VISIT MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK-THE ULTIMATE GORILLA EXPERIENCE!

Have you ever heard about the golden monkeys or mountain gorillas in Uganda? Or ever imagined of ultimate gorilla experiences in the world? Come and explore Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for the Ultimate Mountain Gorilla experiences in a life time. Mgahinga Gorilla Park is regarded as the smallest national park in Uganda but comes with incredible tourist attractions and activities that visitors need not to miss out in South Western, Uganda.  Like China boasts of the Golden Sichuan monkeys, well Mgahinga Gorilla Park as well comes with fascinating wild creatures-the mountain gorillas and the rare golden monkeys. Probably if you have anxiety for astonishing primate experiences that enlivens travel spirits, then Mgahinga Gorilla Park is the perfect destination for you!

These golden primates are all enlisted as endangered species. Although the golden monkeys are not as famous as the rare primates like the rare mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, currently they count to over 5000 species that can be sighted at the Virunga Volcanoes. However, these figures shouldn’t be relied on because the census has taken time without being conducted! The golden monkeys form another incredible primate species but unfortunately they do not have high reproduction rate as the numbers might suggest. These primates are endemic to Albertine Rift Valley and they live about 10000 feet.

THE GOLDEN MONKEY

With this information at hand, we believe you can make the best choice at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. We are also very glad to bring to your attention the highlight of exciting things that can make your stay memorable in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park  as it is explained below.

In most cases, when tourists land into Uganda the first thing to ask is where are the mountain gorillas. No need to hurry! Cool down the anxiety with Gorilla trekking or tracking one of your breathtaking adventures that won’t leave you regretting in life. Remember a handful of these magnificent destinations exist in the world for you to see these majestic mountain gorillas! Lucky enough, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park give Uganda that pride with astonishing humble primates that count 900 in a whole world, with over 480 of them in Uganda. Make your choice now and enjoy 80 of the rare mountain gorillas that are confined in Mgahinga Gorilla Park. You have only one habituated gorilla family (Nyakagezi gorilla family) to achieve your dreams!

GORILLA TREKKING

Further more, have you ever thought of Golden Monkey tracking or Golden Monkey Habituation Experience? At Mgahinga Gorilla Park there is no need to be stranded with limited activities to be enjoyed. Come for delightful golden monkey tracking and stimulate your travel spirit in Mgahinga Gorilla Park. Did you know that Golden Monkeys are a sub species of the blue monkeys? Probably it is yes or no. well, come and explore on these amazing primates that are blended with golden bodies, cheeks and tails but with black limbs. As well, you can also check out the blend of golden hair and the dense vegetation of Mgahinga Gorilla Park. It is just fun being here!

GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING

Further more, explore the Golden Monkey Habituation Experience at the Bamboo Forest zones of the Virunga Volcanoes. This adventure is only offered at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. There is only one Habituated Golden Monkey family available for this experience and you will spend all the 4 hours with the Golden Monkeys but note that only 6 visitors are allowed per day. To go for this experience, the tourist has to pay $100 including park entrance some thing which is different from gorilla trekking or Chimpanzee Habituation Experience (CHEX). What else would you wait for if it is not to grab your light hiking boots, jeans, rain jacket, day pack, long sleeved shirt, one liter of water, some lunch, as well as cameras?

Besides enjoying the mountain gorillas, you can also incorporate your safaris with birding, over 76 mammal species, hiking, climbing experiences and the Batwa Trail Experiences. Don’t be left out of choice! Despite its being the smallest park in Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla Park is a remarkable destination that provides refuge to three Virunga Volcanoes commonly called the Mufumbiro Mountains-“The Mountains which Cook.” If you are a good hiker or climber, then count Mgahinga Gorilla National Park the perfect destination.

GOLDEN MONKEY HABITUATION EXPERIENCE

Have you ever thought about authentic cultural experiences in Africa? If so then the Batwa Trail Experience is the perfect experience that you should never miss out in Mgahinga Gorilla Park. If you have ever read or heard about this experience, we encourage you to join us and we explore the life style of these fascinating pygmies. Did you know that “Batwa people” were the first forest dwellers? It is through the Batwa Trail Experience where you can enrich your senses with the ancient lifestyle in the forest, authentic dances and Garama cave exploration. Visit Mgahinga and you will never regret exploring these ancient pygmies who found refuge in the montane rain forest with mountain gorillas for a thousand centuries. If you have ever thought about authentic cultural experiences, Mgahinga would be one of the must tourist destinations to visit.

