Mgahinga National Park features in Kisoro festival on 19 November
Published on 11/07/2026 at 10:30 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFestival links Kisoro and the park
- Uganda Wildlife Authority will stage the festival from 19 to 22 November 2026 in Kisoro.
- The Virunga Gorilla Marathon is scheduled for 21 November 2026 within the programme.
- Mgahinga National Park was gazetted in 1991 and covers 33.7 square kilometres.
- UWA places the park in Kisoro district, with access by road or flights to Kisoro Airstrip.
Mgahinga National Park is linked to Kisoro's Mountain Gorilla Festival, which begins on 19 November 2026 and brings conservation, sport and community activities to Uganda's gorilla country. The four-day programme runs until 22 November and includes the Virunga Gorilla Marathon on 21 November.
Kisoro festival brings gorilla conservation into focus
The Uganda Wildlife Authority has launched the inaugural Mountain Gorilla Festival for Kisoro District. The programme is built around the theme Protecting Gorillas, Empowering Communities and is intended to connect wildlife protection with livelihoods near mountain-gorilla habitats.
The festival includes a conservation conference, community activities, craft exhibitions, football matches and a programme to enrol gorilla guardians. UWA says the event will rotate among districts in the Kigezi region in later years, with Kisoro hosting the first edition. The Kisoro festival programme places the event alongside the wider conservation landscape that includes the park.
The Virunga Gorilla Marathon is the programme's main sporting element on 21 November. Its race options range from a 6-kilometre run to a 112-kilometre ultra-trail, while this year's environmental initiative includes tree planting in partnership with Stanbic Bank.
Why the festival is tied to Mgahinga National Park
UWA describes the park as a 33.7-square-kilometre protected area in Kisoro district. The British administration declared the area a game sanctuary in 1930, and it was gazetted as a national park in 1991.
The park protects mountain gorillas in dense forest and is also habitat for the endangered golden monkey. Its landscape includes three extinct volcanic peaks in the Virunga Range, while the surrounding communities form part of the conservation story presented by the November festival. That connection gives the event a specific local setting: the programme is in Kisoro, while the protected forest and its neighbouring communities supply its conservation context.
The official UWA park profile identifies one habituated transboundary gorilla group and records the area's cultural importance for the Batwa, whose forest knowledge remains part of the visitor experience.
November programme connects sport with the forest
The festival's location in Kisoro does not turn every activity into a park event. Instead, its stated purpose is to bring attention to the protected areas and the people living around them, while the marathon uses the district's scenery and tourism appeal as part of its identity.
That distinction matters for travellers planning a visit. The festival offers a town-based programme of conservation, culture and sport, while gorilla trekking, golden-monkey tracking and volcano hikes remain separate activities managed within the protected area. The park's three volcanic peaks and high-altitude forest provide the enduring setting behind the festival's name and conservation message.
Visiting Mgahinga National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Mountain Gorilla Festival runs from 19 to 22 November 2026 in Kisoro District, with the Virunga Gorilla Marathon scheduled for 21 November 2026.
- The festival programme is in Kisoro; access to the park remains a separate wildlife visit, with the protected area managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
- The park lies in Kisoro district and can be reached by road via Kabale or by flights to Kisoro Airstrip, followed by a transfer towards the park boundary.
- The terrain rises from 2,227 metres to 4,127 metres, and the park includes forested volcanic slopes, so visitors should expect demanding outdoor conditions.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
The November programme and the protected landscape therefore offer two connected but distinct parts of a trip: a public festival in Kisoro and a managed national-park experience nearby.
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Frequently asked questions about Mgahinga National Park
When does the Mountain Gorilla Festival take place?
The festival runs in Kisoro from 19 to 22 November 2026, with the Virunga Gorilla Marathon on 21 November 2026.
What is Mgahinga National Park?
It is a 33.7-square-kilometre national park in Kisoro district that protects mountain gorillas, golden monkeys and volcanic forest habitats.
Where is Mgahinga National Park and how do you get there?
The park is in south-western Uganda near Kisoro. Travellers can reach the area by road via Kabale or fly to Kisoro Airstrip before transferring towards the park boundary.
