Differences between Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga Park

Differences between Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park : Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are the two mountain gorilla parks in Uganda where people who visit Uganda for mountain gorillas will go and see these creatures in their natural habitat.

Because both these two parks both have mountain gorillas, most people assume they must be the same or at least similar in every aspect. Well of course both have similar conditions that allow the mountain gorillas to survive, but they are also different and unique in their own right.

That’s why in this article, we share some differences that are there between Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The list is not comprehensive but shades some light on all the differences you should look out for when you get a chance to visit the parks.

  1. Location

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in south western Uganda in Kanungu District and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in south western Uganda in Kisoro District.

  1. Size

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park sits on an area of 321 km² (124 sq mi) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits on an area of 33.7 km² (13 sq mi).

  1. Altitude

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has an altitude of 1,160-2,607 meters (3,806-8,553 ft) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has an altitude of  2,227-4,127 meters (7,306-13,540 ft).

  1. Climate

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is cooler through the year with a little sun and more rainfall all year round well as  Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is colder with more fog in the year and average rain fall quantities.

  1. Vegetation

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a dense, impenetrable forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is an afro-montane vegetation park with bamboo and alpine forests.

  1. Mountain gorilla families

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has up to 12 habituated mountain gorilla families and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has 1 habituated mountain gorilla group (Nyakagezi).

  1. Mountain gorilla trekking

Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is more challenging because of the nature of the terrains they are rough and longer in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on the other hand is easier because of the fairly straight and shorter terrain.

  1. Other Wildlife

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park apart from the gorillas has about 120 mammal species and 350 bird species. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has 70 mammal species and 180 bird species.

  1. Mountain Climbing

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park though has a couple of steep trails, it doesn’t have mountain climbing.  Mgahinga Gorilla National Park gives its visitors opportunities to hike summits of the Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabyinyo.

  1. Community Tourism

There are a number of communities you can visit while at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park because of how far this forest stretches to the local communities. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park though your only able to visit one or two communities the Batwa and the people at the punishment island.

  1. Accessibility

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is accessed by road from Kampala through kabale district to Kanungu to the park. This road trip takes about 9 to 10 hours. You can also get to Bwindi through Queen Elizabeth National Park and from Kigali by road.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also accessed by road from Kampala through Kisoro district or from Kigali. Kampala to the park is about 9 to 10 hours and Kigali to the park is about 4 – 5 hours.

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