Is there a volcano in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

Does the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park have a volcano? Three extinct volcanoes can be found in the park. The Virunga Mountain range has several amazing volcanoes. Mount Muhabura (4,127 meters), Mount Gahinga (3,474 meters), and Mount Sabyinyo (3,669 meters) are three dormant volcanoes that are part of the Virunga Mountains’ Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mount Karasimbi, Mount Mikeno, Mount Bisoke, Mount Nyiragongo, and Mount Nyamulagira are other Virunga volcanoes. The national park is located inside the watershed basin of the Nile River and has an elevation range of 2,227 to 4,127 meters.

It shares borders with the southern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. By road, the park is roughly 55 kilometers west of Kabale, the biggest city in the subregion, and 15 kilometers south of Kisoro.

The smallest national park in Uganda is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which is located in the Kisoro district and spans an area of about 434 square kilometers. It is one of Uganda’s oldest national parks, having been gazetted as one in 1991.

The park is bordered by Bwindi Forest National Park, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. The park is home to endangered golden monkeys and a sizable number of the last mountain gorillas in the world, who belong to a single habituated gorilla family. In contrast to lowland equatorial evergreen forests, tropical seasonal forests, mountain rainforests, and mountain bamboo, the park is a tropical rainforest.

The volcano Gahinga

The Virunga Mountains, which border Rwanda and Uganda, are home to the extinct volcano Mount Gahinga. The smallest of the three volcanoes, Gahinga Mountain is situated between Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura.

Mount Mgahinga is another name for the mountain. The indigenous Kinyarwanda, which translates to “small piles of stones,” gave the peak its name. At roughly 3,474 meters above sea level, this breathtaking mountain features a marshy crater on its peak, surrounded by bamboo and a stunning afro-montane forest that provide refuge for mountain gorillas.

The ecology of Mount Gahinga, however, is home to a variety of intriguing birds and creatures, including golden monkeys. The Bufumbira range consists of eight volcanic mountains, including this one. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda are all part of the volcanic chain.

Compared to Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabyinyo, or Karisimbi volcano in Volcanoes National Park, Mount Gahinga provides remarkably simpler volcano hikes. However, you should be in good physical condition to accomplish the 6-hour hike to the summit of Mount Gahinga in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Does Mgahinga Gorilla National Park have a volcano?
The volcanic Mount Gahinga Muhabura

One of the stunning dormant volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, which border Rwanda and Uganda, is Muhabura Volcano, also called Mount Muhavura. at 13,540 feet, or 4,127 meters. Part of the Albertine Rift, which is the western branch of the East African Rift, Muhabura is the third highest of the eight main Virunga volcanoes in the mountain range.

Muhabura is located in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The indigenous Kinyarwanda phrase for “the guide,” which is the inspiration behind the name Muhabura, most likely comes from the mountain’s historical use as a navigational aid.

Exploring the Virunga Mountain ranges is made possible by hiking through the Muhabura volcano. The 4127-meter elevation gain requires a full day of hiking, and the toughest slopes will test your level of fitness. Among the eight Virunga Mountain ranges, this summit is the third highest. At 4507 meters, Karisimbi volcano is the highest of them, with Mikeno volcano coming in second.

Rwanda and Uganda share the borders of Mount Muhabura, which is located on the eastern side of the Virunga Mountain ranges. Hiking Mount Muhabura can take a day, with five to nine hours needed to reach the summit and return. You will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Twin Lakes—Lake Burera, Ruhondo, and other Virunga Volcanoes—when you reach the summit. Right adjacent to the summit is a Crater Lake, and as you descend, you’ll be treated to a vista of all kinds of greenery.

Volcano Sabyinyo

Mount Sabyinyo, located at 3,669 meters above sea level in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, is another extinct volcano. It is regarded as the oldest of the Virunga ranges and serves as a border marker between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Additionally, Mount Sabyinyo volcano links the three national parks of the rain forest created by the three nations, which have a common and well-liked feature: “mountain gorillas.”

These include the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are three summits on the mountain. The local Kinyarwanda term that inspired the name means “old man’s teeth.” The mountaintop resembles worn-out teeth in gum, hence the name.

The mountain is one of the best walks in the Virunga ranges, offering breathtaking views and being situated in the adjacent national parks of the three nations. It is strategically located west of Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda and northeast of Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Mount Sabyinyo, which is roughly 3,966 meters above sea level, takes 7 to 8 days to explore, depending on the route and pace. However, the experience of being at the summit of three countries is worth it, and it is an adventure.

The ideal time of year to explore Mgahinga Gorilla National Park’s volcano

Although it is possible to visit the volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park at any time of year, the dry season is the ideal time to do it. A dry month or season, like the long and short seasons, has two stages. If you want to see these amazing volcanoes, you need mark the dry season on your vacation schedule.

June or July marks the beginning of the lengthy, dry season. September and August. December to February is a brief dry month. Very little rain falls during the dry season, and the trails are kept dry, which makes it simpler to travel through the forest and up the steep slopes to the volcano tops.