Trek to see incredible golden monkeys of Uganda

Certain families of golden monkeys have been habituated to humans and tend not to be immediately scared off; this group was constantly on the move and hard to keep up with

Porters we paid to accompany us are from communities displaced from the mountain due to the formation of the national park; paying porters supports the community and increases awareness of the importance of conservation

We had a steep uphill hike to the monkey habitat and paid the porters $15 each to carry our bags; the golden monkeys tend to live in the bamboo groves while the gorillas prefer more forested areas

In an astounding feat of intelligence, golden monkeys actually weave multiple bamboo plants together to make beds each night; nearly 50% of the Ugandan population is under the age of 14

Gestation for a baby golden monkey is 5 months; interestingly, the baby golden monkey is born with all of its fur and wide-open eyes

We all ended up with sore necks from looking up at the monkeys; one male in the pack will mate with nearly all of the females (but it is actually the female that must initiate the mating process)

Montane side-striped chameleon; we didn't see many other animals while hiking through the park but our guide spotted this one

The golden monkey is a genetically distinct species and lives primarily in the mountains of Uganda, but also portions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania

The golden monkey is an endangered species with an estimated population of only 2,500-3,500, and this population is dwindling

3700 Ugandan shillings equals one US dollar; I found shopkeepers would often try to shortchange you so you had to pay attention

The golden monkeys eat new growth bamboo shoots in the rainy season with leaves and fruit in the dry season; they jumped across the tree canopy unlike gorillas

To visit the golden monkeys we booked a $90 excursion plus $25 transport and $15 for a porter; to reach the hike start we were on an incredibly rutted road that took forever to traverse

We used hiking sticks to navigate the steep mountainside; approximately half of Ugandans live on less than one dollar per day

The tails of the golden monkey are bright, vibrant, golden orange, as are its cheeks, and patches of its back and torso; the golden monkeys share the same mountain with the gorillas but they tend to avoid each other

The golden monkey’s have few animal predators so the main threats to its life are humans who may set illegal traps and snares, or cut down the bamboo that golden monkey’s lives depend on

We crossed the equator repeatedly driving through Uganda; in terms of population, Uganda is the second largest landlocked country in the world (after Ethiopia)

Golden monkeys usually live in packs of 30-80 individuals (out of this group, there is typically only one adult male); golden monkeys typically live up to 20 years