Golden Monkey Tracking in Rwanda

Golden Monkeys are located in the Volcanoes National Park, they are an endemic species of the Virunga volcanic region, living in the bamboo forested region of the national park, it is amazing by how much you can see while in the park, volcanoes is popular due to its high concentration of endemic species, the undergrowth of the park is said to have grown overtime, the golden monkeys tend to survive on Bamboo shoots, they are found of raiding gardens in the neighboring communities, the monkeys live along the slopes of the lower slopes of volcanoes, these can also be found in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Golden Monkey Tracking in Rwanda is one of the popular tourist activities in Rwanda.

Golden monkeys are critically endangered species living in the bamboo forest, they rare and exclusive monkeys compared to other primates they have a unique and outstanding color endemic to the Albertine rift valley region, they have been habituated to contain human presence living in groups of 100 led by one alpha male, the commonly feed on bamboo shoots, leaves, seasonal fruits, and sometimes small invertebrates. Golden Monkey Tracking in Rwanda is done with in the national park they take time to build nests and are always in the same place so there is always no need for pre-tracking like the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys are beautifully colored orange – gold enticing to look at, they give an opportunity to take very beautiful photography. Tracking is done in the morning from 8 am and an hour is allowed to spend with these magnificent creatures. Just like the gorillas it’s advisable to book permits to track golden monkeys prior to the time of tracking.

Besides Golden Monkey Tracking in Rwanda, the park is popular for gorilla tracking and home to 20 species of mammals and 350 birds’ including the Rwenzori turaco and the crowned hornbill, large mammals like elephants, bush pigs, are present in the national park although they are rarely seen, the park is covered in a series of distinctive bands of vegetation from a grassy land, montane woodland and the bamboo zone.

There are other activities to participate in while at Volcanoes national park besides golden monkey tracking these include gorilla tracking, these live peacefully in the national park  without being captivated, they are tracked in groups of eight per gorilla family ,the national park is an important key birding area in the country expect to witness the Albertine Endemics. Hiking to the Dian Fossey tomb an American primatologist who lost her life in protection of  mountain gorillas, it is said that she was murdered sin cold blood and did not have the chance to perform and complete her mission.

The park can be accessed all throughout the year but best during the dry season of December –February and June- mid-September, during the wet months of March-April and September – November in these months, the park is usually covered in misty clouds. The park is one of the closest ecosystems Rwanda it is a 2 hours’ drive to arrive at the destination by road.