Mgahinga Gorilla Park

Mgahinga gorilla park is an alternative to Bwindi Impenetrable park for gorilla trekking tours. It has abundant green vegetation which provides suitable habitats for the rare ape species. The Gorillas in Mgahinga live in families.

Size of Mgahinga Gorilla Park

This park is way smaller than the Bwindi Impenetrable park and it is
one of the smallest in Uganda.
It lies in the South Western part of Uganda in Bufumbira county
in Kisoro district. This park covers just 33.7 square kilometres, and it
borders Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. It is made up
of Mt. Muhabura which is 4127 meters high, Mt. Gahinga which
is 3474 meters high and the Mt. Sabinyo which is 3645 meters high.

The park was gazetted in 1991 with a main aim of protecting and
conserving the endangered mountain gorillas. It is home to over 76
mammal species and animals like Buffaloes, Leopards, Elephants,
Spotted hyenas, Giant Forest hogs, golden monkeys and over 184 bird
species.

Access to the Park

When you are driving from Kampala city and you are going to the
park, you pass via Masaka, Mbarara, Kisoro and it takes around 10
hours o reach the park when using road transport. However, you can
also access the park by air from Rwanda-Kigali and connect to
Cyanika and then drive from their to the park by road which is a 4 to
5 hour drive. Or when you are coming from Uganda you can book a
flight from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro
airstrip.

When to visit

The best time to visit the park is during the dry season and have a
great time with no interruptions from the rain.
The park has many attractions most especially the wildlife like the
porcupines, bush pigs, buffaloes, elephants, side striped jackals
among others.

Mountain Gorillas are also another attraction in the park where the
tourists can get a chance to see the Nyakagezi Gorilla family which
includes 10 members.
When you visit the park you can also enjoy hiking the three volcanic
mountains which include the Mt. Gahinga,, Mt. Sabinyo and Mt.
Gahinga. These mountains have great scenic views.