MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK Claimed

MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park covers the Ugandan slopes of three of the Virunga volcanoes; Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabinyo. Though small in size, just 33.7km², it adjoins Volcanoes NP in Rwanda and Virunga NP in Congo. Collectively, these parks form the transboundary Virunga Conservation Area (VCA) which protects half of the world’s 780 mountain gorillas (the rest live in nearby Bwindi Impenetrable National Park). Gorilla conservation on the Virungas dates back to 1925 when the Belgians gazatted the portion of the range in present day Congo and Rwanda as a National Park. The British administration declared the Ugandan section as a game sanctuary in 1930. This was upgraded to national park status in 1991.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to 76 mammal species, including the endangered mountain gorilla and golden monkey. Other large mammals include elephant, buffalo, leopard and giant forest hog though these are rarely encountered in the dense forest. Though the park’s bird list currently stands at just 115 species, this includes many localized forest birds and Albertine Rift endemics, including the striking Rwenzori turaco.

ACCESS

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is 524km from Kampala. A surfaced highway runs via Mbarara and Kabale to Kisoro. The 80km road between Kabale and Kisoro is a winding drive through mountains terrain with steep ascents and descents . Beyond Kisoro, a rough 14km road with steep, rocky sections ascends to the park headquarters at Ntebeko.

Mgahinga Gorilla NP can also be accessed through schedules flights from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro airfield.

THE PARK’S ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS

• Ntebeko Visitor Centre: The Visitor Centre at Ntebeko is the trailhead for nature walks, volcano climbs, and golden monkey and gorilla tracking. Exhibits inside the building explore themes relating to the Virunga environment. A trail along the adjacent drystone Buffalo Wall (built to keep animals out of neighboring farmland) provides good birding and views of the park’s dramatic volcanic backdrop.

• Gorilla Tracking: Following a rail of trampled and snapped vegetation across the slopes of the Virungas to spend an hour in the company of a family of mountain gorillas ranks among the world’s most sought after wildlife encounters. Contact time with Mgahinga’s habituated gorilla group is restricted to one hour and participants must be aged 15 or over.

• Golden Monkey Tracking: Mountain gorillas are not the only endangered primates on the Virungas. The volcanoes are the last stronghold of the golden monkey which can be tracked through its bamboo habitat on the slopes of Mt. Gahinga. As with gorillas, contact time with this rare primate is limited to an hour. Visitors who sign up for the habituation experience, however, can spend all day following tis striking orange-coated monkey in the company of researchers.

• Volcano Climbing: Mgahinga Gorilla NP rises upwards to three of the Virunga’s six volcanic summits, all of which can be climbed in a day. Views from the peaks – into Rwanda and Congo, towards the rift valley and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – more than justify effort. The park’s highest peak Muhavura. The ascent passes through montane forest, bamboo stands and heather groves, before encountering bizarre forms of giant lobelias and groundsels at the summit. The 4,127m summit, which adorned by a crystal clear crater lake, 40m in diameter, commands panoramic views along the length of the Virunga chain. Mount Gahinga (3,474m) is the smallest of the Virunga volcanoes and its bamboo-covered slopes rise up to a lush, swamp-filled crater, about 180m wide. The jagged crown of Sabinyo bears several summits, the highest of which provides the rare privilege of standing 3,669m high whilst in 3 countries – Uganda, Rwanda and DRC – at once.

• Birding: Keen birders can seek rare Albertine Rift endemics and other forest birds in a range of scenic locations that include the Sabinyo Gorge (prime habitat for the beautiful Rwenzori Turaco); the saddle between Mounts Gahinga and Sabinyo; and the Boundary Trail at Ntebeko, with its incomparable volcanic backdrop.

• The Batwa Trail: For generations, Mgahinga’s dense forests were home to the indigenous Batwa pygmies, hunter-gatherers and warriors, who depended on the forest for shelter, food and medicine. Today, Batwa guides lead visitors through the lower slopes of the forest, introducing them to their old home and demonstrating the skills they used into the Garama Cave for a subterranean performance of music and dance.

PLEASE CONTACT US TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS TO EXPLORE MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK – WHERE GOLD MEETS SILVER.