Where is kyambura gorge located?
Kyambura is a 100-meter-deep gorge comprising lush tropical vegetation in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kyambura is situated in the far eastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park one of the most visited national parks in Uganda. The gorge hosts several primates, mammals, and birds but it’s the chimpanzee that has made the area famous to the outside world.
Which is the valley of apes?
The Valley of Apes, Kyambura Gorge is the second-best place to trek the chimpanzees in Uganda after Kibale Forest National Park. The thick tropical rainforest valley of Kyambura is not only home to chimpanzees but also mammals, primates, and birds. In this valley, there are over 332 bird species, primates especially monkeys, and a few mammals.
While in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a visit to Kyambura Gorge will enable tourists to explore the different attractions found there. There are different tourism activities organized in this area of the park to enable travellers to encounter or have a chance to look at the attractions found within the valley.
Activities in Kyambura Gorge
Chimpanzee trekking
Kyambura Gorge inside Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second best place to trek chimpanzees after Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda. Few chimpanzees have found a home within this deep valley. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is making sure that the population increases. One chimpanzee family has been habituated to trekking twice a day by 8 people. Trekking is done in the morning and in the afternoon.
Chimpanzee trekking within Kyambura Gorge starts with a briefing where trekkers learn the dos and don’ts of the activity. UWA armed ranger guides lead the trekkers deep in the jungle. It’s here that they start searching for where the chimps could be. Chances of seeing the chimps in this gorge are not so high but tourists oftenly do. Tourists can be around them and watch their behaviours as well as day-to-day activities.
Nature walks
Kyambura Gorge is one of the places where nature walks take place in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The gorge is home to different mammals, primates, birds, and vegetation. Tourists can only get close to once they participate in nature walk activities. Nature walks are tour activities led by armed ranger guides responsible for client safety.
Bird watching
Over 600 bird species are living in Kyambura Gorge. Around 332 species are available in Kyambura Gorge. The gorge is one of the best birding spots within Queen Elizabeth. Birders can visit the place any day to search for different birds found there. In this gorge, there are water birds and forest birds
Birds to look out for in Kyambura gorge include the Great blue turaco, speckled mousebird, sooty chat and compact weaver. Marital eagle, papyrus canary, scarlet chested sunbird, black rumped buttonquail, white-winged warbler and African broadbill. African skimmer, blue headed bee eater, Chapin’s flycatcher, lesser and greater flamingo are available too.
How to get to Kyambura Gorge?
Kyambura is inside Queen Elizabeth National Park a place which one can access by road transport or air transport. Air transport is quick and costly while affordable road transport takes around 6 to 7 hours. By air, tourists fly from Entebbe International Airport to Mweya airstrip taking less than 2 hours.
Tourists who use pad transport to get to Kyambura get an opportunity to have different stopovers along the way where they see and meet some of the attractions in Uganda for example the equator, rivers, and lakes. The route from Entebbe goes through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese to the park.
Where to stay on your visit to Kyambura Gorge
Tourists who intend to visit Kyambura and are willing to stay for a night or more can stay in budget, mid-range, and luxury lodges depending on their travel budget. There are so many lodges with good services and among them include Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Engiri Game Lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, and many others.
