What is the smallest national park in Uganda? Uganda is a country full of exciting and amazing things and a landlocked country boarding east African countries known as “the Pearl of Africa with an area of approximately 26,338 square kilometers. It is bordered by Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uganda has become one of Africa’s most sought-after wildlife destinations, which is home to 10 fascinating national parks that tourists can visit while on their safari some of these game parks include; Murchison Falls National Park which is famously known to be the largest game park, Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second national park that is considered to be the most visited game park because of being the only place in the country where to see the unique tree climbing lions, Kidepo valley national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park which are famously known for being great destinations where to travel for gorilla trekking activities, Semliki national park and many other.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest national park in the country, covering a total surface area of about 33.9 square kilometers. It was officially established as a national park in 1991. This national park is located in the southwestern region of Uganda, in the Kisoro district. Uganda’s smallest national park is not among the least popular because it is famously known as one of the only two places in the country where mountain gorillas can be seen.
The park is Uganda’s smallest national park and is bordered by Volcano National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bwindi Forest National Park. The park is home to three of the eight Virunga volcanoes, such as Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura. Other fascinating Virunga mountains include Mount Bisoke, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Mikeno, Mount Nyiragongo, and Mount Nyamulagira. The park is a tropical rainforest compared to a lowland equatorial evergreen forest, a tropical seasonal forest, mountain rainforests, and mountain bamboo.
What is the smallest national park in Uganda?: Amazing things to do while at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Golden monkey tracking
Golden Monkey Tracking is another activity that can be done after gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which is home to over 4,000 golden monkeys. This activity is only done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Like gorilla tracking, it also starts in the morning with a briefing and ends with you walking through the forest in search of these endangered monkeys. encountering these joyful golden monkeys involves hiking along the bamboo forest of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in order to access these joyful and unique habituated golden monkeys. During Uganda golden monkey tracking, you will get a great opportunity to spot some of the exhilarating attractions that contribute to the park’s beauty, such as bird species like the beautiful Rwenzori turaco, handsome francolin, Rwenzori Batis, Kivu ground-thrush, blue-headed weaver, black-collared apalis, dusky crimsonwing, red-throated alethe, and the Regal sunbird. Golden monkey tracking permits are readily available and can be purchased on arrival at the park headquarters.
Gorilla trekking
Mountain gorilla trekking is the main highlight of any Ugandan trip to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The national park is home to only one habituated gorilla family called the Nyakagezi gorilla family. Gorilla trekking is a thrilling activity in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, where tourists get to explore the thick rainforest on foot in search of these captivating, habituated mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park begins in the morning with a briefing at the park’s head office about the rules regulations and expectations, among others. After the briefing, tourists are assigned an experienced guide who will lead them to the forest in search of the gorilla family, which takes about 2–4 hours, depending on where the mountain gorillas are allocated. During gorilla trekking, you will also get the opportunity to discover some of the hidden gems of the forest, such as birds, mammals, reptiles, and other primate species. Upon encountering these fascinating primates, you will be allowed for only one interaction with these fascinating creatures while observing their daily activities such as feeding, breastfeeding, and playing, among others. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, a maximum of eight individuals over the age of 15 are allowed to trek with mountain gorilla families in a day.
Birding
An estimated bird population of about 200 bird species lives in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and the majority of these are Albertine rift and forest birds. They include grey-crowned cranes, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori double-collar sunbirds, Kivu ground thrush, double-toothed barbet, grey-capped warblers, yellow-vented bulbul, speckled mousebird, fire finch, stone chat, white-tailed blue flycatchers, dusky turtle dove, montane double-collar sunbird, Blagden’s bush shrike, Alpine chat, black kite, handsome francolins, crowned hornbill, Chubb’s cisticola, yellow-throated longclaw, yellow-crowned canary, scarlet tufted malachite sunbird, grassland pipit, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, and more.
Nature walks
The nature walks in Mgahinga National Park are arranged to allow visitors to get up close to nature. The walks are arranged to see the bamboo forests, birds, swamps like Rugezi, surrounding villages, and lakes like Mutanda. During these walks, expect to encounter forest creatures, wild vegetation, and the local communities living at the edge of the forest. The scenery in Mgahinga can be breathtaking, especially a few weeks after the main rains have stopped.
Batwa cultural trail experience
Tourists can get a true experience of the traditional Batwa people, believed to have lived in the forest for over 500,000 years until they were pushed away. The Batwa Trail was put in place in order to restore the dignity and hope of the ancient Batwa people. You can contribute to people’s livelihoods by engaging in this activity. You can learn about the history of the Batwa people, get entertained with local traditional dances, and perhaps buy some handmade crafts to take back home for remembrance.
Nature walks
The nature walks in Mgahinga National Park are arranged to allow visitors to get up close to nature. The walks are arranged to see the bamboo forests, birds, swamps like Rugezi, surrounding villages, and lakes like Mutanda. During these walks, expect to encounter forest creatures, wild vegetation, and the local communities living at the edge of the forest. The scenery in Mgahinga can be breathtaking, especially a few weeks after the main rains have stopped.
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