Best attractions to see in Mgahinga national park : There are different attractions to see in Mgahinga national park during tours in the south western part of Uganda.
Attractions found in Mgahinga national park include the following;
- Mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park are part of the main attractions which can be seen during tours around the destination.
The gorillas can be seen during gorilla trekking experiences carried out in Mgahinga national park during which tourists visit the natural habitat of the gorillas and spend time with them and observing their behavior.
The habituated gorillas in Mgahinga national park are part of the Nyakagezi gorilla family which is the only habituated gorilla group at the destination. During the gorilla trekking experience, tourists move with their assigned ranger guides as they search for the gorillas in the forest. The gorilla group sometimes crosses to Rwanda.
The Nyakagezi gorilla family is made up of 9 individuals including silverbacks (Mark, Mafia, Rukundo, Ndugutse, Bugingo). There are also2 female adults and 3 young gorillas and the group is led by the silverback called Mark. Tourists during their gorilla trek in Mgahinga national park do not find it very strenuous due to the limited range around which the gorillas move in the forests.
The search for the mountain gorillas in the national park involves a steep hike and following different trails around the forests of Mgahinga national park. Tourists get to spend 1 hour in the presence of the gorillas upon finding them in the forests.
Depending on the location of the gorilla family in the forest of Mgahinga national park, the search for the gorillas can take between 3 to 6 hours. In the presence of the mountain gorillas, tourists get to spend 1 hour and watch the behavior of the gorillas.
This experience is very rewarding as tourists can also enjoy a close encounter with the gorillas and also view the Virunga mountains and encounter other primates and see different bird species in the forest.
- Golden monkeys
During tours in Mgahinga national park, tourists can also encounter the rare golden monkeys in their natural habitat.
The golden monkeys lie in groups and are habituated to the presence of humans in their natural habitat. Tourists get to spend time with the golden monkeys and watch them closely which takes a period of between 3 to 4 hours of engaging in the golden monkey trekking experience.
However, the golden monkey habituation experience is also available for more close encounters with the golden monkeys in their natural habitat in Mgahinga national park. There are over 60 individuals of golden monkeys found at the destination.
Other wildlife species which can be seen during tours in Mgahinga national park include forest elephants, forest buffalos, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, bushbucks, golden cats, side striped jackals, black fronted duikers, porcupines among others.
Virunga mountains
When visiting Mgahinga national park, three of the Virunga mountains can be seen at the destination and they include Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura and Mount Sabyinyo.
There are 6 vegetation zones found in Mgahinga national park and they include shrubs and grassland at the lower slopes where some wildlife species can be seen. Montane forest is another vegetation zone which is at an altitude of 3200 meters consisting of moss and also lichen.
The bamboo forest at an altitude of 1800 meters to 3200 meters can be seen in the area between Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga. At this altitude, golden monkeys and the mountain gorillas can be seen during tours around Mgahinga national park.
There is also a sub alpine zone in Mgahinga national park which consists of moorland zone and the Afro montane zone where the giant lobelia and giant senecio species can be seen. Various animal species and butterflies can also be seen in this zone.
Climbing the Virunga mountains costs 80 USD per person for foreign nonresidents, 70 USD for foreign residents and 50,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens visiting Mgahinga national park.
- Mount Gahinga
Mount Gahinga is at an altitude of 3474 meters and is the smallest of the Virunga volcanoes found in Mgahinga national park.
Gahinga means small pile of stones in the language of the Bafumbira who live in the areas around Kisoro. Around the bamboo forests of Mount Gahinga, tourists can encounter mountain gorillas as well as black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys among others during their tours.
Hiking is among the activities done on Mount Gahinga and this activity takes about 6 to 8 hours to hike to the summit of the mountain and back to the starting point.
- Mount Muhabura
Mount Muhabura is the highest of the Virunga mountains found in Mgahinga national park and it is at an altitude of 4127 meters.
It takes about 5 to 7 hours to climb to the summit of Mount Muhabura which is also referred to as Mount Muhavura. At the top of the mountain, hikers can see a crater lake and also enjoy views of the surrounding area and the Virunga mountains nearby.
Wildlife species can also be encountered during hikes on Mount Muhabura which are led by a local guide.
- Mount Sabyinyo
Mount Sabyinyo is another Virunga mountain which is found in Mgahinga national park and it is at an altitude of 3669 meters.
The mountain has a jugged summit and is shared by Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. The hike takes about 6 to 9 hours to get from the Ntebeko park headquarters to the top of the mountain.
The trail covered during the hike on Mount Sabyinyo is about 15 kilometers and passes through bamboo forest and the sub alpine zone.
- Bird species
There are different bird species which can be seen during tours around Mgahinga national park which has over 180 bird species.
Some of the bird species found in Mgahinga national park include African Olive Pigeon, Alpine Swift, Archer’s Robinchat, Blue-headed Coucal, Dusky Crimsonwing, Kivu Ground Thrush, Olive Woodpecker, Rwenzori Batis, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Nightjar among others.
