What is there to do in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
What activities are available in the Gorilla National Park in Mgahinga? Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers a wide range of wonderful and outstanding safari activities, including outdoor pursuits and breathtaking mountain gorilla trekking. A significant portion of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population is found in the park.
The Volcanoes National Park in Wanda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda are the only three places in the world where these amazing creators can be found. Situated in southwest Uganda, Mgahinga National Park shares borders with Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and volcanoes.
With a total area of 33.7 square kilometers, the national park is the smallest in Uganda and was created in 1991 primarily to protect the endangered mountain gorillas. It shares borders with Bwindi Forest National Park, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Volcano National Park in Rwanda.
Three of the eight Virunga volcanoes, including Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinaga, and Mount Muhabura, are located within the park. Golden monkeys and endangered mountain gorillas can be seen in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
A lowland equatorial evergreen forest, tropical seasonal forest, mountain rainforests, and mountain bamboo make up the park’s tropical rainforest, which serves as food for a wide range of wildlife, including birds and animals like buffaloes, bushbucks, elephants, giant forest hogs, golden monkeys, hyenas, and black-fronted duikers.
Activities in the Gorilla National Park of Mgahinga
Trekking with mountain gorillas Trekking with the mountain gorillas is the main reason many tourists visit Mgahinga. Only three countries on Earth are home to endangered apes, including mountain gorillas: Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Unexpectedly, two national parks in Uganda—Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park—are home to these amazing primates.
The Nyakagezi Gorilla Group is the only habituated gorilla family found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In order to find these amazing primates in their native environment, mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga entails hiking on foot through the dense forest rainforests.
On a Uganda gorilla walk in Mgahinga National Park, you will also have the opportunity to see some of the amazing creatures that call the park woods home, including the Batwa people, various colorful birds, animals, reptiles, and an incredible amount of greenery.
After meeting these amazing primates, you will have the opportunity to spend an hour with the mountain gorillas in their natural environment, witnessing their everyday activities, including feeding, nursing, carrying young, and taking photos to highlight the home people, among other things. It only costs $800 per person to trek these amazing apes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, where there must be at least eight individuals that are at least 15 years old.
Bird watching
One of the top places in the nation to go birdwatching is Mgahinga National Park. 200 bird species, including numerous Albertine Rift Endemics, can be found in the park. In quest of vibrant birds, birdwatchers can take advantage of guided birding walks in the park.
You will have the opportunity to see a variety of colorful birds during your birding tour in Mgahinga, including the white-tailed blue flycatcher, Ruwenzori Turaco, Chubb’s cisticola, Alpine chat, Doherty’s bush shrike, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Mackinnon fiscal, yellow-crowned canary, grassland pipit, wing-snapping cisticola, yellow-throated long claw, Grey-capped warbler, yellow-vented bulbul, speckled mousebird, firefinch bird, whydah, stonechat, Lagden’s bush shrike, scarlet tufted Machalite sunbird, black kite, crowned hornbill, Kivu ground thrush, montane double-collared sunbird, dusky turtle dove, and crowned crane, among others.
When you go birding in Maghinga, you can also see some of the most breathtaking views in the Montane Forest, where you can observe colorful birds like the Rwenzori turaco, and the gorge between Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo, which is lined with bamboo forest.
Golden monkey trekking
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.
These lively primates can be seen dangling from the park’s bamboo jungle, and tracking them is an unforgettable experience for nature lovers. A foot trek through the bamboo forest’s jungles is another way to track these amazing monkeys in Mgahinga and find them in their natural environment. You will have a fantastic chance to see some of the thrilling sights that add to the park’s splendor while on a Uganda golden monkey tracking trip.
These include animals and intriguing vegetation, as well as bird species like the Rwenzori turaco, bronze sunbirds, regal sunbirds, Ruwenzori nightjars, and dusky crimson wing. Permits to track golden monkeys are easily obtained and can be bought at park headquarters.
Volcano hiking
One of the hardest yet most fulfilling activities is this one. You can trek to the top of all three of the volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Reaching the summit of these incredible volcanoes can be accomplished in a single day. Among these outstanding volcanoes are Mount Sabyinyo (3,669 m), Mount Gahinga (3,474 m), and Mount Muhabura (4,127 m).
The hike takes roughly eight hours to finish. Hikers have the opportunity to witness a wide range of amazing sights once they reach the summit, including lakes, wild vegetation, animals, birds, primates, bamboo forests, and an incredible view of the Virunga volcanoes, Lake Edward, the peaks of the Rwenzori ranges, and the impenetrable forests of Bwindi.
Nature walk
A guided forest walk through the park’s varied ecosystems, such as the baboon woodlands, montane woodland, and swampy marshes, is another option available to visitors on a Uganda safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
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.
Cultural encounters
The Batwa pygmies, who are native forest inhabitants, live in the region that is home to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. 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.
Safari lodging in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mount Gahinga Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Mucha Hotel, Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Lake Chahafi Resort, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Mgahinga Rest Camp, Ntebeko River Camp, Golden Monkey Guesthouse, and Mutanda Eco-Community Centre are just a few of the stunning lodging options available in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park that cater to all budgets and tastes.