Reviews: Golden Monkey Trekking

"This trek was a perfect warmup to the gorilla treks as the hike was easy and these little darlings are so silent and active. We were taken into a bamboo grove where they jumped from tree to tree allowing us to peer into their world. Everyone loved them and all got great photos and videos. These are rare creatures living in a dedicated space in the world unique to their survival. When the trek was over and the group began to leave they all started following us as if to say “bye, thanks for coming, see you again.” Very sweet. I loved it." Read more about this whole safari

"Tipping is very confusing. There are many different people expecting a tip, and you are given multiple opportunities to do so. The trackers in the forest. The ranger sometime after that. The guide when you are almost back to the cars, and the porter at the end. Have your money handy at all times!

The walk was easy, and we had a great time." Read more about this whole safari

"Amazing to spend time with these energetic monkeys.

Great way to start your Volcanoes National Park visit." Read more about this whole safari

"Truly enjoyed our encounter - we got so close and got the same guides we did the day before the gorillas" Read more about this whole safari

"The Golden Monkey trek is a delight.
It’s an easy trek and the monkeys can be viewed at close quarters.

A good introduction before our gorilla trekking" Read more about this whole safari

"This was a great trek, approx 3.5 hrs . An easy walk through potato fields to the edge of the forest then a degree of scrambling over walls and foliage to find the golden monkeys.

The hour was spent watching them in the trees and on the walls, a great experience" Read more about this whole safari

"The National Park HQ is set in lovely grounds, with modern buildings and excellent coffee and toilet facilities. The impression is of a big melee of people, but it is all very professionally organised, and people are soon assigned to their group and introduced to the leader who outlines the plan for the morning.

We had originally thought of the Golden Monkey trek mainly as a warm up for the Gorilla trek. However, the trek was very worthwhile in its own right, as they are beautiful and delightfully entertaining animals.

We went out in a group of about 14 people with our guide, Ignataus, who was pleasant and informative. It was an easy, but very interesting, walk through agricultural land - passing adults working in the fields and children, often guarding the sheep or cows or looking after younger members of the family, all of them happy to wave and say hello.

We met the trackers and reached the group of monkeys just at the base of the forest. At first it seemed that it might be difficult to spot them as they moved quickly through the bamboo, but then we realised that there were lots in the open field. This is where we spent a very enjoyable hour watching and photographing them. They seemed completely unfazed by our presence, and often walked very close to us, concentrating totally on the next juicy thistle or their next place to dig up a potato. The trackers kept a good eye on what was going on, but they remained very unobtrusive.

All in all a great morning." Read more about this whole safari

"The group of 15 people is too big, 8 people per visit would have been better" Read more about this whole safari

"We did the golden monkey trekking the day before the gorilla trekking.

A nice “warm up” for the main event. A short hike. Easy hike. Golden monkeys were fun and entertaining.

Well worth the hike." Read more about this whole safari

"This is a good warm-up trek but nothing like the gorilla experience. The group size was too big, and we had a mixed level of fitness among the different members, which made the pace of the trek frustrating for some" Read more about this whole safari