Border Crossing for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi from Kigali

Border Crossing for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi from Kigali: There are two border posts—the Gatuna/Katuna border and the Cyanika border—where people can cross the border from Rwanda into Uganda and vice versa for gorilla trekking in Bwindi from Kigali. Since it only takes two hours to drive from Kigali and an hour to get to Bwindi National Park, the Gatuna border is the most frequently used. However, the Cyanika border, which is three hours’ drive from Kigali, provides quicker access to Mgahinga National Park and the southern Bwindi National Park, which includes the Rushaga Sector and the Nkuringo Region of the impenetrable forest of Bwindi.

For those coming and exiting via Kigali International Airport who are interested in gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park, the Uganda Rwanda border checkpoints are crucial. Our most well-liked tours are:

One tourism activity that has attracted the attention of millions of tourists is gorilla trekking. Trekking through Africa’s tropical rain forests to witness gorillas in their native environments is known as “gorilla trekking,” and it is an incredibly captivating experience. The closest humans can ever get to a wild animal is through gorilla trekking. There is only a 7-meter distance between them, but occasionally they end up touching shoulders, and the young gorillas violate this regulation by getting up close to play with the trackers. In the wild, gorillas and humans coexist together.

Only three nations in the world—Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—allow gorilla trekking. Mountain gorillas are classified as endangered due to their limited range (two remote areas of Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest and the Virunga Volcanoes shared by the three countries) and small number (about 1004 individuals). For this reason, gorilla trekking was created to educate people about the value of these enormous animals and to encourage them to be conserved for future generations.

The close proximity and positive political ties between Rwanda and Uganda make it easy for visitors to travel between the two nations without encountering any issues. Numerous tourists have been seen crossing the border from Kigali to Bwindi in order to go gorilla trekking.

At the border, how simple is it to obtain your visa?

Getting a visa is a given while traveling from Rwanda to Uganda and back. Except for residents of East Africa and visitors with special international work permits who enter the country for free, the cost of a Uganda visa is $50 for all other countries. Travelers can apply for a single East African visa in advance, pay online before they arrive, or pay at the border offices when they arrive. At the border, all of the aforementioned ways are readily accepted, and getting your visa stamped into your passport shouldn’t take longer than ten minutes.

Please be aware that you must apply for a multiple Rwanda entry visa at the airport upon arrival if you plan to return to Rwanda because you will be leaving the country and must reenter.

The quickest and most straightforward method of tracking gorillas in Uganda is to cross the border from Kigali to Bwindi for gorilla trekking. Although it only takes roughly three hours to drive from Kigali International Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the gorilla habitat in Uganda, the trip takes longer due to Rwanda‘s speed limit law, which requires drivers to drive 40 km/h in urban areas and 60 km/h on highways. Conversely, the 470-kilometer (9-hour) trip between Bwindi’s thick forest and Kampala, Uganda’s capital, where nearly all safaris begin, is far too great. Traveling to Bwindi via Kigali International Airport offers a very short escape because no one wants to travel the long, exhausting trip from Kampala to Bwindi while participating in an intense, energy-draining activity like gorilla trekking.

Given the short distance between Kigali and Bwindi, a tourist can opt for a two-day gorilla trekking safari, during which they can travel from Kigali to Bwindi on the first day, engage in gorilla trekking on the second day, and then return to their home country. The gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Uganda, is limited to three days or longer. Travel to Bwindi is scheduled for the first day, followed by a gorilla trekking experience and overnight stay on the second day, and a return trip to Kampala on the third day.

The majority of visitors who undertake gorilla trekking originate in Kigali, which is served by Rwanda Air, which offers direct flights from Europe to Rwanda. To go to his or her safari destination, the traveler does not have to bother about taking any more flights. Touching down just requires 8–11 hours of flight time. Uganda recently resurrected Uganda Airlines, a tiny airline that offers solely Uganda gorilla trekking. Because it lacks a link to Europe, passengers must stop at other airports in order to connect to a flight that will take them to Entebbe Airport.

Both Rwanda and Uganda are part of the East African community, which allows people to travel freely between countries. For visitors, there is a single visa known as the East African visa, which costs $100 and is good for 90 days. This is among the most affordable visas available for cross-border travel. This saves a great deal of time and reduces bureaucracy because only one visa is obtained, and the traveler only needs to produce it at the Rwanda-Uganda border before heading to Bwindi to hike the gorillas rather than filling out additional paperwork to apply for a visa at the border.

It is also inexpensive when it comes to safari expenses; a gorilla hike in Rwanda costs about $1500, while one in Uganda just $700. Additionally, transportation costs are considerable because of the distance between Kampala and Bwindi. As a result, cross-border gorilla trekking from Kigali to Bwindi is less expensive than gorilla trekking within the same nation.

Is it safe to travel from Rwanda to Bwindi in order to go gorilla trekking?

Both visitors and residents can feel completely safe there because of the excellent border security and the fact that travelers are always permitted to travel freely between Rwanda and Uganda even during trade disputes.

Due to their friendly political and economic ties, Uganda and Rwanda treat their citizens and visitors as though they were their own, and travel between the two nations is highly valued.

Among the safest nations in Africa are Rwanda and Uganda. For the past 25 years, peace and stability have prevailed in these two nations. Additionally, one of their main sources of income is tourism, and they always make sure that visitors entering their nations are tightly secured for a secure safari experience.

How quick is the border crossing mechanism between Rwanda and Uganda?

The best question is actually how slow the system is. The system is quick, however it appears sluggish when you get there at rush hour and there are a lot of people crossing from Rwanda or Uganda on local busses.

When travelers cross the border in the early morning to go gorilla trekking in the Bwindi forest, it is usually free and only takes a minute to obtain a visa. Therefore, crossing during a less crowded period when there are fewer people is the best course of action. The idea of having a distinct area for visitors and locals is still up for debate, although it hasn’t been implemented yet.

Another instance is that when a tourist makes a reservation with a Ugandan tour operator, he or she is forced to purchase a safari vehicle and guide from Rwanda, over which they have no control other than to rely on the encouragement and assistance of their partner (the tour operator) in Rwanda, who purchases them on their behalf.

There is a little amount of red tape at the vehicle border crossing, when the owner of the vehicle must provide documents allowing the traveler to drive in another nation. Self-drive tourists that go gorilla trekking across borders encounter this issue.

After a gorilla trek in the impenetrable national park of Bwindi, what time will one return to Kigali?

After gorilla trekking, lunch, and border crossing procedures, tourists should return to Kigali by 5:00 p.m. on average. Because you are seeing other sights in the Bwindi forest, such as Lake Bunyonyi and Batwa cultural excursions, the client may return earlier than 5:00 p.m. or even later, depending on their own schedules.

When is the ideal time to reserve a flight for departure?

To ensure that everything fits into your schedule, it is recommended to schedule your departure flight for 6:00 onwards and to let your tour operator and guide know this time.

Booking flights an hour sooner is also doable, provided that you let your travel agency know so they can arrange for you to stay with a local gorilla family and return to Kigali early enough.

Overall, crossing the border from Kigali to Bwindi for gorilla trekking is a really smart adventure because it’s affordable, practical, and secure. Additionally, it is highly thrilling because a safari tour allows a visitor to explore two stunning nations.