Mgahinga National Park is the Uganda’s smallest national park. It is located in the southwestern corner of Uganda. The park was gazetted in 1991 and has the land area coverage of 33.7sq.km and it neighbors Kisoro town.
On your way to Mgahinga National Park, there are chances of enjoying exceptional views of Mt. Muhabura, Echuya Forest and Lake Bunyonyi.
The park covers the northern slopes of the three Virunga Volcanoes that’s to say; Mt. Muhavura, Mt. Gahinga and Mt. Sabinyo. The park is about 10 km south of Kisoro and is bordered to the south by the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and to the west by the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The entire park is in Bufumbira county of Kisoro District.
There are a lot of activities that you can engage in while on your visit to Mgahinga National Park. Gorilla trekking is the main activity done in this park. Mgahinga National Park has a total population of about 80 mountain gorillas though there is only one gorilla group habituated and open to tourists known as the Nyakagezi family. Having one habituated gorilla group means only 8 gorilla permits can be sold in a day. Visitors are advised to book their permits weeks in advance from the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices to avoid disappointments on the day of trekking.
A Gorilla safari in Mgahinga is great because the park attracts fewer crowds. As it’s done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park starts with a briefing at the park headquarters. Visitors divided into small groups of 8 members and then led by an experienced guide into the jungle. Upon seeing this habituated gorilla family, you will be allowed 1 hour to be in the forest with gorillas in their natural habitat. After, you move back to the headquarters for successful gorilla certificates before you return back to your lodge for dinner.
Apart from gorilla trekking, there are so many other activities you can engage in such as;
Golden Monkey trekking. Golden monkeys can only be sighted within the Virunga ranges like mountain gorillas. Uganda’s golden monkeys are only found in Mgahinga. These cute subspecies of the blue monkey are considered endangered and highly sought by tourists. They are among the most beautiful looking monkeys in the world. Golden monkey trekking involves following trails in a rainforest to find habituated golden monkeys and spending time with them in their natural habitat. Golden Monkey Trekking is an active activity that starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations at the park headquarters. After briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle following trails of left over bamboo shoots and leaves. Golden monkey trekking can take about 2-3 hours depending on where the monkeys are located because they like moving from place to another looking for food. During trekking you will be able to view other species such as chimpanzees, L’Hoest monkeys, bird and plant species among others and once the golden monkeys are located, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour with them in their natural habitat giving you a chance to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record the wonderful moments. Golden Monkey Trekking Permits cost $60 person and they can be obtained from Uganda Wildlife Authority through a trusted tour company (Nature Adventure Africa Safaris).
Nature Walks. This is done on different sections of the forest using different forest trails. The walks can be done on the slopes of the volcanoes, the forest, swamps (Rugezi swamp), plantations and along the shores of Lake Mutanda. Visitors go for the walks with a guide and escorted by an armed ranger. The walks provide several opportunities to spot birds, tree species and encounter the forest creatures/primates.
The Batwa Trail. The Batwa Trail gives you an opportunity to see the people who originally lived in the forest. The Batwa used to hunt and gather food from the forest while living in the Garama caves. The Batwa were evicted from the forest and resettled outside the park to reserve the park for tourism and other wildlife conservation activities. They have been forced to abandon their original way of life and adjust to life outside the forest. The Batwa Trail is led by a Batwa guide who takes visitors through the traditional way of life in the forest for the Batwa. There will be demonstrations like hunting, fruit gathering, singing, dancing, making fire and collecting honey. Visitors may be requested to take part in some of the activities.
Bird watching. Mahinga National Park is one of the top birding spots in Uganda. Birding in Mgahinga National Park gives you an opportunity to spot about 100 bird species in the montane forests, bamboo forests, swamps and gorges found in the volcanoes Sabinyo and Gahinga. A local bird guide will take you out to look out for some bird species such as the Archer’s Robin-Chat, Banded Prinia, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black kite, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-headed Sunbird, Bronze, Cape Robin-chat, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Collared Apalis, Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Double-collared sunbird, Dusky Crimson wing, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Dusky Turtle Dove, Equatorial Akalat, Fire finch, Grauer’s Warbler, Grey capped warbler, Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrush, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Montane Oriole, Mountain Masked Apalis, Olive pigeon, Olive Thrush, Olive woodpecker, Paradise Flycatcher, Pin-tailed whydah, Red-throated Alethe, Regal Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori night jar, Rwenzori Turaco, Shelley’s crimson wing, Speckled Mouse Bird, Strange Weaver, Strip-breasted Tit, Waxbills, White necked raven, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, White-starred Robin, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Yellow-vented bulbul among other species.
Mountain Climbing. One of the great activities to take part in while in Mgahinga is climbing one of the extinct volcanoes (Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabinyo and Mount Gahinga) found in the park. Climbing each of the mountains takes only a day and hiking permits can be bought at the park offices.
Mgahinga’s accommodation is so favorable whereby you can choose from luxury, mid-range and budget facilities. Some of the facilities include; Mount Gahinga Safari lodge, Amajambere Iwacu camp, Mount Gahinga Rest Camp among others.
