Overview
This Uganda safari will take you to Mgahinga gorilla national park, which is located in south western Uganda near the borders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the smallest of Uganda’s national parks, yet it is jam-packed with activities for any outdoor enthusiast. This park has all three of Uganda’s Virunga volcanoes, which are available for trekking. This journey includes mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking, as well as walking in the footsteps of the Batwa and hiking a volcano of your choosing. With enough time, you can trek all three volcanoes, or you can choose hiking over other activities.
Safari Highlights
- Gorilla trekking
- Golden monkey trekking
- Batwa cultural trail
- Hike Muhavura or Gahinga or Sabyinyo
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to the Pearl of Africa
When you arrive at Entebbe International Airport, a representative from African Buffalo Safaris will greet you and transport you to your accommodation in Entebbe.
Day 2: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
After breakfast, your driver guide will take you to Kisoro, Uganda, at the foot of the Virunga Volcanoes. Take in the twisting roads and breathtaking vistas of the volcanoes. A flight from Entebbe to the Kisoro airstrip is also a possibility.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Mgahinga gorilla national park was established largely to conserve mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, among other animals – gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking. Your driver guide will get you up from the resort and transport you to the briefing area within the park where you will learn how to behave and interact with the gorillas in the wild.
Depending on where the gorillas are, you may need to drive before beginning your journey in the park. The ranger guide will then accompany you to the park’s gorilla walk. You will see the gorillas after trekking a short distance, depending on their position, and spend up to an hour with them before beginning your descent back to the lodge. The experience of being in the forest and encountering these big beasts will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Day 4: Golden Monkey trekking
Following an early breakfast, your driver guide will transport you to the briefing location where the golden monkey trekking begins. After receiving a briefing from the ranger guide, you begin your journey into Mgahinga national park in quest of the golden monkeys, which are only found in the Virunga Volcanoes.
In general, golden monkeys move quickly, unlike gorillas, and you will follow them as they move to feed. They prefer bamboo shoots to any other type of plant for feeding. The journey begins in secondary forest and bushes, but as you progress deeper into the forest, you will encounter bamboo sections where you will begin to hear sounds and witness movements of these magnificent creatures. You have one hour with the golden monkeys before beginning your descent back to the beginning.
Day 5: Walk in the footsteps of the Batwa
The Batwa are an indigenous people that lived in the forest and relied on it for a living as hunter-gatherers. However, as other tribal groups began to influence the Batwa and use them for unsustainable hunting, the authorities decided to remove them from the forest entirely.
Your driving guide will transport you to the briefing location this morning. They will take you to start the adventure in their footsteps after a briefing from the Batwa guide leader and translation from the ranger guide. They will walk you through the forest, showing you how they survived and relied on it. This tour is available as a half-day (about 4 hours) or full-day excursion (about 6 hours).
Day 6: Hike Sabyinyo or Muhabura or Gahinga Volcanoes
Mt Gahinga, 3474 meters or 11,400 feet above sea level, provides an easier climb through the bamboo forest and swampy craters at the crest. Forest birds abound on the lower slopes, and bushbuck and the rare duiker can be seen in the marshes at the peak. This is a joint project of Uganda and Rwanda. The climb takes around 6 hours in total.
Mt Muhabura, at 4127 meters above sea level (13540 feet), is the park’s most difficult summit. The trek will take the most of the day, but the brave will be rewarded with a sense of success and – on a good day – stunning views of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a joint project of Uganda and Rwanda. This process takes about 8 hours.
The most spectacular ascent is Mt Sabyinyo, which is 3674 meters above sea level or 12050 feet. You will eventually rely exclusively on the wooden steps up the steep slopes and, as a result, you will let go of the climbing sticks. When you reach the summit, you will have successfully visited all three nations, namely Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In good weather, it takes around 9 hours to trek up and down.
Day 7: Departure
We hope you had an exciting time touring Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. After breakfast, the driver guide will bring you to Entebbe, where you will continue to the airport for your trip home. Thank you for joining us on our trip to Uganda.
