Top Primate Destinations in Uganda

December 5, 2024

Top Primate Destinations in Uganda

Top Primate Destinations in Uganda. Uganda is popular as the best primate tracking destination on the African continent. Uganda is home to the endangered Mountain gorillas and other primate species. These include chimpanzees, baboons, red-tailed, blue, Golden, and L’hoest monkeys. You can see Primates in Uganda in almost all the national parks and other safari destinations in the country. These include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga National Park, and Semuliki National Reserve among others. Below is a list of the best places to see primates in Uganda.

Most Popular Safaris

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5-day Nyungwe Chimps & Congo Lowland Gorillas.

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9-Day Uganda Rwanda Primates and Wildlife Safari

Top Primate Destinations in Uganda- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi, in southwestern Uganda, is one of the most visited National Parks in Uganda. This is because of the large population of Mountain gorillas that are in the different parts of the park. Bwindi is home to half the population of Mountain gorillas in the world. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the three national parks where mountain gorilla trekking takes place in the world. Recently on 17/01/2024, UWA introduced new gorilla families. The total of the newly introduced gorilla families was 5. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is divided into four sectors, and this is where gorilla trekking takes place. The different Bwindi sectors and the gorilla families in each include the following:

The Rushaga sector

Rushaga is in the southern part of the national park. It is one of the two sectors in Bwindi where gorilla habituation takes place. The new gorilla families in the Rushaga sector include the Rwigi gorilla family and the Tindatine gorilla family. Other gorilla families in Rushaga include the Nshongi gorilla family, the Mishaya gorilla family, the Bweza family, the Kahungye gorilla family, and Busingye, where gorilla trekking is carried out and the most popular gorilla trailhead.

This was the first gorilla trailhead to open in Uganda and has several gorilla families, including the Muyambi family and the Habinyanja gorilla family. UWA introduced Gorilla tracking in the Rushaga sector in September 2009. Some of the accommodation facilities that you can use when gorilla tracking in Rushaga include Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, and Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, among others.

Buhoma Sector

The Buhoma sector is in northern Bwindi. Some of the gorilla families include the Binyindo family, Rushegura, Katwe family, and Mubare gorilla family. Accommodations in Rushaga include Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Haven Lodge, Bwindi Guest House, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Gorilla Bluff Lodge, Kanungu Resort Hotel and Efraz Motel Kanungu among others.

Nkuringo Sector

Located in the southern part of Bwindi, the Nkuringo sector is popular among tourists visiting Bwindi. When the sector was first introduced, there was only one family that was initially introduced in the sector, but there have been other gorilla families introduced in Nkuringo, and these include the Nkuringo Gorilla family, the Christmas gorilla family, and the Bushaho gorilla family. Accommodation in the Nkuringo Sector includes Gorilla Heights Lodge, Albertine Gorilla Campsites, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, and Nkuringo Guest House, among others. Nkuringo also has one gorilla family that is undergoing habituation.

Ruhija Sector

Located in the northeastern part of Bwindi, the Ruhija sector is mainly used for research purposes. Nonetheless, tourists can also go for gorilla trekking in the sector. Gorilla-habituated gorilla families in Ruhija include the Kyaguliro, Bitukura gorilla family, and Oruzongo gorilla families.

You can best do Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park during the dry season. This runs from June to October and December to February. However, note that Uganda’s closeness to the equator leads to a change in weather all the time. You should thus expect showers of rain even when it’s the dry season.

Apart from gorilla trekking, gorilla habituation, which is the process of training gorillas to get used to the presence of humans, is offered in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. During gorilla habituation, only groups of 4 with the guidance of guides and researchers are allowed to participate in the exercise, and this takes four after locating the gorillas.

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Mgahinga National Park- Gorilla tracking

Mgahinga National Park is part of the Virunga ranges. It is one of the only two safari destinations in Uganda where tourists can see gorillas. Mgahinga National Park is home to one habituated gorilla family in Uganda, the Nyakagezi gorilla family. Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga takes place all year round. However, the best time is during the dry season when you can easily see the gorilla families. Also, the trek routes are not slippery during this period.

Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking in Uganda takes place in two destinations, and these are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Both of them are in the southwestern part of Uganda. Mountain gorillas are extremely rare, and Uganda offers the best and most affordable gorilla trekking exercises in the world. To be able to participate in gorilla trekking in Uganda, you need to purchase a gorilla trekking permit. You can purchase it through a trusted tour operator or directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority website. however, the latter takes a long time and is frustrating. The cost of the gorilla trekking permit in Uganda for Bwindi and Mgahinga are the same and starting July 2024, below are the new costs till 2026.

Foreign non-residents $800, Foreign residents $700, EAC citizens UGX 300, 000, and African citizens $500.

The cost of a gorilla habituation gorilla permit is higher than the normal gorilla permit and below is the cost from 2024 to 2026. Foreign non-residents $1500, Foreign residents $1000, EAC citizens UGX 750, 000, and African citizens $1000.

Note that Uganda does not offer discounts for permits during the low season.

Gorilla trekking starts early morning after breakfast with a briefing at the park headquarters at both Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you are separated into groups of 8, and thereafter, the trek begins. The track can take 30 minutes to 7 hours or more depending on where the gorilla families are staying at that moment. After locating the gorillas, you have an hour with them during the normal gorilla trekking exercise. It’s 4 hours during the habituation process.

