Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park, covering over 33.9 km2 and situated in southwestern Uganda. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was declared a national park in 1991 and is among the world's few national parks harboring Mountain Gorillas, and the rest stay in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda, Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Other unique primates found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park include the Golden Monkey, which can also be found in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. Click here to see mountain gorilla trekking safaris

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers one-of-a-kind hiking experiences, such as Mount Sabinyo hiking and Mount Muhavura hiking, which are part of the Virunga chained ranges that cut through Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. Many tourists are usually thrilled as they hike these Virunga-chained mountains. Mgahinga gorilla national park other attractions include Lake Mutanda and the Batwa pygmies, which offer a great cultural experience in their authentic environment as you visit the park. Click here to view our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour 

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park harbors approximately 39 mammals, which include Uganda’s endangered mountain gorillas, magical golden monkeys, elephants, buffaloes, bushbucks, forest hogs, duikers, over 115 bird species, which include migratory birds and forest birds, and the three Virunga chained volcanoes, which are Mount Muhavura, standing at 4127 meters above sea level, followed by Mount Sabinyo, standing at 3645 meters above sea level, and Mount Gahinga, which is at 3474 meters above the sea.

Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park  

Tracking mountain gorillas in the Virunga-chained volcanoes ranks among the highlights of an African adventure safari. The exhilaration that is attached to the first-time experience with the mountain gorillas on a wild safari is difficult to explain. Many tourists look for mountain gorilla safaris as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and book their mountain gorilla trekking permits two years prior to their travel dates.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park offers an unforgettable experience that repays all travelers’s efforts to reach Uganda’s bamboo forest. Just imagine sitting amidst these shaggy gorillas, up to three times as heavy as the average man. That is a lasting memory that travelers experience on their gorilla trekking safari in the Virunga Region.

Mgahinga National Park offers one habituated mountain gorilla family that can be tracked by travelers. Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the most thrilling tourist activity. The Mgahinga National Park habituated gorilla group is named the Nyakagezi, with 9 members: 2 silverbacks, 3 adult female gorillas, 2 juveniles, and 2 infants.

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park

Mgahinga National Park also protects golden monkeys, commonly known as the Ceropithecus kandti, or sometimes called a distinctive race of the more widespread blue monkey. Golden monkeys are ‘endangered’ by the World Conservation Union. Golden monkeys are endemic to the Albertine Rift; they are characterized by a bright orange-gold body, cheeks, and tail, contrasting with their black limbs, crown, and tail end.

The Batwa cultural experience in Mgahinga gorilla national park

Have you ever read about the “people of the forest”? You should have a chance of meeting them during your safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. When you meet the Batwa people, you will even see the forest in their eyes and lives. With the Batwa cultural trail in Mgahinga National Park, you will experience the ancient way of doing things of the Batwa people, who once lived and stayed in the forest, and also explore their ancient cultural practices.

The Batwa were formally inhabitants of the tropical rain forest forests before Mgahinga gorilla national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park were gazetted into national parks in 1991. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is situated in the dense tropical forests on the foothills of Virunga Volcanoes. Learn how the Batwa were hunters, fruit gatherers, and forest warriors, depending on the forest for food and herbal medicine.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is open to all travelers throughout the year. But gorilla trekking is best done from June to September, then again in December, January, and February. During this time, gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park is much easier because it is a dry season in Uganda and the gorilla trekking trail remains relatively drier, thus making it easier for tourists to hike the dense tropical jungles and steep slopes searching for mountain gorillas in their natural environment.

However, some travelers prefer to trek mountain gorillas in March, April, May, October, and November in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, although these months are characterized by heavy rainfall, muddy trekking trails, and slippery, steep slopes, which can be challenging for other travelers to hike while searching for the gentle giant apes.