Golden Monkeys in Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkeys are unique monkey species only found in the Virunga chain of volcanic mountains. In the volcanoes of Rwanda its population is estimated at about 3,500 individuals.
On the day after meeting mountain gorillas, you can visit one of these delightful monkey families.
Where and When
In the forests of the Volcanoes National Park.
All year round.
Duration
The duration of the stay with the golden monkeys is about one hour. The trek to meet the monkeys varies between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the distance. Sometimes the trek can take longer.
What's Included
Trekking and national park permit fees, trackers and national park ranger-guide.
More information
Golden monkeys live in families that vary from 30 to 100 individuals. In order to have the opportunity to get close to them and thus get impressive images of these friendly monkeys, they have had to be previously accustomed to the human presence. In the Volcanoes National Park there are 2 families of accustomed golden monkeys. Each family is made up of approximately 80 individuals.
Difficulty: Easy / Medium
Approximate time: from 1 to 3 hours one way
Type of route: With a guide from the P.N. of the Volcanoes and in a group
Golden monkey trek:
At 07:00 in the morning you must be present at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters to register. The daily number of permits that are issued for the trekking of the golden monkeys is 32 for the 2 families that are habituated. After registering, you must meet, in the designated area in the barracks gardens, with the guide and the rest of the people that make up the group.
The guide will give an explanation and information about the golden monkeys. After the explanations and indications received, the next step is to reach the starting point of the trekking that the guide will have indicated. At this point the group and the guide meet again to start the trekking until they reach the golden monkeys.
A group of trackers will have entered the forest to track the golden monkeys. The trekking time to reach these friendly primates varies from trekking to trekking, but it can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours (always estimated time) depending on the distance they are and the stops that could be made.
Visiting time and number of visitors:
At 07:00 in the morning you must be present at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters to register. The daily number of permits that are issued for the trekking of the golden monkeys is 32 for the 2 families that are habituated. After registering, you must meet, in the designated area in the barracks gardens, with the guide and the rest of the people that make up the group.
The guide will give an explanation and information about the golden monkeys. After the explanations and indications received, the next step is to reach the starting point of the trekking that the guide will have indicated. At this point the group and the guide meet again to start the trekking until they reach the golden monkeys.
A group of trackers will have entered the forest to track the golden monkeys. The trekking time to reach these friendly primates varies from trekking to trekking, but it can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours (always estimated time) depending on the distance they are and the stops that could be made.
Fitness:
The golden monkeys are in their natural environment, in the wild, so they move daily and it is necessary to go into the forest to find them.
Although golden monkeys are found in more accessible areas and at lower altitudes than mountain gorillas, it is still essential to be able to walk through the forest for at least 2 hours to find these primates. Sometimes the guide will have to clear a path through the vegetation with a machete. At other times it is possible that you have to avoid a fallen tree and overcome a small climb. For all this it is important to have an adequate physical and health level to carry out this trekking.
Golden monkey trek
Price:
100.00 USD per person
Minimum age:
12 years old
