Can you trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park without a ranger guide?

A ranger guide must be with tourists before entering Mgahinga National Park for gorilla trekking. After briefing at Ntebeko visitor center, tourists are led by the ranger guide to start the search for the mountain gorillas. Nyakagezi gorilla family is currently the only gorilla trekking family living in Mgahinga National Park.

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Mgahinga National Park is the smallest Uganda National Park covering about 33.7 square kilometers of Land but despite its small size compared to other Uganda National Parks is home to the mountain gorillas. Three volcanoes that is mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura and Mountain Sabyinyo influence the topography of Mgahinga National Park.

Mgahinga forest is one of the few still virgin forests in Africa since it has been less significant in the past years, so it received fewer visitors.

If you want gorilla trekking in an untampered location, then Mgahinga forest is the destination. The lowest zone of Mgahinga forest is covered by grassland bush as it recovers from encroachment. The undisturbed vegetation starts from montane forest and Ericaceous zone with giant tree heathers.

Despite the small size of Mgahinga forest, getting lost in the dense jungle during gorilla trekking safari is possible if you are alone. This forest also hosts animals like leopards, forest elephants, cape buffaloes, bush pigs, vipers, and other animals that may be dangerous to you as a tourist without an escorting ranger guide.

The work of ranger guides is to protect the mountain gorillas, other forest inhabitants and tourists in their company. As a tourist, when you decide to walk in the forest alone without a ranger guide, you deprive them of their work. As ranger guides, they earn some extra as a token of appreciation from tips for the work well done. This is one way to encourage ranger guides to keep researching about the mountain gorillas.

Ranger guides have better knowledge about Mgahinga National Park, its best spots, are familiar with the some of the trails in this forest because they are regular visitors. This may not be the case with tourists trekking mountain gorillas in Mgahinga forest alone. There is no poor network in the wilderness in case you get lost during the gorilla trek. This may lead to having no means to communicate for help in case you need any.

How to book Mgahinga National Park Gorilla Permits?

Choose a date for your gorilla tour or state when you wish to start and end the gorilla safari in Mgahinga National Park. The least time you can be on gorilla tour in Mgahinga National Park is 3 days gorilla safari.

Find availability of Mgahinga gorilla permits from Uganda Wildlife Authority. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can help you book the gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga National Park when you enquire from us. State the number of gorilla permits you wish to book but note that maximum 8 gorilla permits are open to the public per day per family.

Our tours consultant check for the gorilla permit availability from the list per your dates of interest and gets back to you as soon as possible. 

Purchase your gorilla permits as soon as you can because their availability changes any time without warning. Mgahinga National Park gorilla permits are limited, so they sell out fast. During the peak season demand for gorilla permits is very high creating scarcity at the last minute. The peak Uganda tourism season is June, July August, September, December and January.

Since first come first served criteria is used to book gorilla permits in Uganda, you must purchase yours so as not to loose them. The only way to confirm a gorilla safari to Mgahinga National Park is by booking the gorilla permit.

Forward us your personal details like your full names as presented on the passport, nationality, date of birth and much more for identification purposes. These details are added to your gorilla permit card and retrieved on trekking day.

What Is The Cost Of Gorilla Permits For Mgahinga National Park?

The cost of the gorilla permits for Mgahinga National Park at the moment is $700 for foreign nonresidents, $600 for foreign residents and 250000 shs for East Africans until 30 June 2024. 

From 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026 the cost of gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga National Park will be $800 for international nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 for other African citizens and 300000shs for East Africans.

Inclusions in the cost of gorilla trekking permit for Uganda are park entrance fees, mountain gorilla conservation, security, one hour with the mountain gorillas, certificate and other personal expenses.

The Uganda gorilla permit cost does not cover transport, accommodation, snacks, drinking water and other personal expenses.

Can I purchase the gorilla permits for Mgahinga in Installments?

Uganda Wildlife Authority accepts gorilla permit instalments of 30% and 70% respectively. To qualify for installment gorilla permit purchase, you must have book the gorilla permit before 90 days to trekking day and top it up before 90 days to trekking date.

You stand to lose the deposit on the gorilla permit when you forget to top it up, and it is re-opened to the public without notifying you.

It is best to purchase your gorilla permit in full to avoid chances of forgetting to top up.

When Is The Best Time To Book Gorilla Safari To Mgahinga National Park?

Mgahinga National Park is open all year for gorilla trekking, but the dry season is most preferred. The dry season is normally June to September and December to January. The trails of Mgahinga forest are drier, and rivers flow in the normal course. More sunlight through the dense canopy is let in to the ground reducing on the amount of water that logs to cause slippery and soggy conditions.

During this season, Mountain gorillas are full of life plus other forest dwellers which makes it easier to trace them during the gorilla trek. Even other Mgahinga forest dwellers are more easier to trace like the black and white colobus, golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus and so many others. Keen birders in Mgahinga forest have an opportunity to a number of birds including Albertine rift endemics.