Golden monkey trekking

Golden monkey trekking in Uganda is only carried out in Mgahinga National Park. The park is in the southwestern part of Uganda. Golden monkeys are also an endangered species, and there are about 4000 individuals left in the world. You find some of these primates in Mgahinga. You can easily identify them by the shade of orange gold that covers a larger part of their body. This is why they are called golden monkeys and they live in groups of up to 100 individuals. An alpha male leads the group. Due to the stubborn nature of these monkeys, they are always up in trees and rarely move as much as the gorillas.

Golden monkeys are endemic to the Albertine Valley. They mainly feed on fruits, bamboo shoots, and leaves, lichens, invertebrates, sprouts, and flowers.

Just like gorilla tracking, golden monkey trekking starts early in the morning with a briefing from the guides, and after the briefing, the groups head to the trailhead to start tracking golden monkeys at 8:00 am. The golden monkey tracking exercise is not as strenuous as gorilla trekking. It can take 3 hours or more and after locating the monkeys, the tourists are allowed an hour with the primates.

Golden monkey tracking can be carried out all year round; however, the best time is during the dry season when the trails are easier to use. Mgahinga National Park also offers the Golden monkey habituation experience, where tourists get to spend more time studying the monkeys and their behaviors in their natural habitat.

Tourists need to purchase a Golden Monkey trekking permit and the cost is as follows:

Foreign non-residents $100, Foreign residents $90, EAC citizens UGX 65, 000.

Top Primate Destinations in Uganda; Kibale National Park- Chimpanzee trekking and habituation

This is the best chimpanzee trekking destination in Uganda and East Africa with over 13 different primate species. Kibale National Park is home to over 1500 registered chimpanzees with three habituated communities across the park. Two of the three habituated communities have been set aside for tracking whereas one was set aside for research purposes. Besides chimpanzee tracking, several other primate species are found in Kibale, and these include L’hoest monkeys, Red colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, Mangabeys, olive baboons, Red-tailed monkeys, bush babies, and blue monkeys, among others.

Chimpanzee tracking is carried out twice a day in Kibale, one session in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and for one to be able to participate in chimp trekking will need a permit which is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The cost of the chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale is as below:

Foreign non-residents $250, Foreign residents $200, and EAC citizens UGX 180, 000.

Habituation permit cost

Foreign non-residents $300, Foreign residents $250, and EAC citizens UGX 250, 000.

Top Primate Destinations in Uganda- Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee trekking

Kyambura Gorge is a valley in Queen Elizabeth National Park it is popular as the Valley of Apes. It is one of the best destinations for primate viewing in Uganda. Kyambura Gorge is about 16km long, surrounded by thick forests, and famous for having large concentrations of red-tailed monkeys, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and chimpanzees.

Kyambura Gorge has about 30 chimpanzees and although the population is less, tracking gorillas in Kyambura allows tourists to combine chimpanzee tracking with a game drive and birding exercise, combine chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park with gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park among others. The only disadvantage is that there is a high probability of comparing chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu and Kibale National Park with Kyambura Gorge.

The chimp trek permit cost in Kyambura Gorge is as follows.

Foreign non-residents $100, Foreign residents $80, and EAC citizens UGX 50, 000.

Kalinzu Forest: Chimpanzee trekking

Kalinzu forest is the second best destination after Kibale National Park for chimp tracking. The forest’s location near Queen Elizabeth National Park is the perfect getaway for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda as you combine it with wildlife viewing. Kalinzu is home to over 300 chimpanzees, 70 of which are habituated. The possibility of spotting the chimpanzees here is 90%.

You will also need chimpanzee tracking permits and the cost is as stated below.

Foreign non-residents $130

Foreign residents $65

EAC Citizens $65

Budongo Forest and Kaniyo Pabidi Forest: Chimpanzee tracking

Budongo Forest and Kaniyo Pabidi Forest are in Murchison Falls National Park. Although they are not as big as the other destinations, they are still home to different primate species, including chimpanzees, baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and many more.

Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi starts as early as 8:00 am after briefing and there are the morning session and the afternoon session. The best time to go for chimp trekking in Murchison Falls is during the dry season although it can still be done all year round. The cost of the tracking permit is as below:

Foreign non-residents are $230, Foreign residents $120, and EAC Citizens $85.

You can also spot Primates in Uganda in other national parks across the country during a game drive, and some of the destinations where you can spot the different primate species include Semuliki Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley National Park, Ngamba Island, and the Uganda Wildlife Education Center among others.

Rules for Primate Tracking in Uganda

There are rules that all tourists have to follow when primate tracking in Uganda and these include:

The age limit for tracking primates in Uganda is 12 years
No eating, smoking, or drinking when with the primates
Avoid touching the primates
Do not make noise when with the primates because this distracts them
Follow all the guidelines that the guides give you.
Leave 7 meters between you and the primates
Trekkers who are sick do not trek the primates
Take photos of the primates after turning the flash off.

Packing for a primate safari in Uganda

If you want to enjoy your primate safari in Uganda, you need to pack right. Some of the essentials that you need for your primate safari include strong hike boots, a waterproof rain jacket and backpack, neutral trousers and long-sleeved shirts, a camera, bottled drinking water, gaiters, sunscreen, insect repellent, toiletries, and sweater among others.