Mgahinga gorilla national park is located in south western Uganda on the border with Rwanda and DR Congo. The park is home to the Virunga volcanoes shared between these countries. It is the smallest of all Uganda national parks filled with engaging activities for any outdoor enthusiastic visitor. If you are interested in hiking any of the Volcanoes i.e. Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura, you can extend your stay, it takes a day to hike to the top of each of these Volcanoes. You can also extend your stay if you want to embark on a gorilla trek in this park. This tour will give you a glimpse of the beauty of this park and an opportunity for a longer stay.
Safari Highlights
- Golden monkey Trekking
- Batwa Trail
- Scenery
Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Today after your breakfast your driver guide will transfer you to Kisoro – Uganda at the base of the Virunga Volcanoes. Enjoy the winding roads of the ‘thousand hills’ and magnificent views of the Volcanoes if you come through Kigali otherwise you can come in through Entebbe international airport. You will spend the afternoon at leisure in preparation for all the trekking and hiking in the days to come.
There is an option of taking a flight from Entebbe Airport to Kisoro airstrip. This is strictly a morning flight which affords you time at the lodge for some activities in the community or just soaking in the lodge.
Driver time – 8 hours Or Scheduled Flight 1 hr 50 minutes
4 hours via Kigali
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Day 2: Golden Monkey Trekking
Golden monkeys are found in the Virunga volcanoes shared between Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. Today you will leave your lodge after an early breakfast and your driver guide will transfer you to the briefing point where the golden monkey trekking starts. A ranger guide will receive you and offer information on what to expect while in the park as you search for the golden monkeys. After this short brief, you will start your hike up in search of the golden monkeys. You are encouraged to take with you a porter because the hike can be steep in some areas and they will be helpful. You will be joined by enforcement officers to help in case you meet the wild buffaloes and Elephants which can be dangerous. The golden monkeys are generally more active than the gorillas and you will follow them as they move all over the place and feed.
Just like gorilla trekking, you are only allowed to spend 1 hour with the golden monkey before you start your descent back to the starting point and your lodge. They love feeding on bamboo shoots among other foods like fruits, vegetation and sometimes ants.
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Day 3: Batwa Trail
The Batwa are an indigenous tribe that lived in the forests of the Virunga volcanoes and depended on it for livelihood before they were turned into national parks to help in conservation of the gorillas, golden monkeys, and other fauna and flora. They were hunter-gatherers co-existing with these wildlife. Today you will meet some of the Batwa and they will take you through the forest and share how they lived and depended on the forest and survived attacks from the animals.
This tour will take you on the ‘Batwa trail’ which was developed together with Uganda wildlife authority to share their experience on how they co-existed with the wildlife and raised families in this jungle. The proceeds from this goes into a fund which is used to purchase land and build for the different Batwa families.
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Day 4: Departure via Kigali/ Entebbe
We hope you have had an adventure filled stay exploring Mgahinga gorilla national park. Today morning after your breakfast, the driver guide will transfer you to Kigali city and you proceed to the airport for your flight home. Thank you for visiting Uganda with us.
Driver time – 8 hours Or Scheduled Flight 1 hr 50 minutes
4 hours via Kigali
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