Hiking Mount Muhabura.
Hiking Mount Muhabura: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda’s smallest protected region, is home to Mount Muhabura, one of the three extinct volcano mountains. The national park is situated in the Kisoro area, which borders the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
After Mount Karisimbi and Mount Mikeno, Mount Muhabura is the third-highest and steepest of the eight Virunga Mountains. With a height of 4,127 meters above sea level, the extinct mountain is partially located in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Since many travelers used it as a guide, the local word muhabura means “the guide.”
The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park’s Mount Muhabura hike begins early in the morning with a briefing at park headquarters regarding expectations, rules, and regulations. Following the briefing, armed park rangers and an experienced park guide will be assigned to you. You will then be driven to the trail head at the mountain’s foot, where you will begin hiking in the forest.
Depending on your fitness level, the round-trip hike will take five to seven hours. When you reach the summit, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Crater Lake, other volcanic mountains, gorgeous scenery, and the twin lakes of Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo, among other things. During your trek, you will have stops where you can enjoy amazing views of animals, various bird species, primates, and plants.
The price of climbing Mount Muhabura
It costs 80 USD for foreign visitors, 70 USD for foreign residents, and 50,000 UGX for East African nationals to hike Mount Muhabura in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The cost is per day and includes the admission charge; it does not include the cost of a tent or porter.
Packing essentials for your mountain hike
Hiking shoes, a waterproof rain jacket, energy-boosting foods and drinking water, a first aid kit, garden gloves, a walking stick, a camera and extra batteries, binoculars, and a backpack are some of the things you should bring when mountain hiking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
The ideal time of year to hike Mount Muhabura
Although it is possible to hike Mount Muhabura throughout the year, the best time to do so is in the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February. This is because the park receives less rainfall during this time, making the hiking trails dry and manageable, as opposed to the rainy season, when they become muddy and slippery, making trekking challenging.
Accommodations for your safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
During your hiking safari, you can stay at a variety of lodging options in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, including Lake Chahafi Resort, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge, Lake Mutanda Resort, Mt. Muhabura Climbers Rest Camp, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mucha Lodge, Mount Gahinga Rest Camp, Travelers Rest Hotel, and Ichumbi Hotel. These accommodations range from affordable to luxurious.
The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park travel route
It takes roughly nine to ten hours to drive from Kampala or Entebbe to the park headquarters in a four-wheel drive safari vehicle, passing through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kisoro. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is situated in the southwest region of Uganda.
Travelers can also take scheduled or charter flights with Aerolink or Bar Aviation from Entebbe airport to Kisoro airstrip, and then connect to the park headquarters via road to reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Through the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale, which is around a three to four-hour drive away, travelers can also reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park from Kigali, Rwanda, where they will fly to Kigali International Airport.
Additional activities at the Gorilla National Park in Mgahinga
In addition to mountain climbing, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park provides guests with additional thrilling safari activities, including
Trekking with Gorillas in Uganda
You can spend an hour with mountain gorillas in their natural environment during gorilla trekking, which allows you to see how they behave, take pictures and films, and learn about their habits.
In golden monkey trekking, visitors can walk through the tropical jungle to find habituated golden monkeys and spend an hour with them in their natural environment.
Experience the Batwa cultural route, where visitors can meet the Batwa people who once inhabited Mgahinga forest before it was gazetted as a national park, explore the forest where they once lived, see the Ngarama caves, and take in performances by Batwa women, among other things.
Observing birds
More than 180 bird species have been identified in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, including 14 indigenous species of the Albertine Rift, forest birds, and migratory birds. The Kivu ground thrush, the paradise flycatcher, the Rwenzori turaco, the handsome francolin, the regal sunbird, the black collared apalis, the Ruwenzori batis, the blue-headed sunbird, the western tinker bird, the cinnamon-chested bee-eater, and the purple-breasted sunbird are just a few of the various bird species that can be seen while bird watching.
Among other things, nature walks allow you to capture stunning photos, enjoy the cool wind, hear the lovely sounds of birds, and get up close and personal with various wildlife species.
