Golden monkey habituation experience in Uganda
Uganda the “Pearl of Africa” is one of the most popular tourist destinations in East Africa and Africa at large, and is still recognized internationally with its endowment in beautiful scenery, vast comely national parks, fresh water bodies and water falls, hot springs, variety of mammal species, butterfly species and bird species.
The Ugandan government has since put efforts to boost the tourism sector of this country through putting these endowments into good use.
This explains why there are a lot of unique tourism activities in Uganda including gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking to mention but a few compared to other countries.
One of the most popular tourism activities in the country is Gorilla trekking but aside that, there is also golden monkey trekking and habituation in the county, a tourism activity that catches the eye and attention of both local and international visitors.
In Uganda, the golden monkey habituation process is only done in the smallest park of the country, Mgahinga National park. The park borders the two famous national parks in Africa including Volcanoes national park of Rwanda and Virunga National park of Democratic republic of Congo.
Situated in the southwestern region of Uganda, Kisoro District. Mgahinga National Park offers the most exciting and rewarding golden monkey habituation experience that is absolutely worthy of more Ugandan safaris. It involves training golden monkeys to get comfortable and used to human presence in preparedness for trekking.
The golden monkey habituation experience in Uganda takes about 2 to 6 hours depending on a variety of factors, for example the location of the golden monkeys since they tend to move from one place to another sometimes deeper in dense forests.
One of the easiest ways to track the golden monkeys and know their precise location is by following the trails used by these primates because they can clearly be recognized by the leftovers of the bamboo leaves and shoots left on their way. This can also be easily done with the guidance of experienced, professional rangers and guides of the park.
The golden monkey habituation activity commences in the early hours of the morning around 8:00 am with a quick breakfast and briefing at the park’s office on how, where and what to do once you dive into the jungle for the interesting fun activity. Only about four hours are given to the visitors to spend with the golden monkeys under habituation while in their natural habitats and the whole essence of this experience is to learn how they behave in the presence of people, behavior with their fellows and other primates, feeding habits and how they care for their young ones. It is such a rewarding unforgettable Ugandan safari experience.
BEST TIME TO GO FOR THE GOLDEN MONKEY HABITUATION EXPERIENCE IN MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK
The drier months of the year shall always be the right timing for the golden monkey habituation experience in Mgahinga, Uganda. Visitors should consider drier months of June, September and December for this lifetime experience. The reason for going in for the activity in dry season is that, during the dry season, gorilla trekking trails are easily seen and accessible with short vegetation making it easier to track and sight the golden monkeys unlike the wet season when trails are inaccessible and muddy with lush vegetation and not having clear views of the golden monkeys.
HOW MUCH DOES THE GOLDEN MONKEY HABITUATION EXPERIENCE TICKETS COST?
Golden monkey habituation permits vary in prices depending on the nationality and sometimes season where citizens of the East African community can pay as low as 120,000 UGX Ugandan shillings and $100 USD for foreigners. The essence of the golden monkey permits in Mgahinga National park is to give the travelers legal rights to visit, sight and spend about four hours with semi-habituated golden monkeys in their natural permits.
WHAT TO PACK IN PREPARATION FOR THE GOLDEN MONKEY HABITUATION EXPERIENCE
There are must-to-pack items in preparation for the golden monkey habituation experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda. This is because of the unpredictable climatic conditions and other various factors. The must-have items include hiking shoes due to the steep and rugged slopes in some areas, warm clothing in form sweaters, jackets, stockings and gloves for unpredictable weather, walking stick for support, drinking water for better performance and insect repellents for insects like mosquitoes.
