The most beautiful natural sites to discover Mgahinga National Park

From the Visitor Centre in Ntebeko, it is possible to take an easy guided walk to the panoramic platform (1 hr return, US$ 10) offering magnificent views of the region. This walk, although within the park boundaries, does not require payment of an entrance fee (US$40). More difficult, the Border Trail and the Sabinyo Gorge Trail will take you respectively to the Congolese border (5h walk) and the lush eponymous gorge (5 to 6h walk) where birds thrive and (sometimes) golden monkeys can be seen.

The Batwa Trail allows you to discover the local traditional culture, that of the Pygmies. Pygmies lived in the forest until 1991. This cultural hike (and one of solidarity since part of the funds goes to the community) is led by Twa guides who describe along the way the different characteristics of their former life in the forest: hunting techniques, configuration of huts, medicinal plants, collection of honey (of excellent quality) in wild beehives, beliefs... The walk ends with a visit to a lava tunnel (Garama Cave) in which the Batwa took refuge during conflicts with neighbouring populations. 200 m long, it is part of a network of galleries that are said to cross the mountain to Rwanda. The Garama cave, in addition to the protection it provided, also served as a court of justice, royal residence and place of palaver. Bring good walking shoes and a good torch (with batteries) for the cave. At the end of the route, twa dances and songs are usually organized. The hike takes about three to four hours. Relatively easy and very pleasant, the Batwa Trail is one of the most informative and respectful tourism initiatives in the region for anyone wishing to learn about the culture of the Batwa, who were robbed of their land (without compensation) and continue to be despised, discriminated against and exploited by both the administration and Bantu farmers.

Experienced hikers can tackle one of the three peaks in the park in a day's trekking. Good physical condition and proper equipment including waterproof footwear, K-way and warm clothing are required. The ascent of the Gahinga should take no more than 6 to 7 hours from Ntebeko. It will allow the discovery of different birds in the bamboo groves and small antelopes on the summit in the marshy crater. A little more difficult, the access to Sabinyo (3 669 m) will take between 6 and 8 hours for 14 km. The summit is divided into three peaks. On the last one, you will find yourself simultaneously in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Finally, the biggest challenge is the ascent of Muhavura (4,127 m), whose starting point (Muhavura Trailhead) is 4 km east of Ntebeko. It is very advisable to camp there the day before the trek to start as early as possible. Allow a minimum of 9 hours return journey to cover the 12 km which will take you rather abruptly from an altitude of 1,700 m to 4,100 m (lack of oxygen can be felt). Along the way, you may be lucky enough to come across a superb small Johnston's Sunbird, a passerine endemic to the Afro-Alpine flora, while at the end of the trail a small crater awaits you (swimming is possible, but the water is frigid!) surrounded by giant lobelias and above all an extraordinary panorama of the Virunga, the Albertine Rift, Lake Edward, and even, on a very clear day, the Rwenzori massif.

In the absence of gorillas, you will be able to test your primatologist talents by scouring the bamboo forests in search of the golden monkey(Cercopithecus kandti), a rare species, endemic to the Virunga and classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature following its decimation during the Rwandan genocide and the political instability, still in progress, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (poaching for its meat and skin, destruction of its habitat...). This pretty monkey is characterized by its body, cheeks and tail of a golden orange that contrasts with the black of its skull, limbs and the tip of its tail. The population of golden monkeys in the Mgahinga National Park is estimated at three to four thousand individuals. Because their territorial habits are more marked than those of gorillas, the probability of encountering them is very high. Living in groups of thirty individuals on average (at low and medium altitudes, colonies of sixty to one hundred monkeys have already been seen; a contrario,less than ten individuals generally make up the communities frequenting the higher slopes), communicating by vocalizations and feeding mainly on bamboo (shoots, leaves....), or even an insect larva from time to time, the golden monkey can be observed during a tracking organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (count four to five hours of walking), in the morning or early afternoon, from Ntebeko.

Approximately forty-five gorillas live in the Mgahinga region. But in this "golden triangle" formed by Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, the animals know no borders and no one can predict their exact location. Today, however, two families (Nyakagezi I and Nyakagezi II) live almost permanently in the park, where cross-border groups are regularly observed. As the movements of these hominid placids remain unpredictable, the Uganda Wildlife Authority does not normally issue permits for the Mgahinga National Park in advance. For travellers who have been unable to obtain permits for Bwindi, this is the ultimate opportunity. Simply travel to Kisoro and check with the local UWA branch; allow a few days of patience and keep your fingers crossed. Park rangers monitor the monkeys' movements on a daily basis. If the gorillas are there, you can buy your permit at the last minute and prepare for a 3 to 4 hour round trip (less demanding than in Bwindi) to discover our giant cousins in the bamboo forests. The departure is at 8:30 am from Ntebeko, the number of excursionists is limited (eight people maximum) and the duration of the encounter with the great apes is strictly limited to one hour. At the end of 2020, the two groups accustomed to tourists included twenty individuals (9 for Nyakagezi I and 11 for Nyakagezi II), five fewer than a year earlier (one birth and six deaths).