Gorilla Tracking from Musanze Rwanda to Bwindi

Musanze formally known as Ruhengeri is a city in north western Rwanda, it is approximately 94 km North west of Kigali the capital and largest city in Rwanda. Volcanoes national park is also approximately 12 kms from the city of Musanze. Most tourists visit this park for Gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking and mountain hiking. Musanze town is also 25kms away from Kyanika border which is the main entry from Uganda to Rwanda by road, it also connects to the town of Goma in eastern Democratic republic of Congo. Musanze town is located just a few kilometers from the gorilla national parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga, its 1 hour and 30 minutes from Musanze to mgahinga gorilla national park and 2 hours from Musanze to the southern sectors of Bwindi forest national park that is Rushaga and Nkuringo.

Safari Vacations and Travel Services Ltd specializes in gorilla and wildlife safaris in Rwanda and Uganda, this means if you are in Musanze, our professional driver will pick you up from your residence in Musanze, drive you to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks for Gorilla Tracking in Uganda.

Why do I need to cross from Rwanda to Uganda for gorilla tracking yet there are mountain gorillas in Rwanda?

The main reason as to why tourists cross from Musanze Rwanda to do gorilla tracking in Uganda is the difference in gorilla permit prices in Uganda and Rwanda. In Uganda the price of a gorilla permit is $700 per person per trek, in Rwanda the price is $1500 per person per trek, this makes it cheaper and affordable to track the gorillas in Uganda. You will save $800 on each permit bought on the Uganda side, Again Uganda has more than 20 habituated gorilla families compared to Rwanda which has only ten habituated gorilla families, this gives Uganda more gorilla permits sold every day than Rwanda. remember only 8 people are allowed to track a particular gorilla family every day and because there is high demand for gorilla permits especially during the high season in the months of June, July, August, December, January and February. This high demand sometimes makes it difficult to get gorilla permits in Rwanda and hence force people to cross to Uganda since Uganda has more habituated gorilla families.

What do I need to cross the border?

Crossing the border of Chanika is not difficult, you will need the following;

• A valid passport
• Visa (single entry visa in both Uganda and Rwanda is $50 but you can as well buy an east African tourist visa is you want to visit Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, this visa allows you to cross multiple times for 90 days in the partner states).
• Yellow fever vaccination card but sometimes they don’t ask for it
• If you have a work permit for one of the East African states you don’t pay for the visa you will get an interstate pass at the border.
• Itinerary of your trip

Gorilla tracking rules and regulations

• The age limit for tracking gorillas is 15 years
• Do not visit the gorillas if you have a cold or other infectious illness.
• Maximum number of visitors is eight persons per gorilla group
• Human waste should be buried 30cm deep
• When you are with the gorillas maintain a 7m(21ft) distance
• Smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed on the trek
• Visitors are only allowed one hour per gorilla group per day
• If you must sneeze or cough, cover your face and turn away from the gorillas, as they can catch cough and colds from humans.
• Flash photography is not allowed while with the gorillas.

Best time to visit Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks

The best time to visit these parks is during the drier months of June-September and the December to February, this is when the trails in the parks are less slippery and even the vegetation is not very tall hence allowing better viewing and photography. However, gorilla tracking takes place throughout the year and its an added advantage to budget travelers who would like to visit during the wet seasons as they get discounts on accommodations due to low occupancy in the lodges around the parks.