The mighty Kyambura Gorge is an atmospheric rainforest located at the flow of the great western arm of the Rift Valley in Queen Elizabeth National Park, stretching magnificently for about 16 kilometers and reaching a depth of 100 meters. The steep Gorge was created by thrashing waters of the Kyambura River; this panoramic valley is sometimes known as “The valley of Apes.”
Kyambura Gorge is home to many great apes, providing you with a thrilling chimpanzee trekking experience in Uganda, the chimpanzees at Gorge were given names to describe Uganda’s beauty and to ease their identification, the chimpanzees are said to be over 20 in number.
Kyambura Gorge has got one of the best breath taking views of the world boasting with Rich biodiversity the chimpanzees trekking experience is very fascinating as you learn the behavior of chimpanzees man’s close relatives in their natural environment. The Kyambura Gorge tree canopy provides an exceptional climate; being shown by tall trees, you would not believe it’s surrounded by Savannah grasslands from the top.
Kyambura Gorge is endowed with beautiful bird species, some of which are endemic to this area, the chattering of the birds will welcome you to this dramatic valley as soon as you start trekking some of the birds you will see here are African skimmers, Ovambo sparrowhawks, Papyrus Gonolek, white-winged warblers, martial eagles, greater and lesser flamingoes, African crakes, secretary birds, Verreaux’s eagles, low land akalat and black bee among the rest.
Earlier on before the chimpanzees got trapped in the Kyambura Gorge, they used to connect to the Maramagambo Forest and the Katsyoha-Kitomi forest and to Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park the gorge used to be their transit route and due to human settlements the chimpanzees had no choice but to remain in this tropical rainforest good enough the forest is adaptable to them because of the many fruit trees
Kyambura Gorge was formed as a result of volcanic activity causing the middle part to sink down with it’s forest and a fault line below was created this led to the formation of the Kyambura river that drains this rain forest with water supplied by the streams from Bunyaraguru and Buhweju hills.
Chimpanzee trekking is the main tourist activity at the splendid Kyambura Gorge, there are many trails that have been set up for chimpanzee trekking, offering you the best chances of observing the great apes, the best time for trekking is always in the morning hours. The gorge is covered by Savannah at the top and swamps towards the Kazinga channel.
The Kyambura Gorge also offers visitors a wildlife experience. Apart from chimpanzee trekking, tourists can come along other primates olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys other things that will draw your attention at Gorge are butterflies, insects, gigantic trees, uniquely tapestried spider webs, and many wild flowers.
Kyambura Gorge is also home to other animals like waterbucks, striped jackals, African elephants, giant forest hogs, and bushbucks, to mention a few.
While at Kyambura Gorge, it’s good to connect your Uganda primates tour with visiting Queen Elizabeth national park for a better wildlife viewing experience; where to sleep will depend on the tourist’s choice and budget. Some of the hotels where to sleep are park view safari lodge, Kyambura Gorge lodge and many more
Kyambura Gorge can be accessed through the Kyambura Bridge and Kakumbagaro. Kyambura Gorge is 440 kilometers from the Fort Portal-Kasese route and approximately 420 kilometers southwestof Kampala via the Masaka-Mbarara route. Tourists can also opt to fly to Mweya or Kasese airstrips from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield in Kampala.
