Mgahinga Gorilla National Park size is 33.7 square kilometers established in 1991 located in southwestern Uganda on the borders of Congo and Rwanda in the Kisoro district. By road, there are 482 km from Kampala to Kabale to Kisoro in about 9-10 hours, and by air transport, the park can be accessed from Entebbe Airport to Kisoro Airfield.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park ANIMALS
The park has 76 mammals: Golden monkeys, mountain gorillas, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, forest buffalos, bush bucks, golden cats, black-fronted duikers, South African porcupines, side-striped jackals
Birds: herons, grey-crowned cranes, red-chested sunbirds, Levaillant’s cuckoo, egrets, weaver birds, slender-billed baglafech and flycatchers, African paradise flycatchers, Cape robin-chats, and speckled mousebirds.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park AREAS OF INTEREST
Virunga volcanoes: these comprise Mount Muhavura, which is a Rufimbira word meaning a small pile of stones and is 4127 m and lies within the western arm of the East African Rift Valley; Mount Gahinga, which is a dormant volcano and lies between Uganda and Rwanda at 3474 m; and Mount Sabyinyo, which has three peaks found in the northeast of Lake Kivu in Rwanda and west of Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda at 3645 m.
Ntebeko Visitors Center: This is a starting point for the nature walks, volcano hiking, and tracking of the gorillas and the golden monkeys. This is where trails are being identified and briefed to the visitor, like the Batwa Trail, which is the shortest (4km) and can lead to the base of Muhavura Mountain.
Caves: Some mountains in the park contain caves formed by the lava tubes, like Garama Cave in the park headquarters, and this place belongs to the Batwa people, who used it as shelter and to store looted treasures during the battles.
OUTSIDE THE PARK
Lake Bunyonyi: the lake is gifted with 29 small islands and surrounded by the green, steep terrain of hills. This is one of Africa’s deepest lakes, with a depth varyingen 44 m (144 ft)d 900 m (2952 ft), which attracts many migratory birds and water birds like egrets, slender-billed baglafech, and sunbirds, and it is the only lake that is crocodile and hippopotamus free.
ACTIVITIES.
Mountain climbing: The park has three volcanoes, Mount Muhavura, Sabyinyo, and Gahinga, and the tourists choose from those mountains for their climbing or can decide to climb all of them.
Gorilla trekking: the gorillas move around the park searching for food as the tourists come along and find them in their search.
Cultural encounters: In the park there is the Batwa community that depends on the forest for hunting, shelter, food, and medicine for survival and way of living.
Birding: This mostly takes place in the gorge between Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabinyo through the bamboo forest, where you find birds like the Ruwenzori turaco, ibis, and speckled mouse firefinch.
Hiking and nature walks: The tourists follow the trails in the mountains as they hike, whereas they do the walk in the forest of the park.
Garama Cave exploration: This lies between the plateau of the northern edge of the park and was used by the Batwa people as a council chamber and retreat.
ACCOMMODATION
Mount Gahinga Rest Camp. The location is on the edge of the park next to its headquarters. The camp has 9 grass-thatched bandas and 3 tents with private facilities. They can be accessed by road from Kampala to the lodge through Kabale and Kisoro, with 510km as the distance.
Kisoro Traveler’s Rest Hotel. This is outside 14km away from the park and mid-range hotel, which was established in 1955. The hotel consists of 11 rooms, 12 en-suite rooms restaurant, and a bar.
Virunga Hotel. This is a mid-range accommodation facility within the park in Kisoro district on Mutanda Road. They have facilities like a restaurant that serves breakfast in the rooms, lunch, and dinner; a bar; and 23 rooms that are fully equipped and graded depending on prices, such as twin rooms, standard rooms, executive rooms, suites, and family rooms.
Mount Gahinga Lodge. This is a luxury lodge found outside the park whose buildings are stone, wood, and thatch. The lodge was established in 1997 and has 9 bandas (2 deluxe), cottages (twin beds), a restaurant, a bar, community projects, and the Gahinga Batwa village.