Visitors mostly come to Uganda to watch gorillas which are found in southwestern Uganda in two of the only four parks in the world where the gentle giants live. One park is Mghahinga, where chances of seeing the mountain gorillas is a bit tricky but assured, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you will surely see a gorilla family during its morning nap or late afternoon siesta after a good meal. Gorilla watching permits are expensive and there are queues to follow. If you want to track the gentle giants, you have to wait in order to be put on the manifest of those who have been permitted. You could be eliminated from the list on a slight suspicion of illness like flu because gorillas easily catch human diseases to which they have no immunity.

Uganda is also one of the best places in which to watch chimpanzees, man's closest cousins. These primates are seen easily in Kibale Forest National Park and in the Budongo tropical forest where the harvesting of trees for timber is threatening their existence. There are also chimps in Chambura River Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Meanwhile an island sanctuary for chimpanzees has been set up in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Uganda has a number of monkey families which include the yellow baboon, which has a dog-like head, the Patas, which dwell in the savannah, four races of the vervet monkey; the blue monkey is common in most forests and the red-tailed monkey. There is de Brazza's monkey, L'Hoest monkey in Kibale Forest National park, and Wolf's guenon, or Hamlyn's guenon. Grey-cheeked mangabeys are found in Kibale forest. You will enjoy sighting the black-and-white Colobus monkey which is hunted by poachers for its beautiful coat which musicians use as a waistband during the local dances. Click here to Back