Hiking in Mgahinga national park

Hiking in Mgahinga national park: Mountaineering is one of Mgahinga Gorilla park activities that any traveler visiting Mgahinga national park can take part in. Mgahinga national park is well known for hosting three of the eight Virunga volcanoes in different locations of the park. The three mountains situated in Mgahinga national park are Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Sabyinyo.

Mount Muhabura is the tallest of those in Uganda with an elevation of 4,127m followed by mount Sabyinyo which has 3,674m and lastly is Mount Gahinga standing at an elevation of 3,474m. All these mountains are extinct or dormant meaning that they have never erupted in history.

Mgahinga national park is famous for sheltering mountain gorillas however that is not the only activity carried out in that park. Mgahinga Gorilla park has more to offer than mountain gorilla trekking and among the many activities include hiking. All mountains in Mgahuinga national park can be hiked at any time of the visit as long as you can afford to pay for the hiking permit.

How much is volcano hiking in Mgahinga national park?

Hiking any of the volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla park does require a hiking permit. A Mgahinga volcano hiking permit does cost $80 for foreign non-residents, $70 for foreign residents, and UGX50,000 citizens of East African Member states. The hiking permit for any of the Virunga mountains in Mgahinga national park can be paid for or purchased at the park headquarters or it can be done at Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Hiking the mountains in Mgahinga national park

Hikers have gotten a choice of which mountain to hike when it comes to Mgahinga national park. Every mountain has gotten its hiking and descending hours because they have different elevations and they also have different nature of slopes. Hiking any of the Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla park does start with a briefing to help hikers get to know the rules and regulations as well as what to expect from the hike.

Hiking does start very early in the morning and hikers are driven to the starting points. Here hikers who have excess luggage can always hire porters and it’s from the same point that hikers do get hiking sticks to help balance in the rugged terrain. The rangers do lead the hike because they know the best trails to use and also need to protect the hikers.

Hiking any of these mountains goes through different vegetation zones with opportunities of meeting different wildlife species such as birds, primates, and mammals along the way. Some of the mountains have stopover points where hikers rest for lunch and then continue with the hike.

During the hiking, there are fast hikers or experienced hikers and there are also slow hikers so what rangers do is separate these people. The fast hikers get to the summit faster and then wait for the slow hikers. There are times when fast hikers over wait and if time goes by they do descend. If the slow hikers are found along the way still hiking, they are asked to give up and descend back because of time.

Hiking to the summit of Mount Muhabura takes 5 to 7 hours, Mount Gahinga it’s 4 to 6 hours while Mount Sabyinyo its 4 to 6 hours. At the summit of each mountain, trekkers do get very great views of the surrounding areas and mountains. At the summit of Mount Gahinga is a large swallow crater swamp, and Mount Muhabura has a crater lake.

At the summit of each of the mountains, hikers are given time to rest, drink water and eat their packed snacks while enjoying the fresh cool breeze. Hikers do get stunning views of areas around the park while recording videos and capturing different pictures. After a great time at the summit of the volcano, a ranger guide leads the team and they descend back to the starting point.

What to pack for mountain climbing in Mgahinga national park?

Hikers to Mgahinga national park need to pack the right essentials if they want to have the hiking exercise successful. What to pack for mountain climbing in Mgahinga Gorilla park includes waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, long cotton stocks, long-sleeved shorts, long-sleeved shirts, a hat, a rain jacket, a sweater, sunscreen, insect repellents, a light backpack, first aid kit, gardening gloves, drinking water bottle, energy giving snacks, a camera, and a pair of binoculars among others.

When is the best time to go volcano hiking in Mgahinga national park?

Tourists can go mountain climbing in Mgahinga national park at any time of the year however certain months are better than the rest. The dry season months from December to February and June to September are the best for hiking because they of the little or no rainfall received. In the dry season, the hiking trails are dry and easier to go through, the vegetation is short along the trails which gives clear views of attractions and the views at the summit are stunning.

Hikers can still try hiking any of the Virunga volcanoes in the rainy season from March to May and October to November. During the rainy season, there are chances of getting discounted accommodation facilities and tour packages. Mountain climbing in Mgahinga national park in the rainy season doesn’t give out the best of the activity because of the heavy rainfall, slippery hiking trails, and thick vegetation cover that never gives clear views of wildlife.

Accessing Mgahinga national Park

The Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga national park can be accessed in 9 to 10 hours by road or less than 3 hours by air transport.

Accessing Mgahinga national Park by road: Mgahinga national park is accessed from Kampala/Entebbe by going through Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale and Kisoro to the park. Travelers from Kigali access Mgahinga for volcano hiking in 4 to 5 hours by driving from Kigali via the Cyanika border in Kisoro and then to the park.

Accessing Mgahinga national Park by air transport, luxury travelers or those that hate traveling for long distances can get to Mgahinga national park by using Kisoro airstrip. There are daily morning flights to Kisoro from Entebbe international airport and Kajjansi airstrip taking 1 hour and 25 minutes. Tourists that want to fly, they should inform the local tour operators so that they book seats in advance.