Because of the high demand for the limited number of gorilla permits in Mgahinga National Park, it is best to secure your permits in advance.

Low seasons that is March to May and November may attract less demand for gorilla permits for Mgahinga National Park but if you wish for exclusive time with these mountain gorilla without interference then this is the time. Chances to be with the mountain gorillas without interruption are more open in the low season without spending extra.

If you have a limited budget for the gorilla safari, you may also use the low season when opportunities to bargain for some discounts on safari amenities may be present. 

How Safe Is Gorilla Trekking In Mgahinga National Park?

Mgahinga National Park is safe for safaris as there is ranger guide security from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to protect the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers. These park rangers are well trained and experienced in wildlife care giving. 

Before tourists walk into the forest to search for the mountain gorillas, they are briefed by ranger guides on the dos and don'ts of gorilla tours. At least two ranger guides accompany them one holding a rifle and another a machete. These are protective weapons in case of an emergency. The ranger guides keep communicating to those on ground via radio call service just in case back up is required.

Around and within the Mgahinga National Park security are other Uganda security agencies that work with the ranger's guides to keep law and order in this forest.

As a tourist, you are cautioned to mind personal security by not walking alone in the forest to expose yourself to the danger of an attack from other forest dwellers. Provoking the mountain gorillas or any other forest dwellers is forbidden because you may cause a stampede in the forest.

Try to stay closer to fellow tourists during gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park so that you are not lost in the jungle. Although the ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker, you must not step away from the rest.

Is Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga National Park Tough?

Yes, Mgahinga National Park gorilla trekking is quite tough based on the nature of the topography of this forest. The Virunga area where Mgahinga forest is part was affected by volcanic action that led to the formation of several highlands covered in thick vegetation that has accumulated overtime. Three volcanoes that is mountain Gahinga, mountain Muhavura and mountain Sabyinyo influence Mgahinga forest terrain.

Since mountain gorillas are vegetarian, they sometimes hike to the slopes or in the deep valleys to feed, so you have to follow them. The walk to find the mountain gorillas is quite harsh and may cause muscle pulls to those unfit. The trails of Mgahinga forest are logged with water from the dense network of rivers and regular rains that fall.

 This creates a squelchy and boggy condition, which makes the search for the mountain gorillas quite hard. The way to find the mountain gorillas gets slippery from the decomposing matter.

What else to do in Mgahinga National Park?

Golden monkey safaris

Golden monkeys are a special species of monkeys that are some of the endangered in the world. The charming nature of these monkeys places them on the special list of endangered primates in the world. At the moment about 2000 to 4000 mountain gorillas are living in the world and in only Virunga area. The golden monkeys have golden brown hair on the lower body and a larger body structure compared to other monkeys.

You can do either golden monkey trekking which allows one hour with the fully habituated troop of golden monkeys or golden monkey habituation experience where four hours are allowed with semi-habituated community of golden monkeys.

To do the golden monkey safari in Uganda, you must purchase a golden monkey permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Excursion mountaineering in Mgahinga National Park

Participate in a guided excursion mountaineering adventure on one of the volcanoes in Mgahinga National Park, Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, and Mountain Sabyinyo. From an elevated point, you enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding vegetation and physical features. While on the summit of Mountain Sabyinyo you want a simultaneous view if the Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo border.

Birding in Mgahinga Forest

Although Mgahinga National Park bird list is still expanding as in the past the forest attracted less attention from birders, at the moment about 115 bird species are recorded as residents of this forest. Mgahinga forest hosts even Albertine rift endemics on the red list of IUCN.

During birding in Mgahinga forest, you may spot birds like Blue Headed Sunbird, Pink Footed puff back, Ladgen Bush Shrink, Handsome Francolin, Shelley's Crimsonwing and others.

Batwa trail and Garama Cave visit

A Batwa guide conducts this walk into the life of the former Mgahinga forest occupants who lost their ancestral home as mountain gorilla conservation took precedence in the 1990s. The ranger guide provides insight into their past life and culture. While in the forest, the Batwa used to collect forest freebies like honey, fruits, herbs and the forest was their sole provider.

The Garama cave which is located beneath the plateaus closer to the northern edge of the park is 3 kilometers from Ntebeko the headquarters of Mgahinga National Park. This cave used to be inside the Mgahinga forest and was a retreat for the Batwa after raiding the Bafumbira farmlands. When the Batwa were evicted from the forest, they occupied the areas closer to the boundaries of the forest at the moment.

The Garama cave also acted as the Batwa council of chambers where conflicts were solved from or in case of communication to there community. You may be entertained by the Batwa traditional choir, but this is possible with advance arrangement.

Contact our team of experts to plan your safari and plaese check out our trip advisor review.