Sri Lanka or Uganda on ten October days – first trip abroad?
I’ve spent the last three years ticking off Idaho mammals on weekends – elk at Redfish Creek, mountain goats in the Sawtooths, a pika colony near Bogus Basin I still check monthly. This October I finally have ten days for a proper trip overseas. Primates pull me hardest, but guided treks in Uganda blow the budget. For reliable primate sightings at a gentler price, is Sri Lanka the smarter pick? What am I underestimating about planning either one?
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Ian Thompson
Hi Perrin,
I agree with Curtis. Going somewhere like Los Amigos in Peru or Tiputini in Ecuador would likely give you about 10 primate species in a week-long trip at a much lower cost. Visiting a couple of sites in Brazil could give you a similar number of species. Primate sightings in Sri Lanka are easy but the diversity of primate species is lower and your travel time will be longer.
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Curtis Hart
If primates are your draw, Uganda certainly has more diversity of the two, although personally I would find it tough to go there and not be able to see the best species, Gorilla and Chimpanzee. It’s been a long time since I was in Sri Lanka, but generally seeing the diurnal primates was not hard. If budget is an issue, and you aren’t set on these two places, you might consider another destination. If you want a great ape, you could consider Sumatra, which will be much cheaper and easily see Orangutans, Gibbons, Macaques and Langurs. If you are traveling from Idaho, the travel time will probably eat up 4 of your 10 days. Much closer and reasonably priced would be Colombia. Places like Donde Oculta del Sol have 7 species on site and are very reasonably priced.