Mgahinga Gorilla National Park: Facts | Activities | Safaris & Tours

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits in southwestern Uganda at just 33.7 km; this makes it Uganda’s smallest national park. The park was established in 1930 by the British administration as a game sanctuary. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has an altitude between 2,227 m and 4127 m.

The park takes its name from a local word meaning a pile of stones, and this park covers the northern slopes of the three northernmost Virunga volcanoes; Mt. Muhavura (4,127 m), Mt. Gahinga (3,474 m), and Mt. Sabinyo (3,645 m). The park is just 10 km south of Kisoro, bordered by the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and to the west by Virunga National Park of Congo.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is partly dominated by the forested slopes of three extinct volcanoes, and from far away, the surrounding landscape is dominated by huge cones of Virunga volcanoes. The park has multiple viewpoints where you can get to see beautiful sites, the walking views are about 15 minutes from the park headquarters (Ntebeko).

The park is part of a large conservation area that spreads over three countries: Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda, and each country jealously protects its portion of the Virunga. These three parks all jointly form the larger Virunga Conservation Area, and Maghinga Park is in the Bujumbura sub-county.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park provides refuge for endangered mountain gorillas, as it is one of the few places to see mountain gorillas in the world. The number of mountain gorillas here is not as large as that in Bwindi and in Volcanoes or Virunga. Maghinga also hosts other mammal species as well as many mountain plants that move up or down the slopes as the climate becomes warm or cool.

There are a lot of things to see while in this park, from the endangered mountain gorillas to the endangered golden monkeys, three of the Virunga volcanoes and the unique flora and fauna in this place. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the only park where silver meets gold.  The gorillas are the most sought-after in this park, which is again the main reason why the park was established as a protected area.

The park is one of the most scenic since it lies on the northern slopes of Mt Muhabura, Maghinga and Sabinyo, the three create a beautiful and unique regional backdrop, and the ranges offer great scenery and opportunities for hiking travellers who visit this park. A hike to these volcanoes is an experience you should not miss out on any time you get to travel to this park. You will as well enjoy the different vegetation zones that correspond closely to the East African mountains.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also one of the best places to track the endangered golden monkeys; these primates are endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley. The golden monkeys are quickly identified since they have bright orange-gold body patches on their cheeks and tails, corresponding with their black limbs, crown, and tail. These primates are common in Rwanda’s Gishwanti forest reserve.

These endangered primates keep on thriving in this forested area along with fellow endangered mountain gorillas, but the golden monkey is a dominant primate within these restricted ranges. There are about 3,000–4,000 populations of these monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park available for tracking. The mammal species around include buffalos, forest elephants, and many more to see around the park.