Golden Monkey Tracking in Mgahinga National Park is unique to the destination. The conservation area is Uganda’s smallest park covering an area space of approximately 33.7 square kilometers, it is an extension of the great Virunga mountains on the Ugandan side, hosting 3 of the 8 series of the Virunga massif including mountain Muhabura, Mountain Gahinga, and Mountain Sabinyo some of these are shared between Uganda, Rwanda, and the democratic republic of Congo. The park’s main residents are the mountain gorillas and the Golden monkeys, which are unique to the ecosystem, and the great Albertine Rift Valley
Golden monkeys enjoy living in the bamboo forest region of the national park, they primarily feed on bamboo, plants, leaves, trees, and small invertebrates of the forest, they are characterized by their distinguished look, the brown with a dash of golden brown is angelic, they are super active jumping from one tree to another, they seem to always be eating something as their cheeks are often filled with food, they enjoy feeding on fruits, plants, leaves, and bamboo shoots. in their fast nature in case of pictures, it is important to consider setting your camera ready to take nice pictures. Besides other primates the golden monkey is marvelous, they live on troops of up to 100 members led by a male alpha.
There are habituated golden monkey families present in the national park for tracking, unlike the mountain gorillas, Golden monkeys do not build new nests every day so it is easy to find them in the same location, tracking begins at the park headquarters in Ntebeko with a briefing from the Uganda wildlife park ranger, they will tell you of the forest a show to conduct yourself while with the primates, it takes 2-3 hours to find them and an hour is allowed to interact take pictures and return to the park center beside the already habituated groups, there are half habituated ones that are present for experiential golden monkey tracking, this one of the newest things to do while in the national park. The hike is less strenuous as the golden monkeys live on the lower slopes of the bamboo forest as compared to the mountain gorillas.
Golden monkey permits are purchased from the Uganda Wildlife Authority in order to be allowed into the forest, it is important to buy these prior to your tracking time so that you to avoid last minute rush of even cancellations. The experience is charged $100 for foreign non-residents, $80 for foreign residents, and 100,000 shillings charged to East African citizens.To enjoy a golden monkey tracking experience, one must have the proper gear for the forest including waterproof hiking boots, waterproof covers for phones, and cameras, long-sleeved shirts and trousers, insect repellants, and backpacks to mention a few.
Mgahinga National Park can be visited any time of the year but best during the dry season between December-February and June to early September, it is also the best time to see golden monkeys as the trails are less slippery and easily accessible.