Where is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park located?

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park “where Gold meets Silver” is located in the southwestern region of Uganda, Kisoro district in Virunga Mountains, It is contiguous with Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park and southern sector of Virunga National Park in the Democratic republic of Congo.

What is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

The park is Uganda’s smallest National park with 33.7 square kilometers, it contains of three active volcanoes that is Mount Muhavura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabinyo.

It was gazzeted as a National park in 1991 and takes its name from Gahinga the local word for the piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmland at the foot of the volcanoes.

The park was created to protect mountain Gorillas and endangered golden monkey and other wildlife. It also has a huge cultural significance for the indigenous Batwa pygmies.

Where to stay while in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

The park has all types of accommodation ranging from luxury, midrange and budget. All the accommodation rooms are self-contained with a private toilet and bathroom with a wide array of services and amenities for a visitor. Some of these lodges include;

Lake Mulehe safari lodge

The lodge provides a private and peaceful environment to stay and goes an extra mile to make sure your stay is a memorable one! During your stay, you will be able to tick off your bucket list the experience of trekking the enchanting Mountain Gorillas, a Must Do activity when you are still alive.

You will however be able to engage in many more other activities like experiencing the Batwa in Mgahinga, track the Golden monkeys in Mgahinga or Echuya Forest, enjoy the canoe boat cruise on lake Mulehe & experience the Bafumbira culture when you take the community walk, these and more experiences await you when you visit.

Lake Mutanda safari lodge

Perched on a Lake Mutanda peninsula in the shadow of the Virunga Mountains, the resort offers comfortable accommodation combined with the most beautiful views on planet earth.

It is a perfect base for gorilla trackers, lake loungers, volcano hikers and bird lovers as well as those looking for a mystical place in nature.

Travelers rest hotel

This is one of the oldest hotels in Uganda built in 1955 by Walter Baumgartel, the so-called father of gorilla tourism, it quickly became a meeting place for people interested in mountain gorillas.

It was renovated in 1999, the hotel is situated just outside Kisoro the area of astonishing beauty and the views of the Virunga volcanoes dominating the landscape will remain engraved in your memory.

Mount Gahinga rest camp

This camp is located near the headquarters of Mgahinga National Park in the shade of the spectacular Virunga volcanoes. The very journey to Gahinga is so exciting in that you will get to see the beautiful stunning views of Kisoro volcanos, lake mutanda and the green vegetation.

Is it safe to visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

Like other National Parks in Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is well equipped with trained armed ranger guides by Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect visitors and wild animals in the park.

The armed ranger guides are well equipped with firearms which helps them to protect tourist incase wild animals misbehave. The use of these firearms is not to shoot wild animals or people but rather to shoot in the air when animals misbehave.

Other than Gorillas, what else can be found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

Wild animals

The park is well known as a home of golden monkeys and it’s the only place in Uganda where one can track these monkeys. Mgahinga also habours other mammals like white colombus, Bush pigs, Giant forest hogs, Vervet monkeys, Baboons and many others.

Batwa pygmies

Mgahinga’s dense forest is a home to the indigenous Batwa. These are hunter-gatherers and fierce warriors who depended on the forest for food, shelter and medicine.

When the national park was established the Batwa were evicted from the forest and abandoned their low-impact, nomadic lifestyle. But they still enter the forest to entertain visitors and show them more about their culture.

Mountain/volcano climbing in Mgahinga Gorilla national park

• Mount Muhavura is the highest peak at 4,127m, climbing takes about 8 hours and at the top one gets a clear view of virunga volcanoes, Lake Edward, Bwindi impenetrable national park and the peaks of Rwenzoris.
• Mount Gahinga is 3,474m and climbing takes 6 hours to ascend and descend. Here lucky climbers may spot golden monkeys on their way through the bamboo forests
• Mount Sabinyo is 3,669m it also takes 8 hours to cover 14km round trip following a steep ridge up to the peak.

Birding

The park shelters a number of bird species there for a walk-through Gorge trail between Gahinga and Sabinyo can provide a spectacular sighting of the Dusky turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Kivu-ground Thrush, Olive Thrush, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater.

Hiking and nature walk

A walk-through Gorge Trail between Gahinga and Sabinyo can provide a clear view of wildlife, farmland of the bamboo forest, give one a chance to find Rwenzori Turaco and many bird species plus different vegetation zones. On a clear day, you may view the Virunga Volcano range and come across buffalo and duiker.

What is the best time to visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is open to visitors all year round but the best time to track these gorillas is in the dry season of June to August and December to February when the trekking trails are not muddy and slippery.

How long does it take to reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

It is 10 hours drive by road in a 4WD safari vehicle from Kampala to the southern part of Uganda in Kisoro district where the park is located. Our drivers at Funride Adventures make sure that you have a safe travel to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park