Mgahinga

Located at the corner border with Rwanda in the southwestern part of Uganda, Mgahinga National Park sits on 33 square kilometres and is therefore known as Uganda’s smallest game park. The park encompasses three inactive volcanoes: Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabyinyo and is named after the local term ‘Gahinga’ which means piles of volcanic stones.

While it might not boast of size, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park can boast of vast and diverse species of flora and fauna. The park is home to over 76 mammal species including elephants, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, bush back, buffalos, and leopards, The main attraction of the park, however, is the mountain gorilla, a rare endangered species of primates that can only be found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga. These beautiful and intelligent primates roam the Virunga region freely and contributed majorly to the gazetting of this region as a park to protect them. In addition to this, the park is home to another endangered primate, the Golden Monkey.

The park is also home to over 180 bird species including The Dusky Turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater, Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrush and Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, White Starred Robin, Greater Double collard Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Shelly’s Dusky Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Olive Pigeon, and Black-headed waxbill, Western Green Tinkerbird, Malachite Sunbird, Cape Robin, White-starred Robin, Brown Woodland Warbler, Striped breasted Tit, Malachite and Scarlet-tufted Sunbirds. The numerous bird species make Mgahinga a bird watchers’ haven.

Popular activities in the park are primate trekking (mountain gorilla golden monkey) and bird watching but tourists can participate in hiking the three dormant volcanoes for the epic mountainous scenery, guided nature walks and the Batwa Pygmy tribe trail experience. Here tourists interact with the native Batwa community, a tribe of hunters and gatherers.