What is it like to combine gorilla trekking and Batwa experience in Mgahinga

A combination of gorilla trekking and Batwa experience takes you to meet the endangered mountain gorillas with their former forest occupants the Batwa. Gorilla trekking is a special African safari where tourist meet fully habituated mountain gorillas to have one hour with them. Only those who get the chance to acquire a gorilla permit have the opportunity attend this activity.

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The Batwa were evicted from their ancestral home the Virunga forests in a bid to promote the conservation of the highly endangered mountain gorillas that were at the verge of extinction by 1980s. The Batwa became homeless but were assimilated into the local communities close to the park leaving behind their ancestral homes. The forest was the sole provider of the Batwa where they used to hunt, collect fruits, herbs and much more.

Mgahinga National Park is the smallest National Park in Uganda covering an area of about 33.7 kilometers, an untamed jungle and a biosphere reserve. Among the resident animals of Mgahinga forest are mountain gorillas which are endangered primates in the world. Currently Mgahinga National Park is home to one gorilla family called Nyakagezi.

What are the requirement for gorilla trekking and Batwa Cultural experience in Mgahinga

Book Mgahinga gorilla permit

Reserve the Mgahinga gorilla permits in in advance to avoid last minute panic. Remember at the moment 8 gorilla permits for Mgahinga gorilla trekking are available. If you wish to have more authentic gorilla trekking adventure, Mgahinga National Park is that ideal destination because overtime it has been less visited.

How to book gorilla permits for Mgahinga National Park

• Choose a date for the gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga National Park
• Find gorilla permit availability through a tour operator or directly from Uganda wildlife Authority.
• Purchase the gorilla permit as soon as you find availability because there status is nor permanent but varies with demand. No gorilla permit is reserved without payment yet the first come first served basis is used to secure them.
• Avail personal identification details to be added to your gorilla permit card such as full names, nationality, date of birth and more.
• Note that the age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda is 12 years and beyond.

Reserve accommodation to use on gorilla trekking and Batwa community Visit in Mgahinga

Accommodation options to use on gorilla safari to Mgahinga National park are still few but there are alternatives in Kisoro town.  Some of the Mgahinga accommodations include Kisoro Travelers’ inn, Gahinga Volcanoes Lodge, community campground

Book Transport to Mgahinga National Park

Road transport is the main means used to get to Mgahinga National Park which is at a distance of about 540 kilometers and drive time of over 9 hours. The drive from Kampala or Entebbe is on winding roads passing Kabale to Kisoro then Ntebeko which is Mgahinga National Park headquarters. Sometimes the road gets messy especially in the severe rainy season a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended.

Domestic daily flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip are available on request and charter flights for more private travel to Kisoro airstrip but hire a transfer vehicle to the lodge.

Good health before gorilla trekking

Before meeting the mountain gorillas, tourists are requested to volunteer and stay behind in case you discover having contracted a communicable infection like cough, flu, covid-19 and more. Do a general body check up before gorilla trekking so that you do not get challenges while searching to find the gorillas.

Keep some level of fitness

Gorilla trekking involves hiking to find the mountain gorillas because generally the topography of Mgahinga forest is composed of several remains of volcanic action. The park has three significant mountains that is Mountains that is Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo.

Exploring the forest necessitates having some level of fitness as the gorillas at times love living by the slopes or deep in the valley so you have to get to them. Sedan chair service is available to those with physical challenges.

Pre-book a local Mutwa Guide

The best of Batwa community can only be felt and experienced when in company of a local guide from this community. While on a visit to the Batwa community they do demonstrate some activities they engaged in while in the forest to give you a glimpse into how their ancestors survived in the dense jungle.

Pack The right gorilla trekking gears

We have a list of the gorilla trekking gears you can book on our website www.gorilla-tracking-Uganda.com. You can use this packing list to give you a hint on what you need to include in your baggage while you travel. Some of the items you can pack for gorilla trekking in Uganda include safari boots, safari hat garden gloves, long sleeved shirt and trousers and more.

What to expect on gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga National Park and Batwa community visit

When you meet the mountain gorillas, the first look may seem quite scary because these primates have a huge body covered with a dark black coat. The silverback gorillas have a white saddle hairy band in the back which they normally develop by the age 13.

All tourists for the gorilla trekking day gather at the ranger station at Ntebeko visitor center for briefing. Ranger guides provide detailed information about the mountain gorillas based on the most recent research. Mgahinga National Park currently has one gorilla family so all tourists are expected to visit this family.  

