The Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a gorge located in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese district. The gorge is found in the Western side of the park and is part of the great East African Rift Valley. At 16 km (10 miles) long and 100 meters (330 feet) deep this gorge is considered one of the smallest gorges in the region.

This gorge is home to about 3 primate species including chimpanzees, monkeys, and baboons; with chimpanzees being the most of all. The gorge has about 100 bird species and a couple of other animal species including Hippos, crocodiles plus a few other aquatic species.

Back to the chimpanzees, as of 2021 the gorge has about 50 – 70 chimpanzees species in the gorge with about 30% habituated and available for trekking all your round. Chimpanzee and primate trekking in the gorge is done all year round as part of the safari activities done in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

This forest part of the gorge comprises of a variety of tree species the main ones being the fig and the mahogany. These unique tree species are some of the reasons, people visit the gorge on Guided Forest walks and nature trails to experience the beauty of the forest and the gorge.

On these guided nature walks you will also be amazed at the butterflies you will encounter, birds and many others forest creatures.

Of course, through the forest you connect to the Kazinga Channel which is amazing experience all together. But to really explore the Kazinga channel you will have to go on a special Kazinga channel boat ride to experience the channel and all the flora and fauna in the water and surrounding.

The river that pours into the Kazinga channel from the Kyambura gorge is called the Kyambura River and it goes through steep cliffs and some rocky out crops. The river forms rapids and a water fall at some point and this formation gives a scenic view like no other. Some of the view you enjoy have steep cliffs, water rapids, crops springing out on rocks, rocks and many more things.

In the olden days the kyambura gorge was popular for being a traditional hunting ground for the locals who used to hunt game for food from the gorge. It was also a medicinal hub as many locals used to pick herbs from the forest to treat aliments and different diseases. On the other hand, some communities used to go to the gorge forest to pray or speak to their ancestors making it a very spiritually significant place.

The kyambura gorge is protected and managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and people can making bookings to visit the gorge through the authority or through a registered tour company. The gorge is open to the public 24/7 all year round though many people visit the gorge during the dry seasons especially in the months of June through to September and December through to February.

Some facts about the gorge you should know as you prepare for the visit, this gorge is commonly known as the valley of apes and it has a natural fault line. Of course, it’s part of the greater eco system of the Queen Elizabeth national park with the wildlife in the gorge supported by the Unique microclimate.

The bonus of visiting the gorge is you get to also experience queen Elizabeth national park and have activities like game drives, tree climbing lion tracking, boat rides, crater lake tour and many more other refreshing interesting activities.