Golden monkey trekking is one of the countless gems of exploration there’s in the thick rainforests in Uganda. Golden monkeys are subspecies of the blue monkeys. They inhabit the Virunga mountain ranges and in Uganda they can only be found in Mgahinga National Park.

Golden monkeys feed mainly on invertebrates,  flowers, young bamboo leaves, shrubs, bamboo branchlets and shoots. They also snack on fruits.  Golden monkeys are listed as endangered species on the IUCN Red list since their existence is threatened by certain activities that are of potential harm to the ecosystem including tree extraction,  encroachment on their habitat and plenty of other reasons that put their habitat and themselves at a huge risk of extinction.

Mgahinga as the habitat for golden monkeys and host of the golden monkey trekking activity.

Mgahinga national park stands out as the only place that hosts golden monkeys in Uganda and therefore blessed host of their trekking activities. 

Mgahinga National Park lies in the southwest of Uganda in Kisoro district. This beautiful National Park spans 3 of the 8 Virunga mountains on an area of about 33.9 square kilometers. The three Virunga mountain ranges are Mount Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura.

They form the beautiful scenery that is good for sightseeing and photography as the travelers undertake the exciting golden monkey trekking adventures in the greenery scattered all over the slopes of the mountains.

It is the smallest National Park in Uganda but hosts some of the most exciting tourist activities and awe-inspiring species of flora and fauna that travelers find so attractive and enjoy watching up close when they visit.

Mgahinga National Park was established in 1991 with the main aim of protecting and conserving the diverse biodiversity it is bestowed with for the future generations and to curb their extinction. 

Accessibility of the National Park.

Travelling to Mgahinga National Park takes about 10 to 11 hours through the Kampala – Mbarara – Kisoro road. The National Park can also be accessed by air.  Travelers willing to embark on the golden monkey trekking activity can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kisoro airstrip where they can be picked up by tourist guides to help them access the National Park in comfortable tourist vehicles to embark on the exciting activities. 

Behaviours of golden monkeys.

Golden monkeys are known to travel in groups.  They showcase a high level of communal behavior as they travel in small groups of five and larger groups of up to 60 members.

The golden monkeys inhabit higher elevations. This partly explains why they live in the Mgahinga region of the Virunga mountain ranges. 

Golden monkeys sleep in small subgroups of about four to six individuals. They wander through the forests and later return to their the places of sleep. They usually find comfortable sleep in the bamboo plants and that’s where they reside on the slopes of the mountains.

Golden monkeys usually feed around their sleeping area and return back to sleep after a long day of feasting on bamboo shoots, fruits and other flora delicacies.

How much does Golden Monkey trekking cost in Mgahinga National Park?

The golden monkey trekking activity in Mgahinga National Park costs $60.00 per person for the foreign non-residents, $60.00 per person for the foreign residents and Uganda shillings 40,000 per person for the East African citizens.

Best time to visit.

The dry seasons have been proven over time as the very best seasons in which travelers can embark on the exhilarating golden monkey trekking activity in Mgahinga National Park. The dry seasons in this region take two forms that is to say the long and short dry seasons with the long dry seasons running from early June to late September and the short dry seasons running from early December to early February. 

Visitors embarking on the golden monkey trekking activity should find it important to remember that the activity is not only limited to the dry seasons but can also be indulged in during the wet seasons. Every season comes with different experiences and the wet seasons might surprise the visitors when they turn out to bring never to be forgotten experiences of a lifetime.