Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Exploring Mgahinga Gorilla National Park with Jumanji Africa Safaris allows you to experience a variety of different safari activities to make your trip even more memorable. Below are the various activities that you can take part in when you visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mgahinga’s main attraction is tracking mountain gorillas (only 1 family). Other activities include golden monkey tracking, bird watching at the amazing Sabyinyo Gorge, Batwa cultural trail and Garama Cave, forest walks and a day’s hiking experience to the peaks of Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo volcanic mountains.

Mgahinga has a total of 180 recorded species of birds which include the Rwenzori turaco among others. It also has 76 recorded mammal species which include black-and-white colobus monkeys, leopard, forest elephant, giant forest hog, bushpig, forest buffalo, bats, bushbuck and other species of rodents.

The Nyakagezi family is the only one available for tracking in Mgahinga and the family moves between the eastern and western gate. It has 4 silverbacks makes it quite impressive to track gorillas in Mgahinga but it’s believed this family will split up though currently it has remained intact under the current dominant male Mark.

The Nyakagezi had a reputation for unreliability for tracking because the family spent most of its time between 2004 – 2012 in the neighboring Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. However, the family has stayed on the Ugandan side since 2012 November. If the gorillas move to Rwanda the authorities will rearrange another tracking session in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Mgahinga is a true reward for hikers with 3 choices of mountains that is Sabinyo (3643m), Gahinga (3474m) and Muhavura (4127m). Hikes to each of the mountains will take between 7 to 9 hours and a reasonable level of fitness is required as well as hiking boots, raincoat, warm clothing, hiking stick are recommended.

The hike of Sabinyo is the most popular and demanding round trip of 8 hours through the regenerating forest home to the bush buck and forest buffalo before entering the beautiful bamboo forest where you might be lucky to see the rare golden monkey. The final hike involves summiting 3 peaks linked by high altitude saddles. The final peak is quite spectacular and not for the faint hearted since it involves a very long vertical climb on a wooden ladder.  When you reach the peak, you are in Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC at the same time.

Mgahinga is home to a habituated family of 70 golden monkeys which are allowed to be tracked. A census in 2003 estimated a population of 3000 – 4000 individuals in Mgahinga. Tracking golden monkeys operates much like Gorilla trekking, the trackers leave at 8 – 9am and hike through the regenerating forest to the beginning of the bamboo forest. The guides will easily locate the golden monkeys as they are familiar with the movements of the family. Tracking takes approximately 3 hours with 1-hour allowed with the golden monkeys.

The trail provides an authentic experience of typical forest culture. The event involves a hike along the lower slopes of the Mgahinga to the Garama Cave. The Batwa guides demonstrate a range of forest surviving skills such as making fire by rubbing dry sticks against a stone, target practice with a bow and arrow and food gathering. The event ends with powerful and memorable traditional songs and dances by the Batwa people. Proceeds are shared between the park authorities and the Batwa people to improve their livelihood. The trail takes about 3 hours, starting at 8 – 9am.