Uganda Parks
Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.
Chimp tracking amongst forest giants
Walks here are about 3 hours and the tracks are easy to negotiate in the beautiful Budongo Forest. Your chances of seeing chimps (the main reason to come here unless you are a birder) are very high. The guides will often take you off the tracks and across country to get the best views of the chimpanzees.
The massive ironbark trees are a sight to behold, and the birdlife in the forest is both colourful and plentiful. But it’s the chimpanzees that steal the show as they frolic through the forest. They move with amazing speed and agility, and you need to be ready to dash through the forest to keep up with a family group. You have a good chance to see them at ground level because even though they feed and sleep in the trees, they come down to groom and chill out (and if you’re lucky pose prettily for pictures).
