The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which was established in 1991 and spans 34 km², is the smallest but not the least well-known national park in Uganda. The park is located in the Virunga Mountains in the southwest of Uganda, encircling the three dormant volcanoes of Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabinyo.
The park is located 55 kilometers west of Kabale town, the region’s major city, and 15 kilometers south of Kisoro town. Aside from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Golden Monkeys, the park is one of only two places in Uganda’s deep forest where you may do gorilla tracking (also known as mountain gorilla tracking). There are more than 80 gorillas in the park, but there is only one group known as Nyakagezi.
How to get there: You can drive yourself or use a tour operator or firm to enter the Bwindi Forest Impenetrable National Park. From Kampala/Entebbe international airport, it takes about 9–10 hours to drive (502 km) along the Masaka–mbarara–Kabale–Kisoro road.
Alternatively, it takes 1-2 hours to fly domestically from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro/Kihihi airfield utilizing Aerolink or bar aviation. There are various gates and sectors that provide entrance to the park.
How to locate golden monkeys and gorillas;
In order to hike gorillas in Mgahinga, you must acquire a gorilla permit, which is a card that the Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government agency in charge of tourism, issues to visitors granting them entry to the gorillas’ natural habitat. For gorilla trekking in Uganda‘s Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a gorilla permit can be utilized for a single day (24 hours).
Adult non-residents pay $800 for a gorilla permit, adult foreign residents pay $700, and adult Ugandans pay $300,000.
Trekking with gorillas is prohibited for children under the age of 18. Since it’s only a two-hour trip, you might as well stay in Rushaga Bwindi and track in Mgahinga National Park.
A golden monkey permit costs 60 dollars for non-foreign residents and 40 dollars for each person, 50 dollars for international residents and 30 dollars for each adult, and 40,000 ugx for each adult and 20,000 ug shillings for park access.
The global population of mountain gorillas is over 786 persons. Nearly half of Uganda’s population resides in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, while the remainder are spread across Mgahinga National Park.
The months of February, March, June, July, September, October, and December are the ideal times to visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to trek both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
When visiting Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, there are a lot of things to do.
The experience of gorilla trekking involves traversing the forest in pursuit of gorillas to catch a sight of these amazing animals dangling on tree branches.It takes two to three hours, depending on where the primates are. After they are located, guests can only spend an hour with the primates.Youngsters under the age of eighteen are not permitted to follow the primates. Gorilla habituation experience: Here, researchers and visitors spend the majority of their time imitating the behaviors of gorillas.
The golden monkey tracking experience has hikers searching for golden monkeys in their natural habitat. Unlike gorillas, golden monkeys reside in lower regions and swing on lower tree branches. Depending on how the monkeys walk, it takes three to four hours. Habituation of golden monkey.
Visitors are treated to a cultural experience that includes traditional Batwa dances, stories of the Batwa’s bush life, diet, and many other topics.
Bird viewing and birding in the forest because Mgahinga is home to a wide variety of bird species. You take in the sounds of nature walks, birdsong, and whispers.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers a variety of indoor and outdoor accomodation options, including mid-range, luxury, and budget options, to suit the preferences of visitors.
Travelers’ Rest Camp, Mucha Lodge, Ichumbi Hotel, Ntebeko Home Stay, Amajambele Iwacu Community Camp, and Golden Monkey Guest House are a some of the affordable lodging options in Mgahinga National Park.
Among the mid-range lodges are Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, Chahafi Resort, and Lake Mulehe Lodge.
Among the upscale lodges in Mgahinga National Park are Mount Gahinga Lodge and Lake Mutanda Resort.
Golden Monkey Trekking Guide — Rwanda and Uganda
The golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti) is one of Africa’s most striking and least-seen primates. With its brilliant golden-orange patch across its back and flanks contrasting with jet-black limbs, face, and tail, the golden monkey is unmistakable in the bamboo forests of the Virunga Mountains. The species is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of just 2,000–4,000 individuals surviving in the wild.
Golden monkey trekking is possible at two locations: Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. Both parks offer habituated groups that are accustomed to human presence, making close observation of their lively, acrobatic behaviour possible throughout the year.
Golden Monkey Trekking in Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park has two habituated golden monkey groups. Permits cost USD 100 per person and can be booked through the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) or a licensed tour operator. The trek typically takes 1–3 hours depending on where the monkeys are found. Golden monkeys move quickly through the bamboo, leaping between stems and feeding acrobatically — bring a camera with fast autofocus.
Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda is most often combined with gorilla trekking for a “primate double” — two extraordinary encounters in one trip. The bamboo forests where golden monkeys live are at lower altitude than the main gorilla trekking zones, offering a different forest experience on the same day or the next morning.
Golden Monkey Trekking in Uganda
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda’s Kigezi Highlands offers golden monkey trekking with a habituated group in the park’s bamboo zone. Permits cost USD 60 per person and are available through Uganda Wildlife Authority. Mgahinga also offers gorilla trekking and Sabyinyo volcano hiking, making it an excellent park for combining multiple activities in a compact area.
Recommended Tours: 4 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari | 3 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
