1 Day Golden Monkey tracking safari in Rwanda.

Are you a nature enthusiast, interested in a one-day Golden Monkey Trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park from Kigali? Here is a simple guide on how to enjoy the dense, misty park in a day at least cost. Volcanoes National Park is situated in the northern region of the country and hosts an array of wildlife. It’s a popular home for mountain gorillas as the main attraction, but with this trip, our main interest is meeting the endangered golden monkeys.

Trekking to see golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park is a favored experience for tourists traveling to Rwanda.

For the 1-day golden monkey trip, you need to either arrange private transportation or travel with a tour operator agency. You will get up at 4:30 am to start on the voyage to Volcanoes National Park.

 Budget activities to do in Volcanoes National Park.

Tour Itinerary of 1 Day Golden Monkey tracking safari in Rwanda.

4:30 am: Begin your tour early in the morning with a pickup from your Kigali hotel. Take a scenic 2- to 3-hour drive to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda’s Northern Province.

7:00 am: Arrive at the park headquarters in Kinigi for a briefing about how to behave around the golden monkeys. Get assigned to a particular group, get a walking stick, and hire a porter to help carry your backpack.

8:00 am:  Drive to the starting point to start the hike. Start your golden monkey hiking trip with the leadership of an experienced ranger guide.  These unique endangered primates are often seen in the bamboo forests at the edges of the park. As you walk through the bamboo and rainforest-covered slopes, enjoy the amazing views of the Virunga mountains and different kinds of birds.

The trek lasts for about 2-4 hours, depending on their location and the terrain of the tracking trails. Once you find them, you have the unique chance to spend an hour watching them playfully jump from tree to tree and engage with their environment. Learn their behavior and conservation status by listening to your guide. They are a bit noisy, but you must be calm. Though they move fast and capturing photos on camera can be a challenge, the whole experience is super exciting and definitely something to cherish.

11:30 am: After the trek, you can either enjoy your packed lunch at a perfect spot in the forest or return to the park center to freshen up and then have your lunch.

In the afternoon, there a several optional activities you can engage in:

Optional activity 1: Visit the gorilla guardian village, commonly known as the Ib’yiwachu cultural center. This is a unique place to experience Rwandan culture. Meet the reformed poachers who currently advocate for gorilla protection and habitat conservation.  Share the local people’s heritage treasures, including lifestyles, activities, art and crafts, dances, and traditional lifestyles. This place is a true exhibit of the Rwanda tradition and cultural heritage.

Optional Activity 2: Visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

This is a place where you get into full insights of Dian Fossey exhibiting her efforts towards gorilla protection and conservation of the natural wilderness. The Ellen Campus is a substantial expansion of the center’s teaching and laboratory space, enabling it to not only expand but also transform programs that investigate gorillas and critical forest habitats, as well as offer educational opportunities to early-career African scientists and members of the local community.

2:00 pm:  Drive back to Kigali. You can stopover at a local craft shop for some souvenirs and by 5:30 pm, drop off at your accommodation or airport in Kigali..

What’s included in the safari package

  • Pickup & drop off in Kigali.
  • Professional Guide/guide
  • 4×4 Comfortable ground transportation
  • Golden monkey trekking permit
  • Lunch
  • Bottled water

What is excluded from the package

  • Tips to guides and porters
  • Optional activities
  • Souvenirs

Cost of a golden monkey permit in Rwanda.

Two habituated golden monkey groups in Volcanoes National Park are open to visitors for daily tracking. Each of these communities has approximately 80 members, and the number of visitors to each group per day is limited to 16. Every International visitor (non-foreign resident) is required to pay $100, foreign residents pay $65, and East African residents pay $80 for the golden monkey trekking permit, which is obtained from the Rwanda Development Board.