Is gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park worth the money?
Is gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park worth the money? A lot of travelers interested in gorilla trekking are always left with the question of if the activity is worth the money. Yes, gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is worth the money, energy, and time. The gorilla trekking experience in Mgahinga national park is an unforgettable experience worth all the money paid. Not every person in the world gets a chance to meet mountain gorillas therefore if you get an opportunity to see them know it’s worth it.
Mountain gorillas in the world are found in three national parks 3 of which are found in East Africa and one is in central Africa. Mgahinga national park is one of the four national parks harboring mountain gorillas we are talking about. The national park is found in the southwestern part of Uganda in Kisoro district on the borders of Rwanda and DR Congo.
Mgahinga national park was gazetted in 1991 and the major aim was to protect mountain gorillas and their habitat. The 33.9sq.km piece of land is home to over 100 species of mountain gorillas some of which are habituated and others are still wild. A single gorilla family with the name Nyakagezi is so far fully habituated in Mgahinga national park and a maximum of 8 people can visit it.
Before going any further let’s look at how much gorilla trekking is in Mgahinga national park. The price for mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is very affordable compared to that of Volcanoes national park Rwanda. Mgahinga gorilla trekking permits cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East African member states.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park does attract tourists from different parts of the world every day. Some tourists even fail to get the gorilla permits and postpone days meaning that it is worth the money paid. Had the gorilla trekking activity in Mgahinga national park been boring and not worth the money, so many people wouldn’t be dreaming of seeing the mountain gorillas and the part wouldn’t be receiving tourists on a daily basis.
We would like to assure you that coming to Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking won’t make you regret your time or your saved money paid for the flights to the park, transport to the park, gorilla permit, and even the accommodation where you will stay in case you want to spend a night or more.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is worth the money because the experience alone is exhilarating. Gorilla trekking takes tourists deep into the jungles of Mgahinga national park where they look for mountain gorillas using different trails. It takes 2 to 7 hours to look Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family and when you bump into it that is when you will see very calm and peaceful animals that will not run away like other animals.
A gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga national park allows you to stay around the mountain gorilla family for a maximum of 1 hour. The 1 hour is enough for a traveler to watch the gorilla behaviors, take photos, record videos, and watch members do daily activities among others. Not like other wild animals, mountain gorillas never run away when they see people so you will watch them carry out their activities for the day.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is also worth the money because you be supporting the conservation directly. UWA does control and manage Mgahinga national park activities, pays the rangers, and makes sure that mountain gorillas are healthy and surviving. All this work needs money and the money is got only when you pay for a gorilla permit. Tourists should therefore know that once you have paid a gorilla permit you have directly supported the life of the mountain gorilla.
When to go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park?
Tourists can go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park all throughout the year however the dry season is the best time. The dry season occurs from June to September and December to February when the park is receiving little or no rainfall. The trekking trails are dry and easily passable, vegetation is short and scattered with good views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are in very good condition.
Tourists can still visit Mgahinga national park during the rainy season but they need to know that there is plenty of rainfall within the park. The trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is very tall which gives unclear views of wildlife and the roads leading to the park are slippery which increases the time taken to get to the park. Tourists who visit Mgahinga during the rainy season do get discounted accommodation facilities as well as tour packages therefore budget travelers should try such a season.