Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla Reserve

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is tucked away in the far southwestern corner of Uganda. The 430 sq km tropical rainforest cloaking the volcanoes is another mountain gorilla and golden monkey habitat. Mgahinga is contiguous with Parc National Des Volcans in Rwanda, and the Parc National Des Virungas in Congo. The three parks form the Virunga Conservation area. This is the home to half of the world's mountain gorilla population of about 720 individuals. Though gorilla tracking is possible in this park, the only habituated family of mountain gorillas (with 11 individuals under the command of 2 silverbacks) keep on ducking across the mountains into Rwanda or Congo.  It may take longer to find the gorillas in Mgahinga than in Bwindi, but the going is not as hard as in the Impenetrable Forest. The Mgahinga is a spectacular location to trek the mountain gorillas, and the backdrop of the Virunga volcanoes is something straight out of Gorillas in the Mist. Three volcanoes give the park headquarters a spectacular view: Muhavura (4127m), Gahinga (3437m) and Sabinyo (3669m). The park headquarters at Ntebeko Camp is 12 km from Kisoro. The park is arguably the most scenic park in Uganda, offering panoramic views northward as far as Bwindi, and a southern skyline characterized by volcanic cones of the Virungas, indeed the most memorable and stirring sights in Africa.Mgahinga golden monkey

Mgahinga Gorilla Park harbours 76 mammal species including the golden monkey (a localized and distinctive race of the blue monkey), mountain gorillas, black-and-white colobus, bush pig, buffalo, giant forest hog, elephant, black-fronted duiker, bushbuck, several rodent species and small predators. The park has registered over 115bird species, several of which are localized forest birds, and 12 are considered to be endemic to the Albertine Rift region.

Accommodation in Mgahinga Gorilla Park

Up-market
Mount Gahinga Rest Camp

Budget
Mgahinga Community Campground for campers

Tourist Activities in Mgahinga Gorilla Park

    • Gorilla Trekking: Ideal between the months of October and May because the gorillas normally cross over to Congo in the months between June and September. They are normally encountered less than an hour's walk near the park headquarters at Ntebeko. Gorilla tracking excursions normally leave from Ntebeko Entrance Gate at 08.00 sharp. In case you stayed in Kisoro for an overnight give yourself an allowance of 45 minutes to get to the gate so as to be on the safe side.


    • Nature Walks : From Ntebeko half-day nature trails concentrating on the forest zone begin. The trail ascends through the heath around Ntebeko into a stand of bamboo forest before giving way to a lushly forested gorge. The bamboo forest is the ideal place to track the golden monkey as well as viewing the handsome francolin, Kivu ground thrush and regal sunbird. In the evergreen forest localized birds such as the Ruwenzori Turaco, western green tinkerbird, African hill babbler,  Archer's ground robin, Ruwenzori batis, Lagden's bush-shrike, and the Montane sooty boubou, several of which are Albertine Rift Endemics are resident. The Garama Cave rumoured to cut through the mountain to Rwanda and used to be the home to the animist Batwa people is a three hour excursion, 4km from Ntebeko is of great interest to tourists. This flat terrain requires you 3 hours round trip.
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