The Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary protects two primate species that live in remarkable intimacy with the human communities of Boabeng and Fiema. Black-and-white colobus monkeys, draped in their distinctive flowing capes, and mona monkeys, smaller and more curious, move freely between the forest and the village — sleeping in garden trees, foraging along the streets, and investigating visitors with calm familiarity.
The sanctuary was established in 1974, formalising protection that the communities had practised for centuries. Poaching and hunting of the monkeys is strictly taboo — the animals are considered sacred — and this cultural enforcement has proved more durable than many government-run conservation schemes in the region. A community-managed entrance fee funds guides, who take visitors through the village and into the surrounding forest. The monkeys are entirely habituated and will accept food from your hand, though guides discourage this.
The colobus are the more spectacular of the two species: larger, slower, and given to long periods of sitting in the canopy where their black-and-white colouring makes them easy to spot. The mona monkeys are livelier and tend to approach more boldly. Early morning is the best time to visit — the animals are active and the forest is cooler.