rates ates
Viewing primates in the wild is rarely cheap, but it's always good value, writes Joanna Booth
primates
From watching the gymnastics of a baby orangutan to seeing a silverback with a hangover (from a little overindulging in fermented bamboo shoots), some of my most memorable travel experiences have involved our closest animal relatives, primates. There’s something magical about finding our own behaviours reflected back at us, covered in fur. Apes, in particular, seem almost spookily human, from their conduct and relationships down to their keenly intelligent gaze. Then there are acrobatic monkeys, toothy baboons,
cheeky macaques and slow lorises – less like us, but no less entertaining.
LOCATION, LOCATION Primates are distributed across the tropics, with most found in Africa, Asia and South and Central America. When it comes to touring itineraries, smaller primates tend to form part of wider trips, with the chance to spot them while trekking in the Amazon rainforest or southeast Asia’s jungles, or as one element of a wider tour in less obvious wildlife destinations such as Japan or Ethiopia. With the bigger, more glamorous apes, primate spotting is frequently the main holiday focus, as is the case with gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Lemurs are the notable exception, with most Madagascar
trips focusing heavily on them, despite their small size. Tours are really the only options when it comes to most primate viewing – it would be frequently impossible and universally unwise for clients to head off on their own in search of most of these creatures. Gorillas and chimps are protected and permits are required to visit them. Many other primates are extremely rare and live in forest habitat, and without a guide, clients are unlikely to find them.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT Primate-tracking trips tend to be high value. Long-haul flights, remote locations and strong demand keep prices high, but there’s no shortage of travellers happy to pay. Wildlife-loving travellers’ deep pockets mean there’s a wide choice of luxury lodges. The latest is deluxe safari operator Singita’s Kwitonda Lodge, which opened on
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