DESTINATION GUIDE // UGANDA
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Uganda smallest park, wedged beneath three volcanoes, with gorillas and golden monkeys in the same forest.
33.7 km2
PARK AREA
3
VOLCANOES
Golden
MONKEYS
1 family
HABITUATED GORILLAS
510 km
FROM KAMPALA
GENERAL OVERVIEW
About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga is Uganda’s smallest national park at just 33.7 square kilometres, tucked into the far southwest corner where Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet. It forms the Ugandan share of the Virunga Massif and continues directly into Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga in the DRC.
Three of the eight Virunga volcanoes stand within it: Muhavura at 4,127 metres, Gahinga at 3,474 and Sabyinyo at 3,669, whose jagged summit ridge marks the exact point where the three countries meet. The park name comes from the local phrase Gahinga, meaning the small piles of volcanic stone cleared from farmland.
One habituated gorilla family, Nyakagezi, lives here. It is a cross border group that historically moved into Rwanda and the DRC, though it has been resident on the Ugandan side for over a decade. Mgahinga also holds golden monkeys and is the ancestral home of the Batwa, whose cultural trail is one of the more substantial community experiences in the region.
GORILLA AND GOLDEN MONKEY TREKKING
The Two Primate Experiences
Gorilla trekking. Nyakagezi is the single habituated family, which means a maximum of eight permits per day and a very quiet trailhead compared with Bwindi. Briefing is at 7.30am at Ntebeko. The terrain is bamboo and open volcanic slope rather than dense forest, so the walking is often more straightforward than Bwindi, though the altitude is higher.
Golden monkey tracking. Endangered and endemic to the Virungas, these move through the bamboo belt in large, fast, noisy troops. Easier to reach than gorillas and far easier to photograph. A permit costs around 60 US dollars.
Golden monkey habituation. A four hour experience with researchers, priced separately at around 100 dollars, for travellers who want more than the standard hour.
Because Nyakagezi is one family, permits here sell out in a different way to Bwindi. There is no alternative sector if the day is full.
PERMITS AND FEES
What You Pay
A gorilla permit for foreign non-residents is 800 US dollars in peak season and 600 dollars during the low season months of April, May and November. Foreign residents pay 500 dollars in low season. The permit includes park entry, guides, trackers and one hour with the family.
Golden monkey tracking is around 60 dollars and the four hour habituation experience about 100 dollars. The Batwa Trail is charged separately at roughly 80 dollars and goes largely to the Batwa community.
Volcano climbs are around 80 dollars each and include a ranger guide.
Permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. With only one family here, we normally book Mgahinga gorilla permits further ahead than Bwindi ones, or use Mgahinga for golden monkeys and Bwindi for gorillas.
THINGS TO DO
Activities In The Park
The Batwa Trail. Led by Batwa guides through the forest their community inhabited before the park was gazetted in 1991, covering hunting technique, fire making, medicinal plants and ending in the Garama Cave with a performance. Roughly four hours and the most substantial cultural experience in southwest Uganda.
Mount Sabyinyo climb. Eight hours return up a ridge of three peaks, with ladders bolted to the rock on the final section. The summit is the tri-border point where you can stand in three countries at once.
Mount Gahinga climb. Six hours return to a swamp filled crater at the top. The gentlest of the three.
Mount Muhavura climb. Eight to nine hours return to the highest of the three at 4,127 metres, with a crater lake at the summit and views to Bwindi and the Rwenzoris on a clear day.
Border trail and birding. A four hour walk along the Congo boundary, good for Rwenzori turaco and other Albertine Rift endemics.
WILDLIFE
What Lives Here
Primates. Mountain gorillas in the Nyakagezi family and golden monkeys in the bamboo. Blue monkeys and vervet also occur at lower altitude.
Mammals. Buffalo, bushbuck, black fronted duiker, giant forest hog and the elusive golden cat. Forest elephant were historically present but are now very rarely recorded.
Birds. Around 180 species with a dozen Albertine Rift endemics, including Rwenzori turaco, Rwenzori batis, dusky crimsonwing, handsome francolin and the Kivu ground thrush.
Vegetation zones. Montane woodland at the base, then bamboo, then hagenia and hypericum forest, then afro-alpine moorland with giant lobelias and groundsels near the summits. Walking up Muhavura takes you through all of them in a single day.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
When To Go
June to August and December to February, the dry seasons. The best conditions for both trekking and volcano climbing, and the busiest for permits.
March to May, the long rains. Wet, muddy and slippery on the volcanic slopes, but April and May carry the 600 dollar gorilla permit. Volcano climbs become genuinely hard work.
September to November, the short rains. Afternoon showers with usable mornings, and November also carries the discounted permit.
Mgahinga sits between 2,227 and 4,127 metres, so it is cold by Ugandan standards at any time of year. Nights near the gate drop into single figures.
GETTING THERE
How To Reach The Park
By road from Kisoro. Only 14 km to the Ntebeko gate, about forty minutes on a rough but short track. Kisoro is the base town for the park.
