Travel Guide To Golden Monkey Trekking

Admin April 17, 2025Adventure Tours

Golden monkey trekking is an inclusive activity in the wild bamboo forests of Uganda and Rwanda. It is also a popular tourist activity in Africa trekking. The golden monkey is a species found in Virunga Mountains straddling the borders shared between Uganda, Rwanda and DRC in East Africa. 

They occur only in moist forests mixed with bamboo. These species depend on bamboo for 60% of their feed. Plus, they also eat fruits and leaves. The golden monkey has a hairy face and adorned cheeks with ombre bristles that look like a bushy beard. A male golden monkey can weigh about 4.5-12 kg and 48-67 cm (19-26 in) in height. On the other hand, females are much smaller in height, weighing between 3.5 and 4.5 kg (8-10 lb). The age of golden monkeys is 19 years.

In case you are planning to Africa trekking to watch golden monkeys, here is the travel guide for your assistance and to make your trip worth remembering and enjoying.

List Of Packing Goods For Golden Monkey Trekking

For going on a trek it is important to pack such goods that make your trek convenient and comfortable. Pack the things with the following suggestions to be safe and comfy while trekking.

• Wear light clothes that will ease you while trekking.
• Hiking boots are significant during golden monkey trekking because you have to hike through different mountains and steepness.
• Another important thing is the raincoat which is a must-have thing to carry along. You never know when the rain comes over your hiking adventure at Volcano National Park.
• Pack an insect repellent to keep you safe from any insect biting during golden monkey trekking. Because some insects can be health hazardous and can lead to long-term disease.
• Last but not least is the camera, which is a must-have item to take along while going a golden monkey trekking. This is the way to capture photos of golden monkeys to keep them as a life-long memory.

It best Time To Go For Golden Monkey Trekking!!

The dry season is the best time to go golden monkey trekking at an African park. During the dry season, mountains are not slippery so trekking becomes a little easy for trekkers. June to mid-September is the dry season and then December to February, these two are the best time to trek for golden monkeys. Thus, plan your trip in these months. If you want to enjoy the rainy season in the park then you can also come from mid-September to December.

Where You Can See The Golden Monkeys?

You can watch them on the slopes of Virunga mountains where they come to eat bamboo. Tourists visit various Virunga mountains slopes to see the golden monkeys including:

• Mount Karisimbi
• Mount Sabyinyo
• Mount Muhabura
• Mount Gahinga

You can trek through any of them and enjoy plenty of other attractions like Lake Kivu, the Twin lakes of Burera, and Ruhondo.

Guidelines To Go For Golden Monkey Trekking

To enjoy your trek follow these guidelines and be safe:

• Keep sufficient distance from golden monkeys to avoid contracting diseases.
• Avoid unnecessary movements to scare them.
• Avoid the flash of your camera while taking pictures of golden monkeys. This light makes them scared and they can attack you.
• Do not litter in the park during golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga or Volcanoes parks. Your littering things can cause diseases to the species.
• Avoid unnecessary sounds as they can trigger the primates to wrong way and leads to scare them.

Unavoidable Permits During Golden Monkey Trekking

You will get permission to go for a golden monkey trek from a trusted tour company and a fee of 100 USD. It will be inclusive of a few terms for a smooth trekking experience:

• Briefing sessions to start the trek: This briefing session is to stay away from any accident or mishap due to your uncertain activity during the trek. In this session, your tour guide will brief you about the do’s and don’ts of golden monkey trekking to make it enjoyable and convenient.
• An armed ranger: He will follow the trekking group to keep you safe from any attack of any wild animal in the park like forest elephants, hyenas or any other species.
• An experienced guide: This is one of the most important parts of getting permission to golden monkey trekking. Without a knowledgeable guide, you won’t be able to enjoy the trip to the fullest. He will enrich you with amazing experiences of hiking through different mountain slopes of Virunga mountains. A guide will make your trip memorable by offering you feasible information about golden monkeys like their fun facts, diet, behaviour and many other interesting activities.

Follow this travel guide to golden monkey trekking and get the full pleasure of your trekking.