Spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Mgahinga from Kigali 

Are you in Kigali and would want to Spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Mgahinga gorilla national park from Kigali? Well in this article we shall help you with all you know about everything necessary to have a successful safari. First of all Mgahinga national park is one of the national parks harboring mountain gorillas in Uganda. It’s the only park that has golden monkeys in Uganda and maybe volcanoes national park in Rwanda when it comes to East Africa.

There is only one habituated Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family in Mgahinga national park and this is open for trekking at any time of the year. The golden monkeys on the other side are only found in this place in Uganda and all people above the age of 12 are allowed to trek these beautiful primates. Travelers from Kigali city are allowed to visit Mgahinga national park for any activity and to do a safari in the park you can contact Africa Adventure Vacations to organize your safari.

How to book a mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking safari in Mgahinga national park from Kigali?

Travelers from Kigali can book the safari to Mgahinga national park by themselves and this can successfully be done by booking the gorilla and golden monkey permits by themselves from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. To book the permits you will have to send an email to Uganda Wildlife Authority including the dates you want to trek so that they check for you if the permits are available. Once they are available, they will request you to send them money and your permits will be secured. After the permits, you can go ahead to book the accommodation and also look for transport hire service providers.

Tourists in Kigali can also contact Africa Adventure Vacations Limited and we help them with having the best golden monkey and mountain gorilla safari in Mgahinga national park. The first thing we do is ask while booking you a safari are the travel dates of your safari which we use to check for the availability of the permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once the permits are available, we shall request you to send us money and once we have received it, we shall go-ahead to book gorilla permits and golden monkey permits for Mghainga national park. We will go ahead to book an accommodation of your choice based on your budget and for the case of transport, we do have good comfortable safari vehicles.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park from Kigali

On the day of gorilla trekking, the trekkers are expected to gather at the park headquarters very early in the morning where they will have to get briefed about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity in the park. After the briefing, the trekkers are grouped not exceeding 8 and these are led by ranger guides into the jungle to look for Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family.

During the search, the trekkers are taken through different trails of the park with opportunities of seeing some of the park animals like the buffaloes, duikers, bush pigs, elephants, birds, and different vegetation cover. Upon finding the habituated mountain gorilla family, the trekkers are given an hour to be around the Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family and during this hour they are allowed to take photos, watch the mountain gorillas do their daily activities, and learn about their daily habits.

To trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park you will have to be having a valid gorilla trekking permit and this can only be got from Uganda Wildlife Authority at a fee of $700 foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and shs250,000 citizens of East Africa. The gorilla trekking permit allows each trekker to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour and during this hour they are allowed to take photos.

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park from Kigali

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park starts with a briefing at the park offices. On the day of trekking, the trekkers are expected to be at the briefing center very early in the morning to hear what the rangers have to say. During the briefing, the trekkers are taught about the dos and don’ts of the golden monkey trekking activity after which grouping is done and each ranger guide leads the group into the jungle.

While passing through different park trails looking for the golden monkeys, the trekkers get an opportunity of meeting different park animals such as elephants, giant forest hogs, duikers, buffaloes, monkeys, birds, and different vegetation covers. When the trekkers finally meet the golden monkey family they have been looking for, they are given 1 hour to be around the golden monkeys, and during this time, the trekkers are able to learn about monkey habits, watch them do daily activities, and take photos.

To trek golden monkeys in Mgahinga national park you will need to first secure a trekking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is bought at a fee of $60 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents and then shs40,000 is for East African citizens. The golden monkey permits are old to children above the age of 12 years and the permit allows trekkers to be around golden monkeys for 1 hour.

Where to stay on a gorilla and golden monkey trekking safari n Mgahinga from Kigali?

Tourists intending to visit Mgahinga national park for mountain gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking shouldn’t worry about where they are going to stay. This is because the park has several accommodation facilities built around the park and these range from budget to mid-range to luxury options such as Mount Gahinga Safari Lodge, Amajambere I’wacu Camp, Nkuringo Safari Lodge, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Traveler’s Nest Hotel, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Lake Chahafi Resort, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Mountain Gahinga Rest Camp, Ikoro Hotel, and Mountain Gahinga Lodge.

What is the best time to visit Mgahinga national park for mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking from Kigali?

Tourists in Kigali intending to visit Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking can visit the park at any time of the year although some months are better than the rest. The drier months which occur in June to September and December to February are the best for a visit to Mgahinga from Kigali reason being there is little or no rainfall, the vegetation in the park is thin hence the clear views of the park animals, the trekking trails in the park are less muddy and not slippery, and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists from Kigali can also visit Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking in the rainy season and this is when they can get huge discounts on accommodation facilities and some of the park activities. The rainy season happens in October to November and March to May and they are characterized by too much rainfall which makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the roads to the park impassable, and the vegetation in the park is always thick hence unclear views of the park animals and bad photography.

Accessing Mgahinga national park from Kigali city

Yes the best way to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Mgahinga from Kigali is to get thorough information on how to access the park. Travelers from Kigali city can access Mgahinga gorilla national park using road transport which takes 4-5 hours. The journey starts from Kigali Rwanda through the Katuna border in Kabale or Cyanika border in Kisoro. From the border getting to the park takes a few minutes with breathtaking views of the scenery, smiling people, and distance views of some of the physical features like the mountains and hills.

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 mountain gorilla trekking, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Mgahinga from Kigali can be done at any time of the year.