Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Nyumbu Beyond Journeys

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the wider Virunga conservation region that also includes the volcanoes national park in Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is located on the south-western corner of Uganda in the town of Kisoro. Mgahinga was upgraded from a game reserve into a full national park in 1991 mainly to protect the mountain gorillas that were in frequent conflicts with humans living within and outside the park.

Activities in Mgahinga National ParkMgahinga is the smallest national park in Uganda and covers an area of 34 square kilometers. The park gets its name from a Kinyarwanda word “Gahinga” referring to the small lava stones common in gardens at the foot of the mountain.

Though a small park, what really sets Mgahinga apart is the natural beauty. The park is characterized by Savannah grasslands, woodlands, tropical forests, montane forests, marshes/swamps, bamboo forests, Afro-montane forests, bogs and semi-alpine vegetation. The most prominent features in the park are the three inactive volcanoes – Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura. These mountains form part of the great Viringa ranges of mountains that include Karisimbi, Bisoke, and Nyiragongo among others. Because of the three mountains much of the park lies on high altitude of between 2,000 to 4,000 metres.

The mountains along with thick forest cover influence climatic conditions in the park bringing frequent rains and a cool breeze. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a vital water catchment area. Several streams flow from Crater the Lakes and swamps on the mountain summit to the rivers and lakes on the floor. On the slopes of the mountains, there are rivers like Ntebeko, Nyabirerema and Kabiranyuma which supply water to the indigenous tribes living next to the park.