uganda

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda

Quick Facts

Best Time to Visit: June–September and December–February (drier trekking conditions)
Country: uganda

Highlights

Mountain gorilla trekking in the Virunga volcanoes
Golden monkey tracking, found only in this region
Hiking three extinct volcanoes: Muhabura, Gahinga, Sabyinyo
Batwa Trail cultural experience
Part of the trans-boundary Virunga ecosystem

Wildlife

Mountain gorillasGolden monkeysBuffalo and bushbuckForest elephant (rare)115+ bird species, including Rwenzori turaco

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park, set in the far southwest where Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet in the Virunga volcanoes.

Gorillas and golden monkeys

Mgahinga is home to a habituated mountain gorilla family and is one of the few places in the world to track the rare and playful golden monkey. It forms part of the same trans-boundary Virunga ecosystem as Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Volcanoes and culture

The park is dominated by three extinct volcanoes, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo, each offering a strenuous but rewarding day hike. The Batwa Trail, led by members of the Indigenous Batwa community, shares their history as the forest’s original inhabitants.

Getting there

Mgahinga is reached via the town of Kisoro, around nine to ten hours by road from Kampala, or a short drive across the border from Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.