Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Gorilla Trekking Safaris to Uganda
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest park in Uganda covering an area of 33.7 km2. It is located in the southwestern tip of Uganda in the Kisoro district. The park adjoins Rwanda’s volcano and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national parks and is part of the Virunga conservation area.
Mgahinga Gorilla Park takes its name from “Gahinga” – the local word for piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmlands. It covers an altitude between 2227m – 4127m above sea level. While in the park, you will experience six vegetation types, Afromontane, tree heathers, montane forest, bamboo, montane woodland, and former farmland.
Gorilla Trekking Safaris to Mgahinga
More About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
The Virunga ranges found in the Virunga massif have eight volcanoes of which three of these conical peaks are in Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla national park. Muhavura is the highest peak at 4,127m – the name is translated as ‘guide’ in the local language, they used it as a reference to give direction because it towered above everything else.
It has panoramic views of Uganda and Rwanda with a clear lake at its summit 36m wide. Gahinga at 3,474m is also the smallest of the Virunga volcanoes; its name is derived from the ‘piles of rock’ that are cleared from farmlands.
It has a swamp-filled crater on the top that measures about 180m wide. Finally, Sabyinyo at 3,669m is translated as ‘old man’s teeth’ because of the deep gorges and ravines that dissect it. On the highest peak of Sabyinyo is where you find the intersection between Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can take a hike to all these peaks in one day; you will be rewarded with magnificent views and great photographic moments.