Reviews of Mgahinga Gorilla (From 6 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

4 people found this review helpful.

Volcanoes in the Mist

Overall rating

4/5

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As indicated by its name, this small park is best known for the opportunity to track mountain gorillas. It protects the Uganda portion of the Virunga Mountains, on the border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and is home to the habituated Nyakagezi group, which is unusual insofar as it incorporates three silverbacks. For years, tracking in Mgahinga was a rather unreliable prospect, as the gorillas regularly crossed into Rwanda, sometimes for months on end. However, the Nyakagezi group last strayed outside Uganda way back in 2013, and now looks to have settled in Mgahinga on a permanent basis.

Gorillas aside, Mgahinga has a stirring setting on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains, a chain of six massive volcanoes, some still active, that rise to elevations of up to 4,507m. Activities on offer include (demanding) hikes to the volcanic peaks that fall within Uganda, as well as tracking expeditions in search of the golden monkey, a delightful Virunga endemic that feeds mainly on bamboo. Other wildlife includes elephant, leopard, buffalo and a full 17 bird species endemic to the Albertine Rift. In my experience, birding is best on the Sabyinyo Gorge trail, where we saw several localized species including Rwenzori turaco, white-starred robin and regal sunbird.

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Expert

Charlotte Beauvoisin –

UG

Visited: November

Charlotte lives in Uganda and is a writer, blogger, volunteer and promoter of birding, conservation and responsible tourism. She writes for Fodor’s, Horizon Guides and Bradt, and runs an award-winning blog.

3 people found this review helpful.

Pinch me, I’m on a Disney set!

Overall rating

5/5

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Dismissed by some because it only has one habituated gorilla family, the tiny Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has many other unique draws. Fact: it is the only Ugandan National Park where you can track through bamboo forest to see both gorillas and the delightful golden monkeys. Add a backdrop of dormant volcanoes plus the likelihood you will have the whole park to yourself, and Mgahinga ranks as one of my favourite protected areas. It’s so ridiculously beautiful, I wonder if I’ve woken up on a filmset.

I've lived and birded in Uganda for 15 years. On my last visit to Mgahinga, I saw five lifers within 30 minutes of entering the National Park (and I didn't even get as far as the birding hotspot of Sabinyo Gorge, a go-to location for Albertine Rift endemics).

If you're staying at the fabulous Mount Gahinga Lodge, a stone's throw from the park, you are ideally placed to interact with the Batwa community, the ancient forest-dwelling tribe who were evicted from the forests ostensibly to secure protection of the mountain gorillas. Conservationists owe this tribe an enormous debt. Listen to their stories; their culture is unlike anything you've ever encountered.

The park's shared border with Rwanda (and the DRC) makes it an easy addition to a Rwanda safari itinerary.

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Expert

Lizzie Williams –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

A Forested Primate Refuge High in the Clouds

Overall rating

4/5

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I love the approach to this park near the small characterful town of Kisoro as it’s always a thrilling journey on the stunning road from Kabale, which dips up and down with ever-better views of the Virunga Volcanoes. Three of these magnificent densely-clad peaks lie within Mgahinga – Mounts Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo, and they can all be climbed, but it is the mountain gorillas that are the highlight (as the name suggests). However, fewer people go trekking here than in Bwindi as there is only one habituated family of gorillas, and just eight permits are available daily. But even without gorillas, Mgahinga is an incredible vantage point to admire the soaring beauty of the Virungas, and the park also offers golden monkey tracking, challenging hikes, and fun and informative excursions with the local Batwa pygmy communities.

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Tim Bewer –

US

Visited: September

Tim is a travel writer who has covered 10 African countries for Lonely Planet's Africa, East Africa and West Africa guidebooks.

The Other Gorilla Park

Overall rating

4/5

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Like the more famous Bwindi, Uganda’s smallest national park (just 34 sq km) hosts habituated mountain gorillas. But here there is only one habituated group (as opposed to more than 20 in Bwindi), so Mgahinga is less often included on safari itineraries. If you do track gorillas here, it is usually easier than in Bwindi, but there are still long hills to climb. When I met the habituated group it was far up the mountain, but because we hung out in a small clearing the whole time rather than in thick forest, I got great photos. Another popular activity here is tracking beautiful and playful golden monkeys, which is quite fun. There are elephants, buffaloes, leopards and black-and-white colobus here too, but don’t expect to see them or much other wildlife except for birds. Many call Mgahinga Uganda’s most beautiful park. I assume these people haven’t seen Kidepo Valley, but the three extinct volcanoes certainly do make a stunning sight. They’re also great trekking destinations with difficult but fun climbs through the strange Afro-alpine moorland at the high elevations.

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Stephen Cunliffe –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.

Gorillas and Golden Monkeys

Overall rating

3/5

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Despite being Uganda’s only other haven for the endangered mountain gorilla, Mgahinga is far less visited than its illustrious neighbour Bwindi. Although the park is small, it can be an awesome spot for trekking to see primates. Unfortunately, Mgahinga is home to just one habituated gorilla group, which means that only eight gorilla trekking permits can be issued daily. Gorilla trekking aside, another option that I really like is taking a hike to track down the park’s other endangered primate: the rare golden monkey. Substantially smaller than the gorilla, these arboreal monkeys still give tourists a good run around and a great primate-viewing experience as they leap between tree branches and bound between the tall stands of bamboo on which they feed.

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Mark Eveleigh –

UK

Visited: August

Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for Condé Nast Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others.

A Unique Rainforest Volcano Reserve in a Golden Triangle Between Uganda, Rwanda and DRC

Overall rating

5/5

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Even without spotting gorillas, trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a highlight of any visit to Uganda. The feeling of trekking through this dense ‘gorillas in the mist’ rainforest with armed rangers as guides is incredible. On the plains and plantations at the foot of the volcanoes, we saw immense flocks of several hundred astoundingly beautiful crowned cranes (the national bird of Uganda).

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