THE BATWA DANCE

In conclusion, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest national park among 10 parks in Uganda. It stands as one of the few best tourist destinations that reward visitors with a range of fascinating attractions and adventures that include gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking, golden monkey habituation experiences, birding, hiking, climbing and the Batwa Trail Experience. Come and experience the authentic culture and discover the golden primates only at the ultimate Gorilla national park!!

FACTS ON MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN UGANDA

Globally, a handful of wildlife species have stimulated the intellect and enliven the spirit of travelers as intense as the world’s humble primates, the bulkiest living Apes in the world. These humble creatures live only within 3 landlocked countries of East Africa, and they include Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These astonishing primates are enlisted in the IUCN Red Data Book as endangered species and they are never seen in any zoo in the world or even live in captivity except in the wild. 900 of these spectacular Giant Apes still exist around the globe and incredibly over half (480) of them can be seen in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, East Africa. However, such tremendous numbers are based explained by the sound conservation and protection measures that have been invested on mountain gorillas as well as support from local communities.

THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

Previously, no body had imagined that these impressive creatures would live in higher altitude than West Africa but after the news had circulated world wide, several hunters were seen around Congo where shooting became rampant. Notably, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden captured 14 mountain gorillas in 1920 to 1921. Shortly, the Belgians developed mountain gorilla preservation program and hence the English in Uganda-the pearl of Africa. Seeing the giant apes in Uganda was never allowed, apart from Walter Baumgartel in Kisoro who was allowed to take visitors to his Travelers Rest Hotel and currently if you visited Uganda, you would still consider it for accommodation. Famously, Baumgartel, is credited for his book “Up among the mountain gorillas”, as well, the famous primatologist Dian Fossey frequently live in the same place as George Schaller did. If you have ever seen gorillas at the zoo, they are the lowlands of Western Africa and the critically endangered mountain gorillas are the sub species known as “Gorilla beringei.”

At the pearl of Africa the world star attraction found their refuge at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park just at 48 kilometers away from each other. For visitors intending to track these rare Apes, well no worries because it is easier and safer to do it at remarkable Rwanda and Uganda as compared to DRC which affected by insecurity.

Description of the mountain gorillas

A mature gorilla is famously known as a silverback and its size doubles the one of the females, approximately 6 foot tall and weighs about 350-500 pounds. These apes have muscular bodies and long arms. The arms of the silverbacks can stretch up to 7 feet! The young adult mountain gorillas are called the black back due to the dark hair on their backs and they live up to 40-50 years. However, these impressive creatures share 98% of genes with humans and staring into eyes these creatures is as humbling as it is thrilling!

MUSCULAR MOUNTAIN GORILLA

Habitat and Diet

No where else in Uganda do visitors frequent to except, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park “The Ultimate Gorilla Experience” and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park “Where Gold meets Silver” for such spectacular primate experiences in a life time. Looking for incredible gorilla experience? Explore Bwindi Impenetrable Forest “The place of darkness” for tremendous world primates! The jungle lies within an altitude of 1160 to 2607 meters above sea level. The gorilla trek is full day adventure and visitors go with their lunch because these humble creatures roam around to different places to spend a night in newly made nests.

These outstanding creatures need food like humans do, and vegetation here is unexceptional. They eat plants but mostly circulate plant species which provide enough moisture and hence the critically endangered mountain gorillas need less water.

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

The behavior of the mountain gorillas

Mountain gorillas are some of the humble and shy primates that to less dangerous to humans unless threatened or irritated. Mountain gorilla trekking is best done in habituated gorilla families that are designated to visitors. In Uganda, there are 12 habituated families for visitors to track the mountain gorillas. This means that the Giant Apes are only accustomed to human presence and the habituation process takes around 2 years. Just like humans live in families, these impressive creatures on other hand also live in families of 2-30-40 individuals but mostly they live in groups of 10. Note that the mountain gorillas do not have mating season and babies can be born all the year round. At 15 years, the males begin breeding and the females give birth from 10-12 years and this means that the females give birth after 2-3 years hence 4-6 offspring within lifespan. At 11 years the male gorilla is supposed to leave the family and over half of the females on other hand also leave their family. In terms of communication, these creatures use over 25 different sounds like grunts, shouts and roar but each mean pass a different message.

