The Elusive Golden Monkey

Thursday morning we headed out for more excitement in the Mgahinga forests. This time we were hiking around the base of Mount Gahinga, the smallest of the three volcanoes in the park. Irene was once again our guide, as she had rotated onto the Golden Monkey Tracking. That was what we would be doing today, including exploring a natural cave the Batwa people used to live in until the area was designated a national park in 1991. Golden monkeys live only in the Virunga Massif. There are two families in Mgahinga, and only one has yet been habituated to humans. This family has 56 members at least.

Our hike to the bamboo forest was much less arduous this time around. Within about 30 minutes of us arriving in the forest, the trackers found the monkeys. Unlike gorillas, which you can track by their hand/foot prints and their dung, the monkeys live up in the bamboo trees and so tracking must be done by listening for them alone. When it is windy, this can be particularly challenging. We lucked out however, and found them rather quickly.

The magical bamboo forest!

We became even luckier soon after. As was reported to us by the guy who tracked the monkeys yesterday, the viewing is not as impressive as it is for gorillas because the monkeys stay up in the trees and you catch only glimpses of them through the bamboo leaves. We understood what he meant. For the first 15 minutes, we peered through thick branches and leaves trying to identify the different monkeys and get good shots of their golden fur. Then we noticed three monkeys on top of trees in a clearing. We got amazing views of these playful primates! They were wrestling, eating and jumping from tree to tree, all atop the bamboo. We were told that it was most unusual to get to see them out in the open like this. Almost two hundred photos later it was time for us to leave the monkeys to their business and head down.

Just chillin' on a bamboo tree!

The golden monkey family portrait!

And.... ACTION! The monkeys were so active and playful. It was a treat to get to see them in their natural habitat!

If Nathan ever gets bored of sales, we'll make sure he ends up with a professional photography job getting wildlife action shots!

Next stop was the Ambara Cave. This is a natural cave with multiple chambers set in volcanic rock. Armed with only one flashlight, we followed Irene into the cave. Not only is it somewhat creepy to explore caves in minimal light, the footing was uneven, rocks came out of nowhere, and the “ceiling” height fluctuated from 3.5ft to maybe 7 feet at the most random moments. I think I speak for Nathan too when I admit that I was feeling slightly claustrophobic. Nonetheless, we explored the incredibly elaborate cave trying to imagine how the Batwas lived here. Batwas are pygmies. They lived in the cave for ten years under the rule of a king. We toured their kitchen, dining room, conference hall complete with natural spring-fed swimming pool for bathing and elevated sitting room for the king, and the king’s, men's and women’s sleeping quarters. The latter were conveniently positioned next to the king’s. As he did not take a wife, he would go to the women’s area and choose a different one for each night. We made it out safely and somewhat relieved to be back in the fresh, open air.

Only minutes from returning back to the visitor’s center, I managed to step in a hole and sprain my ankle. I hobbled back to the car and have since been elevating it on the bed. I hope by tomorrow the swelling and tenderness will settle and allow me to visit Rwanda as I had planned.

Will be in touch soon!

Maryse and Nathan