In this tourists travel tips for Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safari you will see that many people planning to visit Africa for a tour or a business trip it has never been easy, to some people can be stressful more especially to those who have not been to Africa before, that why Kisoro tours Uganda has come up with Tourists Travel Tips-Information to help prepare and know what to expect while planning your Uganda, Rwanda safari.

Preparation for you Uganda or Rwanda Safari in Africa will require a bit of planning, it will also require you to book with an experienced tour operator like Kisoro tours Uganda that will be at your disposal all the time you will be in Uganda or Rwanda.

The main way of getting to Uganda for your safari is by flying to Entebbe International Airport and from there you can be transferred to any of Uganda national parks using a safari vehicle but there is also an option of using domestic flights which fly to most parks in Uganda.

If you are planning a short trip to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest impenetrable national park or in Mgahinga gorilla national park, its easiest way to southwestern Uganda where the mountain gorilla is found is via Kigali and Kisoro tours Uganda has come up with gorilla trekking safari packages the starts and ends in Kigali Rwanda, as we are going see by end of this article of tourists travel tips for Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safari

From Kigali International Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park takes you only about 3 to 4 hours including time spend on border crossing via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale.

You can check our recommended safari of fly into Kigali-Rwanda and trek gorillas in Uganda which is now very popular to many of the client planning Uganda gorilla safari, if you book your gorilla trekking trip with Kisoro tours Uganda we always give 2 option of where to start and end your Uganda gorilla trek, you choose either Kigali airport or Entebbe airport and this has worked well for many of our client coming for gorilla trekking or other Uganda wildlife safari.

Choosing to start your Uganda gorilla trekking safari from Kigali Rwanda will save from 9 to 10 drive from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, all tours include airport drop off and pick-ups so you don’t have to worry about airport transfers at the begging and end of your Uganda gorilla safari.

You can visit Uganda and Rwanda throughout the year, the two countries have been gifted with the best weather and climate which means you visit any time and go for gorilla tracking but however they are two main seasons when it comes to choosing when to visit, here is what we call dry season and wet season, in both Uganda and Rwanda dry season is known as the best to go for gorilla tracking and other wildlife safari adventures during the month of June, July, August, September, December, January, and February.

The wet season is during the month of March, April, May, and November, yes it’s true during those months it rains but that cannot stop going for you planned activities, in East Africa in practically Uganda and Rwanda it can rain for few hours and sun will still come out so, in other words, we season can on stop planning your gorilla safari to Uganda or Rwanda and another wildlife tour to East African countries.

Despite June, July, August, September, December, January, and February being the main peak season sometimes the national parks get too crowded so those planning gorilla tracking safari in either Uganda or Rwanda you must book your gorilla permits 6 months or a year in advance because gorilla permits are sold on first come first serve

It is always advisable for the travelers coming to Africa for a safari to book with local tour operator mostly women travelers going Africa to book their safari holiday through a tour operator, the safest way for women on Safari in Uganda, or Rwanda we recommend you book with a tour operator like us Kisoro tours Uganda, our professional guides/drivers ensure all your well-being while on Safari in Uganda, Rwanda, and Africa.

If your fly to Rwanda and trek gorillas in the Bwindi forest of Uganda you will have to use an East African tourist visa which you can get on the arrival at the airport in Kigali and at Entebbe or applying it online, applying for a visa in African countries has never been easy but now it has been made easier because many of our clients have been asking us.

it is possible to get Rwanda or Uganda visa or an East African tourist visa on arrival at Kigali international airport or at Entebbe international airport and on other borders, entry points to Uganda or Rwanda, the answer is yes you can easily get an East African Tourist Visa on your arrival at the airport and on all border entry point to Uganda and Rwanda, this kind of visa allows tourist multiple entries between all East Africa Community member countries.

The cost of an East African tourist visa is only $100 per person allowing multiple entries to Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda is now possible to get a multiple entry visa for the region valid 90 days but you must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into East Africa community,  The East African tourist visas can still be purchased directly upon arrival and paid for in cash or online from the country you want to start your travel from.

Kisoro tours Uganda recommends you get your East African tourist visa on arrival because it is the convenient way to obtain a visa for Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda because most of the online systems may take longer for you to get a reply.

