Bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Watching birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest protected place in Uganda. It is in the southwest, in the Kisoro district. The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is famous for its endangered mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, forest elephants, duikers, giant forest hogs, bushbucks, and three volcanoes: Mount Gahinga, which is 3,475 meters high, Mount Sabyinyo, which is 3,645 meters high, and Mount Muhavura, which is 4,127 meters high.
Over 115 species of birds have been reported in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This makes it one of the best places in Uganda to go birdwatching. The park is home to 14 of the 24 Albertine Rift native species, as well as afrotropical mountain biomes and migratory bird species. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park lets you watch birds early in the morning, late in the afternoon, or late at night with the help of a knowledgeable bird guide who knows all the best places to see birds. You can see many kinds of birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
These include the Black Kite, the Alpine Chat, the Grey Crowned Hornbill, the Hadada Ibis, the Malachite Sunbird, the Speckled Mousebird, the Grey Capped Warbler, the White-necked Raven, the Fire Finch, the Stonechat, the Kivu Ground-thrush, and the Double-collared Sunbird. Some of the birds that live in Ruwenzori are the Olive Woodpecker, the Archers Robin-chat, the Blue-headed Coucal, the Dusky Crimson Wing, the Moorland Chat, the Cape Robin-chat, the Malachite Sunbird, the Brown Crowned Tchagra, the Black-headed Waxbill, the Western Tinker Bird, the Bronze Sunbird, the White-tiled Blue Flycatcher, the Blue-breasted Bee-eater, the Strange Weaver, the Handsome Francolin, the African Firefinch, the Black Collared Apalis, the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, the Red-throated Alethe, the Ruwenzori Turaco, the Purple-breasted Sunbird, Chubb’s Cisticola, the Bronze Sunbird, the Dusky Turtle Dove, and the Streaky Seedeater.
Cost
People from outside of East Africa must pay 30 USD to watch birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. People from other countries must pay 25 USD, and East African citizens must pay 20,000 UGX. There are no entrance fees for bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. It costs 40 USD per person for foreigners who are not residents, 30 USD per person for foreign residents, and 20,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
When is the best time to visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to watch birds?
Anyone can go bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park at any time of the year, but the best times are during the wet season, from April to May and October to November. That’s when bird watchers can see the most colorful and moving bird species.
You can also watch birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park during the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February. This is because the birding trails will be dry and easy to walk on, making it easy to watch birds.
What to bring on a tour to see birds in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
For a birding safari in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, you should bring bug spray, hiking shoes, a safari guidebook, a pair of binoculars, a camera and extra batteries, a waterproof rain jacket, a long-sleeved shirt and pants, energy snacks and water, a hat and sunscreen, a warm sweater, and a backpack, among other things.
Other things to do in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
You can do many things at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You can go gorilla trekking and spend an hour with mountain gorillas, go on a guided nature walk and get up close and personal with different animals, go golden monkey trekking and spend time with golden monkeys, go mountain climbing and climb Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura, and have a batwa cultural experience and talk to the batwa people who used to live in Mgahinga forest before it was declared a national park.
How to spend your night in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, you can watch birds.
Bee-eater with a cinnamon chest
During your birding safari, you can stay at a number of different types of hotels in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These include the Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, the Mount Gahinga Lodge, the Lake Mulehe Lodge, the Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, the Mutanda Lake Resort, the Travellers Rest Hotel, the Lake Chahafi Resort, the Kisoro Tourist Hotel, the Ntebeko River Camp, the Chameleon Hill Lodge, the Gorilla Heights Lodge, the Mucha Hotel Kisoro, Gahiza Island Retreat, and the Ikaze Cottages.
A guide on how to get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is in the southwest of Uganda. To get there, book a local flight from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airstrip. From there, take a road to the park offices. A reputable tour company, such as Maseke Adventure Co.Ltd, can help you book domestic flights to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
You can also drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park from Kampala or Entebbe. In a tour car, it takes about 9 to 10 hours to get to the park offices, going through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kisoro.
You can also get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park from Kigali, Rwanda. To get there, you’ll need to fly to Kigali International Airport and then drive for four to five hours to get to the park offices through the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale.
