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Gorilla discovery is a safari tour and travel company based in Uganda, fully licensed to conduct safaris within Uganda and Rwanda. We offer several tours and safaris in Uganda including Gorilla Tours, wildlife adventures, mountaineering trips

What you need to know before booking flying safaris to Mgahinga national park

What you need to know before booking flying safaris to Mgahinga national park

What you need to know before booking flying safaris to Mgahinga national park

What you need to know before booking flying safaris to Mgahinga national park? Are you out there and you hate traveling for long hours to get to Mgahinga national park, well Africa adventure vacations would like to inform you that we do organize flying safaris to Mgahinga national park in southwestern Uganda for activities like mountain gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, Batwa cultural trails, birding and much more? If you are intending to fly to Mgahinga national park all you need to do is send us an email containing the dates that you would love to travel and then we shall have to check for availability of tickets with airline companies and once they are available, we shall ask you for payments. When we have received the money, we shall go further to book for you the ticket.

Information about Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park is Uganda’s smallest national park popular for harboring mountain gorillas. The park is located in southwestern Uganda-Kisoro covering 33.7 sq. km. Mgahinga national park neighbors other mountain gorilla national parks like the volcanoes of Rwanda, Virunga of DR Congo forming the Virunga conservation area. It also borders Bwindi impenetrable forest national park a home to over 19 habituated mountain gorillas and 2 semi-habituated mountain gorillas. Mgahinga national park hosts 3 of the 8 Virunga Mountains namely Gahinga, Sabyinyo, and Muhabura which implies that one can do hiking in this park. Other activities one can do in Mgahinga national park include birding, nature walks, Batwa cultural experience, and golden monkey trekking.

Flying safaris to Uganda’s smallest national park (Mgahinga)

With the introduction of scheduled flights in Uganda, Mgahinga national park can now be accessed within 2 hours from Kampala/Entebbe. The flying safaris to Mgahinga national park are done by different airline companies but the most common ones are AeroLink Uganda and Fly Uganda and these fly three times a day from Kampala/Entebbe to Kisoro airstrip. On arrival at the airstrip, our well-trained and experienced guide will be ready to pick you up and drive you to your lodge or to the accommodation facilities.

Best time for booking flying safaris to Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park in southwestern Uganda is open for trekking at any time of the year. Some months are better than the rest and the park should be visited in the dry season reason being there is little or no rainfall during this time. The dry season normally occurs in the months of June to September and December to February and during these times the raids leading to the park are passable, the trekking trails are dry, the vegetation in the park is thin giving clear photography and view of animals, and lastly, the park animals are on water sources for water so you get chances of seeing most of them. You can as well visit Mgahinga national park in the rainy season (March to May and October to November) to enjoy the huge discounts on accommodation and some of the park activities but you need to know that there is heavy rainfall in this period.

Things to see and do on a flying safari in Mgahinga national park

After  booking flying safaris to Mgahinga gorilla national park, you need to know various activities to engage in on your visit the the park. Below is the list of tourist safari activities in Mgahinga;

Spending 1 hour with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park

Without arguing, mountain gorilla trekking is the most done activity in Mgahinga national park despite the one mountain gorilla family in the area. Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national is done in one Nyakagezi gorilla family that is believed to be having the highest number of silverbacks in the world (4). The gorilla trekking is done by persons above the age of 15 years and all must be having valid gorilla trekking permits that are issued out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Gorilla trekking in this park starts with rangers briefing trekkers about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity and from here they further lead them into the jungle using different trails of the park as they search for these mountain gorillas. During the search, the trekkers get an opportunity of meeting different park animals, birds, and vegetation. The trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the mountain gorillas and this starts counting when they meet them. Within this period, they are given a chance to learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities, and take photos.

Spend 1 hour with golden monkeys in Mgahinga national park.

Golden monkeys are unique beautiful primates found in Virunga volcanoes and Mgahinga national park is lucky to be having a certain population of these. The tourists in Mgahinga national park are very lucky to so do golden monkey habituation in this park since it can not be done anywhere else in the country. To trek golden monkeys, you will need to have a golden monkey trekking permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority and you need to be aged 12 years and above. Encountering mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park starts with a briefing from rangers who teach the trekkers about the dos and don’ts of the activity and from their rangers lead different groups to look for these primates using different trails of the park. While searching for them, you will have chances of meeting other park animals like monkeys, tree species, birds, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, and much more.

Encounter the Batwa in Mgahinga national park

Batwa experience in Mgahinga national park gives tourists a chance to learn about the day to day life of these pygmies as well as their old life. The Batwa cultural trail in Mgahinga national park are led by the people from Batwa since it was put in place to help them in improving their way of living. These Batwa guides take you through different trails around the park showing you how they used to stay in the forest before the government evicted them from the forest. they will show you how they used local herbs to cure disease, sticks to make fires, gather fruits, collect honey, and use bows and arrows to kill animals. The Batwa people will also entertain you through traditional dances and drama and they will also tell you stories of long ago. In the end, you can buy some of their souvenirs from their craft shops and they get money to improve their living and appreciate the environment.

Hiking (Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo) in Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park is a hilly area with over 3 mountains and this means that hiking is one of the things you can’t avoid. Hiking is done on three mountains – Muhabura (4,127m), Gahinga (3,474m), and Sabyinyo(3,669m) and it requires one to have a valid hiking permit from the park. The hiking starts with a briefing in the park where the hikers gather and listen to the dos and don’ts of the hiking plus the things they are likely to see or find on their way to the summit. The way to the summit of any of these mountains gives hikers opportunities of seeing some animals such as buffaloes, duikers, elephants, giant forest hogs, chimpanzees, monkeys, birds, and different vegetation types. At the summit of any of the mountains, hikers get the advantage of seeing other Virunga volcanoes, surrounding lakes, and the aerial views of some of the national parks.

Encounter birds at Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park is blessed with over 184 bird species that have been so far recorded in the area. Bird watchers have opportunities of spotting these birds of which 14 out of 24 are endemic to the Albertine rift region. Visitors traveling to Mgahinga national park for birding activities have opportunities of spotting colorful birds such as Yellow-crested Helmet Shrike, Kivu Ground Thrush, African olive pigeon, archer’s robin-chat, Red-throated Alethe, alpine swift, black kite, blue-headed coucal, Kivu ground thrush, dusky Crimsonwing, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, moorland chat, olive woodpecker, ibis, Montane Masked Apalis, scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, Rwenzori batis, grey capped warbler, Rwenzori nightjar, moorland chat, Rwenzori turaco, red-faced woodland warbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, blue-headed coucal, crowned hornbill, Collared Apalis, olive pigeon, fire finch stonechat, olive pigeon, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, pin-tailed whydah, and white-necked raven to mention but a few.

Where to stay in Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park offers a variety of options ranging from budget to mid-range to luxury options where you can choose to have a good stay while having a safari in Mgahinga national park. Most of the accommodation facilities in Mgahinga national park are located outside the park with a few inside and these include Lake Mulehe Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Gahinga Lodge, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Muhabura Climbers Rest Camp, Travellers Rest Hotel, Air-Land Hotel, Lake Chahafi Resort, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Mondi Lodge Kisoro, Sabyinyo Guest House, Virunga Campsite and Backpackers, Muhabura Motel, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, and Gorilla Hills Eco-Lodge among others.

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, birding, game drives, chimpanzee trekking, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking flying safaris to Mgahinga gorilla national park can be done at any time of the year.

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