Mountain Gorilla Trekking

Mountain gorilla trekking experiences in Mgahinga gorilla park are very exclusive given the park has only one habituated gorilla family. The park is covered in a light bamboo forest giving one great chance for spotting the mountain gorillas and Photography.

Just like in Bwindi impenetrable National Park, the gorilla trekking adventure starts with a briefing at the park headquarters. Here you are told about the gorilla trekking rules and regulations for one’s safety while in the park. The trek takes 2 to 4 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas.

Given that Mgahinga Gorilla Park has a variety of wildlife, gorilla trekking adventures here will reward you with other wildlife viewing, especially birds. By the end of the gorilla trek, one would have at least spotted a number of other wildlife species in the park.

Golden Monkey Trekking

Enjoy golden monkey trekking adventures in Mgahinga gorilla park where gold meets silver. The park is Among the only 3 major national parks in the region that are home to golden monkeys. Just like their names, golden monkeys are covered with golden fur. They also live in families or groups ranging up to 20 or 30 individuals.

Golden Monkeys also prefer the forest mountains and are often restricted near the bamboo forests. The golden monkey’s diet mainly consists of bamboo shoots, leaves, and fruits and occasionally eats some small insects.

They are very social primates and offer unforgettable primate trekking adventures.

Birding

Mgahinga Gorilla Park having over 180 bird species makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. 14 species of the 180 bird species here are endemic to the Albertine Rift. There are also a number of migratory birds that are spotted in the park especially from November to April.

Some of the commonly seen birds here include the Black Kite, Speckled Mousebird, and African Paradise Flycatcher among others. Other Notable birds in the park include the Alpine Swift, Rwenzori Turaco, Kivu Ground thrush, olive woodpecker, and African Olive pigeons to mention but a few.

The best birding safaris in Mgahinga National Park can be enjoyed from April to May and from October to November. With the migratory birds visiting at the moment, it increases more chances for bird viewing.

Cultural Experiences

For one of the most authentic cultural experiences in Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla Park got you covered. The park is adjacent to the Batwa pygmy communities which were initial forest dwellers. The Batwa entirely depended on the forest for survival by hunting some mammals and gathering wild fruits.

This however continuously threatened the wildlife in the forest, especially mountain gorillas. In order to foster wildlife conservation, the Batwa were relocated to the edge of the forest where they now live. Their lives were greatly affected by this as they now had to adapt to farming like other indigenous communities around (Bakiga and Bafumbira)

A visit to one of the Batwa homesteads is very humbling, giving you a glimpse into their ways of life. They also organised a Batwa trail experience where they led cultural trips back to the forest demonstrating their hunting and gathering skills.

The Batwa Trail experience is very iconic as the hike leads you to the Garama cave and to the sacred places of the Batwa. They also perform some folk dances and dances for entertainment.