Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in southwestern Uganda on the corner border with the neighboring country Rwanda. The park covers only 33 square kilometers in Uganda, making it the country’s smallest game park. The park takes its name from the word Gahinga which is a local word for the piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmland at the foot of the volcanoes: Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabyinyo.

The park was established in 1991 with the sole intention of protecting the mountain gorillas that roam freely within the Virunga region. It’s also an important habitat for the endangered golden Monkey. Mgahinga boasts over 76 mammals which include elephants, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, bush back, buffalos, leopards, and a bird checklist of over 180 species including the 14 endemic Albertine rift notably the Kivu ground thrush and turaco. The iconic activities in the game park are mainly bird watching and primate tracking.

Among the park’s prominent features include the three conical extinct volcanoes that form part of the Virunga volcanic ranges. These lie along the border Uganda shares with Congo and Rwanda. Visit the park to witness a breathtaking mountainous scenery coupled with stunning vistas, track the endangered mountain gorilla and golden monkey on foot, hike the beautiful and dense Virunga ranges, and interact with the native Batwa tribe, an indigenous community of people that live off the forest through hunting and gathering.