Golden Monkeys are beautiful unique primates which are native to Africa and are found on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes which are shared between Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.
Golden monkey trekking is an active tour compared to Chimpanzee trekking and or gorilla trekking in certain instances because it is done in the mountainous area and they are continuously moving which requires you to follow them.
Golden monkeys are small and fast which makes tracking them an active and rewarding experience as they mainly prefer to rummage through the bamboo sections of the forest because they enjoy eating the young bamboo shoots.
In Uganda, golden monkey trekking is done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda. In Rwanda, golden monkey trekking is done in Volcanoes national park in Northern Rwanda.
The golden monkey trekking starts early morning with briefing at 7am at the park headquarters before trekkers are placed in different groups, where you have to obtain a golden monkey trekking permit in advance from either Uganda wildlife authority or Rwanda Development board through a tour agency and specify the date for which you would like to trek the golden monkeys.
You spend an hour with the golden monkeys after spotting them. The trekking can take anywhere from 2 hours to several hours depending on where they nested the previous night and how far it is from the starting point.
Uganda and Rwanda are two of the lucky countries in the world that are home to the endangered golden monkey.
Golden monkeys belong to the Old World monkey order and were once thought to be a subspecies of the blue monkey. Their population is estimated to be about 4000-5000 individuals surviving within the Virunga region.
Scientifically, golden monkeys are known as Cercopithecus kandti and are differentiated from other species by their golden-orange patches on their backs and flanks.
Golden monkeys are confined to the mountainous forest, near the dense bamboo forest zones. They can live in groups of up to 60 individuals and their diet mainly comprises of young bamboo branches, leaves, shoots, and other plant leaves, fruits and some insects.
Most tourists go for golden monkey tracking in either Uganda or Rwanda both of which offer unforgettable tracking experiences.
Interested to find out more? Visit us and we’ll help you plan your next gorilla and monkey tracking holiday to Uganda or Rwanda.
