Two colobus monkey species are found in Uganda: the black-and-white colobus (also called guereza) and the red colobus. Both are encountered in Bwindi and the forests of western Uganda, but some locations provide consistently better sightings than others. These are the best places to see colobus monkeys in Uganda for safari visitors.
1. Kibale National Park
Kibale has the highest density of primates of any African forest, and red colobus monkeys are abundant throughout. Groups of fifty to one hundred individuals are regularly encountered on the chimpanzee tracking trails. The red colobus at Kibale is the Ugandan red colobus — a distinct subspecies with particularly vivid colouring. Unlike many forest primates, red colobus are not easily disturbed by human presence and often continue feeding and moving naturally while being observed from close range.
2. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Black-and-white colobus monkeys are present throughout Bwindi and regularly encountered on gorilla trekking trails and forest walks. Their distinctive black-and-white colouring and long white tail fringe make them easy to identify even for first-time forest visitors. Groups of ten to twenty are typical; the animals’ preference for canopy feeding means they are most visible in areas where the trail passes under tall emergent trees. The Buhoma sector forest walks specifically include colobus encounters as a regular feature.
3. Semuliki National Park
Semuliki, in western Uganda near the DRC border, hosts both colobus species in a lowland forest environment distinct from the highland forests of Bwindi and Kibale. The park is rarely visited — fewer than two thousand tourists per year — which means colobus encounters happen without the pressure of other visitor groups. The Sempaya hot springs trail passes through productive colobus habitat. Semuliki is best combined with a Queen Elizabeth NP visit on a western Uganda circuit.
4. Entebbe Botanical Garden
For visitors spending time in Entebbe before or after a Bwindi trip, the Botanical Garden on the Lake Victoria shoreline has a habituated troop of black-and-white colobus that can be watched at close range without any trekking infrastructure. The garden’s tall fig trees are a consistent colobus location; the animals feed in the canopy above the garden paths and are visible from below with minimal effort. A morning walk in the Botanical Garden is one of the most accessible primate encounters in Uganda.
5. Budongo Forest Reserve (Murchison Falls)
The Budongo Forest, adjacent to Murchison Falls National Park, hosts both chimpanzees and red colobus in a large mahogany forest. The Royal Mile trail through Budongo is one of Uganda’s best birding walks and produces consistent colobus encounters alongside the mahogany canopy birds. Visitors combining Murchison Falls with a Bwindi gorilla trekking itinerary on a longer Uganda circuit pass through Budongo naturally on the way north.
Colobus in context
Colobus monkeys are unusual among African primates in their capacity to digest mature leaves — a food source that most primates cannot process efficiently. Their large, multi-chambered stomachs allow them to exploit leaf resources in forest areas where fruit is seasonal and limited. This dietary specialisation means they are often visible in the canopy of forests where other primates are difficult to find — a useful reminder that patience and upward attention in any Ugandan forest will be rewarded with primate encounters beyond the headline species.
