Can I trek mountain gorillas and golden monkeys using the same permit?

Can I trek mountain gorillas and golden monkeys using the same permit? No! You cannot trek mountain gorillas and golden monkeys using the same permit. The permits for either trekking are different in terms of animals you are going to see and the cost of the permits. Also trekking permits are valid for one trek, and you cannot do golden monkey trekking and mountain gorilla trekking at the same time, it can get tiring and make it impossible for you to enjoy either trekking experience. That’s why each trekking experience is allocated its own day. However on your mountain gorilla trek, you have high chances of spotting golden monkeys if you are lucky. But you will still spot them from a far not close like it would have been in the case when trekking them.

Because they are two different animal species, it’s definitely logically that each animal be trekked separately and with its respective trekking permit. Each trekking experience is unique and only applies to the particular primate species. Plus each trekking experience takes most of the day in different parts of the forest; you cannot just switch from one to another.

During mountain gorilla trekking, you go on a trek to the high altitudes of the forest to look for the famous, rare and endangered mountain gorillas. On a mountain gorilla trek, you will spend hours climbing deep into the mountainous forest until you find the gorillas and then you will spend one hour with them. After the hour of observing them, you them descend the mountainous forest to the park headquarters. This experience usually takes about 5 to 7 hours or more depending on where your trekking.

On the hand, golden monkey is the trek on fairly flat ground through different forest trails to where the golden monkeys are. And when you find them you will spend an hour in their presence observing them and enjoying their presence. After the one hour you will trek back to the park offices. This experience takes about 3 to 6 hours and trekking on fairly flat ground so it’s less tiring.

The other thing is that, though these are all trekking experiences, each primate species has its own preferred living space in the forest depending its life habits and lifestyle. This makes it impossible to trek both at once, because you will not find them in the same location or even doing the same things. That’s why each is trekked alone.

So, though both are primate trekking experiences they are different and unique in their own right. That’s why they are done individually.

Also all the moneys collected from the trekking permit sales are used to conserve both these species. You should know that the conservation of each primate species is different so different strategies are employed for each species. Hence the need for different permits so that the moneys can be easily collected and managed separate for the greater good of each animal.

Mountain gorilla trekking in East Africa is done in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; while Golden monkey trekking is done Uganda and Rwanda. Both these trekking experiences are done all year round at the different permit costs per a country.

In Uganda mountain gorilla trekking permits cost USD 700 while in Rwanda they cost USD 1500 full price and USD on promotion (Check with your tour operator to know when the promotion is on). In the Democratic republic of Congo the mountain gorilla trekking permits cost USD 400.

The golden monkey trekking permits on the other hand cost USD 60 in Uganda and USD 100 in Rwanda.