What is the cost of seeing gorillas in Mgahinga national park? This is one of the frequently asked questions by different travelers / visitors wishing to see mountain gorillas in Uganda specifically in Mgahinga National Park. Seeing endangered mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park is one of the amazing activities that you will ever have on your safaris and visitors to Uganda should not miss this great opportunity to see gorillas. Mgahinga national park is situated in the southwestern part of Uganda in the district of Kisoro in east Africa.  Mgahinga national park is part of the volcanic mountain bock of Congo. Uganda and Rwanda and this block are known for their endangered mountain gorillas.

The park is one of the smallest in all the ten national parks in Uganda but is so diversify with biodiversity species and it borders Virunga national park in Congo, Bwindi Forest national park in Uganda, and Volcanoes national park situated in Rwanda. Mgahinga gorilla national park features 3 volcanic mountains which include, Sabinyo, Gahinga, and Muhavura which are part of the 6 volcanoes that make the Virunga Mountains. Mgahinga National Park is home to endangered mountain gorillas and the unique golden monkeys. For every tourist to be allowed to see gorillas in Mgahinga National Park, he/she must possess a valid gorilla trekking permit as it is the same for gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga National Park.

Gorilla trekking involves travelers traversing via the dense tropic rain forests Mgahinga looking for endangered mountain gorillas and once found they spend one with them learning their feeding habits, copulation, and their entire way of life of these creatures. In Mgahinga National Park, gorilla trekking activity takes place on daily basis, and visitors as long as they have a gorilla trekking activity. The activity involves visitors moving deep into the forest to search for the habituated mountain gorilla family. It is only one gorilla family in Mgahinga National park that is fully habituated available for gorilla trekking. After seeing the trekked gorilla family, you will spend only one-hour taking photos and ask anything you want to know about gorillas. Gorilla families in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park shrive in the tropical rain forests that comprise low land forests, mountain bamboo, montane rain forests, and evergreen equatorial rain forests. The park is one of the few national parks that is known for its tourism development and tourist activities especially the gorilla tourism activities.

What is the cost of Gorilla Permits in Mgahinga National Park?

Africa Adventure Vacations organizes inclusive tour packages to Mgahinga National park at open price/cost.  The first prices and the costs you have to incur are the cost of a gorilla trekking permit and then other costs that include accommodation, transportation, and other personal costs that you may incur on your trip. Our safari packages start from Kampala to Mgahinga National park and for more information about your travel and the associated costs contact us on our website for the details.

In Uganda, a gorilla trekking permit is proved and issued by the Uganda wildlife authority and enables the permit owner to trek and spent only one hour seeing the habituated mountain gorilla family in Mgahinga National park. Gorilla permits include one 1-hour of seeing the gorillas, taking the photos with gorillas, the fees and cost of the ranger guides, security while in the forest, and a certificate after you have successfully trekked the gorillas. The price for a mountain gorilla trekking permit in Mgahinga National park and is at United States Dollars 700 for foreign non-residents, then United states Dollars  600 for foreign residents residing in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Rwanda. While for the East African Citizens they will be reacquired to pay Uganda shillings 250,000 for East African citizens of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Southern Sudan. If you are a foreign non-resident you must prove this by showing off your copies of the national Identity card and a valid working permit. At Africa Adventure Vacations we make sure that we book for you all the services that you require for your expedition in Mgahinga National park.

The costs of accommodation facilities in Mgahinga National Park

There are different accommodating facilities around Mgahinga National Park and it upon you to choose the best accommodation where you would like to stay depending on your budget. The best option will enable you to stay at an accommodation facility that overlooks the Virunga mountain ranges. The accommodation facilities in Mgahinga range from budget up to luxury accommodation facilities. In Mgahinga National park, visitors can stay at Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge, Gahinga lodge, and Lake Chahafi resort.  Some visitors can decide to stay at various lodges and hotels in Kisoro and some can even stay at Bwindi lodges especially at Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge, gorilla forest camp, Trekkers tavern lodge, Bakiga lodge among others. You need to make you’re booking as early enough to ensure you get a better accommodation facility to stay at during your stay in Mgahinga gorilla National Park. One can choose which Lodge he or she can stay for gorilla trekking but lodges range from 70 dollars on the budget to $630 per night on luxury lodges. Because of limited accommodation facilities, travelers often stay in Kisoro since it is just a few kilometers about 45km to the Park.

The Cost of Transportation to Mgahinga National Park?

Visitors to Mgahinga National park will have to incur the transport costs to and from the park. Usually, when you have arrived in Uganda, the journey to the park starts with a road trip from Kampala to Mgahinga which is about 8 to 9 hours. This time you will be able to reach any sector of Mgahinga National Park. The road trip is long but so interesting filled with different and attractive stopovers at the equator, the go-to Mbarara and have lunch, make tours to the museum at Igongo cultural center for shopping as you view scenic landscapes and huge plantations farms and large herds of long-horned cattle.

Visitors can also drive from Kigali to Mgahinga National Park for about 4-5 hours and may as well make a stopover in Kabale or Kisoro town after crossing Katuna and Cyanika boarders respectively. Road transport, you can use both public and private means, the transportation costs will depend on the mode of transport you have used to get to Mgahinga National Park. For public transport, a drive from Kampala to Kisoro town will cost you around USD20 per person per seat, and from Kabale to Kisoro town around $8 then from Kigali to Kisoro the cost is approximately $10. Transport costs to Mgahinga national park cover the cost of the driver guide, the vehicle, and the Transportation fuel ranges from 150 United States dollars per day.  Our packages are done with all prices put in public and you can contact us in case you have any inquiries. For tourists who wish to use a flight, there are scheduled flights from Entebbe international airport/Kajjansi airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips and then transfer to Mgahinga National Park. Visitors can fly for approximately one 1hour and 30 minutes to get to Mgahinga National park.

When to visit Mgahinga National park for Gorilla trekking?

Mgahinga National Park is open and can be visited throughout the year because it features the good climatic conditions that Uganda as the country enjoys. most of the visitors visiting Mgahinga National Park prefer doing in in dry season especially in June, July, August and Mid-September because during this period, the gorilla trekking is much more comfortable and rains are few making the trails passable by the trekkers. During the dry season, the gorilla trekking permits in all sectors tend to sell out quickly and as the result, you might miss theism trip provided you have not booked your gorilla permit early enough in advance. The wet season in Mgahinga National Park is in March, April, May, November, and October and this tends to the season when fewer visitors visit the park. However, Lodge owners and tour operators tend to give discounts during this season.

Gorilla families in Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga gorilla family has got only one habituated gorillas family known as the Nyakagezi gorilla family and this means that only eight gorilla trekking permits are available to trek this group on daily basis. Only 8 people are allowed to trek Nyakagezi daily. The fact that the activity is quite interesting and so demanding, you need to book your permit early in advance as permits are sold on first come first serve procedure and thus you need to book for space in advance. Trust us at Africa adventure vacations with the process of booking and securing your permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority. Just send us the details of your planned dates of travel and we check for the availability and conform to you and once you pay then we shall book and secure your gorilla trekking permit until you come for this glorious experience.