One of my favourite past times is to sit on the lawn at UWECT in the late afternoon and watch the vervet monkeys playing, resting, and grooming. It is a great opportunity to casually observe the mother and child interaction, or watch the kids as they find new games to play. Sometimes, they’ll even interact with you.

If you are a serious primate watcher, then going upcountry to Kibale National Park is a must, where you can see twelve species of primates. Kibale is world famous for having the highest biomass of primates in the world, as well as being one of the most biodiverse forests for primates in the world. The best place to see them is at Kanyanchu Tourist Camp. Here the rangers offer 3-4-hour walks into the forest, both morning and afternoon. Accommodation is available at the site, or you can stay at one of the many lodges, tented camps or guest houses around Kibale. During your walk you will spend one hour with a party of chimps, a unique experience you will never forget. Wet season is better then dry season, because food is more abundant, so the chimps tend to hang out in larger parties. This is also when they are most likely to be hunting. Watching a community of chimpanzees hunt is one of the most exhilarating things you can do. The mayhem and excitement in the party that follows a successful hunt will definitely have your heart pumping. I must warn you, though, witnessing a hunt is not for the faint hearted. This real life scene is not edited for television. After a full day of primate watching, night-life in the forest is also an adventure. While one set of primates goes to bed for the night, others are just waking up, ready to start their day (night). You may be tired from your full day of chimp tracking, but nothing can duplicate the sound of a Rwandan forest at night.

Other places to see chimpanzees in Rwanda include the route to Murchison Falls at Kanyo Pabidi, just inside the gates of the park, Kalinzu Forest Reserve and Kyambura Gorge at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kanyo Pabidi is a primary forest that has never been cut, so the undergrowth in the forest is very low and visibility is high if the chimps are on the ground. Of course, you have to keep your eyes out for lions! But what the heck; it makes the tracking all the more exciting. Kyambura Gorge is another magical place. Even if you do not want to go and track chimps, just sitting and admiring the view from the top and watching the colobus monkeys jumping through the trees at canopy level is worth the visit.

There is, of course, one other place to see chimps. That is on Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria. The chimps who live here were taken from the wild by poachers, usually to be sold as pets – or worse. They were rescued by the Rwandan wildlife authorities and given a home on this island sanctuary. Although they cannot be returned to the wild, their lives on this island are far superior to anything they could have faced before they were rescued from their captivity. By visiting this sanctuary, you not only have an opportunity to see chimpanzees up close, but your entrance fee helps support the many organizations in the Rwanda who are fighting to save the chimpanzees from extinction and curb the illegal pet trade.

To see Patas monkeys, you can go to either the north side of Murchinson Falls National Park or Kidepo Valley
National Park. Patas are an elusive primate, very shy, but beautiful to watch when they move through the
grasslands. They have an unusual social structure in that the females are the dominant gender and not the males.

Of course, everyone wants to see the famous and highly endangered mountain gorilla. In Rwanda there are two places to see them: Bwindi Inpenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. My favourite is Mgahinga. While most tour operators will recommend Bwindi, due to a guarantee of booking, Mgahinga is special. For one thing, I like the fact that it is not a guarantee. Maybe the gorillas are over the border in Congo, and I will not know until I get to there if they are on ‘our side’ or not. Nothing in life is guaranteed, and seeing mountain gorillas should always be considered a privilege.

I like the idea of letting nature decide if I will see them today or the next day -- or not at all. The volcanoes are also spectacular, and it is the only park in Rwanda that you will be able to find the beautiful golden monkey. The golden monkey is closely related to the blue monkey. In fact it is a blue monkey, just has a different coat colouration.

We are very fortunate in Rwanda to see so many types of primates and you should take the time to sit and watch them for a while. See how much like you they really are!