About 800 Red-shanked douc langurs or simply ‘doucs’ live on Son Tra Nature Reserve aka Monkey Mountain. It is one of the old world primates that looks like it is wearing a colorful painted costume, it got dark red shanks and a mix of various other colors such as white, black and orange. They live aside mixed Rhesus/Pigtailed Macaques.
The biggest threat to the mountain and its wildlife/monkeys is the destruction of life habitat which has rapidly reduced this primate species (amongst others) to ‘Critically Endangered’ anno 2016. The long awaited post war commercial development of Vietnam comes at the expense of nature at the moment, it is still very much a developing and learning environment. The population almost doubled in 40 years and there is still the mindset and ideas of a lower population with plenty of natural resources around. Respect and understanding for nature is not proficient and education is highly needed, although on the bright side there are some (smaller) groups and bodies quite active protecting and fighting for preservation but they’re having a hard time progressing. Some locals believe the monkeys have medicinal properties and therefore hunt them. Poaching and dangerous activities that could destroy the forest and its wildlife is widespread still to this day (2023) even though there are several bodies managing the mountain and signs are widely posted warning against it.
Preying property developers and tourism companies with doubtful ethics are likely to win the mountain one day at expense of mother nature. I wouldn’t be surprised seeing a cable cart, theme or safari park or paper tree forest there one day, I hope I am wrong though and wish the development would supersede the national parks seen in Malaysia and Thailand, but that might stay wishful thinking. Danang could make a prime well managed tourist attraction out of it, just or better as the ones seen in Thailand but until the time that is all clarified you’d better enjoy the likely limited time there is still left seeing the wildlife here.
The geocache is hidden near a path on the Northern side of the mountain on the sea. Currently in July 2023 the reliable access and exit road is the road just left past the helipad on the top of the mountain. You will get here by driving up to the center seurity checkpoint and entrance road of the Nature Reserve. Please check the waypoints. The trailhead could have a gate present that you can open and a motorbike can fit through. Most of the time it is open anyways. Please note that the port entrance is closed so you have to exit through the entrance.
Please be aware for muggles, you can oversee the road easily from here and keep an eye on them. You have a change seeing the monkeys anywhere on the Northern seaside from about 1km from the port entrance to the Intercontinental resort, where you can exit and get back on the main road to Danang or vice versa. The monkeys are not specifically bound to one place, so you’d have to look around. Best time is in the morning 2 hours after sunrise or just 2 hours before sunset when they sit in the treetops and look for food. Look or listen for tree tops move and for photographers roaming around. Be sure to move slowly and silently when seeing them as they get easily scared. Have Fun!