Monkey Mountain!

(Aug 12)

Well, the sanctuary wasn't actually on a mountain, but it was surrounded by them. The roads to it cut through mountains adorned with lush tropical wilderness -- the landscape inspired those in our van to start singing the Jurassic Park theme song. By the time we arrived, the name "Monkey Mountain" had already been set in stone. Our trip leader, Jeremy, surprised us with this special excursion, and it wasn't just a hit, it was a home run!

The Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary is located about two and a half hours north of our Kopeyia home.  Half of its proceeds go directly to serving the local village community.  There are about 400 monkeys that live in this densely forested area.  They live in groups that occupy different territories, and I must say, the ones that live by the trails eat the best.  Almost as soon as we entered the forest, hungry monkeys scampered all around and in the trees above us.  Our guide instructed us how to hold a banana in a way that would entice the monkeys to jump on our arms.  Cute little monkeys!  Eating out of our hands?  What a photo op!

We were very fortunate with our interactions with the monkeys. Those who wanted to feed a monkey were able to, and many of us coaxed them onto our arms as well.

Everyone in our group was absolutely giddy and thrilled with the experience. Just another marvelous day monkeying around in Ghana! Thanks Jeremy!

-Mark