Common Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes

Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing approximately 98.7% of our DNA, and spending time with a habituated community in their forest home is one of Africa's most unforgettable wildlife experiences. Unlike the mountain gorilla treks of Rwanda and Uganda, which feel reverent and intimate, chimpanzee tracking is chaotic, loud, and full of surprises. Chimps move fast through dense forest, swinging between branches, chasing each other through the canopy, and erupting into screaming displays that shake the trees. You'll hear them long before you see them. Chimpanzee trekking is offered in Uganda's Kibale Forest (widely considered the best destination), Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda, Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains in Tanzania, and parts of the Budongo Forest near Murchison Falls. Each location offers a different character of experience. Kibale is the most accessible with the highest density of chimps. Mahale is remote and exclusive, set on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. What strikes most visitors is how human chimpanzees seem: their facial expressions, their politics, their use of tools, their capacity for both tenderness and aggression. Watching a mother groom her infant, or a young male display for dominance by drumming on a buttress root, or a group cooperatively hunt colobus monkeys through the treetops, you see flashes of behavior that feel uncomfortably familiar. Chimpanzee numbers have fallen dramatically due to deforestation and bushmeat hunting. Fewer than 300,000 remain across Central and West Africa. In East Africa, the populations you'll visit on safari are small but well-protected, and your permit fees directly fund their conservation.