Golden Monkey Trekking in Rwanda and Uganda

By Anna Axelson, Operations Manager, East Africa Safaris · Updated October 2026

Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda takes place in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park, and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) charges foreign visitors $100 per permit. The minimum age is 12, each group takes up to 16 people, and there is one visit a day, starting from park headquarters in Kinigi. In Uganda, you can track golden monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for $60 plus the $40 daily park entry fee, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

You can add golden monkeys to a gorilla trek on the next morning. The walk is usually shorter and gentler than a gorilla trek, and the monkeys live only in the Virunga volcanoes and Rwanda's Gishwati Forest. Our private tours from Kigali include the permit: with a gorilla trek, from $1,870 per person for a group of six if the gorillas are in Uganda, or $2,130 if they are in Rwanda.

Checked: October 2026. Permit prices and rules come from the RDB booking portal and Visit Rwanda, RDB's tourism site, and from UWA's conservation tariff and Mgahinga park information. Species facts come from IUCN, UWA and published research. We checked them and our own tour prices on October 13, 2026. Our prices are per person and include the permits each tour lists.

Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda and Uganda at a glance

Websites give conflicting prices, ages and group sizes for golden monkeys. These are the official figures from RDB and UWA.

In both countries, a foreign visitor pays $100 in all. Volcanoes is closer to Kigali and needs no border crossing, and every golden monkey trek on our tours takes place there.

Our golden monkey tours from Kigali

All are private tours from Kigali, with your own driver-guide and a Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado or safari van, depending on group size. Each includes the permits it lists and park fees. The first price is per person for six sharing; the second is for two.

Solo travelers pay $2,768 on the 2-day safari, $3,450 on the 3-day Rwanda safari and $2,618 on the 3-day Uganda trip. Flights, tips, porter fees, visas and insurance are extra on every tour. The 2-day gorilla and golden monkey safari does not include airport transfers, and the 1-day trip includes no meals.

Golden monkey permit cost in Rwanda and Uganda

Rwanda. RDB charges foreign visitors $100 for golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park. RDB sells permits first come, first served, with each traveler's name and passport details, and checks documents at the park gate.

Uganda. UWA lists golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga at $60 for foreign non-residents, excluding the park entrance fee of $40 per adult per day. UWA says prior booking is needed. Foreign visitors can buy gorilla and chimpanzee permits only through licensed tour operators, but UWA's tariff lets other activities be paid at its reservations office or the park gate.

The all-day option. Mgahinga also sells a golden monkey habituation experience, at $100 plus entry, which UWA says is spent all day with researchers. RDB's portal lists nothing similar.

No low-season price. RDB's low-season offer, from November to May, is for gorilla trekking permits, and its page does not mention golden monkeys. UWA's low-season rates for April, May and November cover gorilla and chimpanzee tracking only, and its list of tariff changes from January 1, 2027 does not include golden monkey tracking.

On our tours. Every tour above includes the golden monkey permit. A 50% deposit confirms your booking, we then buy your permits, and permits are non-refundable. Our gorilla trekking permit cost guide has the full booking, date change and refund rules.

Minimum age and group rules

• Minimum age. RDB sets 12 for golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes. UWA's tariff and its Mgahinga brochure give no minimum age for golden monkeys; UWA sets 15 for gorilla tracking and 12 for chimpanzees.
• Gorillas are 15 in both countries. Travelers aged 12 to 14 can track golden monkeys but cannot join the gorilla trek. Tell us everyone's age when you ask for a quote, and we will plan the days around RDB's and UWA's rules.
• Group size and timing. RDB allows up to 16 people per golden monkey group, twice the limit of 8 for a gorilla family, and runs one visit a day, allocating your time once you book. UWA does not publish a group size.

Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Golden monkeys live in the bamboo forest on the lower slopes of the volcanoes. Visit Rwanda says two groups can be tracked in the park, one on the slopes of Mount Karisimbi and one in the bamboo forest on Mount Sabyinyo. RDB says troops number up to 30 monkeys.

