Booking A Safari To See Mountain Gorillas In Mgahinga National Park

Looking for the process of booking a safari to see mountain gorillas in Mgahinga gorilla national park Uganda? Mgahinga national park is one of those few national parks you need to visit next for mountain gorilla trekking. The park is located in southwestern Uganda in Kisoro district and is the smallest national park that Uganda has gotten. Mountain gorilla trekking is the most done activity in Mgahinga national park and it is done on only one mountain gorilla family called Nyakagezi.

Mgahinga national park is part of the Virunga conservation area and it harbors 3 of the Virunga mountains namely Gahinga, Muhabura, and Sabyinyo all these are available for hiking options. Apart from hiking and mountain gorilla trekking, other activities that can be done in Mgahinga national park include birding, Batwa cultural experiences and nature walks.

Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family is open for trekking at any time of the year but we normally ask our clients to visit the park in the dry season. The park can be accessed by both road transport and air transport and to trek these mountain gorillas you need to have 15 years and above and a gorilla trekking permit that is issued out by the Uganda Tourism Board.

How to book a gorilla safari to see mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park?

Africa adventure vacations limited helps on booking gorilla safaris for tourists that would love to travel and see mountain gorillas in southwestern Uganda. We do book permits first and then accommodation, for transport we have all safari car types that can take you to the park. we are licensed by Uganda Tourism Board and we are part of the association of the Uganda tour operators.

Since we first book the permits, all we ask from you are the travel dates you want to see the mountain gorillas, and using these dates, we check for the availability of the permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. When the permits are available on the given dates, we go further to ask you for payments and once we have received the money, we book for you the permits. After booking the permits, we send you scanned copies for your confirmation.

Spending 1 hour with Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga national park

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is done by only 8 people and these start with a briefing at the park headquarters. The briefing is done to inform the trekkers about the dos and don’ts of the gorilla trekking activity. After the briefing, the trekkers not exceeding 8 are led into the jungle to search for the Nyakagezi gorilla family. Using different trails of the park, the trekkers get an opportunity to spot different park animals, birds, and different vegetation covers.

Once the trekkers have found the one Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family, they are given an opportunity to be around this family for 1 hour, and during this time they are allowed to take photos, ask the ranger different questions about the mountain gorillas, and from this, they are able to learn about their habits. After the trekking, the trekkers can have lunch in the jungle and thereafter trek back to the starting point for their gorilla trekking certificates.

How much are the gorilla trekking permits for Nyakagezi gorilla family?

Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is done on one habituated mountain gorilla family called Nyakagezi. To trek Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family, you will need to have a gorilla trekking permit printed out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The gorilla trekking permit price for Mgahinga national park costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and shs250,000 for East African citizens. The trekking permits allow each trekker to be around Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family for a maximum of 1 hour.

What is the best time for booking a safari to in Mgahinga gorilla national park?

Tourists are welcomed every day at Mgahinga national park for mountain gorilla trekking since the park is open at any time of the year. The best time we do recommend tourists to visit the park is the dry season, the dry season in Mgahinga national park normally occurs in June to September and December to February and these months are characterized by little or no rainfall. During these same months, the vegetation in the park is thin giving clear views of the park animals, the trekking trails are less muddy and not slippery and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Those travelers willing to travel to Mgahinga national park in the rainy season will enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities but they should know that during the rainy months, the rainfall is too much. Due to too much rainfall, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is thick with unclear views of the mountain gorillas and lastly, the roads leading to the park are passable. If you are planning to visit Mgahinga in the dry season, we advise you to book your gorilla trekking permit with us in advance of 3-4 months to avoid missing out on the permits since they are few and served on a first come first serve basis.

How to get to Mgahinga national park to see mountain gorillas?

Travelers going for mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park can get to the park by either road transport or air transport. The fastest and easiest way to get to this small park is using air transport. Fly Uganda and AeroLink Uganda do organize flights to western Uganda and for those going, to Mgahinga national park they will have to land at Kisoro airstrip. From the airstrip, the driver guides will be readily waiting for them to take them to the park or booked accommodation.

The other way travelers can get to Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking is by using road transport. The journey starts from kampala to masaka – Mbarara – kabale – Kisoro to the park. The road journey takes 9 –10 hours of beautiful views. Travelers in Kigali and wanting to come and trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park can use Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale taking 4-5 hours to reach the park.

Accommodation on a gorilla safari to Mgahinga national park

Tourists on a gorilla safari to Mgahinga national park have a variety of accommodation options where they can stay after booking a safari to in Mgahinga gorilla national park. The accommodation ranges from luxury to mid-range to budget options and these include Mount Gahinga safari lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Traveler’s Nest Hotel, Nkuringo Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Mountain Gahinga Rest Camp, Amajambere I’wacu camp, and Mountain Gahinga Lodge.

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa adventure vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as flying gorilla safaris , mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking a safari to in Mgahinga gorilla national park can be done at any time of the year.