What to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park besides gorilla trekking.

Other than gorilla trekking, things to do at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park include: The Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are both included in the larger Virunga conservation region, which includes Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The park is situated in the town of Kisoro in the southwest region of Uganda.

The primary reason Mgahinga was gazetted from a game reserve into a national park in 1991 was to save the mountain gorillas, who frequently clashed with people both inside and outside the park. Covering 34 square kilometers, Mgahinga is the smallest national park in Uganda.

It shares borders with Bwindi Forest National Park, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Volcano National Park in Rwanda. Savannah grasslands, tropical forests, bamboo forests, Afro-montane forests, marshes/swamps, semi-alpine flora, and woodlands are some of the park’s distinguishing features. Three of the eight Virunga volcanoes, including Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinaga, and Mount Muhabura, are located within the park.

The endangered mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, spotted hyenas, leopards, forest hogs, elephants, bushbucks, bushbabies, buffaloes, blue monkeys, baboons, African porcupines, black and white Colobus monkeys, reptiles like snakes, geckos, and chameleons, and more can all be found in National Park.

The primary attraction of any safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is mountain gorilla trekking. The Nykagyezi gorilla family, which is accessible to tourists in Mgahinga, is the only habituated gorilla group in the national park. One of the two biggest habituated mountain gorilla groups in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Congo is the Nyakagezi group.

In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, gorilla trekking is an amazing experience that allows visitors to trek through the dense rainforest in pursuit of these fascinating habituated mountain gorillas. At 8:00 a.m., gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park begins with a briefing at the park headquarters regarding expectations, rules, and other matters.

Following the briefing, park rangers guide guests to locate the group. Expect to come across primates, birds, and other forest animals while tracking the gorillas. Approximately two to four hours are needed for this exciting activity, depending on where the mountain gorillas are assigned. After seeing these fascinating primates in their natural environment, you will be able to interact directly with the gorillas and see them go about their everyday lives, including playing, feeding, and nursing.

Does Mgahinga Gorilla National Park provide any further activities besides gorilla trekking?

Indeed, you can engage in a number of additional activities while at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, such as

Golden Monkey Tracking: Trekking is one way to observe the park’s endangered golden monkeys. Observing these lively and inquisitive primates in their natural environment is a delightful experience. The only national park in Uganda where visitors can see gold monkeys in their native environment is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

There are more than 4,000 golden monkeys in the park, so tracking them is feasible. Tracking these lively primates, which are observed hanging from the park’s bamboo jungle, is an experience that nature lovers will never forget.

In order to track these fascinating apes in Mgahinga, one must also take a footpath through the bamboo forest’s jungles to find them in their native environment. You will have a fantastic chance to see some of the features that add to the park’s beauty while on a Uganda golden monkey tracking trip, including animals, lush vegetation, and bird species like the Rwenzori turaco, bronze sunbirds, regal sunbirds, Ruwenzori nightjars, and dusky crimson wing.

Hiking and Nature Walks: To experience the park’s many ecosystems and stunning landscapes, there are a number of hiking trails with differing degrees of difficulty. Mgahinga National Park’s verdant forests, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and mountain slopes make for ideal locations for nature treks.

To get up close and personal with some of the locals, such as the Batwa, one of the walking trails leads up to the beautiful village plantations. The five-hour border trail on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo leads to a point where the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are.

It passes through various types of vegetation and offers opportunities to see these amazing primates, such as golden monkeys, and the caldera on Gisozi Hill, which also provides sweeping views of the park, the Bwindi impenetrable forest, and the larger Virunga mountain ranges.

You will encounter and learn about a range of the park’s plants and animals, as well as the conservation initiatives, throughout your nature walk. Along with the chance to see a range of birds and animals, the nature trails in Mgahinga provide breathtaking views of the nearby Virunga mountains and its rich flora.

Activities in addition to gorilla trekking at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Nature walks in Mgahinga National Park Bird Watching: With more than 180 different species of birds, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a fantastic place for birdwatchers.

You will get a fantastic chance to see a wide range of vibrant bird species that call the park home on your birdwatching trip, including the Double-collared sunbird, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Chubb’s Cisticola, Collared Apalis, Crowned Hornbill, Crowned Crane, Bronze Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Blue-headed Coucal, Black-headed Waxbill, Black Kite, Cape Robin-chat, Brown-crowned Tchegera, Brown Woodland Warbler, Alpine chat, Archer’s ground robin, Archer’s Robin Chat, Banded Prinia, Dusky Crimsonwing by Shelly, Southern Red Bishop, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Nightjar, and Rwenzori double-collared sunbird Swallows with rufous chests, Red-throated alethe, red-faced woodland warbler, pin-tailed whydah, red-necked spur fowl, regal sunbird, paradise fly-catcher, Mountain masked apalis, Montane nightjar, Malachite Sunbird, Scarlet-tufted Sunbirds, Kivu-ground Thrush, Ibis, Handsome Francolin, Yellow-Vented Bulbul, Yellow-throated long claw, Olive woodpecker, Olive Thrush, Olive Pigeon, Among them are the White-necked raven, the White-starred Robin, and the White-naped Raven.

Cultural Encounters: To learn about the Batwa people’s traditional way of life, music, dance, and crafts, you can visit neighboring settlements and engage with the locals. Visitors can meet the Batwa people, who reside in the deep forest of the Mgahinga, during the cultural interaction.

These native groups relied on the forest for food, medicine, and shelter and were renowned for being ferocious warriors and hunter-gatherers. Visitors can discover the enchantment of Batwa’s historic residence while taking exhilarating nature hikes and discovering more about the community’s rich cultural legacy during the Batwa Cultural Trail experience.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park’s gorilla permit fees

In order to grant visitors entry to Gorilla National Parks and the opportunity to see gorillas, regulatory bodies offer illegal paperwork called gorilla permits. This document attests to a person’s authorization to enter the national park. The Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda charges 800 US dollars for foreign residents, 700 US dollars for foreigners, and 300,000 Ugandan and East African citizens for gorilla permits. However, this will cost $1500 USD if a habituation process is preferred. In Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, a gorilla permit may only be used once per day for gorilla trekking.