Expect to follow the ranger guide via the trail heading where the mountain gorilla family was last seen together with the ranger guide in the lead. On the way, expect to see tangled creepers dangling down the tree trunks or ridges or plateaus and thick vines may obstruct the way.

The ground of Mgahinga forest is often wet from the regular rains that fall yet less sunlight sips through layers of leaves to reduce forest humidity. The environment in Mgahinga forest is moist all day and cold too so wear long sleeved shirt and trousers.

On the way to find the mountain gorillas of Mgahinga forest other primates may present themselves such as blue monkeys, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey and more. Upon finding the mountain gorillas, expect to have only one hour with them.

For Batwa community visit, expect to listen to their folk tales as they used to communicate in the jungle, demonstration of how they survived for that long in the jungle and more. The Batwa community still has language barrier because a few have managed to attend school so many are illiterate.

How Secure Is Gorilla Trekking In Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga National Park is a safe Uganda safari destination for gorilla trekking even though it is a thick jungle with towering mountains.

Before heading for gorilla trekking, tourists have to attend compulsory briefing and its from here that some tips on how to stay safe during the adventure are communicated.

Do not forget to carry the right gorilla trekking gears to provide extra protection to your body while you explore the rough jungle.

Keep close to the group you are trekking gorillas with so that you are not lost in the forest even though the ranger guide follows the paces of the slowest trekker. The ranger guide carries a machete and the tourism police officer a rifle to use in case of an emergency.

When with mountain gorillas avoid deviating from the rules of gorilla trekking because these are key when in the presence of the mountain gorillas. Do not stare into the brown eyes of the mountain gorillas because they are shy primates and this may cause them to rage.

Mgahinga National Park security team is assisted by other Uganda security agencies and untimely patrols are conducted in an around the forest.  

How to get to Mgahinga National Park

From Kampala or Entebbe the distance to take is about 540 kilometers on winding roads as the Kigezi sub area was greatly affected by volcanic forces and the effects of the rift valley formation.

Hire a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle but do not expect a smooth drive throughout because the roads in the countryside are quite bumpy.

Flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip can be booked and the time to take to get to Kisoro airstrip is about 2 hours. At times there is change in flight time because as the day goes by the effect of foggy conditions make it hard to fly to this area. The distance to cover to transfer from Kisoro airstrip to Mgahinga National Park is about 35 kilometers.

What more to do in Mgahinga National Park

Golden monkey safaris can be arranged in Mgahinga National Park, Golden monkeys re some of the highly endangered primates in the world with about 4000 of then living. These monkeys have bigger bodies compared to the other monkeys and golden brown hairs in lower bottom. Even though the golden monkeys are habituated, they still keep you on the toes and put up amazing shows when in their presence.

One can choose to do golden monkey trekking or golden monkey habituation experience to enjoy moments with these endangered primates. To do golden monkey safaris in Mgahinga National Park, you must reserve a permit.

Mountaineering in Mgahinga National Park

There are three distinctive mountains in Mgahinga forest that are part of the famous six Virunga Volcanoes these include mountain Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. Each of these mountains can be hiked in a day in company of a ranger guide from Uganda wildlife Authority.

Along the way up these mountains, you get to enjoy great views of green cover, stunning features, various unique plants that are hard to find at the bottom and more, When standing on  top of Mountain Sabyinyo, you get a 360 degrees view of the border of Uganda, Rwanda and D.R,Congo.

Visit lake Bunyonyi

For a more relaxed safari experience, a visit to Lake Bunyonyi in southwestern Uganda is that moment you would enjoy especially after the tiresome hike to locate the mountain gorillas. Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest fault lake in Uganda but very scenic. The Lake has about 29 Islands which can be explored by boat but the most outstanding is Akampene Island.

At Akampene Island, girls who got pregnant before the right before the right age where abandoned here to die of hunger or drown while trying to cross to the main land. While at Lake Bunyonyi, you may participate in swimming, ziplining, community walks and more.

Game safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

From gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National park, you can connect for a game drive to Queen Elizabeth National park which is about 6 hours drive away. Queen Elizabeth National Park sits on the floor of the western arm of the East African Rift valley and overlooked by the Rwenzori ranges as the backdrop

During a game safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you may encounter several animals including lions, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, leopards and more.

Contact us for more information.