MGAHINGA GORILLA PARK


 Mgahinga Gorilla National Park shelters the section of the Virunga Conservation Area in Uganda.the Volcano area extends through the D.R.C, Rwanda and Uganda and is habitat to more to 300 Mountain Gorillas. mgahinga gorilla tracking

The beautiful views, rich number of primates and the challenging hiking in Mgahinga make it a perfect alternative to the Bwindi if you are interested in a gorilla safari.

GORILLA TREKKING IN MGAHINGA

Mgahinga National Park is the smallest of all parks in Uganda covering an expanse of 34 sq. kilometers across the Virunga Volcano Conservation Area. Rwanda’s Parc National des Volcans and D.R.C’s Parc National des Virunga are also part of the Area.

The mountain Gorillas move in the inactive 6 volcanoes that make up the area and along their course cross the borders. For that reason, Mgahinga has no permanent Gorilla groups. Nevertheless about 45 members spend some time of the year in Mgahinga and fortunately permits are readily available for trekking them.
The habituated gorilla family in Mgahinga – Nyakagezi made a grand welcome return following their being chased away towards the end of 2004 after attacks by a single male Silverback.

FACTS ABOUT MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK

  • 76 species of mammals reside in the park among which are forest elephants, bush bucks, buffaloes, leopards and huge forest hogs.
  • Chances are high of seeing the uncommon golden monkeys, black & white colobus monkeys and the blue monkeys.
  • Mgahinga has gorgeous scenic views of Bwindi in the north, plus steep volcanic cones in the south.
  • Astonishingly just 115 species of birds have so far been recorded here but twelve of these are endemics of the Albertine Rift.
  • There are great opportunities of seeing Ibis, speckled mouse bird, stonechat, waxbills, whydah, fire finch, grey-capped warbler plus the yellow-vented bulbul.
  • Mgahinga extends  over the northern slopes of the 3 Virunga Volcanoes in the extreme north which are Mt. Sabinyo at 3,645m, Mt. Muhavura at 4,127m and Mt. Gahinga at 3,474m

Activities
 
When

In addition to gorilla trekking, Mgahinga offers the chance to track endangered golden monkeys, endemic to the Albertine Rift.
Nature walks and challenging hiking keep the active entertained and offer spectacular views.

Visiting Mgahinga is possible year round. However, the park experiences high rainfall and many visitors prefer to avoid the wettest months (March - May and September - November).