The predators

Mountain gorillas need maximum protection to reduce cases of extinction and one of the biggest threats to the life the endangered species is encroachment by adjacent communities to the gorilla habitat. However, authorities have taken initiative to provide support incentives to the communities through gorilla tourism. Another critical threat is spread of human disease to the Apes, a reason why there visitors are required to observe the rules and regulars during gorilla trekking.

Mountain gorilla safaris in Uganda

For perfect gorilla safaris in East Africa, you either visit Uganda or Rwanda. Spend 4 solid hours only at Rushanga gorilla family while enjoying your Gorilla Habituation Experience-Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. There are also gorilla treks from Rwanda-the Volcanoes National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. What you need to do is get in touch with Maranatha Tours and Travel and our gorilla dreams will be achieved! However, get a gorilla permit at $600 for gorilla tracking and $1500 for gorilla habituation experience in Rushanga area, Uganda. While in Rwanda you will pay $750 for gorilla trekking. With gorilla permit at hand, a visitor gets 95% chances to track the Giant Apes!

In conclusion, to discover more about the mountain gorillas is beyond reading the written documents but to travel to encounter them physically. If gorilla trekking offers a life time experiences then it is worth visiting Uganda for gorilla habituation experience; imagine spending 4 hours with humble creatures. Discover Uganda and be rewarded with remarkable experiences beyond expectation!!

GORILLA HABITUATION EXPERIENCE IN UGANDA

Mountain gorilla adventure is one of the astonishing experiences that rewards the efforts being put to travel as far as South Western, Uganda. If you want to get inspired with remarkable experiences in life time, visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for incredible mountain gorilla safaris. While at Uganda, regrets about the Experiential Mountain Gorilla safaris should never be part of your travel because there are over 480 species of Giant Apes that are inhabited in this beautiful destination out of 900 species that exist in the world. To trek for the world’s star attractions in the pearl of Africa, it is only best done either in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest

More still, if you are looking for authentic experiential gorilla safaris in Africa, Uganda is the perfect destination to offer such an incredible Mountain Gorilla Habituation Experience beyond regrets. This experiential safari is one of the magical experiences that one can best do only in Rushanga sector, Bwindi Impenetrable forest where visitors spend 4 hours with the mountain gorilla group which is undergoing habituation process. The Gorilla Habituation Experience is the whole day trek for the mountain gorilla family!

Enjoy the habituation experience together!

Never wait any more, book for your habituation experience or combine it with wildlife safari in any park in Uganda as soon as you can because the park management recommends only 8 persons, 4 per family and you have only 2 gorilla families undergoing habitation process. What is exciting and non regretful about this experiential adventure is that, you have  longer time encounter with the world’s star attractions some thing that is unique from gorilla trekking where you spend an hour with the Gentle Giants. There is nothing incredible like familiarizing yourself with the Giant’s family with research team. Do not bury your dreams because Maranatha Tours and Travel is a dully authorized tour operator to help you book for your gorilla safaris either in Uganda or Rwanda!! Why not reward our senses with the outstanding experiences and achieve value for money? If you have been in gorilla trek, at end of the Experiential Gorilla Habituation Experience you will agree that gorilla trekking is just life time experience and the encounter during the Habituation Experience in deed rewards beyond expectations!! Imagine spending 4 hours with the Gentle Giants as you prove your 95% DNA with these impressive creatures. Please note that you won’t find Gorilla Habituation Experience in either Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but only in Uganda.

Mountain Gorilla Habituation Experience

Where  to go for Gorilla Habituation Experience?

Enjoy your Gorilla Habituation safari only in the Rushanga sector, southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable forest, Uganda.

The cost of gorilla habituation permit

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) the managing body for all the national parks in Uganda, recommends persons above 15 years to engage in this experience and the permit costs $1500 each person. The cost caters for other expenses like park entrance and better if you come with your passport as well like it is done in gorilla trekking. Please contact Maranatha Tours and Travel so that your permit is booked in advance because the numbers are restricted during this experience.

Accessibility to Rushanga sector

You can access Rushanga on road from Kampala to Kabale district South Western Uganda or alternatively fly from Entebbe using the Aerolink Airlines to Kisoro and if you are Rwanda, connect from Kigali a 3 hour drive to Rushanga.

The difference between Gorilla Habituation Experience and Gorilla trekking.

