Mount Sabinyo Hike.
The smallest protected area in Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, is situated in the southwest of Kisoro District and borders both Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Congo’s Virunga National Park. Mount Sabinyo is one of the extinct volcano mountains in the Virunga ranges. Because Mount Sabinyo’s top resembles an old man’s worn-out teeth, the local phrase Sabinyo, which means old man’s tooth, is the source of the mountain’s name.
Mount Sabinyo, which is 3,645 meters high, is located near the boundary or meeting point of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Mikeno, and Mount Nyamuragira are other Virunga volcanoes.
Mount Sabinyo Hiking
One of the volcanic mountains in the Virunga ranges that provides strenuous climbing is Mount Sabinyo. At the park headquarters, Mount Sabinyo begins early in the morning with a briefing about the guidelines, policies, and expectations. You will be given an experienced park guide, park rangers, and walking sticks after the briefing.
You will then begin hiking through various vegetation zones, such as bamboo zones, swamps, forest patches of Hagenia Hypericum, and sub-alpine zones, where you can see a variety of wildlife, including primates like gorillas and, if you’re lucky, golden monkeys, monkeys, animals like buffaloes, elephants, and bush pugs, various bird species like the Rwenzori turaco, and plant and tree species.
It takes around eight hours to trek Mount Sabinyo in a single day, including four hours to reach the peak and four hours to return. You will be able to take in breathtaking views of Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Kivu, the Rwenzori mountain ranges, and other breathtaking landscapes when you reach the top, which will simultaneously place you in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo.
The price of climbing Mount Sabinyo
It costs 80 USD for international visitors, 70 USD for foreign residents, and 50,000 UGX for East African nationals to hike Mount Sabinyo in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Tent, chef, and porter expenses are not included in the price, however it does include admission fees to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
When to go on a Mount Sabinyo trek
Although it is possible to hike Mount Sabinyo at any time of year, the best time to do so is in the dry season, which is June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. This is because the park’s access roads and hiking trails will be dry and passable during this time, making mountain climbing easier, as opposed to the rainy season, when the trails are muddy and slippery, making hiking challenging.
What to bring for a hike up Mount Sabinyo
Hiking boots, long-sleeved shirts and pants, a packed lunch and water, a waterproof rain jacket, insect repellent, a camera and extra batteries, a pair of binoculars, a backpack, long stockings, a hat, garden gloves, and a walking stick are some of the essentials you should bring when hiking Mount Sabinyo.
Accommodations in the Gorilla National Park of Mgahinga
There are a number of lodging options in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where you may spend your safari. Mutanda Lake Resort, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Lake Chahafi Resort, Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge, Mubano Hotel, Kisoro Travelers Rest Camp, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Mucha Hotel Kisoro, Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, Travelers Rest Hotel, and Mount Gahinga Rest Camp are just a few of the affordable, midrange, and upscale lodging options available.
The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park travel route
The southwest region of Uganda is home to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which is accessible by plane and road.
Road transport: Using road transport, you will travel in a safari vehicle from Kampala to Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, Kisoro, and finally to the park headquarters. The trip takes around nine to ten hours.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park may also be reached via Kigali, Rwanda, where you can fly to Kigali International Airport and then drive for about three to four hours to pass the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale.
When utilizing air transportation, you may arrange scheduled or charter domestic flights from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airstrip, and then take a road connection to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park via Aero Link Uganda or Bar Aviation.
