Is Mgahinga gorilla national park safe for gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda? Well situated in Kisoro district southwestern Uganda in the East African region, Mgahinga gorilla national park forms the Virunga volcanic linkage comprising of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. This linkage is well known for endangered mountain gorilla trekking safaris in the whole world.  Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest park among the 10 national parks in Uganda and is bounded by Virunga national park in Congo, Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park in Uganda, and Volcanoes National park in the Republic of Rwanda. Mgahinga gorilla national park boasts 3 major extinct volcanoes which are identified as Muhabura, Mount Sabinyo, and Gahinga mountain. These volcanoes for the bigger part of the 6 Virunga Mountains.  Mgahinga gorilla national park is situated in the tropical rain forests with montane rain forests, mountain bamboo, equatorial green forest, and tropical seasonal forests. The park is home to engendered mountain gorilla and the Golden monkeys. While visiting Uganda, you should make sure you don’t miss this glorious park since it has been important in promoting tourism in Uganda basing on its ability to have the famous mountain gorillas. Uganda wildlife Authority is responsible for managing and protecting the park as it for all the other parks.

Gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Gorilla trekking is one of the life-changing and a memory to remember and it involves visiting the gorillas by walking through the jungle to find them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking activities start early in the morning at Mgahinga Park headquarters with a briefing on the instructions to be followed when walking through the forests and when you spot the gorillas. Immediately after, crucial briefing, you will be assigned to the guides, rangers, and researchers as they lead you to the wildness. You will be allowed only one hour to see the gorillas once you have spotted them and after the trek, you get back to the headquarters and be awarded the certificate for trekking Uganda gorillas successfully.

Engendered mountain gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are amazing creatures to watch as they share 95% of the human DNA. It is only 8 visitors per group are allowed to trek each habituated gorilla family group in Mgahinga per day according to the regulations and rules set by the Uganda wildlife authority to conserve and protect these endangered gorillas in this park. Only people with 15 years and above are allowed to trek the gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National park. Older people are easy to manage since they can easily listen as compared to minors. Mgahinga gorilla national park is extremely so good for gorilla trekking safaris since all the gorilla trekking guidelines are clear especially for the protection and conservation of the gorillas. A joint security team composed of Uganda wildlife authority armed rangers and the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces are manning the park 24/7 to ensure the safety of the park and all its activities.

How many Habituated gorilla families are in Mgahinga National park for gorilla trekking?

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park features only one habituated gorilla family called Nyakagezi that is available for gorilla trekking. The Nyakagezi gorilla family ground has got 9 members that include 4 silverbacks, 2 females, 3 infants, and a juvenile. The lead silverback in this group is called mark who succeeded his father Bugingo. Other members of this group by names include the remaining silverbacks named Mathew, and Mafia, the adult females whose names include Nshuti, Nyiramwiza, and Nkanda the juvenile. Mutagamba and Rukundo are also available as in facts. You can get a 99% chance of spotting the gorillas in Mgahinga gorilla national park. You will be able to see one of the oldest silverback Bugingo who is currently about 56 years.

What is the price of the gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga National Park?

There are only 8 gorilla trekking permits available in Mgahinga gorilla National park per day. Trekking gorillas in Mgahinga Uganda is cheap as compared to when one is trekking mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. This presents an opportunity for visitors to rush and book cheap gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda. In Uganda, the gorilla trekking permit costs 700 united states dollars for foreign-nonresidents and 600 united states dollars for foreign residents while East African citizens will need to pay Uganda shillings 250, 000. This permit will grant you only one-hour viewing for the mountain gorilla family once spotted while trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

The gorilla trekking permits are always sold-out very quickly during the peak season that is in January, February, then from June to September and December annually and therefore we advise that you book your gorilla trekking permit early by contacting us with your intended date of travel and then we check for the availability of the gorilla permits at the Uganda wildlife authority and thereafter we get back to you with the invoice and make payments and then once the permits are not available then you can reschedule the dates you wish to travel. After receiving the payment then at African adventure vacations, we shall book for you the permits and send you the booking receipt with a booking identity card to secure your place for gorilla trekking. Permits can be acquired from the Uganda wildlife authority.

What is the best time for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park?

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park can be done throughout the year however you will enjoy the best trekking gorillas’ safari experiences in Mgahinga in dry months of the year (January, February, June to September, and December. These months receive less rainfall which makes the gorilla trekking experience. Because of the tropical rain forests expect the climate to change anytime.

 Even if it rains, it won’t last for the whole day as it can rain in the morning and the sun starts after like 2 hours and this makes gorilla trekking to be carried out anytime, any day and any months of the year. The rainy season still is good in that it makes the whole of nature green, increases food availability making the visibility of gorillas so easy. Gorilla permits are sold quickly during the dry months of the year and therefore you need to book your gorilla trekking permit in advance.

How to get to Mgahinga National Park for Gorilla trekking

Visitors can access Mgahinga gorilla National Park by using Kigali international airport in Rwanda and from here it takes about 4 hours to reach the park via the Cyanika border. From Kigali international airport, you will be picked by the driver guide and drive to the Cyanika border and cross Kisoro district in southwestern Uganda where Mgahinga National Park is located. The park can as well be accessed from Uganda international airport or the Kajjansi airfield. By road here, you can drive to the southwestern direction for about 9 hours to access the park or use domestic charter available at Kajjansi airfield to fly you to Kisoro airstrip which takes two hours. Aerolink Uganda limited and other further companies that do take chartered flights are available daily at Kajjansi /Entebbe international airport.  You can as well visit other national parks as you visit Mgahinga national park for your gorilla trekking safaris.

Where to stay in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

There are numerous accommodation facilities around Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where you have a comfortable stay as you visit Mgahinga gorilla national park for gorilla trekking. Most of the perfect lodges are found at the edge of the forest and give clear views of the forests and stunning views of the Virungas volcanoes. The accommodation facilities range from camps to high-end /upmarket luxurious accommodation facilities. The most common lodges where you can stay include Lake Muhele Lodge, Gahinga Lodge, and Lake Chahafi lodge among others.

You can as well stay in Kisoro town which is about 25 to 30 minutes’ drive to Mgahinga gorilla Park Headquarters. Visitors can as well stay in accommodation facilities in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. At Africa adventure vacations, we offer amazing safari experiences to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and the rest of the parks in Uganda in the whole east African region. Trusts us for the most wonderful Africa adventures.