Colobus Monkey Trekking In Nyungwe Forest National Park
Colobus Monkey Trekking In Nyungwe Forest National Park : Rwanda has four parks, one of which being Nyungwe National Park. Primates travel there; there have been reports of up to 13 different species. The most well-liked safari activity in Nyungwe Forest is the chimpanzee trekking tour, which is led by the most popular primates.
The Rwenzori Colobus (Colobus angolensis rwenzori), a subspecies of the Angolan Colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis) species an attractive Old World monkey with a distinctive black-and-white coat, tufty shoulder-pads, and a mohawk is one of the unique monkeys in Nyungwe forest, aside from the chimpanzees.
Only the colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Park have been reported to exhibit the unusual behaviour of forming enormous groups, or “supergroups,” consisting of over 500 individuals. These monkeys are Angolan (also known as Rwenzori) colobus monkeys. Therefore, Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park provides the best opportunities for seeing colobus monkeys globally.
When you get close to a large group of these colobus monkeys, it’s a breathtaking wildlife adventure to watch these lovely, social and active primates play and groom each other when they’re not swarming fruiting tree branches, lining up on an old tree’s bark and branches to eat off the lichens, or covering a whole lush green area in black and white when they descend from the trees to eat some herbs and clay.
You have a good chance of encountering other monkey species when spending time with the colobus monkeys, as they use this area as a home when they join large groups of them. The Blue, Mona, and Mangabey monkeys are the monkeys that are most frequently seen alongside the Colobus monkeys. They often live in smaller groups of no more than a few people, and it’s likely that they join the larger colobus monkeys for increased defense against chimpanzees and other predators.
Uwinka and Gisakura colobus monkeys groups.
In Nyungwe National Park, two groups of colobus monkeys have been conditioned for colobus monkey tours. Upon locating the monkeys, the colobus tracking tour permits an hour-long interaction with them. If you’re a photographer, you can also hang out with the monkeys for the entire day they make for amazing subjects.
One of the two habituated groups is a super group of more than 500 colobus monkeys, and Uwinka is home to both the park’s central office and visitor centre.
There are only perhaps 60 habituated Colobus monkeys in the second group, which is not a super group at all. The Gisakura region is home to this group.
The Gisakura group is the most visited for the trekking trips as it is simpler to find without much trekking, and often the monkeys are hanging out near the edge of the forest. The majority of the accommodations utilized for visits to Nyungwe National Park are located in Gisakura (outside the park). These accommodations include Gisakura Guesthouse, One&Only Nyungwe House, and Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge. It is therefore in a very handy location.
There are four trekking schedules for the Gisakura colobus monkeys each day: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Therefore, if you would like to add a quick extra activity to your chimp tour in Nyungwe National Park, this group is the best option.
The Uwinka colobus monkey super group has a tendency to move far in search of sufficient food for the big group. It occasionally comes across the chimpanzee troop, which is located near Uwinka, and is forced to escape. Colobus monkeys are a staple of the diet of chimpanzees, who aggressively pursue them for their meat. The Uwinka colobus frequently runs away from the chimps to safer territory.
The Uwinka Colobus group has a single timetable that starts at 9 a.m., as the duration of the trip varies based on the monkeys’ intended destination. The Uwinka group requires a designated day, in contrast to the Gisakura group, which can complete it as an additional activity on the same day as another activity in Nyungwe.
If you want to spend an entire day taking pictures of the colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Park, the Uwinka group is excellent.
The cost of tracking colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Park is USD 60 for non-resident foreigners, USD 40 for residents, and RWF 5000 for Rwandan citizens.
Age restriction: Individuals under the age of twelve are not permitted to participate in the walk; only those twelve years of age and above are permitted to track Columbus monkeys.
Cost of full day photography with the Colobus Monkeys in Nyungwe forest
600USD per group per day.
After one day, additional days are paid 50%.
Level of fitness required for the colobus monkey trekking in Nyungwe.
A rudimentary level of fitness suffices for visiting the Gisakura group. But, you must be in good physical condition if you intend to track the Uwinka group because there may be a lot of hiking through dense foliage and up and down hills.
The best time to visit the colobus monkeys in Nyungwe National Park.
You can go on the monkey trekking any time of year. Nonetheless, the best times to go trekking are from December to February and from June to mid-September, which are the drier months (dry season). The terrain is slick during the wet seasons, which are April through May and October through November, making the journey more challenging.
In summary, this article entails all you need to know about colobus monkey trekking in Nyungwe national park.