Primate Tourism in Africa – Self Drive Holidays

Primate tourism has at least two historical roots: safari-like adventures and primate provisioning linked with long-term human–primate sympatry. Primate safaris shifted to viewing as visitor interest shifted to protecting wildlife. Viewing provisioned primates developed out of the practice of local peoples’ regularly feeding sympatric primates, either for religious or cultural reasons.

Safari-like treks to find and track wildlife targeted spectacular primates such as the great apes, often to shoot them as trophies or capture
them for western zoos. Primate safaris shifted to viewing as visitor interest shifted to protecting wildlife. Viewing provisioned primates developed out of the practice of local peoples’ regularly feeding sympatric primates.

Although primate tourism may share many patterns found in other nature tourism, it may also have distinctive features. Primates are mammals, and distinguished within the mammals by a collection of ecological, biological, and behavioral traits that include their habitat (primarily tropical to subtropical forest and savanna), diet, anatomy, life histories (relatively long lifespans, slow reproduction, slow ontogeny), sociality, large brains, high potential for independent and social learning, and high behavioral plasticity. These traits contribute to primate tourism’s popularity with tourists and to some of its typical consequences.