mgahinga National park is a manga the 11 National park found in Uganda,
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the wider Virunga conservation region that also includes the volcanoes national park in Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is located on the south-western corner of Uganda in the town of Kisoro. Mgahinga was upgraded from a game reserve into a full national park in 1991 mainly to protect the mountain gorillas that were in frequent conflicts with humans living within and outside the park. Mgahinga is the smallest national park in Uganda and covers an area of 34 square kilometers. The park gets its name from a Kinyarwanda word “Gahinga” referring to the small lava stones common in gardens at the foot of the mountain.
Though a small park, what really sets Mgahinga apart is the natural beauty. The park is characterized by Savannah grasslands, woodlands, tropical forests, montane forests, marshes/swamps, bamboo forests, Afro-montane forests, bogs and semi-alpine vegetation. The most prominent features in the park are the three inactive volcanoes – Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura. These mountains form part of the great Virunga ranges of mountains that include Karisimbi, Bisoke, and Nyiragongo among others. Because of the three mountains much of the park lies on high altitude of between 2,000 to 4,000 meters.
The mountains along with thick forest cover influence climatic conditions in the park bringing frequent rains and a cool breeze. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. is a vital water catchment area. Several streams flow from Crater the Lakes and swamps on the mountain summit to the rivers and lakes on the floor. On the slopes of the mountains, there are rivers like Ntebeko, Nyabirerema and Kabiranyuma which supply water to the indigenous tribes living next to the park.
The main attractions in the park are the mountain gorillas but Mgahinga National Park is also home to the endangered golden monkeys, Vervet monkeys, Spotted hyenas, Serval cats, Red tailed monkeys, Patas monkeys, Mangabeys, Leopards, Golden cats, Forest hogs, Elephants, Bush bucks, Bush babies, Buffaloes, Blue monkeys,, Baboons, African porcupines, Black and white Colobus monkeys. The reptiles in the park include snakes, geckos and chameleons to mention but a few. We will discuss more about the birds shortly.
The Bafumbira, Batwa and Bakiga are the main indigenous tribes living on the edges of the forest. They rely mainly on subsistence farming on the slopes of the mountains using terracing. Population pressure and resulting lack of Alternative ways of earning income has over the years resulted in human encroachment and pressure on the park land and forest leading to deforestation in areas close to human settlements. The bamboo and sub-alpine vegetation on the foot and higher up the mountains remain relatively intact. Although the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has contained poaching, continued population group among communities living outside the park remains a threat. UWA has come up with community tourism programs that have created a harmonious relationship between the local tribes, park authorities and creatures therein.
How to get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga National Park can be reached by road or air from Kampala or Entebbe. The distance from Kampala is about 509 kilometers through well paved tarmac roads. Driving to the park from Kampala through the Mbarara-Masaka-Kampala highway takes about 9 hours. Lone travelers can hire the daily buses from Kampala to Kisoro town. From Kisoro town, there are special hires and even motorcycles taking passengers up to the park gate. The road from kisoro town to Mgahinga National Park is made of Murram hence dusty, and bumpy. One needs a good 4X4 car to comfortably navigate through this stretch of road. Whereas the distance by road from Kampala seems long, the journey is worth it because of the beautiful scenery and opportunities to make short stops to check out hidden spots and even the equator crossing. One can also access Mgahinga National Park by using the shorter road from Kigali international airport through either the Katuna or Cyanika border with Uganda. This route takes less than 4 hours and is highly recommended. Ever since the government of Rwanda increased the price of gorilla permits to $1500, Mgahinga receives more tourists from the Rwanda side who are more comfortable with the $800 charged in Uganda.
Those on a tight schedule can choose to take a chartered flight from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip (in Kampala) to Kisoro airstrip near the park. Flights from Eagle Air between Entebbe and Kisoro are arranged every Monday and Friday of the week. Tickets for the local flight need to be booked in advance. Tour companies can help you book the local flight and arrange ground transportation from the Kisoro airstrip to the park.
Things to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
One of the advantages of visiting Mgahinga national park is that there are fewer crowds. The whole park can be discovered in peace and quiet. Some of the activities don’t need to be booked in advance. Many of the activities don’t need to be booked in advance.
There are several activities that travelers can engage in while at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park including gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, mountain climbing, nature walks, cultural visits and bird watching among others. The best way to start is by looking at our 3 Days gorilla tour in Mgahinga package. Most of these activities start from the visitor center in Ntebeko. The activities are:-
Gorilla tracking: In Bwindi and Mgahinga, Uganda is lucky to have two national parks where mountain gorilla trekking can be done. About 80 mountain gorillas are found in Mgahinga National Park. Because they stay in high altitudes, the gorillas in Mgahinga have developed more fuzzy coats than those in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Only the Nyakagyezi gorilla group is open to tourism in Mgahinga. The Nyakagezi group is one of the two largest habituated mountain gorilla groups in Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. The group used to be very mobile with a tendency to cross to Rwanda and even Congo but have for the past five years settled in Uganda. It takes a shorter time locating the Nyakagyezi group than some families in Bwindi.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga starts at 8 am with briefing. After the briefing, visitors are led by the park rangers to find the group. While tracking the gorillas expect to encounter pristine forest, primates, birds and other forest creatures. The time taken tracking the gorillas will depend on the location of the group that day and can take anywhere between 2 to 3 hours. Go prepared with a good camera to capture one of the most amazing wildlife experiences. Will you see the primates? Well, the chances of seeing mountain gorillas is pretty high. There is a packing list for gorilla trekking and rules for gorilla tracking that every tracker needs to be conversant with. The cost of a gorilla permits in $800.and can be acquired from the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kisoro or through a tour operator. The best time of the year for gorilla trekking is between June and August.
Golden Monkey Tracking: Golden monkeys are subspecies of blue Monkeys. The primates are endemic to the Albertan Rift and Virunga ranges in Uganda, Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of Congo. They look cute with beautiful golden coats. Golden monkeys are rather small monkeys with an adult weighing about twenty pounds. They are very playful and active primates living in large groups that can contain 80 individuals. They spend most of their time on top of trees feeding off bamboo shoots or insects on the slopes of the volcanoes. Their chief predator is the African Eagle.
Golden monkeys are one of the most sought out primates by tourists in Africa. It is only Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and Uganda (Mgahinga National Park) that have habituated groups open to tourists. Golden monkey tracking takes between thirty minutes to three hours. The activity starts at 8am with briefing. Because they can’t hear eagles coming when it’s raining, the monkeys tend to hide away during downpour making the chances of finding them 85%. After finding the monkeys, visitors are only allowed 1 hour to observe the behavior of the group while also taking photos. There is a possibility of going for the longer golden monkey habituation experience with researchers but at an extra cost. Golden Monkey Permits cost $100. You can find out more information about the 2 days golden monkey trekking in the Volcanoes National Park.
