forest.

Kyambura gorge is a world of its own which is rich in tropical rainforest that is next to the equator that crosses through the park. Above the gorge, the place is rich with savannah that brings direct sunshine to the tree shade of the gorge giving life to the plantations in the jungle.

Kyambura gorge came from River Kichwamba which was flowing off into the fresh waters of Kazinga Channel at the point of Katunguru. It is formed up of a very thick forest that is home to the endangered Chimpanzees that are available for trekking. The jungle is about 110m deep and rich in biodiversity of wildlife made up of wild animals and birds.

These include chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, and a few other primates. As for the birds, these include papyrus canary, white-winged warbler, African broadbill, papyrus gonolek, black bee-eater, Chapin’s flycatcher, white-tailed lark, corncrake, lesser plus greater flamingo, shoebill, African skimmer and many more forest birds in Kyambura gorge.

Activities done in Kyambura gorge

Kyambura gorge has plenty of attractions that can be seen by taking part in the activities listed below.

These include;

• Nature Walks

This is pretty cool in this breathtaking jungle where you get to see plenty of wildlife which includes monkeys, chimpanzees, giant forest hogs, and many more. kyambura also harbors a number of forest birds that can be seen on nature walks. Nature walks in this jungle usually take 4 to 7 hours and it’s advisable to carry your lunch break and enough water.

• Birding

This is such an amazing experience at Kyambura gorge where you get to see a number of forest birds with wonderful colors on them. The gorge harbors over 200 bird species and some of which are only found in the park. This sometimes takes the whole day getting to study the behavior of birds in the wild.

• Chimpanzee Trekking

Kyambura gorge has about 18 chimpanzees left and they were fully habituated and ready for trekking by tourists. Chimpanzee trekking is such a wonderful time to spend with these endangered chimpanzees that share over 98.8% of the human DNA. The trekking can take 2 to 5 hours according to the movements of the chimpanzees in the forest. Once they are found, you only spend one hour with them and then leave the jungle immediately.

How to get there

By Air

This is usually organized on a daily basis to not spend a lot of time on the way going. The flights from Entebbe international airport to Kasenyi airfield or Kasese airfield take roughly 1 and a half hours well as a tourist who is around Kampala can use Kajansi airstrip for his flight to Kasenyi airfield.

By Road

Traveling by road is cheap and rewarding at the same time because you get to enjoy a few stopovers on the way. This includes a stopover at the equator and a few others which make the journey take 5 to 7 hours by road via Masaka road.

When to visit Kyambura gorge

Kyambura gorge is always open for visitors at any time throughout the year. Only that visiting this place in the dry season is more fun and enjoyable because the weather tends to be favorable to pursue all the to-be-done activities. The dry months in Uganda are from June to October and December to March while the rest of the months throughout the year are rainy seasons.

Where to stay while on a tour at Kyambura Gorge

• Abby Rest House (Budget Lodge)
• Tembo Safari Lodge (Midrange Lodge)
• Jacana Safari Lodge (Luxury Lodge)
• Kyambura Gorge Safari Lodge (Luxury Lodge)