Not many wildlife experiences are as emotionally moving and exciting as primate safaris in Uganda. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of encountering a group of wild mountain gorillas going about their daily routine in the jungles, as dominant silverbacks keep a watchful eye or mothers fussing over their babies as well as infants roughly playing and tumbling in the same way as our own children do.
Alternatively, spend quality time with our closest cousins the chimpanzees go about their lives and the boisterous golden monkeys jumping on tree branches within the Bamboo Forest. These creatures are only found in the forests and therefore undertaking a primate safari is a constant reminder of the intimate bond we have with these stunning creatures.
Meeting face to face with the endangered wild mountain gorillas in their natural environment is a memorable moment, even for the elderly safari visitors. Just staring into the eyes of the giant apes as well as their weirdly beautiful human behavior is an experience that will last a lifetime. Not to be overrated, the smaller primate species also have outstanding personalities that make primate safaris equally rewarding and worthwhile.
Mountain gorillas are one of the precious primates to watch on your primate safaris in Uganda.
A number of activities can be used to describe primate safaris in Uganda, but the highlights are mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, Golden monkey tracking and primate walks, to encounter the other smaller primate species.
When it comes to mountain gorillas, they can be trekked within Mgahinga Gorilla and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where visitors can also join the gorilla habituation experience, which offers up to four hours in the presence of gorillas.
Do you adore the chimpanzees? Find them in Budongo Forest, Kibale Forest National Park, Semliki National Park, Kyambura Gorge (in Queen Elizabeth National Park), Kalinzu and Maramagambo forests. Visitors who wish to join the habituation programme, that lasts the entire day, can organize the primate safari to Kibale and Budongo Forests.
The golden monkeys are only trekked within Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where visitors spend some quality time watching and photographing antics of the frisky golden-brown colored primates. The beautiful thing about Uganda’s forests is that majority of them are haven to numerous primate species such as grey-cheeked mangabeys, L‘Hoests monkeys, olive baboons, Patas monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, bushbabies, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, pottos, that can be discovered during these primate species.