Uganda Travel Go On A Gorilla Trekking Tour
Christened the Pearl of Africa, Uganda offers numerous tourist attractions. These range from falls and rivers - including the mighty River Nile- to mountains and rift valleys, as well as a wide range of flora and fauna in their natural ecosystem. However, most visitors to Uganda are acknowledge that gorilla tracking is the most interesting adventure in the country. Home to more than half of the world's remaining population of endangered mountain gorilla, Uganda is a primate tracking paradise. The country has over 20 different types of primates, most of which are found in the impenetrable Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla Park. The primates of Uganda come in two types, the nocturnal and diurnal. There are 13 different type of diurnal primates and 6 types of nocturnal distributed all over Uganda's national park along with other various interesting wildlife.
The first thing to do while planning a gorilla tracking adventure is to ensure you are in good company because most of the tracking is done in the deep forests of the mountains. Despite the tracking being exciting it is also very dangerous and without the proper knowledge you could get lost. The most popular places for citing chimps and gorillas is the Kibaale forest, Kyambura Gorge, Bwindi forest.
Bwindi impenetrable forest hosts over five different groups of totally habituated primates. The forest is also a home to the highly endangered mountain gorilla species, only found in Congo and Rwanda. The giant primates can grow up to 1.8 meters and weigh up to 350 kilos. The primates are used to tourists and they do not charge at them.
Chimpanzee is also a common type of primate in Uganda. The country has more chimpanzees than all the other East African countries put together. The chimpanzees are also habituated though, they occasionally steal tourist food. They can be found in the Kyambura gorge, Kibaale forest, and the Kanyiyo Padidi forest. For those who do not want to go into the wild, Ngamba Island is a good alternative. The island mostly hosts orphaned chimps or those rescued for different reasons.
Uganda is home to more than eight species of monkeys, that includes baboons such as the huge, menacingly looking olive baboon found in all the national park except around the Ruwenzori Mountains and the Montane regions. The baboons' heads resemble those of dogs and they love to bare out their teeth to frighten others. Blue monkeys are, however, the commonest in all the East African countries. They are dark blue and grey in colour and have white throat and a white chest patch. Golden monkey (a cousin to the blue monkey) is a species unique to Uganda and can only be found in the Mgahinga gorilla park. They are not easily seen but can be spotted with keen observance.
January and February, and June to September are periods acknowledged as the best time to go to Uganda in general - when it is predominantly dry. Although rain is likely all year round, the rainy seasons make the trek up to the gorillas particularly difficult, so avoid the months of March-April and October-November.
