Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

The smallest NP of Uganda, but great experience!

We stayed 2 days in nearby town Kisoro, before camping 3 days right outside the entrance to Mgahinga NP. Mgahinga is very small, but it stole my heart. We went tracking for Gorilla's, and without much fuss found a family of 3 juvenile males, 1 female with a 3 weeks old baby gorilla. Meeting these gentle giants was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Though tracking was not cheap, I'd certainly recommend it in a small NP as Mgahinga. It has the advantage of less tourists, and a good chance of finding the gorilla's. The rangers were very nice, correct, informative.
In Mgahinga we also climbed the Sabinyo Vulcano (3647m) which has it's summit in three countries: Uganda, Rwanda and DRCongo. It was a steep climb (aprox. 5h) through eery alieneske vegetation, climbing ladders for the steepest parts and enjoying really breathtaking views. The descent was rather quick and enjoyable (aprox. 3h).

An amazing experience

The permits are expensive, but I feel that the experience is definitely worth it. After hiking through rural villages and into the rain forest, our guides were able to locate a family of gorillas. For the next hour we observed them from only a few feet away. One got up on his hind legs to beat his chest and an infant poked its head out from time to time from the protection of his mother. We got soaked from the rain on the hike back, so I recommend bringing a raincoat and rain pants.

Great scenery, on the border with Rwanda and the DRC! One can go see gorillas and probably birding is great there too. I went for the scenery and for a dive in the (perfect) crater lake on top of the volcano! For this specific trip all is not too polished. I guess that (for the price) a gorilla visit should be a lot smoother...

Comparable to bwindi with less accommodation but still interesting to visit