Reviews of Budongo Forest (From 4 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

4 people found this review helpful.

The Forgotten Chimpanzee Reserve

Overall rating

3/5

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The vast Budongo Forest is Uganda’s most important refuge for chimpanzees, supporting a population currently estimated at around 800, including a community that has been habituated for research purposes since the 1970s. It is also one of the most extensive and ecologically diverse forests in East Africa, with 465 plant species recorded. Most impressive are the giant ironwood and mahogany trees that stand up to 60m tall, and whose buttressed bases are often used as drums by roaming chimps.

The only part of Budongo Forest that is properly developed for visitors is an ecotourism site operated privately by Budongo Eco Lodge. This accessible site lies within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area, right alongside the main surfaced road from Kampala to Paraa via Masindi. It effectively functions as an annex of Murchison Falls NP, and is best known for offering chimp trekking on twice daily excursions that leave at 8am and 3pm.

My experience is that Budongo is less reliable than Kibale National Park for chimps, but that’s a matter of luck on any given day. On my most recent visit in November 2023, I had a wonderful and very photogenic sighting of a large, mostly male group pant-hoot calling in the trees. One thing I really enjoy about chimp trekking in Budongo is that there are far fewer tourists than is the case in Kibale, and you’re likely to have any sighting to yourself.

Budongo Forest also offers superb bird-watching. The area around the ecolodge is known as the only place in East Africa for Puvel’s illadopsis; on my most recent visit, I enjoyed an excellent view of this localized bird after my guide located a pair by call. For dedicated birders it is worth diverting to Busingiro, which used to offer chimp tracking to tourists but no longer does. However, this is the springboard for exploring the so-called Royal Mile, which is arguably the single best bird-watching site in Uganda in terms of rarities and visibility.

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Expert

Tim Bewer –

US

Visited: August

Tim is a travel writer who has covered 10 African countries for Lonely Planet's Africa, East Africa and West Africa guidebooks.

3 people found this review helpful.

Home to Habituated Chimpanzees, This Is an Excellent Murchison Falls Add-On

Overall rating

2/5

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Though the Budongo Forest is rarely a destination on its own, it makes an excellent add-on to Murchison Falls National Park. You probably won’t see any safari species on a forest walk here; rather people come to track its community of habituated chimpanzees. There are no big hills to climb here, so this is the easiest place to meet our closest living relatives. And the hour that you are allowed to stay with them will be magical. The other draw is the excellent bird-watching. There are several good sites including the Royal Mile, which many consider the single best birding destination in Uganda because of both the number of rare birds found here and also the great visibility.

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Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

1 person found this review helpful.

Chimpanzees en Route to Murchison Falls

Overall rating

3/5

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Budongo Forest can easily be visited en route to Murchison Falls National Park. In fact, the main road to Murchison runs through the forest. The main activity here is chimp tracking. We were lucky enough to see a chimp cross the road before we even reached the lodge from where chimp tracking is organized, but when we did the official chimp tracking activity, we didn’t find them. Unfortunately, this is not that unusual, and you can’t rely on sightings here as much as in Kibale. Even when you don’t see the chimps, the forest is beautiful and worth a stopover in any case. This is also a birding hot spot and walking on the main road is actually the best way to see birds in the canopy. Accommodation is available on site in rustic chalets, or you can stay at one of the smarter lodges in Murchison Falls NP and track chimps as a day trip.

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Expert

Alan Murphy –

AU

Visited: May

Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.

Chimp Tracking Amongst Forest Giants

Overall rating

4/5

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Walks here are about 3 hours and the tracks are easy to negotiate in the beautiful Budongo Forest. Your chances of seeing chimps (the main reason to come here unless you are a birder) are very high. The guides will often take you off the tracks and across country to get the best views of the chimpanzees.

The massive Uganda ironwood trees are a sight to behold, and the birdlife in the forest is both colourful and plentiful. But it’s the chimpanzees that steal the show as they frolic through the forest. They move with amazing speed and agility, and you need to be ready to dash through the forest to keep up with a family group. You have a good chance of seeing them at ground level because even though they feed and sleep in the trees, they come down to groom and chill out (and if you’re lucky pose prettily for pictures).

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