Several differences exist between the two adventures which include;

The Gorilla Habituation Experience allows 4 hour encounter with the Gentle Giants as compared to 1 hour during trekking. For your 2017 Gorilla Habituation Experiences, you will be at the Biking and Bushaho gorilla group. While at the experiential adventure, there are only 4 people recommended as compared to 8 persons per gorilla family during the gorilla trekking however the same rules and regulations apply for both adventures.

In conclusion, the Gorilla Habituation Experience is one of the incredible adventures you can think about to be included in your safari while in Uganda. The Experiential adventure is still untapped and most importantly, the authentic gorilla experiences can be discovered in this beautiful destination. What an exciting safari to combine or book for the Gorilla Habituation Experiences in the pearl of Africa!! 

BOAT CRUISE IN LAKE VICTORIA

In many occasions, travelers consider visiting only the remote destinations like the national parks for their safari holidays while in East Africa or Africa. Considerably, many of the travelers do not have or they have less understanding that sailing using water transport means whether in land or out at sea, the traveler can also get the astonishing refreshing water adventures. In this case, much as Uganda is a landlocked country, it largely takes the largest portion of second largest fresh water body in East Africa-Lake Victoria, the River Nile one of the longest Rivers in the world including many inland water bodies which have continuously facilitated water transportation services in the country. Notably, there are several water cruise experiences that are provided by either travel companies or owners of accommodation facilities in such areas like the waterfalls or Islands. With these in offer, you too should get out of home with your dear ones for a day or weekend then share the exciting experiences in this area. These cruise experiences may not comparably be like the long cruise ships that require you to spend two or more weeks at the sea but while at this short inland water cruise, you will agree with the joy experienced thereafter.

If you are a leisure lover or excursionist, visit Lake Victoria for wonderful cruise activities that will reward you with several inland water experiences in East Africa. The ultimate experiences along the stretch of 3220 kilometers of Lake Vitoria is such wonderful thing to experience a long its beautiful edges and beaches in home of over 200 fish species.

Expectantly, your excitement will be rewarded you with a romantic sunset boat cruise in Lake Victoria. It is high time you rekindled the flames of your love at the fresh waters as you share the romantic dinner on cruise or cheer together with friends with wines and cheese of your preference. The lake is famously credited to be the second largest fresh water body in the world. As you plan for your cruise, you may take up the afternoon cruise out as you head the equator line or alternatively through the Islands as you will be in position to view the sun over the horizon. While at the cruise, several services will be at your service such as snacks and drinks. To par take the activity, then you need to be at Entebbe or Lugard Avenue just outside the zoo. At $35 each person, the two hour cruise will be a great reward of refreshment.

Set out of home and do bird watching, at Mabamba papyrus swamp where notably the uncommon shoebill stork can be seen. While at the swamp, you will enjoy several exclusive water bird species and wildlife species like the necked otters. For 2-3 hours of birding in this area, cost you about $60 as you take the excellent bird watching activity morning or late in the afternoon.

What is unique about taking a trip through the fresh water body is that you need only to be aware of place of docking off to and the amount to sail through Lake Victoria. This is something different from taking safari holiday which involves trip planning, budgeting and choosing the best but affordable tourist destination.

In conclusion, Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water body that is shared among the 3 main East African countries (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) but the largest portion is located in Uganda. The fresh water body is one of the notably best areas tourist visit for several water adventure experiences along the waterfalls, source of the Nile, Jinja. The area is also in Islands and beaches which clients go to relax from. Let us join together as we enjoy the cool atmosphere around us!! For any, adventure trips or safaris consult; Maranatha Tours and Travel.

Book a Bird Watching Excursion

The self drive car rental in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi and Democratic republic of Uganda

There are a number of cars in Kampala- Uganda self drive hire and can be driven up to Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya. There are cheap 4x4 cars for hire at our company and in case you are looking for the beast deal on your Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan or Burundi self drive, we offer you at great discounts. In case you want  4x4 car rental our company offers direct  from car rental company and owns its own car hire fleet in all the above countries  thus if  you are looking for the most competitive self drive or with a driver  for your safari on  very special self drive  tours at the Uganda’s International airport- Entebbe to Kampala then to Kigali Airport,Arusha  or Dar -es -Salaam , you will find all at our company.

