Golden Monkey Tracking Rwanda – Volcanoes National Park
Golden Monkey Tracking Rwanda – The golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti) is a species of the Old World Monkey found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of central Africa. Endemic to the Virunga mountains of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda, these delightful golden monkeys are very intriguing little creatures to watch.
Golden monkeys are another special kind of monkeys within the Volcanoes National Park. They live in the bamboo and amaze those who take time to track them. They are golden-orange with a coat that makes them very colorful to sight. Golden monkeys live in groups and are very playful, you will surely see how they leap around the bamboo trees.
golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkey tracking starts at 7:00 am just like gorilla trekking. Habituation has helped them overcome their shyness and therefore making it easy to track and see them in the forest.
There are two groups of golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park each with about 50 to 60 individuals. The whole trekking experience takes about 4 hours with a trek to and from. Ensure to have pre booked a permit and attend a short briefing at the park headquarters by 7 am. Finding the golden monkeys isn’t hard as they are territorial and then to stay in the same area of the park.
The golden monkeys are active and sprightly little creatures that are incredibly entertaining and amusing to watch as they swing through the bamboo or race after each other in circles. Ensure to have your camera ready to take photos of these fast monkeys as they playfully leap around.
If one is planning to combine golden monkey tracking with a Rwanda gorilla trekking tour, we advise that if you need a very captivating experience, then you start with the golden monkey trekking. However, since golden monkey trekking is less strenuous, it is good to be done on the day of departure to feel less fatigued on the journey. Therefore, choose according to what you would love to have, either the memory or the less tiredness.