Kyambura Game Reserve

Kyambura Game Reserve sits within the Queen Elizabeth conservation area in western Uganda and is centered on a forested river gorge known for wild chimpanzees. It functions as a protected buffer and visitor area adjacent to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The reserve’s main attraction is the forested Kyambura Gorge where guided, on-foot chimp-tracking walks enter dense riverine woodland. These walks are the primary activity; visitors also see other primates, forest birds and signs of larger mammals from the surrounding savanna.

The area has been managed as a game reserve and as part of the broader Queen Elizabeth conservation landscape to protect forest habitat and primates while allowing controlled tourism. Management focuses on habitat protection and community-based tourism support.

Kyambura lies on the eastern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park, adjacent to the Kazinga Channel and within the park’s western Uganda landscape. Access is by park roads from the main visitor centers of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

• Chimp tracking: Guided chimp-tracking walks require a park guide and a permit from Queen Elizabeth National Park and typically take a few hours over rough terrain.
• Combined visits: Habitat is riverine forest within the Queen Elizabeth conservation area, so sightings can be combined with boat or land safaris in the same park.

What to See #

• Kyambura Gorge: A steep, forested river gorge that drains into the Kazinga Channel and forms the core habitat for the reserve's habituated chimpanzees and other primates.