Gorilla Trekking & Gorilla Habituation

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to some of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas making gorilla trekking a must do activity while at the park. With the morning briefing by 8am at the park headquarters, the trek lasts for about 1 to 6 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas since they are wild animals that move from place to place in their search for food. During the briefing and experienced ranger, he will go through on the dos and don’ts while you are with the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is one of the most done activities by the travelers visiting the park. The park has got one habituated gorilla family opened to trekkers for gorilla trekking on a daily basis. The activity involves moving in the tropical rain forest in search for the mountain Gorillas. Gorilla trekking commences early morning with the briefing at the park headquarters on the rules and regulations to be followed during Gorilla trekking. After briefing, you will start the trek in the forest led by an experienced ranger guide who is well versed with the trails and keeps track of the movement of the mountain gorillas. During the trek, you will also see some of the animals such as forest elephants, buffaloes, forest pigs, bush bucks among others, also some primates such as the golden monkeys which are one of the key attractions in the park which attract quite a number of travellers visiting the park besides gorilla trekking. Mgahinga gorilla national park is the only protected area in Uganda that that inhabits the habituated Golden Monkey and also the only national park in Uganda where you can do Golden monkey trekking among other primates such as the chimpanzee, L’hoest monkeys.

Gorillas are wild therefore the activity may last for about 30 min to 6 hours depending on the location of the gorillas. you will also see some animals, primate species, birds, different plants, trees among others. Once you found the gorillas, you will be allowed one hour with then to watch them feed, groom young ones, breast feed young ones, playing among other daily activities. Time for photography will be given to capture your everlasting gorilla tracking moments in Mgahinga Gorilla national park in Uganda.

To one to participate in Gorilla trekking, you need to purchase a gorilla trekking, the permits can be purchased directly from Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) a government body managing all the national parks in Uganda or through a licensed tour operating company who will help check for the availability of the permits and book it/them for you early in advance prior to your traveling dates. all the travellers tracking gorillas, are required to book the permits early in advance since their a limited number of people required to track one particular gorilla group on a daily basis.

Cost of gorilla tracking permits

Both Mgahinga national park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest gorilla permits cost $700 per person per permit for foreign non residence, $600 per permit per person for foreign residence and UGX25000 for East African Community. For gorilla habituation, the permit cost $1500 for foreign nationals, $100 for foreign residence and $750,000 for East African Community. Gorilla habituation is done only Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park in Uganda, the park has got the highest number of the mountain Gorillas living in the forest.

The guidelines are not many that all trekkers are required to keep in mind during gorilla trek and when you have met the Gorillas. Including;

• Just like humans, gorillas are vulnerable and can easily catch human diseases so if you have a cold or other infectious diseases, you are advised not to track the gorillas until you are fully recovered.
• If you have to ease yourself while gorilla trekking, all waste must be buried 30cm deep.
• Flash photography should not be used as this may make the gorillas charge and attack you.
• Only a maximum of 8 people per trekking group are allowed. Depending on how far the gorillas moved, your reward for the trek maybe a silverback out of the 5 in the one family of Gorillas found in the park.
• This ought to remind you that by trekking you have a chance to see the gorillas but it is not a guaranteed that you will see them.
• For one to qualify for gorilla trekking, you should be an adult and only children above the of 15 years are allowed to track the Gorillas in their natural habitat, all trekkers must have gorilla trekking. the permit is issued by Uganda wild life Authority as document that allows you to track the gorillas in their natural habitat.

Golden Monkey Trekking

You can shoot two birds with one stone you can track gorillas and also do golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga, both activities are offered in the park, using your gorilla trekking experience to simultaneously trek golden monkeys. These primates are small and fast which makes golden monkey trekking a rather active adventure. You will move faster as you follow and when you find them, you will wait patiently for them to descend to down to you.

The activity takes about 4 hours per session during which you are allowed the opportunity to view, take photos of the primates before heading back to your lodge, the habituated monkeys can be in groups of up to 50 members. The habituated monkeys are less aggressive and elusive of human presence. While searching for them, the guide will lead you through the treads left behind by monkeys while in the search for food.

Don’t forget your camera to capture the golden monkey adventure memories, binoculars for spontaneous birding and view of distant birds, comfortable hiking gear like waterproof hiking boots, gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and a rain jacket, poncho, jacket, a hat, insect repellent among others.

Mgahinga gorilla national park, has also got habituated golden monkeys, golden monkey tracking, is also one of the interesting activities to do in the park besides the famous gorilla trekking. just like gorilla trekking, the activity starts morning where by the trekkers are required to report early to the park headquarters for the briefing on the dos and the don’ts of tracking golden monkeys. This activity is rather physical and requires you to move faster following the monkeys but its also less stramineous because the monkeys live in low land areas compared to the gorillas.

The ranger guide will lead you in to the forest in search for the golden monkeys, following the trails of bamboo shoots left behind by the monkeys while feeding. Once you found them, you will be given one hour with them watching them jumping from tree branches, feeding among other activities, you will also have time for photography to capture your best moments with these primates.

