Kyambura Gorge “Valley of Apes” – Located in Kyambura Game Reserve near Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kyambura Gorge also referred to as “Valley of Apes” is Africa’s only place you get to track chimpanzees underground in a gorge. The Gorge is probably the best place to see chimpanzees near Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Kyambura Gorge or Chambura is an astonishing piece of nature art located in the far-flung eastern corner of Uganda’s most popular national park / wildlife destination – Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Also, the Kyambura Gorge is the longest chasm in East Africa and is watered by the Kyambura River which keeps the forest with loads of food and water for the wildlife. The gorge is situated inside the Kyambura Game Reserve of 156 square kilometers which is a buffer zone for the main park – Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kyambura Gorge is approximately 1 kilometer wide and around 100 meters deep and stretches through a distance of up-to 11 kilometers joining the popular Kazinga Channel. This channel feeds the River Kyambura – the main water source for all the gorge dwellers.
Kyambura Gorge is also sometimes called the Kyambura Game Reserve and is famous for chimpanzee trekking, chimpanzees in the gorge can be seen as they hop from one tree and to another.
Kyambura Gorge is home to the only habituated chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park and other types of primates including red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons and vervet monkeys which is probably the reason to why it is referred to as the “valley of Apes”.
Most of the visitors to Kyambura Gorge come for chimpanzee trekking experience
Basing on the reports made by researchers, 23 chimpanzees are remaining within this distant – impressive valley, to enter into this verdant gorge you have will be marveled by the verdant, rich tropical rain-forest situated right close the Equator Crossing. The gorge is another world of its own and the savannah above has a reasonable amount of light and the sunshine that offers brightness, the tree canopy within this under-ground forest comprised of rich blocks of plant life shut out of the most of the sun rays and unless you are standing within clearing you certainly will not require sunglasses or sun – hats since you may actually to have a clearly view so as not to miss out on the great wonders within the gorge.
Wildlife in Kyambira Gorge
Primates – Actually, Kyambura Gorge is the only area within Queen Elizabeth National Park where one can see the habituated chimpanzees while on Uganda chimpanzee trekking tours.
Travel tip – chimpanzee trekking experience reservations are actually made at Mweya Visitor Information Center within Queen Elizabeth National Park.
In addition to chimpanzees, Kyambura Gorge is home to other species of primates such as the red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons and vervet monkeys among others.
Besides chimpanzees and other primate species, the gorge hosts hippos, antelopes, hyena and the occasional visiting elephant.
Chimpanzee community in Kyambura Gorge – Kyambura Gorge consists of 23 members led by Kihango – the alpha, the member of the group include Kihango – the Alpha Male, Emiti – the Alpha female, Maani, Pamba, Lumumba, Murungi, Brutus, Mweya, Kazinga, Enjojo, Ekibiira, Mulefu, Njuuko, Namanya, Agaba, Embogo, Pesa, Enyanja and Asaba.
Note: in the of writing, two of the female members have infants that is Emiti and Murungi’s baby girls.
Birdlife – Kyambura Gorge is home to a diversity of bird species including avian species and forest bird species sheltered by a verdant green riverine forest. Among these species are Martial Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Shoebill, African Skimmer, Lesser plus Greater Flamingo, Chapin’s Flycatcher, White-tailed Lark, Corncrake, Pinkbacked Pelican, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Papyrus Canary, White-winged Warbler, African Broadbill, Papyrus Gonolek and the Black Bee-eater among others.
Uganda safari activities to do in Kyambura Gorge
Chimpanzee trekking
The Kyambura Gorge is the only place you will find chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park and is also among the few sites in Uganda where you can interact with these beautiful creatures, to participate in this activity you need to reserve a permit which allows you to trek through the verdant rainforest looking for the chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge starts with briefing at the starting point where a ranger guide takes you through the rules and regulations to follow, then head into the forest in search for them. During the trek, you may encounter other primates such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys among others. Once you locate the chimpanzee community, you will enjoy watching them jump from tree branches, pick fruits among others during the 1 hour permitted stay.
Bird watching
The Kyambura Gorge is a birder’s haven hosting different bird species, on this activity you are escorted by an experienced birder who will help you spot and identify different bird species in the verdant rainforest.
Some of the birds to look out for include Finfoot, blue headed bee-eater, Martial Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African skimmer, lesser and greater flamingoes, Chapin’s flycatcher and white-tailed lark among others.
Guided Nature Walks
Guided Nature Walks in Kyambura Gorge allows you to get insights into the first and physical hand information about the gorge as you traverse the Kyambura forested escarpments. There are different trails that visitors use when doing their nature walks, you will encounter several primates such as chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys and several birds such as blue-headed Bee-eater, greater flamingoes, Martial Eagle, African skimmer among others.
Accommodation around Kyambura Gorge
There are numerous accommodations within and on the outskirts of Queen Elizabeth National Park where visitors can stay during their visit to Kyambura Gorge, these vary between the high-class lodges and the budget lodges.
Among the most prominent lodges include
Getting to Kyambura Gorge
Traveling to Kyambura Gorge from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala City – the capital of Uganda, you can use either road or air transport.
By Road – from Kampala, it is a drive of approximately 140 kilometers past Fort Portal the tourism town. The drive takes about six hours of drive.
By Air – there are charter flights available from Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe or Kajjansi Airstrip to Mweya and Kisoro Airstrip. The flight lasts for less than 60 minutes.