What the trek is like. After the ranger briefing at Kinigi, your guides lead you into the bamboo forest to find a habituated troop. Our itineraries allow two to four hours in total, including your time with the monkeys. UWA describes golden monkey tracking as less tiring than gorilla tracking, and our trail stays on the lower bamboo slopes, but it can be steep and muddy after rain. Porters can carry your daypack; porter fees are not included.

With the troop. Golden monkeys move fast. They feed in the bamboo, leap between the stems and come down to search the ground for food, so expect to follow them a little.

What to wear. Our packing list for the trek: a waterproof jacket, a warm layer for the early start, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in neutral colors, good hiking shoes, gaiters for mud and nettles, gloves, a hat and a light face mask.

Our Volcanoes National Park guide covers the park's other activities, and our gorilla trekking guide covers gorilla trek rules and fitness.

Golden monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda

Mgahinga is Uganda's smallest national park, 33.7 km² on the slopes of three extinct Virunga volcanoes, at 2,227 to 4,127 m (7,300 to 13,540 ft). UWA calls it an important habitat for the endangered golden monkey. Its brochure says tracking follows the monkeys through bamboo on Mount Gahinga, with contact time limited to an hour.

From Kigali, our drivers reach Kisoro, the closest town, in about four hours, crossing the border at Cyanika or Gatuna. Mgahinga also has one habituated gorilla group, and UWA charges $800 for a gorilla permit there, or $600 in April, May and November, when low-season permits cannot be rescheduled.

Our Uganda trips track golden monkeys in Volcanoes, before or after the border crossing for the gorillas. To track them in Mgahinga instead, ask us when you request a quote. See our Mgahinga Gorilla National Park guide for the park and our Uganda gorilla trekking from Kigali guide for routes.

Photographing golden monkeys

The monkeys move fast in the dim light under the bamboo, so prepare for speed and shade.

• Use a fast shutter speed. Aim for 1/500 second or faster, raise the ISO, and use continuous autofocus and burst mode.
• Bring a zoom. A 100 to 400 mm telephoto zoom is the most useful lens, though a phone works when the monkeys come close.
• Leave the flash off. RDB does not allow flash with the gorillas, so keep it off for the whole trip.
• Look up and down. The monkeys feed high in the bamboo and also forage on the ground.
• Keep your gear dry. Bring a rain cover or a plastic bag for your camera.

Gorilla and golden monkey trekking: how to combine them

Both treks start from Kinigi in the morning, and RDB runs one golden monkey visit a day, so plan them on back-to-back mornings. Our 2-day, 3-day and 4-day Rwanda trips put the gorilla trek first and the shorter golden monkey trek on the last morning, before the drive back to Kigali.

Golden monkeys add little to the price. For two travelers sharing, our 2-day gorilla and golden monkey safari costs $2,380 each, $100 more than our 2-day gorilla trip at $2,280, and swaps its Kigali sightseeing day for the monkeys.

2 days in Rwanda: the fastest way to see both

Our 2-Day Gorilla and Golden Monkey Safari Experience runs like this:

• Day 1. Pickup at your Kigali hotel at about 4:30 AM, then about 2.5 hours north. After the briefing at Kinigi, you trek to your assigned gorilla family: our itinerary allows two to five hours, and you have one hour with the gorillas. Lunch is at your lodge, then Gorilla Guardians Village in the afternoon. Night near the park.
• Day 2. Golden monkeys in the bamboo forest, and about an hour with the troop. Early lunch at the lodge, then the drive back to Kigali, with a stop for local crafts.

3 days, two countries: golden monkeys in Rwanda, gorillas in Uganda

Our 3-Day Uganda Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking runs like this:

• Day 1. Kigali to Volcanoes National Park, about 2.5 hours, with an easy village walk if you want one. Night near the park.
• Day 2. Golden monkeys from Kinigi, two to four hours in total, then the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. After lunch, you cross into Uganda for a night near the gorilla park.
• Day 3. Gorilla trek in Mgahinga or Bwindi's Rushaga sector, depending on permits and your preference: two to six hours, with one hour with the family. Then the long drive back to Kigali.

It costs from $1,870 per person for six or $2,240 each for two, because Uganda's $800 gorilla permit is $700 less than Rwanda's $1,500.

