// UGANDA SAFARI
Clockwise from top left : Buhoma Lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ; forest elephants in Murchison Falls National Park ; Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park elegant as ballerinas , pose in the up-country wetlands . Take a boat on the Victoria Nile or Kasinga Channel , and you ’ ll see jewel-like malachite kingfishers glimmering on the reeds , among egrets , herons , storks and skimmers by the score . With 1,000 or so avian species present , some visitors make birding the primary goal of their trip .
But there ’ s another pursuit that most travelers — apologies , birdwatchers — will find even more exciting . If you enjoy exploring forests and love the thrill of the chase , focus on monkeys , chimps and mountain gorillas .
For many wildlife enthusiasts , primatewatching is the new birdwatching . It ’ s not about the numbers — there are only around 20 primate species in Uganda ’ s forests and savannahs , including just two great apes — it ’ s about the quality of the experience . Tracking primates on foot is never less than thrilling , and the members of a troop that ’ s been habituated to visitors will , if you ’ re lucky , allow you to watch as they forage and interact . What ’ s more , primate-watching plays a crucial role in conservation . Park entrance fees , tracking permits and the jobs that primate-watching creates help preserve the building blocks of African ecology : its forests and water sources .
Because I ’ m keen to spend as much time with Uganda ’ s primates as I can , I ’ ve chosen a trip that ticks off all the best places to see them — with diversions into lion , elephant , hippo and giraffe country on the way . Naturally , I ’ ve booked a gorilla tracking permit . But first , it ’ s time for more chimps . Kibale Forest National Park is undoubtedly one of the best places in Africa to see them , so this is where I head next .
A chimping trip isn ’ t just a wildlifewatching experience , it ’ s a workout : they ’ re highly social , active and mobile , making each sighting hard-earned , as you hurry to keep up and crane your neck to glimpse them . Unlike Budongo , which is gloriously tangled , Kibale is more spacious , with gently undulating paths that are easy on the ankles and calves . But there ’ s a catch : forest elephants find this habitat appealing , too . “ We don ’ t want to bump into one of those ,” says ranger Charles Turinawe , as he leads me into the forest .
Once again , I ’ ve booked a full-day visit , and for the first couple of hours , we crunch through a cathedral of mahoganies and Newtonias , finding nothing . But my anxiety melts away when at last we discover a tableau of bliss — half a dozen female chimps in a fig tree , gorging delightedly , their young peeping out from their fur or trying out their tumbles and swings at a safe distance .
As the day unfolds , I grow quietly smug as others arrive to view ‘ my ’ chimps , then disappear after their allotted hour . The males swagger around with the nonchalance of rock stars among groupies . images : Emma gregg
AT LAST WE DISCOVER A TABLEAU OF BLISS — HALF A DOZEN FEMALE CHIMPS IN A FIG TREE , GORGING DELIGHTEDLY , THEIR YOUNG PEEPING OUT FROM THEIR FUR
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