Kibale Forest in western Uganda is the best place in the world to track wild chimpanzees. The forest is home to one of the highest densities of primates in Africa, with over a dozen species present, but it is the chimpanzees, numbering over 1,400 in the park, that draw visitors from around the world. Like gorilla trekking, chimp tracking is done in small groups with habituated communities that have been accustomed to human presence over many years. The trek itself is typically shorter and faster than a gorilla trek because chimpanzees move quickly through the trees and travel much greater distances through the day. When you find them you can hear them long before you see them, the noise of the forest erupting with hoots, calls, and crashing branches. The experience is different from gorilla trekking but no less extraordinary. Watching a chimpanzee tool-using, grooming, or swinging through the canopy above you is a reminder of how close our evolutionary connection with these animals really is. Permits for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale cost around USD 200 per person. The park also offers chimpanzee habituation experiences, where you can spend a full day with a family group that is still being habituated to human presence, which is available for a higher permit fee and for those who want a longer and more immersive encounter. The best time to visit Kibale is during the dry seasons from June to August and December to March. The park is about five hours from Entebbe by road and pairs well with Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Bwindi gorilla trek on a wider Uganda itinerary.