With more time: the 3-day Rwanda safari adds a rest night before the gorilla trek, and the 4-day starts with a night in Kigali. Our 4-Day Uganda Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking Safari adds a Batwa cultural performance and a canoe ride on Lake Mulehe, from $2,130 per person for six or $2,604 each for two. Our gorilla trekking in Rwanda guide compares every Rwanda gorilla tour.

About the golden monkey

The golden monkey is a close relative of the blue monkey. IUCN and UWA treat it as a subspecies, Cercopithecus mitis kandti, while some taxonomists list it as a species of its own, Cercopithecus kandti.

• Endangered. IUCN describes it as an Endangered subspecies, found in only two small populations in the central Albertine Rift. A 2022 study names them: the Virunga volcanoes, shared by Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo, and Rwanda's Gishwati Forest.
• Losing habitat. IUCN's 2023 action plan says that since the 1950s, golden monkey habitat in Volcanoes National Park has shrunk by about 50%, and in Gishwati by 98%.
• Few in number. UWA estimates that 2,000 to 4,000 golden monkeys remain.
• Bamboo eaters. The same 2022 study found that the Virunga groups live mainly in bamboo forest and eat mostly young bamboo leaves and shoots.

When to go

Our tours run all year, 7 days a week. Visit Rwanda gives Rwanda's rainy seasons as mid-February to May and mid-September to mid-December, and says paths tend to be easier from June to mid-September. Rain makes the bamboo trails slippery, so pack waterproof gear in any month. Our best time for gorilla trekking guide has the month-by-month view.

Before you go

• Passport. Bring the passport your permits were booked with; RDB checks documents at the park gate.
• Health. RDB asks you not to visit the gorillas with a cold, flu or other contagious illness. If you feel unwell on trek day, tell your guide.
• Insurance. Not required, but we strongly recommend it, with cancellation and medical cover, because permits are non-refundable.
• Advisories. Check current travel advisories before you book; our FAQ has our latest note.

Ready to book your golden monkey trek?

We plan trips from Musanze, next to Volcanoes National Park, and from Cedar City, Utah. East Africa Safaris is the trading name of East Africa Safari Tours, Inc., a Utah corporation, licensed by the Rwanda Development Board (license RDB/TL/2026/02/TO/00995).

Frequently asked questions

How much does golden monkey trekking cost in Rwanda?

RDB charges foreign visitors $100 per golden monkey permit in Volcanoes National Park. Our tours include it: the 2-day gorilla and golden monkey safari costs from $2,130 per person for six or $2,380 each for two, with the $1,500 gorilla permit included too, and the 1-day golden monkey trip from Kigali is priced on request. In Uganda's Mgahinga, UWA charges $60 plus $40 park entry.

What is the minimum age for golden monkey trekking?

It is 12 in Rwanda, set by RDB. UWA does not publish a minimum age for golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga, so ask us before you book for a younger child. Gorilla trekking is 15 in both countries, so travelers aged 12 to 14 can join the golden monkeys but not the gorilla trek.

Can you do gorilla and golden monkey trekking on the same day?

Not in Volcanoes National Park. Both treks start from park headquarters in Kinigi in the morning, and RDB runs one golden monkey visit a day, so they go on back-to-back mornings. Our 2-day gorilla and golden monkey safari treks gorillas on day 1 and golden monkeys on day 2, and our 3-day and 4-day Rwanda safaris leave more time around them.

How hard is golden monkey trekking?

For most people, easier than a gorilla trek. UWA describes golden monkey tracking as less tiring, and on our itineraries the walk takes two to four hours in total, including your time with the troop, on the lower bamboo slopes. Trails can be muddy, so wear good hiking shoes and gaiters. Porters are available; porter fees are not included.

How long do you spend with the golden monkeys?

UWA limits contact time to an hour in Mgahinga. RDB does not publish a limit for Volcanoes National Park, and on our tours you have up to about an hour with the troop. The monkeys rarely sit still, so that hour is spent following them through the bamboo.

Is golden monkey trekking better in Rwanda or Uganda?

The cost is the same for a foreign visitor: $100 in Rwanda, or $60 plus $40 park entry in Uganda. Volcanoes National Park is about 2.5 hours by road from Kigali, while Mgahinga is across the border near Kisoro, and all our golden monkey treks are in Volcanoes, even on trips that trek gorillas in Uganda. Mgahinga also offers an all-day habituation experience.