From Kigali. Three to four hours to Kisoro via the Cyanika border, which is the fastest approach and the one most travellers use.
From Entebbe or Kampala. Nine to ten hours by road, or ninety minutes by scheduled flight to Kisoro airstrip followed by the short drive to the gate.
From Bwindi. One to three hours depending on sector, shortest from Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south.
A 4×4 is essential for the final approach in any season.
WHERE TO STAY
Lodges And Camps
Mount Gahinga Lodge. Eight bandas run by Volcanoes Safaris just outside the gate, with a strong Batwa community programme and the only genuinely comfortable option at the park itself.
Chameleon Hill Lodge. Brightly coloured cottages above Lake Mutanda, about an hour away and one of the most photographed lodges in Uganda.
Mutanda Lake Resort. On the lake shore between Kisoro and Bwindi, well placed if you are combining the two parks.
Kisoro town. Travellers Rest Hotel, where Dian Fossey stayed, plus a range of guesthouses. Forty minutes from the gate.
Because there is only one gorilla family, many itineraries base at Lake Mutanda and use it for both Mgahinga and the southern Bwindi sectors.
SAFETY AND TRAVEL TIPS
What To Know Before You Go
Altitude. The gate sits at 2,227 metres and climbs from there. Volcano ascents pass 4,000 metres, where altitude affects most people. Allow an acclimatisation day if you plan to climb Muhavura.
Cold. Warmer clothing than anywhere else on a Uganda itinerary. Fleece, hat and gloves for early starts.
Kit. Waterproof boots with ankle support, gaiters, long sleeves, gardening gloves for the nettles and a rain jacket. Porters at around 20 dollars are available and worth hiring.
Rules. Minimum age fifteen for gorilla trekking. Seven metre distance, masks required, and no visiting with a cold or flu.
Malaria. Lower risk at this altitude than the lowland parks, but prophylaxis is still advised. A yellow fever certificate is required for Uganda.
Borders. The park touches the DRC. Stay with your ranger at all times on the border trail and do not cross independently.
TOURS WITH US
Safaris With Sola Safari Travels
We usually build Mgahinga in one of two ways. Either as a golden monkey day alongside gorilla trekking in the southern Bwindi sectors, which is the better value combination, or as a gorilla trek in its own right for travellers who want the quietest trailhead in Uganda and are willing to book further ahead for the single family.
The park also works well as a first or last stop on a Rwanda and Uganda combination, since Kisoro is only three to four hours from Kigali. Permits, border formalities and transfers are all handled by us, in a private 4×4 with one driver guide throughout.
SAFARI PACKAGES
Safaris That Include Mgahinga
Mgahinga is usually combined with the southern Bwindi sectors or reached from Kigali. All departures are private.
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
4 Days Uganda Gorilla Trek
Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi, with a night at Lake Mburo on the drive in from Entebbe.
From $1,560 per person
6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS
6 Days Gorillas and Chimpanzees Uganda
Gorillas in Bwindi and chimpanzees in Kibale, with Queen Elizabeth in between.
From $2,200 per person
10 DAYS / 9 NIGHTS
10 Days Ultimate East Africa
Amboseli, the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater at an unhurried pace.
From $2,360 per person
KEY QUESTIONS
Mgahinga Safari, Key Questions
Mgahinga has one habituated gorilla family against more than twenty in Bwindi, so it is far quieter but permits are less flexible. The terrain is bamboo and open volcanic slope rather than dense forest, which many people find easier walking, though the altitude is higher. Mgahinga also offers golden monkeys and volcano climbs, which Bwindi does not.
The same as Bwindi. 800 US dollars for foreign non-residents in peak season and 600 dollars in April, May and November. Golden monkey tracking is around 60 dollars and the four hour habituation about 100.
It is a cross border group that historically moved between Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC, but it has been resident on the Ugandan side for over a decade and trekking has been reliable throughout that period.
Gahinga is the gentlest at about six hours return. Sabyinyo is eight hours with ladders bolted to the rock and ends at the point where three countries meet. Muhavura is the highest at 4,127 metres and the hardest, eight to nine hours with a crater lake at the top.
A four hour guided walk led by Batwa community members through the forest they lived in before the park was gazetted in 1991, covering hunting, fire making and medicinal plants, ending in the Garama Cave. It costs around 80 dollars and most of that goes to the community.
Three to four hours from Kigali via the Cyanika border is the fastest route. From Entebbe it is nine to ten hours by road or ninety minutes by air to Kisoro. From the southern Bwindi sectors it is one to two hours.
EXPLORE MORE
Pair Mgahinga With Other Destinations
The Virungas continue across the border, and the rest of the western circuit runs north from Kisoro.
Your Mgahinga Safari Starts Here
Tell us your dates and group size. We will reply within 24 hours with a tailor made proposal and a clear price.
TAILOR MADE SAFARI
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