Mgahinga Gorilla National park, part of the Virunga ecosystem

Were this reserve on its own, I would consider it an ecosystem in grave danger. This reserve only covers 33.7 square km, 13 square miles. So why is it not in this category?

Mgahinga Gorilla national park is part of the Virunga ecosystem, and is a transfrontier park which includes

  • Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo area 8090 square km
  • Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, area 160 square km
  • Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda
 
All this is to say, that while Mgahinga gorilla is an important national park, it is a small part of this transfrontier protected area.
While Chimpanzees are not present in this part of the ecosystem there is a long list of fascinating animals that are.
 
  • 1 habituated mountain gorilla group live within this area, so gorilla trekking is possible (permit required and should be booked long before travel), as well as 2 non-habituated groups – if you chance on non-habituated gorillas in the forest, they are likely to leave fast.
  • Golden monkeys are the other regularly seen primate. They are only present in this ecoystem
  • Blue monkeys are also occasionally seen
  • Forest elephants (a little over 100, it is thought, but throughout the whole ecosystem)
  • in 2020 580 Bush elephants migrated from another park into the greater transfrontier park, given the small are of this section they are rare visitors
  • black-and-white colobus
  • leopard
  • giant forest hog
  • bushpig
  • buffalo
  • bushbuck
  • black-fronted duiker
  • Most of the rest are several varieties of rodents, bats and small predators
In a dense forest there is likely to be few drivable routes, as such there are walking paths through the forests. While Gorilla trekking is the most famous activity, walking to see the many other wildlife species can also be an exhilarating experience.
See Animals Wild