Getting Into the Footsteps of Golden Monkeys in Mgahinga National Park
The thought of watching your feet step into these frisky primates’ prints will always be in ways you’ll struggle to articulate. Perhaps it is a feeling of being physically connected to these incredible creatures. It is the rugged terrains, the Bamboo vegetation, the vistas, flowers, and the prints of other wildlife species that also walk these trails through the verdant forest.
Perhaps it’s simply the pace of walking through different altitudes that opens primate enthusiasts to the sights, sounds, and smells of the National Park where “silver meets gold” as Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also referred to, to the sensation of the sun and wind on your skin, allowing you to taste and feel this outstanding natural habitat deeply.
On the day of the Golden Monkey tracking adventure
Your day starts early with breakfast as you watch the sky gradually lighten to blue. By 7:00 am, you have to be at Ntebeko Visitor Center for briefing and pre-tracking briefing. After the briefing, you will set out into the jungles with seven other visitors, armed Rangers, well-trained guides, and porters on the walk to follow the footsteps of the Golden monkeys.
The guided walk to see the endangered Golden Monkeys lasts anywhere between two and six hours, depending on where they are currently hanging out. The actual search for golden monkeys starts at 8:00 am and with the guidance of trackers who move ahead to search for the location of these primates, you will head up into the Park in the general direction of where the Monkeys are generally found.
About the Golden Monkey Tracking Experience
Unlike gorilla treks, golden monkey tracking adventures have a modest amount of elevation. The first part of the hike comprises a variety of vegetation referred to as “the Secondary Forest”. Why is it referred to as a “secondary forest”. Well, it is because it is an area formerly inhabited by native Batwa pygmies who were ousted by the Ugandan Government IN 1991 to create a protection area (known as Mgahinga Gorilla National Park) for the Golden monkeys as well as the Mountain Gorillas.
The Batwa pygmies were compensated and today enjoy the benefits of having the Protected Area as well as the benefits (tourism) that it brings. Further into the golden monkey hike, you will come across the lush Primary Forest which mainly consists of old growth as well as almost entirely bamboo. This is the habitat that the beautiful and endangered Golden Monkeys prefer.
Encountering the endangered Golden Monkeys
Living in large troops of 30 to 100 individuals, golden monkeys are known for the orange patch above the upper flanks as well as their backs. As you will witness during your hike, these creatures love to eat bamboo (shoots, branchlets, and young bamboo leaves) but are also known to enjoy fruits (and will move about their group looking for fresh fruit), invertebrates, shrubs, and flowers. Visitors find golden monkeys by looking for tracks, dung, and the big mess they leave after eating through bamboo.
Your golden monkey permit/s (costing $60 for foreign non-residents, $50 for foreign residents, and shs. 40,000 for East African Community Citizens), you are allowed for one full hour with these endangered creatures. You are allowed to stay 7 meters away from them but these creatures don’t follow the rules. Often they will invade your space as you sit quietly watching them eat, play, and fight mildly with their group members. Needless to say, this is always a memorable experience that lasts a lifetime.
Stepping into the Footsteps of Golden Monkeys
Stepping into the footsteps of these endangered golden monkeys and watching them in their natural habitat is amazing, even with the sound of shelling in the background. On a serious note, you will feel safe as the activity is done in the Company of armed Rangers, and also the fact that these primates are fully habituated. After your golden monkey hike, you will head back to your accommodation for the rest of your activities.
Accommodation options during your golden monkey tracking tour in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park include Mount Gahinga Lodge, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Traveler’s Rest Hotel Kisoro, Mucha Hotel Kisoro, Chameleon Hill Forest Lodge, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, and Mutanda Lake Resort.