Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve
Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve
4
About
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve
The area
Reach out directly
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
42 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
12
Average
7
Poor
5
Terrible
0
Juana T
6 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
We had an amazing time in Kalinzu forest. The staff made us feel home and gave us an amazing chimpanzee experience. The camping is very basic and no many tourists go here which made it feel very unique. The co-working between guides and chimps trackers is amazing.
Big hug to all the Kalinzu community!
Big hug to all the Kalinzu community!
Written 5 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S Thorpe
London, UK16 contributions
Feb 2021
Quite an easy walk through the forest with no huge hills to climb, so was much easier than trekking the gorillas. i would recommend to try to see the chimps here and as well in Kyambura gorge. The guides are well trained and i would recommend Rachel who took us out and was a good guide.
Written 30 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IowaRod
Iowa322 contributions
Oct 2015
We tracked chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest and were not disappointed. The forest is thick but relatively flat once you descend into it. The forest comes alive with the sounds of chimps and the excitement of watching them hunt and fight and play is incredible. Make sure you were long pants and socks that you can pull up over the ends of your pant legs to keep the fire ants out. Were gloves so you don't hurt your hands grabbing branches on the way to and from the forest floor. The hike to the chimps is strenuous so you should be in good shape.
Written 14 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rowie
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia597 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
We visited the Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve to go Chimpanzee Trekking.
We met up at 8am ath the office of the Forest Reserve and I can't comment on the public toilets here as I did not need to go.
Our guide was excellent, she did all she could to educate us on the chimps and explained clearly to us as we went along the various fauna, etc.The route thru the jungle was manageable thou the ground was wet from rain in the wee hours of that morning.
I had on a pair of knee guards and I would reccomend these guards for those with weak knees. Do not bring a walking pole, the staff will have wooden poles which they will offer to those who need it. As it is a canopied forest it is shady thruout which is nice. Our trek in to the chimps took no more then an hour and there they were a family of chimps up in the tree tops. Honestly gorilla trekking at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was more satisfying then chimp trekking, albeit more costly.
Here's why. Gorillas are easier to spot in terms of size and less fidgety for one. The chimps we saw were high up in the trees and none happened to be on the ground which can be quite the norm.
Thou I would rather see chimps in their natural environment then in a zoo, it became quite apparent that the if we did get lucky to spot some chimps on the ground, they would scurry up a tree fast. Thus it was wishful thinking to see the chimps with the naked eye as the thick foliage of the jungle covers much!
To enjoy this activity bring along a pair of binoculars and a long lens if you want better pictures. It proved almost impossible to get a good shot of the chimps without. At least you would get a close up view to see how adorable these chimps are, especially the young ones!
Overall we were happy with the crew and felt that they did their best to offer a good experience. We enjoyed the jungle trekking and all else the jungle had to offer.
We met up at 8am ath the office of the Forest Reserve and I can't comment on the public toilets here as I did not need to go.
Our guide was excellent, she did all she could to educate us on the chimps and explained clearly to us as we went along the various fauna, etc.The route thru the jungle was manageable thou the ground was wet from rain in the wee hours of that morning.
I had on a pair of knee guards and I would reccomend these guards for those with weak knees. Do not bring a walking pole, the staff will have wooden poles which they will offer to those who need it. As it is a canopied forest it is shady thruout which is nice. Our trek in to the chimps took no more then an hour and there they were a family of chimps up in the tree tops. Honestly gorilla trekking at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was more satisfying then chimp trekking, albeit more costly.
Here's why. Gorillas are easier to spot in terms of size and less fidgety for one. The chimps we saw were high up in the trees and none happened to be on the ground which can be quite the norm.
Thou I would rather see chimps in their natural environment then in a zoo, it became quite apparent that the if we did get lucky to spot some chimps on the ground, they would scurry up a tree fast. Thus it was wishful thinking to see the chimps with the naked eye as the thick foliage of the jungle covers much!
To enjoy this activity bring along a pair of binoculars and a long lens if you want better pictures. It proved almost impossible to get a good shot of the chimps without. At least you would get a close up view to see how adorable these chimps are, especially the young ones!
Overall we were happy with the crew and felt that they did their best to offer a good experience. We enjoyed the jungle trekking and all else the jungle had to offer.
Written 5 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pearl Haven Safaris
Kampala, Uganda13 contributions
July 2019
Our clients appreciated the relaxing environment, nature walks and birds. We will recommend this to our next clients.
