Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Overview

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, at 21 square miles (33,7 km²), is Uganda's smallest national park and the indigenous home of the Batwa pygmies. It sits at 7,306 - 13,540 feet (2,227 - 4,127 m) in the Virunga Range, with three extinct volcanic peaks inside the park borders, which visitors can summit in a single day. 

In 1930, the British declared the region as a game sanctuary. In 1991, the Uganda national government gazetted the area as a national park, evicting the Batwa to the outside perimeter. The motivation for the controversial decision was to protect the mountain gorillas. In 2007, the park was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

The park has world significance beyond being a home for endangered animals. It's an essential water catchment area and contains diverse vegetation, including woodland, a pure montane forest, a bamboo zone (vital for the golden monkeys' survival), and an Afro-Alpine Belt, noted for its giant Lobelia and Senecio species. 

Most people visit the park to see the mountain gorillas or the rare golden monkeys. However, another popular activity is The Batwa Trail. Batwa guides take visitors through the lower forest, including the Garama Cave.

The tour includes a history of how the Batwa used to live as nomadic hunter-gatherers. The Batwa also explain how they used the forest for medicine, food, and clothing. The Batwa Trail is a fascinating cultural experience.