Golden monkey tracking is another interesting activity sought after in the volcanoes national park in Rwanda after the giant endangered mountain gorillas. The golden monkeys (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti) are a local subspecies of the extensive Sykes Monkey, sometimes called the “Blue Monkey”. The golden moneys are listed as rare and are also known as endemic and they are only live in the high altitude forest of the Volcanoes National park areas. The golden monkey are fabulous fan to watch when playing on fruitful tress or on bamboo branches and they are known as playful and inquisitive and they spend most of their time jumping on bamboo branches or playing on the forest floor towards the base of the volcanoes . They are tracked every day by researchers and tourists since they overcome their initial shyness thanks to the work done by rangers who have habituated this primate specie to human standards.
In Rwanda (volcanoes national park) there only two habituated golden monkey groups and one group comprises around 80-100 members and its base home is at the foot of Mt. Sabyinyo and the other group is normally found at the base of Kalisimbi Mountain.
Like mountain gorillas, golden monkey tracking commence in the morning after reporting at the park headquarters at Kinigi at 07:00am to receive a sort briefing about the do’s and don’ts while with these species. After you follow the ranger guide at the base of Mt Sabyinyo and begin the activity possibly one of the most interesting activities at the park. The number of visitors allowed to track is not limited you also allowed one hour with the monkeys. Golden monkey permits cost USD 100 per person per tracking. Permits are issued at the Rwanda Tourism Offices (ORTPN) in Kigali or Ruhengeri (near volcanoes national park) they can either be arranged in advance or booked at the park headquarters in the morning before tracking. In case you need to hire porters they are readily available at the entry point of the park at fee of USD 10. In the process of tracking other primate species can see like the baboons, black and white colobus moneys, and many species of birds. Tracking these monkeys can go from 1-6 hours in the jungle searching them so some level of fitness is neede; however ounce they are met its worth the money paid for this activity. Flash cameras are not allowed to be used when taking photos as this can scare away these monkeys,
Golden Monkeys are very active creatures, who love to jump from tree to another in a very speedy way which is truly amusing, which is a little difficult to photograph! We advise you to set your camera to a fast shutter-speed to allow for low light in the dense scrub and to improve your chances of taking the golden monkeys on film! Indeed tracking golden monkey in the volcanoes national park is the only way to spend an extra day in this delightful park which is a great experience. For more information about how to book your golden money permit or if you want to add golden monkey tracking on your safari contact us we are always at your disposal.
