Mgahinga national park is a rich natural treasure of Uganda as it is a nest to the various species of habituated Mountain Gorillas in Uganda. However, this is not enough to describe this natural landmark as Mgahinga national park is a home to three conical extinct volcanoes of the Virunga ranges which include; Mount Sabinyo, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhavura. Mgahinga national park is also situated in dense rain forest which are a home to numerous wildlife species such as Mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, buffaloes, elephants, spotted hyenas, warthogs, genets, wild African cats, serval cats, forest hogs, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, bush duikers including red and blue duikers, rock hyraxes, tree hyraxes, leopards, klipspringers, squirrels, side striped and black backed jackals, bush pigs among others. Mgahinga national park is also a nest to numerous bird species that would fulfil a bird lovers’ interests such as; White starred robins, Rwenzori turacos, olive pigeons, striped breasted tit, cinnamon bracken warblers, scarlet tufted sunbird, western green tinker bird, Black headed waxbills, Kivu ground thrush, Archer’s robin chat among others.
Mgahinga national park sits in the district of Kisoro that borders both the Democratic republic of Congo and Rwanda. It is approximately 513km by road from Kampala capital city to Mgahinga national park.
Tourist activities at Mgahinga national park.
Gorilla trekking; Mgahinga national park is the home to the endangered mountain gorillas. It has habituated mountain gorillas that have been over the years trained to live with human beings, these Gorillas are more friendly than the ones that are not habituated. Therefore, one can take a guided tour through the trails of Mgahinga forest and get a chance to visit the habitats of the habituated mountain Gorillas and interact with them. Acquiring permits for Gorilla trekking can be done with Uganda wildlife authority at the national park or can be arranged by ones preferred tour operator for example Achieve global safaris for convenience. The rates of Gorilla trekking permit as per 2023/2024 stand as 800USD per foreigner,700USD per foreign resident and 250000UGX per all east African citizens. Gorilla trekking can indeed be a very beautiful experience as these primates have a similar DNA so they have some traits of human beings.
Batwa cultural experience; These are the indigenous community also known as the keepers of the forest. The Batwa people are Pigmies who are believed to have originated in Ituri forest of Congo. They hunt animals and gather fruits for food and put on leaves and animal skins for clothing. These group of people have beautiful traditional dances, songs and crafts. While on a Uganda gorilla trekking safari in Machinga national park, one can take a Batwa trail and learn in dept their ways of living, their stories of existence to mention but a few.
Wildlife viewing; The park does not only have Mountain gorillas but is also filled with diverse species of wildlife. These wildlife species include; golden monkeys, buffaloes, elephants, spotted hyenas, warthogs, genets, wild African cats, serval cats, forest hogs, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, bush duikers including red and blue duikers, rock hyraxes, tree hyraxes, leopards, klipspringers, squirrels to mention but a few these would indeed fulfil a wildlife enthusiasts Uganda wildlife experience in the park.
Bird watching; The dense forests of mgahinga national park are habitats for a variety of bird species the fill the tree branches and grasses and sing sweetly in the forest. Mgahinga national park has numerous bird species such as; White starred robins, Rwenzori turacos, olive pigeons, striped breasted tit, cinnamon bracken warblers, scarlet tufted sunbird, western green tinker bird, Black headed waxbills, Kivu ground thrush to mention but a few. Bird viewing can be achieved while carrying out forest walks.
Mountain climbing; A mountain climber can exploit the opportunity of climbing the peaks of Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura mountains. As these extinct volcanoes have trails that can enable one climb up to the top of the mountain and enjoy the beautiful scenic features and vegetation that covers the park.
Forest walks and hiking; Through the forests of Mgahinga national park exists beautiful trails that run throughout the national park this provides the opportunity to walk within the national park and view the different wildlife species that are found in the national park. Forest walks also provide an opportunity to connect back with nature and get a chance for stunning photography.
Golden monkey trekking; Besides mountain Gorillas at the park there are primates such as Golden monkey, Vervet monkeys among others. After Gorilla trekking one can also embark on monkey trekking as these Golden monkeys are a very beautiful species and have interesting and fun characters.
The best time however to visit Mgahinga national park is during the dry months of the year that is January, February, June, July, August, September, November and December. These months are the best as walking trails are more visible and passable during drier months and it is also easy to view wildlife at Mgahinga national park. Come visit Uganda.