Mgahinga National Park

Sitting at an altitude of 2,227 to 4127 meters, Mgahinga National Park was gazetted to protect the rare mountain gorilla and golden monkey that inhabit its dense forests.

There are three conical peaks within the park; Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabyinyo, they form part of the spectacular Virunga ranges which are in turn part of the much larger Virunga area that lies along the border region of Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda. The slopes of the volcanoes contain various ecosystems and are biologically diverse, their peaks provide a striking backdrop to this gorgeous scenery.

As well as being important for wildlife, the park also has huge cultural significance, in particular for the indigenous Batwa community. This tribe of hunter-gatherers was the forest’s ‘first people’, and their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unrivalled.

Gorilla Tracking
Although it is the smallest of Uganda’s National parks Mgahinga is home to the Nyakagyezi gorilla that consist of five silverbacks, three black backs and one juvenile gorilla. Because this gorilla family have a smaller range they are easier to track than the gorilla in Bwindi or Volcanoes National Park.

Golden Monkey Tracking
Golden Monkeys are beautiful creatures who live in large groups and are quite playful. It is possible to track them, much like you do the gorilla and once you find them, you can spend an hour with them before returning to your starting point.

Batwa Heritage experience
Batwa are considered to be some of the tribes in Uganda with a culture that is still intact. Way before Mount Mgahinga was a conserved as national park, the Batwa people were inhabitants of this land. They were later evicted in 1991 when the park was gazetted and re-settled outside of the current park boundaries. You can take a Batwa walking trail that will take you to their settlements, give you an opportunity to listen to tales of how they survive in the forest and watch their performances as they demonstrate hunting methods and fire lighting without modern day technology.

Birding
The Virunga area offers some of the world’s best birding destinations. Uganda has over 1076 bird species. The best birding spots in Mgahinga lie between Mount Gahinga and Sabyinyo. The beautiful Rwenzori Turaco may be observed on guided walks between the bamboo and montane forest. Additional productive birding spots are found in the bamboo belt.

Hike the Volcanoes
The Virunga Massif combines ranges of volcanic mountains of Mt. Sabinyo, Mt. Muhavura and Mt. Gahinga that cover three countries; Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. While the hike to any one of these dormant volcanoes is agreeably challenging, the view at the top will leave any traveller amazed. The most popular climb follows spectacular gorges up to the the peak of Mt. Sabinyo where you can stand in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo at once.