Mgahinga National Park derives its name from this volcanic mountain.This dormant/extinct volcano lies on the border between Uganda and Rwanda. Mount Gahinga lies in between Sabinyo and Muhavura and rises up to 3,474 meters.
The word Gahinga comes from the local Kinyarwanda/Rufumbira dialect meaning “a small pile of stones”. Mount Gahinga has a swampy caldera on its peak believed to be as wide as180 meters.
The vegetation across the mountain can be described as afro-montane with bamboo composing the main vegetation. Like Muhabura and Sabyinyo, the bamboo forests on Mount Gahinga are a habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas that live within the park. There are several other species of animals and birds that form part of the Mount Gahinga ecosystem. The golden monkeys are notable to these.
An ascent of Mt. Gahinga climbs through bamboo forest to reach a lush swamp which lies in the crater at the summit. The round trip from Ntebeko takes around 6 hours.
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