Mgahinga National Park is 38 square kilometers in size and this makes it the smallest national park in Uganda. The park is situated in South Western Uganda in the Kisoro district. This is at the very edge of southwestern Uganda. It’s in the corridor of volcanoes Sabyinyo, Muhabura, and Gahinga, surrounded by a rich ecosystem of Volcanoes National Park on the Rwanda side and Virunga National Park on the D.R Congo side.
It spreads across the three countries and sits at the intersection of three countries. It’s also important to note that this park is one of the many that make up the Virunga Conservation Area. As one approaches the park, cones of the existing volcanoes surrounding the park start becoming visible. At Ntebeko gate, the park’s highlands are magnificent with the movement into the park’s interior.
Mgahinga National Park is a rich ecosystem with distinct fauna but the most outstanding wildlife includes mountain gorillas. Mgahinga’s mountain gorillas are available for tourism and can be trekked any day.
The park’s name comes from the word “Gahinga” which refers to a pile of volcanic stones. It was a game sanctuary from 1930 before it was gazetted as a national park in 1991. The national park is mixed with various vegetation, especially the tropical rainforests and because of this, it was declared a National Park to protect the mountain gorillas that are classified as endangered species. This national park is significant to the Batwa people who live close to it. They initially lived within the present park areas before their forest activities were limited due to the conservation efforts from regulating and conservation bodies.
Just like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga has gorillas that can be trekked. The difference with Bwindi is that it only has one mountain gorilla family. Nyakagezi Gorilla Family is the available family available for trekking. This habituated gorilla family is also a gateway to hike various volcanoes within the park. It has 9 individuals with 4 silverbacks, a juvenile, 2 adult females, and 2 infants. Mark is the leader and he succeeded Bugingo. Bugingo is recorded to have lived for 54 years, making him one of the gorillas to have lived longer in the Virunga area.
This park experiences both dry and wet seasons since it’s located in the tropics. The rainy season is often disruptive and because of this, tourists are recommended to trek mountain gorillas during the dry seasons. The months of June to September bring the first dry season, while December to February present the second dry season. These are the best seasons for trekking gorillas in Mgahinga National Park.
Before embarking on a gorilla trek, travelers are advised to get information as much as they can to make informed decisions. Every visitor needs a gorilla trekking permit to have access to the park. Gorilla permits can be accessed from Uganda Wildlife Authority offices.
The costs are for each individual and they are as follows; $800 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX 250,000/= for East African nationals. However, travelers are advised to make early bookings due to the large numbers of interested trekkers during the peak season which may have a tourist ending up being pushed to undesirable dates or missing out on their treks. It’s therefore advised for trekkers to find all required information from their tour operator before the trekking.
