Mgahinga is tiny by park standards, just 33.7 square kilometres, and sits at the meeting point of three borders on the slopes of three volcanoes: Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It shares a boundary with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, and shares the same mountain gorilla population, moving as it does across an international border that means nothing to the animals themselves.
One habituated gorilla family calls Mgahinga home for most of the year, though the group sometimes wanders into Rwanda or DRC and treks can be redirected accordingly on short notice. Golden monkeys, restricted to high-altitude bamboo across the Virunga range, offer a second and more reliable primate trek here. For anyone wanting more than wildlife, all three volcanic peaks are climbable in a single long day each, and the Batwa Trail ends at Garama Cave, once a refuge and now a cultural stop with Batwa guides.
Part of the Virunga Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared across three countries, Mgahinga sits at serious altitude — 2,227 to 4,127 metres — which shows up in cooler air and slower going on any of the volcano hikes.
A single overnight can work if the gorilla family is in residence, though two nights allows a buffer for both gorilla and golden monkey treks. Mgahinga is a nine-hour drive from Kampala and usually visited as an extension from Bwindi rather than as a standalone destination.
Park entry fees and gorilla and chimp permits in Uganda are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
