Primate Species in Uganda
Primate Species in Uganda are quite diverse as the country has different types of primates that attract a number of travelers to come and explore Uganda’s primates species. There is no doubt that Uganda is the best destination for gorilla trekking in the whole African continent. The gorillas in Uganda are not just any kind of gorillas that you see banging on the chest in the movies, comic books and other areas in the world, the gorillas in Uganda are unique mountain gorilla. This is the distinction the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda get in the whole world. Besides the mountain gorillas, there are other primates you will love to have fun with during your visit to Uganda.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in two prominent destinations, that is, Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park; both the national parks are found in the southwestern region of Uganda. Bwindi national park holds almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas with over 1400 individuals roaming the dense tropical rainforest of Budongo. Also, Mgahinga national park is blessed with one gorilla family, also habituated, ready for you to visit.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is the best-selling activity among the Ugandan safaris. In fact, most of the travelers to Uganda mainly come for the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorilla trekking is very different from chimpanzee trekking. It lasts for a longer time compared to the one hour of chimpanzee trekking. The time for trekking the mountain gorillas is greatly dependent on the gorilla family you book for.
Bwindi Impenetrable National park has over seven families of mountain gorillas to make your mountain gorilla experience such a captivating and memorable. Of the seven families of mountain gorillas in bwindi national park, three are found in buhoma in the northern part of the national park, one family is found at nkuringo, and five found at rushaga. Another mountain gorilla family is found in mgahinga national park and others in volcanoes national park in Rwanda.
Gorilla permits
Every gorilla trekking holiday, in the dry season, the Uganda wildlife prepares about 96 gorilla trekking permits. About 88 mountain gorilla trekking permits are prepared for Bwindi national park and a sum of 8 permits are allocated to the gorilla family in Mgahinga national park. To get the gorilla trekking permit, you are required to present your passport details. The clients are allocated the gorilla families they book for, however, it good to ask help from your travel consultant when booking for the mountain gorilla family to trek.
Other primates
Despite the fame, Uganda has due to the mountain gorilla safaris, it also has quite a range of other interesting primates species that travelers must visit during the safaris in Uganda. Uganda is the best primate destination on the African continent. A lot of primates live a very wonderful lifestyle in the tropical forests of Uganda; the characteristics of the tropical forests in Uganda are adaptable for the primate community that they host.
In Uganda, the best primate species destination is not other than the renowned primate capital of the world, Kibale national park. Kibale national park is a home for almost a third of the primate population on the African continent. Kibale national park is a home for 13 primate species including the famous chimpanzees and the rare l’hoest’s monkeys and the red colobus monkeys. The chimpanzee safaris are the best booked and make the highlight of almost all the safaris to kibale national park.
There are other destinations where you can find primate species, for example, Budongo forest is also a natural tropical rain forest and harbors over 500 chimpanzees; it is also where the Jane Goodall Institute of chimpanzee research located. You can also visit kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Kalinzu forest in Kasese, and Mabira forest for a versatile primate safari in Uganda.
Exclusively, Mgahinga national park is the only park in Uganda where you can find the endangered golden monkeys. In mgahinga national park, the mutuality of the mountain gorillas and the golden monkeys is quite an interesting experience. It is common to find the mountain gorillas during the golden monkey trekking in mgahinga national park.
Uganda is also blessed with quite very unique primates including the black and white colobus monkeys, the vervet monkeys, red colobus monkeys, blue colobus monkeys, and the olive baboon are common in the national parks of Uganda; they even reach the lodges so you got to be careful when having your meal at any restaurant in the national park. You can also enjoy the night primates during nocturnal nature walks in Kalinzu forest and kibale national park. The night nature walks in kibale national park give you a chance to see the bush babies, galagos and the pottos in the forest trees.
The main primates trekked by visitors to Uganda are the mountain gorillas and the chimpanzees; however, you can use the chance to spot the golden monkeys during mountain gorilla trekking or enjoy the monkeys during chimpanzee trekking in kibale national park. Primate trekking safaris are best done in the dry season, which is from December, from January to February. However, you can book for the chimpanzee trekking in kibale national park any time of the year, but always take caution of the rains in the wet season.