Get the best 4x4 rental cars at discounted deals with us since we have a unique hire proposition rates in the region. You will enjoy a Uganda self drive during your safaris and holidays across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo at a time when it is very safe to travel there. The fleet of cars for hire are well maintained with rental prices, back- up replacement options which keep us one stead ahead of the car hire competition and will get you discontented car prices.

Our company offers the best discounts on offer for a large variety of brands and models with no hidden costs to get promotional offers on cars. We serve you as your comprehensive car rental company and we offer you some of the biggest and unbeatable discounts plus no extra hidden costs or extra charges on the rental cars. When at the company and you identify the car of your preference then we shall provide you with a quote and rental terms and conditions for the company and better still we will always aim at getting you  a very good car price  you will never find anywhere  else within the region.

We provide an unbeatable car hire deals and car rentals whereby we offer our clients the cheapest car rentals and hires on your dream self-drive holiday be it Land Rover, Defender 110, Discovery V8i, The Nissan Xtrail, The Nissan Double Cabin 4x4, super customs,  Costa Rosa or you simply want a comfortable self drive 4x4 like the Toyota Rav 4, the Nissan Terrano and  the fuel economical Madza Lavente.All these cars are offered at a discounted price which also makes it a possible way to  save both money and time during your plan for yourself drive in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Tanzania.

To our esteemed tourists and visitors in the region, more especially Uganda and Rwanda, we do publish a range of helpful travel articles, sample of tour itineraries, tips plus self drive car rental reviews which help new car renters in making good and quick decisions. Our company also publishes dos and don’ts of the self drive car hire experience within the country of Uganda and Rwanda.

WHY GORILLA TRACKING IN UGANDA?

Uganda is located in the East Africa covering an area of about 236,580sq.km, it neighbors’ countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Kenya to the East, Sudan to the north and the united republic of Tanzania and Rwanda to the South. Uganda is known as a gifted country when it comes to tourist attractions; it houses incredible species of wildlife some of which can’t be seen elsewhere in the world. Many safari activities can be done in Uganda including wildlife viewing, primate safaris, mountaineering, white water rafting and birding safaris among many others; all these safari activities are enjoyed by visitors who make it to Uganda. However the key safari activity to Uganda is an encounter with the endangered mountain gorilla in their natural habitat. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world to host the endangered mountain gorillas and its known for housing the highest percentage of these remaining mountain apes almost half of these apes live in Uganda over 480 individuals live in Bwindi impenetrable national park and mgahinga gorilla forest national park. 

 

Many safari activities in Uganda are just a supplement on mountain gorilla safari and perhaps the most done adventurous activity done on earth.  Over 70% of travelers to Uganda go gorilla tracking, tourists spend at least one-two days in the wild with these giant apes while studding as well as taking photography. Uganda hosts 12 gorilla families with Bwindi impenetrable N.P hosting 11 gorilla families and one gorilla family live in Mgahinga national park, this means that over 96 member visit mountain gorillas on a daily basis hence a lot of revenue is being collected by the government and the standards of the local most especially those surrounding the park have been improved as a small percentage go directly to the locals to improve on their welfare. However many trackers prefer to track in Bwindi national park since the one gorilla family called Nyakagezi that exist in Mgahinga is known as adventurous most of the time migrate to neighboring countries in Rwanda and DRC, so making tracking in this family very difficult and if interested in tracking in this family, you should first consult with your tour operator before booking to ensure group availability.

Bwindi and Mgahinga national park are located in the south western part of Uganda and the parks can be reached in just about 8-9 hours with beautiful views and stopovers at any interesting places like at the equator crossing, Lake Mburo national park among many others, so for those who are interested in adventure, a Uganda gorilla safaris are the best. Bwindi national park offers the best sights of these animals, you can also spot them feeding on the ground just meters from the lodge Buhoma making photography and viewing superb this’s why gorilla tracking in Uganda. It’s really a magnificent moment to sit among these apes listening to them grumble and cheer at a dominant male silverback. Only one hour is allowed to stay with these apes while studding their behaviors as well as taking photography. Gorilla tracking is the most expensive safari activity, however the most done activity. A gorilla permit costs usd 600 in the high season and usd 450 in the low season.  Permits are sold at the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters in Kamwokya Kampala. We are always at your disposal to book for you the whole safari at friendly price, book with us a gorilla safaris in Uganda and enjoy a long life experience that comes ounce in a life time.You can also opt for a Uganda self Drive and we shall provide you with the best car for the trip