Can you go golden monkey trekking on a day trip from Kigali?

Yes. Our 1-day golden monkey trip picks you up at your Kigali hotel at about 4:30 AM, tracks the monkeys, visits the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and has you back at your hotel the same day. Expect about five hours of driving. It is priced on request, and meals are not included, so bring snacks.

How far ahead should you book golden monkey permits?

Book them with the rest of your trip. A golden monkey group takes up to 16 people, against 8 per gorilla family, but there is only one visit a day. For gorilla and golden monkey trips in July and August, we recommend booking 6 months ahead, because Rwanda issues only 96 gorilla permits a day. A 50% deposit confirms your booking.

Sources

Official sources and our tour prices were checked on October 13, 2026. Official sources come first, then research, then East Africa Safaris.

1. RDB booking portal, Golden Monkeys (official): https://visitrwandabookings.rdb.rw/rdbportal/web/rdb/golden-monkeys. Supports $100 for foreigners; minimum age 12; up to 16 people per group; one visit a day, with time allocated once booked; visitors meeting their guides at Kinigi headquarters; troops of up to 30; applications made with each client's name and passport details, first come, first served; and document checks at the park gate.
2. Visit Rwanda, Primate Tracking (official, RDB): https://visitrwanda.com/interests/primate-tracking/. Supports golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park and Gishwati Forest; two groups that can be tracked in Volcanoes, one on the slopes of Mount Karisimbi and one in the bamboo forest on Mount Sabyinyo; and departures from Kinigi once a day.
3. RDB booking portal, Mountain Gorilla Tracking (official): https://visitrwandabookings.rdb.rw/rdbportal/web/rdb/mountain-gorilla-tracking. Supports the $1,500 gorilla permit for foreigners; minimum age 15; up to 8 visitors per group; one hour with the gorillas; no flash; and the request not to visit with a cold, flu or other contagious illness.
4. Visit Rwanda, Gorilla Tracking (official, RDB): https://visitrwanda.com/interests/gorilla-tracking/. Supports eight permits per gorilla family a day and 96 gorilla permits a day.
5. RDB booking portal, Low Season Discount (Gorilla Trekking) (official): https://visitrwandabookings.rdb.rw/rdbportal/web/rdb/low-season-discount. Supports a conditional low-season offer from November to May for gorilla trekking permits, with no mention of golden monkey permits.
6. Visit Rwanda, Weather (official, RDB): https://visitrwanda.com/facts/weather/. Supports the rainy seasons (mid-February to May and mid-September to mid-December) and the June to mid-September dry season, when roads and paths "tend to be easier to navigate."
7. UWA, Rates and Tariffs (official): https://ugandawildlife.org/uwa-rates/. Supports that UWA's conservation tariff, now labeled July 2024 to December 2026, and its 2026 to 2027 tariff changes are the rates in force.
8. UWA Conservation Tariff 2024 to 2026 (official PDF, version uploaded October 2026): https://ugandawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/UWA-Conservation-Tariff-July-2024-June-2026.pdf. Supports golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga at $60 and the golden monkey habituation experience at $100 for foreign non-residents, both excluding entrance fees, with prior booking needed; the $40 adult entrance fee for Mgahinga; the $800 gorilla permit in Mgahinga; minimum ages of 15 for gorilla tracking and 12 for chimpanzee tracking, with no minimum age listed for golden monkeys; gorilla and chimpanzee permits for foreign non-residents booked only through licensed tour operators; and other products payable at the reservations office or park gates.
9. UWA notice, "Introduction of Low Season Gorilla and Chimpanzee Permit Rates and Revised Tariff Structure," Ref TDO 93/04, February 26, 2026 (official PDF): https://ugandawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tariff-changes-2026-2027.pdf. Supports low-season rates in April, May and November for gorilla tracking ($600) and chimpanzee tracking only; that low-season permits cannot be rescheduled; and that the tariff changes from January 1, 2027 do not include golden monkey tracking.
10. UWA, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (official): https://ugandawildlife.org/national-parks/mgahinga-gorilla-national-park/. Supports Mgahinga as Uganda's smallest national park (33.7 km²); one habituated transboundary gorilla group; 2,227 to 4,127 m; three extinct Virunga volcanoes; an important habitat for the endangered golden monkey; and Kisoro as the closest town.
