Hiking Tours in Mgahinga National Park
If you are thinking of hiking the Virunga ranges, Mgahinga National Park is one of the destinations to think about in Uganda. Mgahinga National Park is located in southwestern Uganda in the Kisoro district. The park was gazette in 1991. It is one of Uganda’s smallest parks covering about 33.9 square kilometers. The main purpose of establishing the conservation was to protect the endangered gorilla species.
The park is at the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Virunga region. Mgahinga has bamboo vegetation, Albert Rift Valley montane forest, and the Moorlands. The park is home to quite several mountain gorillas with one habituated transboundary gorilla family, golden monkeys, and other small primates. The other wildlife in the park includes the forest elephants, leopards, giant forest hogs, Cape bushbuck, and many others.
The name of the park originates from the word “Gahinga” which means “pile of stones”. Mgahinga is a destination where you can find the three volcanic mountains that are to say Gahinga, Muhavura, and Sabyinyo. Hiking these mountains is so challenging and requires travelers to plan accordingly.
Hiking of Mountain Gahinga
Mountain Gahinga is a dormant volcano found in the Virunga region within the park. The eruption of the mountain is not determined and it is the smallest mountain in the park. Mount Gahinga originates its name from a local word Gahinga which means a pile of stones. The mountain is found on the border of Uganda and Rwanda. The mountain is elevated at 3474 meters above sea level and also with a swampy caldera. Mount Gahinga hiking starts with the briefing at the park headquarters. During the briefing, you will be highlighted the dos and don’ts while hiking. The hike will take about 6 hours of the day to ascend and descend back. During the hike, you will be accompanied by the ranger guides and some porters if you require them. This hike to this mountain isn’t such challenging but it also requires the travelers to be fit.
Mountain Muhavura
Mount Muhavura is also found on the Uganda-Rwanda border with the highest elevation of about 4174 meters above sea level. The hike to the mountain is challenging. Mount Muhabura traces its name from the word “habura” which means “guide” in Kinyarwanda and Rufumbira languages. The mountain has an elevated peak and it erupted some years ago currently, it is a dormant volcano and it has taken years minus erupting. The Mountain hike takes about 7 hours to ascend and descend. You will be escorted by the Ranger guide and porters will guide you through the mountain up to the peak. Mount Muhabura can be accessed from either Rwanda or Uganda and the travelers are recommended to plan accordingly.
Hiking Mountain Sabyinyo
The park originates its name from the local Rufumbira word Sabyinyo which means the “teeth of an old man”. The mountain can be accessed through the Ntebeko gate of the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The mountain is also a dormant volcano with an elevation of about 3699. This is one of the most challenging mountains in the park where hiking takes about 6 to 9 hours of the day and it is recommended to be healthy and fit enough to hike the mountain. So travelers in Uganda are supposed to prepare in advance to hike this mountain since it involves steep and slippery trails. During the hike, you will notice a change in the vegetation cover like the moorlands, bombs, and the subalpine zones of the area. The mountain has three a point which are shared by three countries that is Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda in the Virunga ranges.
What to pack for hiking tours in Mgahinga National Park?
Hiking tours of the Mgahinga National Park for travelers on a Uganda safari require one to plan accordingly and the requirements include;
- Hiking boots for travelers since the mountains have challenging trails
- Packed meals since the hikes usually take long hours of the day
- Water bottles to keep you hydrated.
- Waterproof clothing since the weather changes at any time
- Cameras, binoculars, and many others to capture the moments of the Hike
What to see in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
While in the Mgahinga National Park, some other attractions can be seen during the hike and these include;
Primates
The park is home to several primate species and the most famous primates in the park include the mountain gorillas and the golden monkeys. The mountain gorillas in the park are several in number but there is one habituated transboundary family and also other unhabituated gorillas. The other are the golden monkeys which usually reside in the bamboo areas of the park. All these primates can be seen through the golden monkey trekking and gorilla trekking and the travelers are required to book in time to ensure the availability of the permits to see these primates.
Bird species
The park is home to over 180 bird species including the 14 Albertine endemic species. While on a birding safari in the Mgahinga National Park, there are several species they see including; Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori batis, Kivu ground thrush, black-collared Apalis, and many others.
How to access Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for hiking tours?
By road: The park can be accessed by road transport from either Kampala or Kigali. From Kampala, the park is about 500 kilometers away from Kampala where the airport is located. The traveler takes about 9 to 10 hours of the day to arrive in the park. When the traveler is in Kigali city, will take about 4 hours covering a distance of about 133 kilometers.
By air: While using air transport from Kigali, the travelers use scheduled flights from the Kigali International Airport to the Kisoro airstrip. When you are using air transport from Kampala, you have a scheduled flight from either Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to the Kisoro Airstrip. The traveler will have a 40-minute drive to the park.
