Golden Monkey Trekking
The Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti) is a local subspecies of the widespread Sykes Monkey, also known as the “Blue Monkey” and is endemic to the high altitude forests of the Volcanoes National Park area. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor.
There are two habituated groups of Golden Monkey, one group comprises around 80 – 100 members and has its home at the foot of Mt Sabyinyo. As with treks to see the Mountain Gorillas, treks to see the Golden Monkeys take place in the mornings and visitors are permitted to stay for 1 hour with the monkeys. Departure for the Golden Monkey trek is from the Park’s Kinigi Headquarters at 07:00am. The number of visitors is not limited and the fee for a Golden Monkey permit is currently USD$100 per person per trek. Permits can either be arranged in advance or booked at the park headquarters on the morning of the trek. Porters can be hired at the entry point of the park.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is conveniently located 15 minutes drive from the park headquarters and is the perfect base to trek to see both the Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkeys. If you would like further information or would like help booking your golden monkey permit then please either contact us or your preferred tour operator for assistance.
The Golden monkey is one of the many endangered primates that live naturally in the in Virunga Massif distributed among Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC
