Are Primate Safaris In Uganda Worth The Money Value

Are Primate Safaris In Uganda Worth The Money Value? Primate safaris in Uganda can be done in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla park where gorilla trekking can is done, Kibale forest national park, Kalinzu forest, Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park, Toro Semuliki wildlife reserve, and Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park and yes, Primate Safaris In Uganda Worth The Money Value. Golden monkeys are only found in Mgahinga national park while patas monkeys are found in Kidepo valley national park, Pian Upe game reserve and Murchison falls national park. Thousands of people come to Uganda to mainly do primate safaris and most of them have been fully satisfied making the money paid worth it.

When you pay for a primate safari in Uganda, it gives you an opportunity to see primates in their natural habitats, learn about their behaviors and also take pictures for memories. The money paid to see primates also helps to pay workers who protect these primates as well as protecting their natural habitats. If there was no money to pay workers and doctors in these parks maybe there would be no primate tourism and the animals would have gone extinct.

When you visit these primates, the country gets foreign exchange as well as income from permits and park entrance fees. This has forced Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect the homes of these primates so as the attract more tourists and in return it has promoted environmental conservation in Uganda. Despite the high costs of trekking permits, primate safaris in Uganda are worth the money. Primate watching in Uganda is the best with 100% changes of seeing the primates despite the time taken to allocate them in their natural habitats. There are some tourists who pay more than one permit so as to track on two different days most especially mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and this has made money worth it.

Where to see primates in Uganda

Uganda has several destinations where one can do primate safaris and for this reason, it is referred to as the primate capital of Africa. there are several primates in Uganda and these include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, De Brazza’s monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, patas monkeys, red colobus, bush babies, lesser bushbaby, pottos, grey checked mangabeys, and dent’s monkeys.

The most visited places in Uganda for primate safaris are Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where gorilla trekking is done. The Park is home to 21 habituated gorilla families of which 2 are open for habituation in the Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. Mgahinga national park in western Uganda with one habituated gorilla family and golden monkey trekking. Kibale forest national park, Toro Semuliki wildlife reserve, Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park and Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park are other famous places for primate-watching safaris where one can trek chimpanzees. In these parks, there are also other primates like monkeys.

What is the cost of seeing primates in Uganda?

The cost of a primate safari in Uganda depends on the type of primates you want to trek, the number of days to spend in the country, and the accommodation facilities you want to use. For the case of gorilla trekking, a gorilla permit in Uganda costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. Gorilla habituation permits to Rushaga sector and Nkuringo sector of bwindi impenetrable forest national park costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX750,000 East African citizens. The gorilla trekking permits allow you to spend a maximum of 1 hour with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla park.  Gorilla habituation permit gives you an opportunity to stay around mountain gorillas for a maximum of 4 hours.

A chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale forest national park costs $200 for foreign non-residents, $150 foreign residents, and UGX150,00 East African citizens. In Kyambura gorge Queen Elizabeth national park, a chimpanzee trekking permit costs $50 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while East Africans pay UGX30,000 lastly is Toro Semuliki Wildlife reserve where foreign non-residents and foreign residents pay $30 while East African citizens UGX20,000.

Where and when to book  a Ugandan primate safari

Trekking primates in Uganda will require one to have a permit and you are advised to book these permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences. Primate permits can be bought from the Uganda wildlife authority or through any trusted tour operator. If you choose us to book for you a gorilla trekking or any other primate trekking permit, we shall request you to tell us your travel date and we check for you if there are permits available on that date. Once we find permits available, we shall send you an invoice for you to pay the permit. Once you pay and we receive the money we shall purchase for you a permit and send you a scanned copy of the permit for your records and perusal.

What is the best time to do a primate safari in Uganda?

Primates in Uganda can be visited at any time of the year but the best time to trek chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and other primate species is the dry season which happens from June to July and December to February. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall, the vegetation is thin for easy viewing of primates and great sights for photography, the trekking trails in the forests are dry and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Trekking can also be done in the wet season of March to May and October to November but the roads leading to the park are impassable, the trekking trails are slippery, there is too much rainfall, the vegetation is thick but the trekking takes little time because the primates are don’t move too far to look for food but the food is everywhere in the forest unlike in the dry season.