Just gorilla trekking, to track the golden monkeys, you are required to purchase tracking permit which costs $60 per person of foreign nationals, $50 for foreign residence and UGX 40000 for East African Community. For golden monkey habituation, the permit costs $100, $80 and UGX 100,000 as stated above.

Volcano Hiking or Mountain climbing

There is something in the landscape of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park that your eyes will not miss; Volcanoes, a whole three volcanoes! They form part of the Virunga Ranges found in Rwanda, Democratic republic of Congo as well as Uganda. For each name given to these mountains is a literal translation: Sabinyo to mean old man’s teeth, Gahinga to mean Pile of stones and Muhavura means a guide. Mount Muhavura is the highest of them all with the advantage of seeing the other Virunga Mountains from its peak. It can be seen from as far as Kisoro town and is justifiably called the guide given how it leads one to the rest of the mountains in the ranges. Mount Sabinyo is a gateway to Rwanda and the DRC while in Uganda; at its peak you are geographically standing in Rwanda, Uganda and The DRC at the same time!

The way to the summit of Sabinyo is filled with mushy vegetation whose uncomfortable impact can be reduced by dressing appropriately in waterproof hiking boots. Climbing up Mount Gahinga on the other hand requires a hike through a bamboo forest. All three of these mountains can be climbed in a day each up to their summits as long as you are in good physical shape.

Mgahinga gorilla national park, comprises of three volcanic mountains, the park is situated at the boarder of Uganda to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mount Gahinga, mount Muhavura and mount Sabinyo, each of these mountains, measure different hights and also the hiking time from bottom to top differs depending on the hight and the steepness.
Mount Gahinga measures 3,474 meters above sea level and takes approximately 6 to 8hour to ascend and descend, while at the top, you will enjoy great views of the creator lake. Mount Gahinga is one of the simplest hikes and mostly preferred by many hikers. Mount Sabinyo measure3,669meters above sea level and it’s the second longest hikes, and lasts for 8-10hour to hike to the to and descend to the ground, while at the top, you will have a great experience of standing in three of the east African countries at the same time (Uganda, Rwanda, DRC).

Mount Muhavura measures the distance of 4,27 meters above sea level and it’s the longest of all the three mountains, hiking to the top takes about 8-10hours to both ascend and descend to the ground. During the hike, you will also view some of the wildlife, primate species such as chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, baboons, plants and variety of different forest birds.

Birding for Albertine Rift Endemics

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has got about 180 bird species found in the park, for the bird watchers you will have an opportunity to see the different bird species including; The Dusky Turtle Dove, Cape Robin-chat, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Black-headed Waxbill and Streaky Seedeater, Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrush and Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, White Starred Robin, Greater Double collard Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Shelly’s Dusky Crimsonwing, Archer’s Robin Chat, Olive Pigeon, and Black headed waxbill, Western Green Tinker bird, Malachite Sunbird, Cape Robin, White-starred Robin, Brown Woodland Warbler, Striped breasted Tit, Malachite and Scarlet-tufted Sunbirds,. Birding in this park can be an all year round. The experience can last for a whole day where You will enjoy a good list of the Albertine rift endemics in this area especially on the gorge trail.

Batwa Trail Experience

Before the area on which Mgahinga gorilla national park was set aside for the purpose of being a gorilla national park, the Batwa or African pygmies lived and thrived in these forests and mountains as hunter gatherers. They were later displaced but some of them still live around the park to participate in the tourism industry as porters and guides. They are also entitled to a portion of the tourism proceeds and a tip for their guide services will be welcome. A Batwa trail experience is an activity that takes you through their history and transition over time. The Garama Cave, a very sacred piece of Batwa history is a good place to start. It is in this cave that they were able to hide from Bantu invasion many years back. The ease with which they bustle through the forest and glide uphill is awe striking and a reminder that east or west, home is best to the Batwa.

The Batwa also known as the hunter gathers, where the first inhabits of the forest before the government gazzeted it in to a national park, when the national was set up, many of people where displace but the few who remained behind resettled in surrounding areas around the national park. They were mainly hunters and food gathers but today, they have incorporated other activities like farming. The Batwa community walk, takes through the village trails where you will meet and interact with the locals, you will learn a lot about these indigenous people, there way of life, the history of the people told by the old women and men, traditional foods and other activities such as art and craft that will be demonstrated to you by the Batwa women, you can also participate n this activity or purchase of the products, souvenirs that may be of interest. The income generated from these activities helps the locals provide basic needs for their families.

Visit to Ngarama Cave which was once a royal residence for the Batwa King, you will also listen or participate in traditional songs and traditional dances by the Batwa women among many other activities.
The visit to the Batwa community can be done after gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park depending on the park you would wish to track the Gorillas from.
The Batwa trail experience in Mgahinga, costs $80 per person for foreign nationals, $50 for foreign residence and UGX50,000 for East African Community.