Mgahinga is Uganda‘s smallest national park. It was established to protect the mountain gorillas of the Ugandan sector of the Virunga Volcanoes that straddle Rwanda and the DRC. Of the 600 mountain gorillas left in the world, 300 are found in the Virunga Volcanoes, whilst the other 300 are in the nearby Bwindi National Park.
Although it is only 33km2 in area, its volcanic landscapes are breathtaking and it harbours a wealth of animals and birds. No mountain gorillas live in Mgahinga permanently, but several troops move freely between the park and those in Rwanda and the Congo.
Mgahinga is a dense tropical rainforest on the lower slopes of the volcanoes where the vegetation includes bamboo and lots of lichens and mosses: delicacies to a mountain gorilla. There is only one group of mountain gorillas in Mgahinga that is habituated to humans. Known as the Nyakagezi group, these gorillas can be visited on a gorilla track.
