Gorilla tracking from Musanze Rwanda to Bwindi

Gorilla tracking from Musanze Rwanda to Bwindi; Well, Musanze formally sounds as Ruhengeri which is a city in north western Rwanda, it estimates 94 kilometers North west of Kigali capital city of Rwanda.  Volcanoes National Park also estimates 12 kilometers from the city of Musanze. Most visitors visit this park for Gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking and mountain hiking.

Yet, Musanze town lies 25 kilometers away from Cyanika border which is the main entry from Uganda to Rwanda by car, it also links to the Goma town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Musanze town lies just a few kilometers from the Gorilla National Parks of Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga, it’s 1 hour and 30 minutes from Musanze to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and 2 hours from Musanze to the southern sections of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park   that is Nkuringo and Rushaga.

Safari vacations and Travel Service Limited specializes in Gorilla and Wildlife safaris in Rwanda and Uganda, this means if your location is based in Musanze, our skilled driver will pick you up from your residence in Musanze, drive you to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda.

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

Tourists wishing to do gorilla trekking tend to choose to cross from Musanze, Rwanda to Uganda for Gorilla Trekking to the significant disparity in gorilla permit prices between the two countries.

In Uganda, a Gorilla permit costs USD800 per person per trek, while in Rwanda, the price is USD1500 per person per trek.

This affordability factor makes gorilla trekking in Uganda a more cost effective option. Thus opting for Uganda translates to saving of USD800 for each permit sold. More fact, Uganda hosts over 23 habituated gorilla families, in contrast to Rwanda’s ten. In fact, Uganda consistently offers more gorilla permits for sale on a daily basis compared to Rwanda.

Note that; There are only eight people are allowed to visit a gorilla’s family each day. Visitors are recommended to buy their gorilla trekking in advance especially if your visiting during peak seasons in June, July, August, December, January and February. However, obtaining permits in Rwanda can be challenging. This scarcity often prompts visitors to cross over to Uganda, where the abundance of habituated gorilla families provides more accessible option.

What do I need to cross the border?

A valid passport

Visa ‘’single entry visa in both Uganda and Rwanda is about USD50 but you can as well buy an East African tourist visa, those who 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 though sometime 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 trekking rules and regulations;

Do not attempt to visit the gorillas, if you have any infectious illness.

A maximum of eight visitors are allowed to visit each gorilla group.

 Ensure that human waste is buried 30 centimetres deep.

Maintain a distance of 7 meter ‘21ft’from the gorillas while in their presence.

Drinks, eats and smoking are strictly prohibited during the trek.

Visitors are limited to an hour with each gorilla group per day.

Visitors with cough, flue it’s a must to cover face and spend more distance away from the gorillas, as they can contract coughs and colds from humans. Gorilla are 98% DNA of human genes.

Flash disc is strictly prohibited while in the company of the gorillas.

What is the best time to visit Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks?

The best time to visit these parks is during the drier months of June to September and December to February. During this period of this year trails are less slippery and even the vegetation is not very tall thus allowing gainful viewing and photography. A traveler wishing to travel on budget safari, it is more supportive during the wet season as they get discount on accommodations due to the low visitors in the park.

Don’t hesitate to contact us Achieve Global Safaris to organize for you a perfect preferred itinerary. You can choose to do a combined Uganda and Kenya safaris – visit Masai Mara or Amboseli National Park among others. More so, we are proud in planning any type of itinerary a visitor comes up with, book the hiking permits, organizing transport and accommodation.  All need to do is to ‘’Get started now!’’