Flying safaris to Mgahinga national park

Flying safaris to Mgahinga national park are slowly becoming common because tourists are no longer interested in traveling long distances. Mgahinga national park is located a 9 to 10 hours’ drive from Entebbe and Kampala yet it’s a 1 hour and 25 minutes flight from Entebbe international airport. Flying safaris to Mgahinga national park are normally used by luxury tourists and those that hate sitting in safari cars for long distances.

Yes, air transport from Entebbe/Kampala to Mgahinga national park is very short but it’s not as adventurous as road transport. Tourists who have flying safaris to Mgahinga national park want to travel in a luxury style or get to the park faster. Kisoro airstrip was constructed in the southwestern part of Uganda to enable tourists to access Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park by air.

Flights to Mgahinga national park

Flights to Mgahinga national park are from Entebbe international park or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro airstrip. The flights are organized by Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda to enable luxury travelers or those that hate traveling for long distances to get to Mgahinga national park. Flights take 1 hour 25 minutes to get to Kisoro airstrip and tourists do use less than an hour to get to Mgahinga national park. There is only one flight every day to Kisoro airstrip because of the weather conditions and it’s done in the morning hours.

Major activities to do on a flying safari to Mgahinga national park

Mountain gorilla trekking

This is the most done activity in Mgahinga national park since only 2 national parks in Uganda host mountain gorillas. On a flying safari to Mgahinga national park, the activity you don’t have to miss is mountain gorilla trekking. Mountain gorilla trekking is an activity that will enable you to encounter mountain gorillas in the wild ad spend with them a maximum of 1 hour.

Mountain gorilla trekking on a flying safari in Mgahinga national park can only be done by tourists who have gorilla trekking permits. You should purchase your gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga national park because it’s a card that allows you to be part of the trekking team. Trekking takes you to the jungle where you go through different trails until you meet mountain gorillas. The search lasts for 2 to 6 hours but as soon as you meet them, you are given 1 hour to be around them.

Golden monkey trekking

Only carried out in Mgahinga national park, golden monkey trekking is another activity you can do in Mgahinga national park on your flying safari. To be part of the golden monkey trekking where you will spend time with endangered golden monkeys, you will need a golden monkey permit which is from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Golden monkey trekking starts early in the morning at Ntebeko Visitors Center with a briefing about the rules and regulations of the activity. Rangers with firearms lead trekkers in the jungle where they search for a habituated golden monkey family. The search can be from 1 to 4 hours and the moment monkeys are spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members.

Apart from golden monkey trekking, there is golden monkey habituation in Mgahinga national park. Golden monkey habituation is done by tourists who want to be part of the activities that make golden monkeys get used to human presence around them. Golden monkey trekking lasts for 4 hours, unlike trekking which lasts for 1 hour. With golden monkey habituation, tourists will be able to join researchers in the activities that make monkeys get used to the human presence around them.

Bird watching

Mgahinga national park being home to over 180 bird species 14 of which are endemic to the Albertine region, bird lovers on a flying safari to Mgahinga national park can be part of the bird watching activities. There are birding exercises carried out in Mgahinga national park to enable bird lovers to see as many bird species as they can.

A bird watching activity in Mgahinga national park will introduce you to activities such as Kivu ground thrush, olive pigeon, black kite, Rwenzori turaco, cape robin chat, Rwenzori batis, narina tragon, strange weaver, grey-capped warbler, white starred robin, blue-headed coucal, dusky crimson wing, lagden’s bushshrike, cinnamon bracken warbler, chubb’s cisticola, scarlet tufted malachite sunbird, dusky turtle dove, cinnamon bracken warbler,  brown crowned tchagra, white-necked raven, double colored sunbird, African paradise flycatcher, regal sunbird, and alpine chat among others.

Hiking

You can fly to Mgahinga national park and hike any of the three Virunga volcanoes located within the park. Three Virunga volcanoes are part of Mgahinga Gorilla park and these are Gahinga, Muhabura, and Sabyinyo. Tourists that are interested in hiking can try any of the three found within the park. Hiking any of these mountains takes a day and hikers are able to meet different wildlife, vegetation, and have great views of the surrounding areas.

Where to stay on flying safaris to Mgahinga national park?

Mgahinga park has a lot of accommodation facilities where tourists on flying safaris can stay. These accommodation safaris range from budget to mid-range to luxury options with where to stay depending on the traveler’s budget and choice. Mgahunga national park has accommodation facilities such as Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mount Gahinga Rest Camp, Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, Tiloreza Volcanoes Lodge, Musasa Mountain Safari Lodge, Mgahinga Safari Lodge, Mountain Gahinga Rest Camp, and Mutanda Safari Lodge.

When to have flying safaris to Mgahinga national park?

Tourists intending to have flying safaris to Mgahinga national park can have them at any time of the year however certain months are better than the rest. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best to have flying safaris in Mgahinga national park. This is because they have little or no rainfall keeping trekking trails dry, vegetation is short with clear views of attractions, and roads connecting to the park are in good state.

Tourists planning to have flying safaris to Mgahinga national park can still have them in the rainy season which is from March to May and October to November. The rainy season comes with discounted tour packages, accommodation, and flights. What makes the rainy season not so favorable is the too much rainfall received within those months. The trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is too tall and roads leading to the park are in poor states.