Golden Monkey Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Golden Monkey Trekking in Volcanoes National Park is one of the top tourist activities in Rwanda where travelers get an amazing experience to explore these primates. The playful golden monkeys are rare and endangered; in fact, a few people get a chance to see the golden monkeys during their African wild safaris. However, volcanoes national park is one of the places you can go for you golden monkey trekking safari. The golden monkeys are also found in mgahinga national park with in the south western part of Uganda. There is something about the habitats of the golden monkey, first, they are all found on the virunga ranges and part of the virunga conservation area, secondly, the golden monkey habitats are found in the highland areas of the virunga national park.
What are the Golden monkeys?
The golden monkeys are also known as the Cercopithecus mitis kandti, are a local species of monkeys, sometimes also known as the blue monkeys. The uniqueness of the golden monkeys is attributed to a number of features; however, the golden-brown fur on their faces and the back gives them the most solid identity. The golden are high altitude monkeys and create such an understanding of mutuality of wildlife when they blend together with the mountain gorillas in the high land areas of East Africa. It is very easy for you to spot some of the golden monkeys up in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes national park in Rwanda during mountain gorilla trekking.
The golden monkeys are not something so unusual; they are just monkeys like the other monkeys which dwell in the forests of Africa. However, the golden monkeys are rare and endangered among the UNESCO red list. The golden monkeys are also unique in a way because they stay on the virunga ranges with in the East African region; the virunga ranges cover the northeastern part of the democratic republic of congo, the south western part of Uganda and Rwanda.
Golden monkeys in Rwanda
The golden monkeys in volcanoes national park live along with the huge mountain gorillas in the highland areas of the park. The beautiful playful golden monkeys are adapted to live in the high altitude forests of the virunga volcanoes. Actually they stay in the same environment as the mountain gorillas, and it is not a mistake if you get to spot a golden monkey during gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park or other destinations. The golden monkeys are not unique monkeys; they are just as playful as the other monkeys in the jungles of Africa. However, the golden monkeys are shyer than the other monkey species in the forests of East Africa. Despite, just like the other primates, also some golden monkeys are habituated and somehow familiar to the encounters of humans.
In Rwanda, it is only volcanoes national park that keep a good number of golden monkeys and some are also habituated and ready for visiting by tourists. There are two habituated golden monkey communities with in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. These golden monkeys have members between 80 to 100 individuals. One of the golden monkey communities in volcanoes national park, lives near the foothills of Sabinyo Mountains and the other community of the golden monkeys in volcanoes lives in the volcano; it is also a smaller group and scare.
Golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park
If you want to trek for the golden monkeys in Volcanoes national park, there are things that are a must-have even before traveling to Rwanda. It is a must for you to have a golden monkey trekking permit; acquiring the golden monkey tracking permit is not different for the procedures to acquiring the mountain gorilla trekking permit. It is better, actually, you should acquire your golden monkey tracking permit for Rwanda in advance about 2 to 3 months prior to the actual trekking day. Booking your golden monkey tracking permit in time will help you from all the inconveniences like missing out and serious delays that might disorganize your vacation.
The golden monkey tracking in Rwanda costs about $100, and this charge is given back to you in form of full time with interaction together with these rare primate species in volcanoes national park called the golden monkeys. The charge for your golden monkey tracking permit in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda allows you to track golden monkeys just once a day.
There is only one session for golden monkey tracking in volcanoes national park, it starts in the morning at about 7 am at where the visitors gather at Kinigi visitor center, where also the park headquarters are located. The gathering is aimed at the first briefing of the visitors before hitting the jungle to track the golden monkeys in the forest. However, the actual tracking of the golden monkeys in volcanoes national park in Rwanda starts at the edge of the park about 15minuts drive from the park headquarters.
The golden monkey community in volcanoes national park which is easily found is the one at the bottom of Volcano Mountain; it is also the one that most visitors track during their primate safari in volcanoes national park. The golden monkeys are so fast and they can easily be seen in the bamboo trees, however, you have to be very keen and fast in order to catch up with the pace of the golden monkeys they use while swinging from one tree branch to another.
The guide who leads the trackers has to be really knowledgeable with good forest tracking skills. The guide will know the presence of the golden monkeys by seeing the clues such as the fresh leftover from the bamboo stems and shoots. By the use of the clues latter mentioned, is the only way the trackers can easily find the golden monkeys.
When the community of the golden monkeys is found, of course, it is not like some herd of antelopes to be found all in one place, but you can take like one hour to enjoy any golden monkeys you have found. You have to use you one hour with the golden monkeys well by enjoying the way they pick the bamboo shoots; the golden monkeys collect the bamboo shoots tree to tree and gather them in heaps before sitting down to eat them. The golden monkeys are so fast when collecting the bamboo shoots and they use their long tails to get balance. However, some of the golden monkeys with short tails are not by default, but rather an accident; the long tails sometimes get trapped and unfortunately cut off by the bamboo.
Unlike the mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys are not disturbed by the flashlight from the camera. The golden monkeys actually look well in the camera despite their shy character. Also, the number of trekkers for golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park is not limited. The freedom with golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park makes the experience so extraordinary.
Requirements for your golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park in Rwanda;
- Heavy clothes
- Good hiking rubber boots
- A bottle of drinking water
- A pair of binoculars
- Cameras, and
- Raincoat, just in case it rains.
Visit Rwanda any time of the year for golden monkey safaris, the experience is different from the ordinary primate treks of Africa. Also remember to move with all the required documents like the golden tracking permit, visa, passport, and all the other requirements, as this will help you not to have inconveniences to disrupt your safari experience in Africa.
