How To Organize A Mgahinga Gorilla Safari From Masaka City

How to organize a Mgahinga gorilla safari from Masaka City. When organizing a safari to Mgahinga National Park, consider gorilla trekking as one of the activities to engage in while in this park. You must purchase the gorilla permits for Mgahinga National Park in advance because they are limited to a maximum of 8 per day. Mgahinga National Park has one gorilla trekking family called Nyakagezi so far.

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Summary of Mgahinga National Park: Uganda's smallest National Park, covering about 33.7 square kilometers of land. This park is currently hosting one gorilla trekking family called Nyakagezi. This gorilla family has a history of migrating to Rwanda but is now living in Uganda, and its gorilla permits are available for pre-booking. Mgahinga National Park also hosts a plethora of birds and several other primate species, including endangered golden monkeys.

Booking accommodation is important as you organise the safari to Mgahinga National Park. This park has limited choices of where to overnight, so booking is required.

Consider transport means to use as you get to Mgahinga National Park from Masaka City. Road transport is the main means to Mgahinga National Park, but you need a vehicle in good condition and a 4x4 wheel drive. This is because of the nature of the roads in the countryside that tend to get messy, especially in the severe rainy seasons.

Choose activities to do while in Mgahinga National Park or other Uganda safari that can be combined with activities in this park.

What to consider when organizing a safari to Mgahinga National Park from Masaka City

Choose activities to do in Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla trekking is one of the activities you can engage in while in Mgahinga National Park. Booking the gorilla permits supersedes all preparation. Since Mgahinga National Park has only one gorilla family called Nyakagezi, only 8 gorilla permits are available daily. Booking is required.

When you contact us about booking the gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga National Park, you must present a date and the number of permits you wish to book. Our safari consultant checks availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority's gorilla permit list. We are one of the few companies accredited to have access to the gorilla status list of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

As soon as we get gorilla permit availability, we advise clients to purchase their permits because their status changes quickly since a first come, first served basis is used. The gorilla permit is only secured with payment.

What is the cost of gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga National Parks?

Currently, a gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000shsh for East African residents.

Golden Monkey Safari

Golden monkey safari is one of the unique encounters with Uganda's primates. Golden monkeys have larger bodies than other monkeys and barely golden brown hairs on the lower bottom. Although golden monkeys are first habituated to human presence, they still bare their natural characteristics. When you locate the golden monkeys, they are restless, so expect them to stay on your toes during your visit.

You can book golden monkey trekking, where you have one hour with a fully habituated troop, or golden monkey habituation experience, where you take four hours with a semi-habituated troop.

It would help if you had a golden monkey permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and a maximum of 8 persons were allowed to visit each troop.

What is the cost of a golden monkey safari permit?

Golden Monkey trekking permit costs $60 per person for foreign nonresidents, $50 for foreign residents, and 40000shs for East African residents.

Golden monkey habituation experience permit cost is currently $100 for foreign nonresidents, $80 for foreign residents, and 100000 shs for East African residents. The price of the golden monkey habituation experience excludes park entrance fees.

Batwa cultural and Garama cave visit

The Batwa were some of the victims of mountain gorilla conservation, so they lost their ancestral home, the forest. They were pushed into the communities around the parks but are still not entirely accepted in society. They tend to keep to themselves and avoid the local community.

During a safari to Mgahinga National Park, you may have a chance to have a glimpse into their ancient life. A Mutwa guide leads the Batwa community visit with an experience of life while in the forest. Through demonstrations, they take you through their past cultural practices like honey harvesting, hunting skills, and so much more. They present to visitors some traditional weapons that helped them survive in the forest for all that time.

The Garama cave visit takes you to a 342-meter-long cave which acted as the council chamber for the Batwa. This, too, was their hideout after raiding the Bafumbira farms.

 At the moment, this cave offers an atmospheric setting for performance of the Batwa music at the end of the Batwa trail.

Mountaineering In Mgahinga National Park

If you want to test your fitness level, try mountaineering in Mgahinga National Park. This park has three volcanoes where you can do this practice: mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, and Mountain Sabyinyo.

You can take a guided 8 hours return trip to the summit of either mountain to enjoy natural beauty from the top. One of the outstanding hikes is on Mountain Sabyinyo, where you ascend to the top and simultaneously see the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R.Congo.

Birding In Mgahinga National Park

Although birding in Mgahinga National Park was not in demand in the past, ornithologists who have visited the park have documented over 155 bird species, including Albertine rift endemics. They say the list is expected to expand as birding in Mgahinga National Park picks up momentum.

While in Mgahinga National Park, you may spot Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Kivu Ground Thrush, Malachite Sunbird, Montane Double-collared Sunbird, and many others. The gorge trails are Mgahinga National Park's prime birding spot.

