GUIDE TO Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park lies in Southwestern Uganda and is most popular for its unique mountain gorillas. Mgahinga is part of the Virunga Conservation Area and provides tourists a distinct opportunity to explore mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and also engage in the Virunga volcano hike or Batwa cultural encounters on your Uganda Safaris. Mgahinga boasts of its diverse ecosystem that is characterized by bamboo forests and montane vegetation cover. Established in 1991, Mgahinga sits on a land area of 33.7 sq. km, and its compact size takes visitors a shorter period to explore. Mgahinga National Park harbors diverse attractions worth exploring on a Uganda tour guided by Superfine Safaris Limited

Main Tourist Attractions to Explore in Mgahinga

Wildlife to encounter

At Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, visitors have a chance to explore a range of wildlife, including mammals and avifauna. They make up the list of unique attractions in Mgahinga National Park and include the endangered mountain gorillas, forest hogs, buffaloes, bushbucks, elephants, side-striped jackals, golden cats, bush pigs, and others.

The birds

Mgahinga’s abundant bird species comprise many Albertine rift endemic species and resident birds. The bird checklist of Mgahinga includes strange weavers, Rwenzori turacos, Rwenzori batis, regal sunbirds, moorland chat, handsome francolins, white-necked raven, Shelley’s crimsonwing, Kivu ground thrush, dusky crimsonwing, Grauer’s swamp warblers, African hill babblers, blue-headed coucal, archer’s robin-chat, mountain masked apalis, olive woodpeckers, and Alpine swift.

Volcanoes to explore

Mgahinga is also comprised of scenic Virunga mountain ranges, including Mount Gahinga (3474m), Sabyinyo 3669m, and Muhabura 4127m. The presence of these Virunga volcanoes makes Mgahinga National Park a destination with breathtaking landscapes and an ideal spot for volcano climbing.

Activities to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

At Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, expect to embark on experiences such as mountain gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, birding, volcano hiking, and Batwa trail experience.

Gorilla trekking from the Ntebeko sector

Gorilla trekking is Mgahinga’s leading adventure and offers tourists a chance to embark on a journey to explore mountain gorillas. At Mgahinga, expect to explore Nyakagezi –the only habituated family in this park. Nyakagezi takes a maximum of 8 (eight) guests per day, and overall, visitors can spend 2-6 hours to find a troop/group of mountain gorillas. When a gorilla group is located, expect to enjoy a maximum of 1 hour face-to-face with these unique primates in their habitat. But remember to have a valid gorilla permit to get a chance to track mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park. You can book a permit at USD 800 per person, and you can contact our team to secure one for you.

Golden monkey tracking

Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga involves embarking on a guided foot walk to explore a habituated troop of golden monkeys. Mgahinga’s golden monkey troops range along the slopes of Mount Gahinga and Muhabura. Each troop comprises about 30 to 100 members with one dominant male on the lead. A valid golden monkey permit from Uganda is required to enable you to participate in the golden monkey trek. Each permit costs USD 60 per visitor for international tourists.

Golden monkey habituation experience

Golden monkey habituation provides complete immersion into Mgahinga’s jungles as you keep following golden monkey troops. The idea is to let you have a deep understanding of golden monkeys’ behaviors, observe their body gestures, and take pictures. The cost of permits varies depending on visitor category, whereby international visitors pay USD 100 per person, foreign residents USD 80, and shs. 100,000 per visitor for East African citizens.

Birding and nature walks

Birders are inclusive when it comes to Uganda tours in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. On a birding excursion, you can spot birds such as hadada ibis, western tinker birds, fire-finch stonechat, double-collared sunbird, red-throated alethe, white-tailed blue flycatchers, brown crowned tchagra, Rwenzori turacos, black collared apalis, grey crowned hornbills, alpine chat, dusky turtle doves, Chubb’s cisticola, streaky seedeaters, malachite sunbirds, and blue-breasted bee-eaters.

You may also get a chance to come across birds such as the Kivu ground thrush, handsome francolins, moorland chat, Shelley’s crimsonwing, olive woodpeckers, Grauer’s swamp warblers, white-necked raven, regal sunbirds, and Rwenzori nightjars.

The Batwa trail experience

Visitors can also engage in the local community tours involving exploring the Batwa pygmies and learning more about their ancient traditions plus practices. The Batwa pygmies are interestingly a few indigenous left in Uganda and also remain endangered tribal group. They had spent many years in rainforest as hunters and fruit gatherers till they were displaced in 1991 when Mgahinga and Bwindi were declared as National Parks in Uganda.

Volcano climbing

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers captivating volcano hiking adventures. All three (3) Virunga volcanoes present in Mgahinga can be hiked and include Gahinga, Muhabura, and Sabyinyo. Gahinga Volcano requires at least 6 hours for you to have a round trek, but this may vary depending on the climbers’ fitness levels. The hiking fees for Gahinga stand at USD 75 per person. A round trek through Mt. Muhabura takes about 6 to 8 hours, and you can participate in the hike at any time of the park’s travel calendar. But the dry months are the best for you to navigate through the drier path to the summits of Muhabura Volcano.  Sabyinyo is perfect for adventure seekers with a desire for challenging volcano hikes.

The Best Time to Visit

Visits to explore Mgahinga can be planned and done at any time of the year. But the dry season is the most favorable because it is characterized by low or no rainfall, and the forest floor is relatively drier. The conditions are generally ideal, allowing tourists to enjoy a smooth trek with gorillas or golden monkeys as well as embark on successful volcano trekking adventures. The first and longest dry season runs from June to September, and the short dry season starts from December to February.

Birding tours, especially if you are interested in migratory birds or watching birds as they breed, are best identified/watched in the wet months. This can be from March to May or October to November.

5 Top Accommodations in Mgahinga National Park

The best lodges and camps in Mgahinga National Park include Mount Gahinga Lodge, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Mutanda Lake Resort, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, and Travelers’ Rest Hotel.

Getting to Mgahinga National Park

Getting to Mgahinga is generally flexible, whereby tourists can travel by road or by air. By road, you need to drive from Kampala through the Masaka-Mbarara-Kisoro route, and this takes about 9-10 hours. But when you cross from Kigali via Katuna or Chanika border, you may spend 4-5 hours. By air, you can take the shortest time possible and depart from the Entebbe International Airport, then land at Katuna or Kisoro Airstrip.