Mgahinga; All You Need To Know

Mgahinga gorilla national park is one of the 10 national parks in Uganda as is one of the smallest of these national parks. The Mgahinga gorilla national park is a great destination for the travellers looking for an ideal outdoor adventure as there is a lot to take part in while in this park. The activities done in Mgahinga gorilla national park are both adrenaline rushing and adventurous and they will need you to be physically capable.

The Mgahinga gorilla national park is located in the Kisoro district at an elevation of between 2,227 meters and 4,127 meters above sea level. This park is known as “the place where gold meets silver” just like the Volcanoes national park that is in close vicinity. This is majorly because they are both homes to the golden monkeys as well as the gorillas that have the silverback gorillas and both can be trekked while in the park.

Besides the mountain gorillas and the golden monkeys, the Mgahinga gorilla national park is the base of three of the eight Virunga ranges also known as the Mufumbiro ranges. These ranges are known as the Mufumbiro Mountains by the people living in the area referring to the ‘steam’ that comes out of the active lava lakes. They called them the mountains that can cook.

The Mgahinga gorilla national park however got its names from the Mount Gahinga/ Mgahinga, one of the Virunga ranges. The Mount Gahinga is largest mark in the national park and the other Virunga mountains of this park are the Mount Sabinyo and the Mount Muhabura. The Mount Gahinga looks like a pile of stones thus the name Gahinga meaning stones in the local dialect spoken in the region. The Mgahinga gorilla national park is located in the south western part of Uganda on the border of the DR Congo and Rwanda.

Mgahinga gorilla national park is diverse national park with up to 76 different animal species which you may spot on your visit to the park however much it may not be as common. A few of these species include the forest buffaloes, forest bush pigs, forest hogs, forest elephants, African porcupines, bushbucks, golden cats, side stripped jackals, black fronted duikers to mention but a few that live in the thick forested vegetation in the national park.

How to get to Mgahinga gorilla national park

The Mgahinga gorilla national park is a 10 hour drive from the Entebbe international airport but there are other options on how to get to this park. The best option could be to fly to the Kigali International airport and drive about 3 hours via the Cyanika border to arrive at your hotel near the park where you will spend the night ahead of the activities the next days.

If you are in Uganda, you can opt for a 90 minute domestic flight from Entebbe airport to the Kisoro airstrip. The Mgahinga gorilla national park is a 90 minute drive from the Bwindi forest national park. This implies you can access this national park from both Uganda and Rwanda but put the hour difference between the two countries as Uganda is one hour ahead of Rwanda

What to do in the Mgahinga Gorilla national park

Mountain gorilla trekking; Mgahinga gorilla national park is one of the four homes of the endangered mountain gorilla species long with the Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda. This national park has one habituated gorilla family known as Nyakagezi family with 10 plus family members and has about 3 silverbacks that are living in harmony. There are about 100 plus mountain gorillas in this park though. The park has been visited in the past by a gorilla family from the volcanoes national park Rwanda and the permit to visit the mountain gorillas of this park also goes for 700 USD.

Golden monkey trekking; Take on a golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park by purchasing a permit at 100 USD and get to enjoy these yellow colored monkeys swing from one tree to another. The Golden monkeys of the Mgahinga gorilla national park are habituated so expect them to continue on their routine even with your presence. These are endemic species of the region and this is an exciting experience you would surely love.

Mgahinga; All You Need To Know — Goldene Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga

Birding; Mgahinga also offers birding experiences to the guests interested in the birds of the region as this park boosts of being home to about 179 to 184 different birds. A few of the birds you can look out for are the Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, the double collared sunbird, the firefinch, paradise flycatcher, black kite to mention but a few.

Volcano hike; Take on a hike up the Muhabura, Mount Gahinga or the mount Sabinyo depending on your interests and capabilities. Get to explore the montane vegetation as you conquer any of these volcanoes and enjoy the crater lakes or the views from the top. These are all physically demanding hikes that will require you to be physically fit to complete.

Batwa community visit; Take on a cultural tour to the Batwa community that is living around the park and are still living in the primitive setting of the region. Enjoy and take a part in their practices like hunting and cooking. Spend some time to visit their sacred Garama cave where their king lived and sought refuge in times of war.

There are a number of hikes and nature trails you may opt to take while in the Mgahinga gorilla national park, take on some off the beaten trails and explore the most that this park has to offer. It is safe to visit anytime of the year and while on all activities in this park, you are accompanied by skilled and equipped ranger guides and the park is protected by Ugandan Army that patrols often along with the Tourism police so rest assured of being safe on your visit any time of the year.

Let us plan for your visit to the Mgahinga gorilla national park and book you a stay in one of the great accommodation options near the park.

Hiking

This park has 3 of the 8 virunga volcanoes that mark its southern Boarder. These are Muhavura which gives you a view of Bwindi when you reach its top, There is Mgahinga were the park gets its name. and Sabyinyo which is the second highest of these virunga ranges. While you hike the ranges there are lots of animals you are likely to encounter like mountain elephants, a lot of antelopes and Golden Monkeys.