It was a fairly long hike up rocky terrain to reach the bamboo forest where these golden monkeys live, but well worth the effort — one of the highlights of my trip to Uganda last year. Due to the limited habitat where they live, golden monkeys are listed as an endangered species. The red of their fur created a nice contrast to the fresh green bamboo shoots within Mgahinga National Park. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/50th of a second.

On my first trip to Uganda back in March of 2009, I was fortunate to see chimpanzees at two different locations. The first was in Kibale National Park, where I also photographed several other species of primate. Chimps can be difficult because they’re usually high in the trees with a bright white sky behind them and lots of branches in front of them. And they don’t tend to stay still for very long. But this young lady came a bit further down into a clearing, affording me a few quick shots before moving on. Chimps at Kibale are high on my list to revisit, hopefully sometime in the near future. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

Hard to believe that I actually travelled to Africa this calendar year. I was fortunate to get the trip in back in January. In addition to Kenya, we visited Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and got to know a small group of mountain gorillas that live there. This was one of three silverbacks in the nine-member troop. He was rather accommodating and posed for several close-up portraits. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 102mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

Here’s another from the trip back in January to Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park. This was one of a pair of two-years in the troop, enjoying a mid day snack. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

Two young mountain gorillas play fighting in the thick foliage of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. These siblings are still too young to be able to determine sex. They were part of a small nine-member troop. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

The black and white colobus monkey is another of the many species graced with multiple names. You can also call this guy the Abyssinian black and white colobus, the eastern black and white colobus, the guereza, or the mantled guereza. He (or she, not sure) was photographed along the side of the road on my first trip to Uganda when we were driving to one of the national parks in the southwest corner of the country. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mmm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/6.3 at 1/250th of a second.

A highlight of my recent trip to Uganda was visiting the golden monkeys high up in the bamboo forest of Mgahinga National Park. Nikon 850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

Gorilla trekking is quite a formal process in Uganda. You usually have to purchase your permit months in advance. The day of the trek, you spend the better part of a morning being briefed by park officials and guides. The trek may take half a day or more but once you find the gorillas you only have one hour to view and photograph them. It’s well worth the effort, however, to encounter these beasts in their natural habitat. That said, on very rare occasions, you might get lucky to encounter a gorilla without all the formality. Thus was the case with this guy. I was actually on my way to view golden monkeys when we spotted this young gorilla hanging out in a tree along the path. I was able to get a few quick shots before our party moved on to the intended subjects. I waited just long enough for that shaft of light to fall directly on the gorillas face. Photographed in Mgahinga National Park. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

Still going through all my shots from the Africa trip back in January and came across this one of a golden monkey that I missed on the first pass through the files. I always like when I can use a shaft of light to illuminate just the face — or in this case, the front of the body. Photographed in the bamboo forests of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

I liked the look on this young gorilla’s face. There were two two year olds in the troop that we saw on the recent trip to Uganda. The sex of both is still to be determined. This was the last shot that I captured before our time with the gorillas was up and we had to begin our hike back down the mountain. Mountain gorillas are highly regulated due to their critically endangered status and government regulations only allow one hour per visit. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.