Written 24 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve C
Bristol, UK130 contributions
Sept 2017 • Friends
We arrived just as the ferry was leaving so missed a better time slot than we'd hoped for. Still after mike's of driving we saw some nice animals, only 1 of the big 5 though. I enjoyed the drive especially as I wasn't driving and saw some marvellous views. I'd go again for the reasons above but try to get there sooner.
The ferryman accepted a combined backhander to do a quick run over and back again seeing we let him know he'd left sooner than the advertised time. Sorry for the pictures the good ones are on my camera not my phone....we saw hippopotamus, giraffe, water buffalo, spring bucks. No zebra, no cats etc.
The ferryman accepted a combined backhander to do a quick run over and back again seeing we let him know he'd left sooner than the advertised time. Sorry for the pictures the good ones are on my camera not my phone....we saw hippopotamus, giraffe, water buffalo, spring bucks. No zebra, no cats etc.
Written 23 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveling Mario
Seoul, South Korea2,646 contributions
July 2015 • Family
This place is not as known as Kyambura gorge for Chimps trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Actually, Kalinzu is just outside the National Park area. We walked around in the tropical forest for about 1.5 hour before finding the chimps. Unlike gorillas, the chimps stay mostly on tall trees and move around. So it is essential to bring a binocular. I was told that there are about 300 chimps in this forest, which means that the probability of seeing a family of chimps is fairly high. Normally, the whole trekking takes up to 4 hours, but it took only 3 hours for us.
Written 5 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne B
21 contributions
Nov 2021 • Friends
Were on a chimp track in Kalinzu Forest Reserve with Debbie and Robert as guides - absolutely amazing!! First I was a bit sceptic because it was a lot cheaper than other tracks - but it was soooo great!!! Thanks a lot to Debbie and Robert for this great experience!!
Written 24 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott Rayburn (roomwithareviewblog.com)
Philadelphia, PA8 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
Kalinzu Forest is the perfect budget option for chimp trekking near Queen Elizabeth National Park. The charge is $40pp, which isn't exactly cheap, but the fact that you do not need to pay a park fee in addition to this charge is where you can really save money.
We arrived and were greeted by Franklin, who was our guide that day. She took us into the forest and we quickly found some blue monkeys and, soon after, L'Hoests monkeys. This was great and all, but we were there for the chimps, and Franklin took us to them within about 45 minutes. They were being tracked by two gentlemen, and Franklin communicated with them in order to find the chimps. Definitely well organized for a higher probability of success.
I really liked how all of the people working in the field were highly enthusiastic, and I LOVED the bushwhacking experience where you are literally running through the forest chasing these amazing animals. (WEAR PANTS AND SHOES WITH GOOD GRIP.) It was a rush of adrenaline and the 45 minutes we spent with those chimps was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!
We arrived and were greeted by Franklin, who was our guide that day. She took us into the forest and we quickly found some blue monkeys and, soon after, L'Hoests monkeys. This was great and all, but we were there for the chimps, and Franklin took us to them within about 45 minutes. They were being tracked by two gentlemen, and Franklin communicated with them in order to find the chimps. Definitely well organized for a higher probability of success.
I really liked how all of the people working in the field were highly enthusiastic, and I LOVED the bushwhacking experience where you are literally running through the forest chasing these amazing animals. (WEAR PANTS AND SHOES WITH GOOD GRIP.) It was a rush of adrenaline and the 45 minutes we spent with those chimps was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!
Written 22 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark H
6 contributions
Apr 2015 • Business
My trip to Bushenyi was spiced up by a visit to the Kalinzu Forest. I lovied walking through this forest. the beautiful trees and the fresh breeze from these trees made me feel the historical Bushenyi i had always heard about
Written 8 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, how do you contact Kalinzu Forest to make a reservation for the chimp trekking?
Written 23 May 2019
Hi I am also wondering how you can pre-book this! And also, how long is the drive from the Northern part of Queen Elizabeth NP to the Park? (we're planning to drive from within QENP to Kalinzu for the chimp trekking in the morning, but don't know if this is do-able as I can't find anything regarding the times they do chimp trekking).
Written 8 June 2018
ellenapril2018
Valkenswaard, The Netherlands
Hello,
How can I arrange a chimptracking in Kalinzu Forest reserve,?
Kind regards
Written 30 January 2018
Showing results 1-3 of 3
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing