Mgahinga national park is located in the south western part of Uganda and it is among the destinations in Uganda where you can take part in primates tour. The national park feature 3 volcanoes and Mgahinga national park is also home to gorillas and also golden monkeys which can be seen during a tour around Uganda. The national park is named after Gahinga which is a word for piles of volcanic stones.
Mgahinga national park is part of the Virunga conservation area which also includes Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Virunga national park in Congo. The three volcanoes of the Virunga mountains include Mount Sabinyo, Mount Bisoke and Mount Gahinga.
Established in 1991, Mgahinga national park in Kisoro district is at an elevation of about 2227 meters and 4127 meters above sea level. The park used to be a game reserve and it was gazette by the British around the 1930 to 1950.
The lowlands and foothills of the reserve were later turned into a crop garden. Following deforestation and other practices carried out around the area, rangers replanted trees in the area and also started campaigns to restore the national park. The national park was later restored around 1991.
After the restoration of Mgahinga national park, many visitors started going to the destination to take part in gorilla trekking and it became a famous tourism destination in Uganda. Today many tourists visit the destination to take part in various activities and also see the different attractions around Mgahinga national park.
The rare mountain gorillas during a tour around Mgahinga national park can be seen around the dense forests which are also habitat for the golden monkeys found at the destination. Many bird species can also be seen around the forests.
There are also bamboo forests in the park, Albertine rift montane forests, Virunga montane moorlands, heath and also the alpine zone in the higher altitudes. When visiting Mgahinga national park, you can also see gorillas and golden monkeys.
Apart from the gorillas and golden monkeys, Mgahinga national park is also home to numerous bird species such as the Rwenzori turaco, Rwenzori batis, collared apalis, stripe breasted tit, blue head sunbird, grauer’s swamp warbler among others.
Activities which are carried out around Mgahinga national park include gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, hiking, nature walks and also cultural tours. These activities can be done during different months of the year during Uganda Safaris Tours.
Park entrance fees for Mgahinga national park
When visiting Mgahinga national park, park entrance fee of 40 USD is charged for nonresident adults and nonresident children are charged entrance fee of 20 USD. Foreign residents visiting the park are charged entrance fee of 30 USD for adults and children pay park entrance fee of 10 USD. East Africans visiting the national park are charged entrance fee of 20,000 UGX for adults while children are charged a fee of 5,000 UGX.
Different activities carried out around Mgahinga national park are also charged as follows;
For guided nature walks around Mgahinga national park, a fee of 30 USD is charged for nonresidents, 15 USD for foreign residents and 10,000 UGX for East Africans. Guided shirt walks for children visiting the national park costs 10 USD for nonresidents, 10 USD for foreign residents and 10,000 UGX for East Africans.
The gorge walk in Mgahinga national park is charged a fee of 30 USD for nonresidents, 15 USD for foreign residents and 15,000 UGX for East Africans.
Another activity which is done in Mgahinga national park during tours is gorilla tracking and a permit for tracking gorillas in Mgahinga park costs 700 USD for nonresidents, 600 USD for foreign residents and 250,000 UGX for East Africans. These rates are inclusive of guide fee, park entrance fee for the day of the activity and also community development fee.
For golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga national park in Uganda, a fee of 60 USD is charged for nonresidents, 50 USD for foreign residents and 40,000 UGX for East Africans. These fees exclude park entrance fee for Mgahinga national park.
You can also take part in golden monkey habituation experience when visiting Mgahinga national park and this activity costs 100 USD for nonresidents, 80 USD for foreign residents and 100,000 UGX for East Africans.
When visiting Mgahinga national park in Uganda, another activity to take part in is volcano climbing. This activity is charged 80 USD for nonresidents, 70 USD for foreign residents and 50,000 UGX for East Africans. The Mgahinga platform view costs 10 USD for nonresidents, 10 USD for foreign residents and 10,000 UGX for East Africans.
You can also take part in the Batwa trail experience when visiting Mgahinga national park and this experience costs 80 USD for nonresidents, 70 USD for foreign residents and 50,000 UGX for East Africans.
Best time to visit Mgahinga national park
When visiting Mgahinga national park, the best time for a tour is the dry season from June, July, August, September and also October. The months of December and January are also good for tours to the national park. The dry season is also a high season with many tourists visiting Uganda while on Uganda Safaris tours.
There are two rainy seasons experienced in Mgahinga national park and the rains are received from February to May and also around November. the time when rains are received in Mgahinga national park is also considered a low season when few tourists take part in safaris.
How to go to Mgahinga national park
Mgahinga national park is located in Kisoro district and is about 8 to 10 hours’ drive from Kampala.
Another way to access Mgahinga national park is by taking a flight to Kisoro airstrip and then proceeding to the destination.
Part from Mgahinga national park, there are many other national parks which you can go to when visiting Uganda such as Bwindi national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park, Kibale national park, Lake Mburo national park, Kidepo valley national park, Semliki national park among others.
Visit Uganda today and explore many destinations throughout the year including Mgahinga national park.
