What is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Famous For?
What Makes Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Famous? Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which is located in the Kisoro district of the southwest region of Uganda and borders Virunga National Park, is well-known for its endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. It is situated at an elevation of 2,227 to 4,127 meters.
Mount Sabinyu, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura are three colonial volcanoes that are considered to be among the park’s main attractions. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was created as a national park in 1991 and is one of the smallest in the nation, with a total surface area of 34 square kilometers.
The best times to visit Mgahinga National Park are January through February, June through August, and December. During these times, there are less rainstorms, which prevents tour interruptions and gives guests the opportunity to witness wildlife species, which always hide from the rain.
A number of attractions in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park consistently draw tourists from other countries to travel to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, to see them. These attractions include Mount Sabinyo, which is 3,669 meters above sea level, Mount Muhavura, which is 4,127 meters high, and Mount Gahinga, which is 3,474 meters high.
Mgahinga National Park is home to over 76 mammal species, including forest elephants, golden monkeys, olive pigeons, bushbucks, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, I’hoest monkeys, and 180 bird species, including blue-headed coucals, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori turaco, cape robin chat, speckled mouse bird, African Paradise flycatcher, 300 mountain gorillas, and many more.
Additionally, the park offers hiking and climbing experiences to its visitors, allowing them to enjoy breathtaking views of the mountains, Ntebeko visitors center, the Garama Caves, and wildlife.
For what reasons is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park well-known?
Trekking with Mgahinga gorillas
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park lodging options.
Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Safari Lodge, Amajambere Lwacu Camp, Bird Nest Bunyonyi Resort, Bunyonyo Overland Resort, Kisoro Traveler’s Rest Hotel, Countryside Guesthouse, and Mountain Gorilla Safari Hotel are just a few of the cozy and reasonably priced lodging options available in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga National Park is hot to reach.
Travelers can take either air or vehicle transportation to reach Mgahinga National Park, which is situated in the southwest of Uganda. From Kampala, it’s a 494-kilometer trip of around 8 hours along the Kabale-Mbarara road.
Things to do while in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
trips to the community and cultural encounters.
In order to meet the Batwa people, who are known as Pygmies, hunters, fierce warriors, and good hunters, tourists who are interested in cultural interactions and community visits always have the opportunity to travel the Batwa trail.
Visitors are given the chance to engage with locals during these cultural interactions, while also learning a great deal about their history and way of life. The locals narrate stories about their people and entertain tourists with ethnic dance displays.
trekking with mountain gorillas.
Only two habituated mountain gorilla groups, the Nyakagezi and Hirwa groups, are found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The Hirwa gorilla group, which is equally distributed throughout Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, migrated from Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla trekking in this park starts at the visitor center at Ntebeko, the park headquarters, and it starts at 8 a.m. every day. However, visitors are advised to arrive at the park by 7 a.m. for registration and a briefing from the park’s head ranger, after which they are divided into groups of no more than 8 people, depending on which gorilla group they are tracking.
Trekking gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park costs $800 per person, and the tracking takes two to five hours. However, once a gorilla group is assigned, visitors are always given an hour to spend time with the gorillas, though they are advised to maintain a seven-meter distance from them. Furthermore, they are permitted to use flashlights on their phones and cameras to take photos and films of the gorillas in order to show their people back home.
climbing a volcano.
Visitors can choose to engage in volcano climbing in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. There are three volcano mountains that visitors can ascend: Mount Muhavura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabinyo. Additionally, because it can take climbers the entire day to reach the summit of these mountains, climbing them requires strong, fit individuals. Tourists may have the opportunity to view the park’s amazing features while ascending, including enormous lobelia, golden monkeys, bamboo woods, and the caldera.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park birdwatching.
With more than 180 different bird species and opportunities for visitors to participate in bird watching activities, Mgahinga National Park is a great destination for bird watchers. Tourists can witness a variety of bird species in Mgahinga, including the olive thrush, the bronze sunbird, the brown-crowned tchagra, the regal sunbird, the blue-headed sunbird, and the Rwenzori batis. In addition, visitors to Mgahinga National Park are advised to pay $30 USD per person.
Nature walks with a guide and hiking.
Visitors interested in hiking and guided nature walks in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park pay USD $30 per person, and these activities start at the park’s headquarters in Ntebeko. Hikers have the opportunity to see the park’s breathtaking features, including the Rugezi marsh, bamboo woods, forest birds, and the stunning nearby lakes, including Lake Mutanda. Visitors always pass through the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes when on nature walks in the park, accompanied by a park guide.
