Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Travel Guide : Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda is the smallest protected area in the country, located in the Kisoro district, between Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Continue reading this article to get acquainted with our Mgahinga gorilla national park travel guide.
Mgahinga gorilla national park in southwestern Uganda was established in 1991 primarily to protect the endangered mountain gorillas. It is distinguished by various vegetation types such as savannah grassland, woodlands, tropical forests, bamboo forests, and montane forests, among others, which serve as habitats for mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, elephants, duikers, bushbucks, Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Gahinga are all extinct volcanoes in Mgahinga gorilla national park. Below are the things that make up our Mgahinga gorilla national park travel guide
What to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Gorilla trekking is the main activity of Mgahinga gorilla national park, where visitors may walk through the tropical rainforest in search of mountain gorillas and spend an hour with them in their natural environment.
The Mgahinga gorilla national park is home to one habituated gorilla family, Nyakagezi, and gorilla trekking begins early in the morning with a training on the laws, regulations, and expectations. Following the briefing, you will begin trekking in the jungle with an expert park guide, which may take anything from 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are found because they prefer to travel from one location to another in quest of food.
During the trek, you will be able to see other primates, different tree and plant species, birds, and so on. Once the gorillas are discovered, you will be able to spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, where you will be able to watch them feed, play, breastfeed, groom young ones, learn more about their behaviors, take photos, and record videos to show people back home.
Birding in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga gorilla national park has approximately 180 known bird species, including 14 of the 24 Albertine rift endemics, afro-tropical highland biome, and migratory birds, making it one of Uganda’s greatest birding locations. During your visit to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will assist you in spotting various bird species such as the Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, African Paradise Flycatcher, Black Kite, Alpine Swift, Archers Robin-chat, Ruwenzori Batis, Olive Woodpecker, African Olive Pigeon, Cape Robin-chat, Ruwenzori Turaco, and the Dusky Crimson wing to mention but a few.
Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
After gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking is the most popular activity in Mgahinga gorilla national park. Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park begins early in the morning with a training on the laws and regulations to be followed throughout the walk. Following the briefing, you will be assigned an experienced park guide and will begin hiking into the jungle, following trails of discarded bamboo leaves and shoots.
Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park takes between 30 minutes and 6 hours, depending on where the golden monkeys are found, and you will be able to see other animal species while trekking. Once the golden monkeys are discovered, you will be able to spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, where you will be able to see them playing, jumping up in tree branches, taking photographs, and recording films
.Mountain Climbing/Volcano Hiking.
Mgahinga gorilla national park is home to three extinct volcanic mountains: Mount Gahinga (3,474 meters above sea level), Mount Sabyinyo (3,645 meters above sea level), and Mount Muhabura (4,174 meters above sea level). Mountain climbing at Mgahinga gorilla national park begins with a briefing at the park headquarters, and once at the peak, you will be able to see the stunning environment, crater lakes, Mount Rwenzori ranges, and park vistas, among other things.
The Batwa Trail Experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
The Batwa trail experience in Mgahinga gorilla national park is an exciting activity that allows you to engage with the Batwa people who used to live in Mgahinga forest before it was gazetted as a national park.
During the Batwa trail experience, you will be able to learn about their culture, lifestyle, hunting skills, visit the forest where they used to live, listen to their ancient stories, visit the Garamba caves which served as a food store and palace, and listen to Batwa women sing traditional songs, among other things.
When is the best time to visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
Mgahinga gorilla national park can be visited all year round, but the best time is during the dry season, also known as the peak season, which occurs in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January, and February because there is less rainfall in the park during this period, so access roads, gorilla trekking and hiking trails are dry and passable, making trekking and hiking easy.
Mgahinga gorilla national park may also be visited during the wet or rainy season, which lasts from March to May and October to November, because this is the finest time for bird viewing, when visitors can see a variety of colorful and migratory bird species.
Where to stay during your visit to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
Mgahinga gorilla national park has a lot of hotel options where you may stay throughout your safari. Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Mount Gahinga Rest Camp, Kisoro Travelers Rest Camp, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Mucha Hotel, Muhabura Motel, Mubano Hotel, Montana Guest House, Mutanda Lake Resort are among the budget, midrange, and luxury accommodations.
How to get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
The Mgahinga gorilla national park is situated in southern Uganda and is accessible by both road and air. When traveling by road, you will go from Kampala to the park headquarters via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kisoro, which will take around 9 to 10 hours.
You may also reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda by flying to Kigali International Airport and then connecting to the park headquarters via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale, which takes around 3 to 4 hours.
You will arrange scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aerolink Uganda or bar aviation from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airstrip and then drive to the park headquarters if you choose air transport.
