Kyambura Gorge, known locally as Chambura and often called the “Valley of Apes,” is a roughly 100-metre-deep gorge carved by the Kyambura River through the eastern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Its riverine forest is home to a small habituated chimpanzee community, making it one of Uganda’s more intimate primate-trekking experiences.
The gorge at a glance
- A roughly 100-metre-deep gorge carved by the Kyambura River in eastern Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Home to a small chimpanzee community, with researchers recording as few as sixteen individuals in the gorge
- Also home to red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and both black-and-white and red colobus monkeys
- Close to the equator crossing on the road through Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Valley of Apes
Kyambura’s chimpanzee population is small compared with better-known chimpanzee destinations elsewhere in Uganda, and sightings are not guaranteed given the gorge’s dense riverine forest and the chimpanzees’ wide-ranging habits. What the gorge offers instead is an intimate, low-density trekking experience, walking through a dramatic river-carved landscape with a real chance of primate encounters rather than the higher-probability tracking found at Uganda’s larger chimpanzee sites.
Beyond the chimpanzees
Even without a chimpanzee sighting, Kyambura’s forest supports a rich array of other wildlife, including red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and colobus monkeys, along with birdlife such as African skimmers and papyrus canaries. Guided nature walks through the gorge’s riverine forest offer scenic views and a distinctly different environment from the open savannah found elsewhere in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Things to do
- Chimpanzee trekking with experienced guides through the gorge’s riverine forest
- Guided nature walks focused on the gorge’s other primates and birdlife
- Combining a Kyambura visit with game drives elsewhere in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Photography of the dramatic gorge landscape
Practical information
- Permits and trekking arrangements are made at the Mweya information centre within Queen Elizabeth National Park
- About a five to six hour drive from Kampala, or reached via Mweya or Ishasha airstrips
- Best visited in the dry seasons, June to September and December to February
Kyambura Gorge offers a quieter, more intimate chimpanzee-trekking experience within a wider Queen Elizabeth National Park itinerary. Offmap Safaris can combine it with game drives and the Kazinga Channel for a fuller park visit. To start planning, visit Plan My African Safari, message us on WhatsApp at +256 701 243 304, or email [email protected]. See also our notes on health and safety and responsible travel.