Africa has the largest concentration of primates in the world and the most common primates in Africa are monkeys, chimpanzees, baboons, bush babies and gorillas. However not all countries in Africa have the amazing primates, there are few lucky countries with these intelligent animals and Rwanda is one of the few ones due to its possession of the tropical, montane and bamboo forests where the primates best feel at home. Among the many primates Rwanda has three species namely the gorillas, chimpanzees and the monkeys and in essence the mentioned species of primates are the most interesting ones to watch in their wild.
Due to the presence of these incredible animals, Rwanda has become a powerhouse of the tourism industry in Africa and millions of tourists come to Rwanda to enjoy these primates. We shall try to go into details on how best a visitor can enjoy the primates and where they are found in Rwanda.
For starters, Rwanda has the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park one of the most sought after animals in the world. Rwanda is one of the few countries in the world with the mountain gorillas. Rwanda has around 320 mountain gorillas which is a third of the all population of mountain gorillas in the world. Rwanda has seven habituated mountain gorilla families in context gorillas that can be tracked by people of which a gorilla family normally comprises of 10-30 individuals. Each group of the gorillas lives in a different locale from the other and every group is visited once a certain group of trackers for conservation purposes. Today, Rwanda is one of the best destinations to enjoy gorilla safaris in Africa! Gorilla trekking in Rwanda involves moving through the forested ranges of volcanoes national park in search of the gorillas in the wild. It normally takes gorilla trackers 2-4 hours to reach the gorillas but the time spent while looking for the gorillas is worth when the trackers meet the gorillas. Meeting the gorillas in their wild is an exhilarating moment as the silverback always gives the tracker that fierce look at first sight. Whatsoever, the look might be, the gorillas are peaceful animals that can never hurt humans if not disturbed. While with the gorillas, the trackers spend one hour with them as they make observation of their intelligent social antics, communication and also take photos. The mountain gorillas in Rwanda are so amazing to watch as they make one come close to nature and at the same time fall in love with it.
Away from the mountain gorillas, Rwanda has the chimpanzees and the different species of monkeys namely grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkey, blue monkey, black and white colobus and so forth. The chimpanzees and the many species of monkeys are classified as the common primates in the tourism fraternity. In Rwanda, these common primates are found in Nyungwe national park the largest conserved montane forest in the whole of east Africa. This large biodiversity area is located in the southwest of Rwanda at the border of Burundi and Dr. Congo. The chimpanzees and species of monkey are very interesting to watch due to their playful character. Many tourists love watching these wonderful primates especially the chimpanzees the closest cousins of mankind with 98.5% DNA similarity. The chimpanzees also have special abilities that are so intriguing to watch for example they have the ability to use tools like sticks, stones and leaves for gathering food and also to build their shelters. Chimpanzee trekking comes next to gorilla trekking in terms of rewarding the visitors.
Rwanda also has the golden monkeys. These monkeys are classified differently from other monkeys when packing attractions in Rwanda. The golden monkeys have a very special colour at their back that is so glittering and rewards optical nutrition to the visitors. Everyone on earth is attracted to something with the golden colour and here in Rwanda one can find it in nature with the golden monkeys. The golden monkeys are found at the basement of volcanoes national park so come hangout with these good looking creatures.
Anyone interested in watching the primates, Rwanda is the ideal place. We have online primate safari packages that can make the visitor enjoy the gorillas, the monkeys and the chimpanzees to the fullest.