Enjoy gorilla trekking experiences in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park a Uganda’s smallest but scenic national park. The park is found in Kisoro district in the South-western corner of Uganda bordering Congo and Rwanda. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is known as one of the only four places in the world where gorilla trekking tours can be done.

The scenery in and around the park is stunning with three extinct volcanoes Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Muhabura and Mount Gahinga all having their slopes in the park. The forests provide shelter and sufficient food for the mountain gorillas and other park animals.

Although the park is located in Uganda, it is much easier to access it from Rwanda in a journey that takes about three hours from Kigali through the border Cyanika.  The park can also be reached by air and road from Kampala. The road journey from Kampala takes about 8 hours while using a chartered plane from Entebbe takes only one hour.

Only one gorilla group is habituated and open to tourists – the Nyakagezi family. The group used to move to Rwanda and Congo but have now settled in Uganda for more than three years. Gorilla safaris to Mgahinga are great because the park attracts fewer crowds. Having one habituated gorilla group means only 8 gorilla permits can be sold in a day. Visitors are advised to book their permits weeks in advance.

The best time to visit gorillas in Mgahinga is during the dry seasons of December to February and June to October. During the dry season the forest paths are not overgrown with vegetation and are less muddy.

Tracking gorillas in Mgahinga begins with early morning briefing at the only park entrance – the Ntebeko gate. Tourists are briefed about rules and regulations for gorilla tracking. The average length of gorilla tracking in Mgahinga is less than at Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park because the Nyakagezi family lives and feeds in a smaller range which is easier to find.

If they move towards one of the three volcanoes found in the park, navigating through the mountain slopes can become tiring. If you are unfit, you might go for gorilla trekking for elders.  You will be allowed only one hour with the gorilla family. Use the one hour to take photos and observe the group dynamics.

Mgahinga is not just about gorilla tours, the park has a large population of the endangered golden monkeys, Colobus monkeys, other primates, leopard, porcupines, buffalo, tortoise, bush buck, golden cats, bush hogs. The Batwa pygmies still live in this forest and a visiting them is worthwhile.