The long list of birds is awed to the various vegetation zones of Mgahinga National Park, which is a Montane forest with an extensive belt of bamboo, regenerating pastures at the lower slopes, and heath and Afro-alpine moorland on the upper slopes.

Choose accommodations for a safari in Mgahinga National Park

Although Mgahinga National Park is limited with accommodations to book, the few present need to book in advance. You may also spend the night in Kisoro, which has more choices.

 Mgahinga accommodations: Gahinga Lodge, Traveller’s Inn, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Mgahinga gorilla Triangle, Majambere Iwachu, Community Camp

Book transport means to Mgahinga National Park from Masaka city

Road transport is the most common way to get to Mgahinga National Park. You need to have a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition because of the topography of this area. The soils tend to get soft from the fall rains, yet they are volcanic.

From Masaka city, the distance you drive to Mgahinga National Park is about 367.8 kilometers for about 5 to 6 hours via Kabale. 

Get ready to experience African massage from the bumpy roads, so if you get road sickness, take your pill in advance. 

You can charter from Masaka city to Kisoro airstrip by air, but you need to hire a transfer vehicle to Ntebeko or your lodge. It is about 2 hours from Kisoro airstrip to Ntebeko Mgahinga National Park headquarters.

Pack the right safari gear, especially gorilla trekking gear.

While you prepare for a visit to Mgahinga National Park, pack the right gorilla trekking gear if this is one of the activities you are booked to do. Most of the activities in Mgahinga National Park are done on foot because of the nature of the topography of this area, which is volcanic with rugged features that cannot favor vehicle movement in the wilderness.

Some of the items to pack for a safari in Mgahinga National Park include safari boots, garden gloves, insect repellant, a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, warmers, a camera, extra fully charged batteries, a torch, a backpack, a foldable water bottle, first aid kit, some hard cash, safari foldable hat and so much more.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Mgahinga National Park?

You can do a safari in Mgahinga National Park any time, but the dry season is most preferred. Although the Virunga area is famous for the untimely rains, the dry season tends to have less rain. The dry season is usually June, July, August, September, December, and January, which is considered peak tourism season. The forest receives less precipitation, and more sunrays can reach the ground through the dense canopy.

This allows most primates to walk freely in the wilderness, including the mountain gorillas, making it quicker to see them all factors kept constant. The trails in the forest are more passable, and rivers are confined within their course. 

The wet season, normally March, April, May, and November, is also considered the low tourism season in Uganda. Since fewer bookings to Mgahinga National Park, the chances of taking a solo gorilla trekking safari are high.

If you have a limited but wish to upgrade, the low season may offer you that opportunity at no extra cost. Most safari service providers, like accommodation facilities, driver guides, and others, sometimes lower their cost prices to break even.

How Difficult are Safaris in Mgahinga National Park?

Most activities in Mgahinga National Park involve hiking, which is tiresome; therefore, you need to have some fitness level to enjoy all park activities at total capacity.

While you hike to find the mountain gorillas, open your mind to other exciting features in the wilderness, such as the highland, beautiful vegetation cover, sparkling waterfalls, and so much more.

Pack some snacks and energy bites and re-energize while doing activities in this park.

Is Mgahinga National Park safe?

Mgahinga National Park is safe for any activity as there are well-trained ranger guides to protect the mountain gorillas, other forest dwellers, the forest, and visitors. The security of Mgahinga National Park is also maintained by other Uganda security agencies who coordinate with park rangers to keep law and order in this area.

It would help if you minded your security by not loitering in the forest without an escorting ranger guide. Some forest inhabitants may hurt you. 

What are the safari rules in Mgahinga National Park?

• There is no littering in the forest as this is the feeding place for most inhabitants, so garbage alters the nature of the woods.
• If you have a contagious infection, volunteer to stay behind to avoid passing it to the mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys, and others who are susceptible to human infections. Like cough, flu
• When taking photographs while in the pack, don't use a flash as most forest dwellers, especially the primates, are scared by such occurrences.
• Lower your voice while in the forest not to disrupt the forest dwellers that others may wish to see.
• Upon finding the mountain gorillas, do not surround them, as they will feel ambushed.
• Keep a distance of about 300 meters from the mountain gorillas or the golden monkeys when you locate them to protect them or yourself from exchanging infections.
•  Please don't feed the forest dwellers because they are wild animals that must search for their food.
• Bury all fiscal materials beyond recognition so that forest dwellers cannot exhume them out of curiosity.
• Spotting in vegetation is forbidden as this is food for most primates in the forest, so when you contaminate the foliage, you may pass an infection to these animals, leading to their massive death.
• 15 years is the age limit for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking because of the nature of both activities, which require patience and fitness. A child below 15 years may not withstand these.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas and golden monkeys during the trek and four hours with semi-habituated golden monkeys during habituation experience.

Let us plan your safari with you today. Contact us for more information.