11. UWA, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park brochure (official PDF, linked from UWA's Mgahinga page): https://ugandawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MGNP-2018-4.pdf. Supports golden monkey tracking through bamboo on the slopes of Mount Gahinga, with the Ntebeko Visitor Centre as the trailhead; contact time limited to an hour; the habituation experience spent all day with researchers; and the 14 km road from Kisoro to the park headquarters at Ntebeko.
12. UWA, Golden Monkey (official): https://ugandawildlife.org/animals/golden-monkey/. Supports the name Cercopithecus mitis kandti; the monkey being endemic to the Virungas and classified as endangered; an estimate of 2,000 to 4,000 individuals; and golden monkey tracking being less exhausting than gorilla tracking.
13. IUCN, "Regional golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) conservation action plan 2023 to 2028," Tuyisingize, D. and others, IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2023: https://iucn.org/resources/publication/regional-golden-monkey-cercopithecus-mitis-kandti-conservation-action-plan. Supports the golden monkey as an Endangered subspecies of the blue monkey, found in only two small populations in the central Albertine Rift, and habitat loss since the 1950s of about 50% in Volcanoes National Park and 98% in the Gishwati forest.
14. Tuyisingize, D., Eckardt, W., Caillaud, D. and Kaplin, B.A., "High flexibility in diet and ranging patterns in two golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) populations in Rwanda," American Journal of Primatology, 2022 (peer reviewed; authors from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Karisoke Research Center and other institutions): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34813123/. Supports the golden monkey being endemic to the Virunga massif and the Gishwati forest, living mainly in bamboo forest in the Virungas, and the Virunga groups feeding mostly on young bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots.
15. East Africa Safaris tour pages (checked October 13, 2026): https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/1-day-golden-monkey-encounter-in-volcanoes-national-park/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/2-day-gorilla-and-golden-monkey-safari-experience/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/3-day-rwanda-mountain-gorilla-tracking-safari/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/4-day-rwanda-mountain-gorilla-and-golden-monkey-safari/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/2-day-bisoke-hike-and-golden-monkey-trek-adventure/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/3-day-uganda-gorilla-and-golden-monkey-trekking/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/4-day-uganda-gorilla-and-golden-monkey-trekking-safari/, https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/2-day-gorilla-trekking-in-volcanoes-national-park/ and https://eastafricasafaris.com/tour/2-day-uganda-gorilla-trekking-adventure-from-rwanda/. Supports the tour names, prices (solo, two sharing and six sharing; the 1-day, 4-day Rwanda and 2-day Bisoke tours priced on request), permits and inclusions, private vehicles, routes and day-by-day plans, golden monkey treks in Volcanoes National Park on our Uganda trips, the 4:30 AM Kigali pickups, about five hours of driving on the 1-day trip, two to four hours in total for the golden monkey trek, up to about an hour with the troop, two to five hours for the gorilla trek on the 2-day safari and two to six hours in Uganda, the trail on the lower bamboo slopes, the packing list, about four hours from Kigali to Kisoro via Cyanika or Gatuna, airport transfers (not included on the 2-day gorilla and golden monkey safari), no meals on the 1-day trip, and year-round, 7-days-a-week availability.
16. East Africa Safaris, Payment and Cancellation Policy, Rev. September 12, 2026; Mark Axelson's answers of September 29, 2026; and Mark Axelson's and Anna Axelson's answers of October 5 to 6, 2026: supports the 50% deposit, non-refundable permits (gorilla and golden monkey), the travel insurance recommendation, the 6-month lead time for July, August and peak dates, porter fees not being included, how rain affects treks, our vehicles, the 2.5-hour drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park, Mgahinga or Bwindi chosen by permit availability and client preference, office locations and the legal name, East Africa Safari Tours, Inc., a Utah corporation.
17. East Africa Safaris, FAQ: https://eastafricasafaris.com/frequently-asked-questions/. Supports the RDB license number, RDB/TL/2026/02/TO/00995.