It easy to obtain an East African tourist visa from the first Country that you arrive in Rwanda Uganda, Kenya, or Rwanda but also remember that each country has its own way of doing things and set of rules which you must flow when obtaining an East Africa tourist visa.

The language used in the tourism industry in both Rwanda, Uganda, and East Africa is English so expect your guides and most of the staff of place you will visit on your safari in Uganda, Rwanda, and other East African countries to speak good English, in fact, Uganda was named as best English speaking country in Africa according to a recent study by the World Linguistic Society, Zambia is in the second place and South Africa in the third-place followed by Kenya

English is the official language in Uganda but it has over 50 local languages used in different tribes, the second official language of Uganda is Swahili.

While on safari in Uganda and Rwanda you can still access your money using your master cards, visa cards, and credit cards you can withdraw local currency via ATM machines which can be found in almost all towns in Uganda and Rwanda.

Don’t try to use travelers’ cheques because it’s not accepted in most of the hotel, tour operators because it is not easy to exchange traveler’s cheques into cash but you can use credit cards to pay most of your bills in the hotel and other activities but you have to add 5% for the surcharge.

Other safari tips you need to before you travel to Uganda for a tour, at Kisoro tours Uganda we don’t offer just tours to our clients but also give you advice and all necessary information you need at no extra costs.

Tipping is not a must but it’s always nice to tip waiter, waitress, driver-guide, and other hotel and lodge staff during your safari in Africa, it is very important to tip the park rangers lead you to gorilla trekking activity, chimpanzee trekking, and other activities, tipping your driver/guide welcomed and accepted. 

Currently, Uganda and Rwanda are one of the most peaceful countries in the world so it’s important that while you are exploring Uganda or Rwanda know that you are safe because the security and safety of our clients are our priority. But we also advise protecting your valuables like money, cameras while in cities like Kampala, Kigali and in towns, for those who love nightlife like going out to night clubs you are advised to go with a friend.

At Kisoro tours Uganda we normal advise all our come with their health insurance, we also always advise our clients to visit their doctors before starting their travel to Africa, about malaria most of our clients comes with their own malaria treatment and others prefer to get their malaria immunization before their travel to Africa. Please also take NOTE that you produce your yellow fever immunization certificate on the arrival at the airport or at any border entry point.

Rwanda and Uganda have one of the best mobile phone networks that are almost everywhere in the whole country, tourist and other visitors are free also to travel with their unlocked mobile phones than buy Ugandan or Rwandan sim cards from one of the best networks like MTN and Airtel.

You can as well make international calls to Europe, North America, and other countries of your chose and you will be charged 20 cents per minute, but you can also enjoy free WIFI which is available at all the hotels that Kisoro tours Uganda uses for its clients. You will have to buy local sim cards which will cost you about $3, in both Uganda and Rwanda, phone sim cards can be got from almost all towns.

Kisoro tours Uganda will make sure that all its clients stay in tach with families and that’s why all our safari vehicles have WiFi in the cars and also most of the safari lodges, hotels, and campsites that use for our clients must have good WiFi available for the clients.

Uganda uses 240 volts plugs which is a UK plug type, sometimes we advise our clients to come with a converter plug but you can still buy it locally will make your appliance fit with local plugs.

Sometimes power supply in Uganda is off and on but Kisoro tours Uganda books lodges and hotels for our clients that have backup a generator system because sometimes power can go off for 6 hours and even more and we want our clients to charge their cameras, phones, and laptop so that stay in tach with your family and friends.

Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is a landlocked country. However, it has a lake that is as large as a Sea. The tallest Mountain Range, the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon. Kidepo Valley Park, remote, unvisited, Africa as it used to be 50 years ago in the lands of the Karamojong Warriors – Herders, the remote Ik People on Mount Morungole where the only Trail is a footpath.

Murchison Falls Park has the River Nile is running through it. The Park has a combination of abundant wildlife and the most powerful waterfall in the world, Murchison Falls. There is a Queen with its Tree Climbing Lions and explosion crater lakes, a Kibale Forest Jungle with the largest Chimpanzee Population in East Africa, and a Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with the highest concentration of endangered Mountain Gorillas.

We are a local indigenous tour operator, have a very intimate knowledge of the cultures, land, and history of Uganda, Rwanda, and East Africa. The team at Kisoro tours Uganda have personally visited all the destinations and accommodation that we take our clients to but beyond that, we are passionate about the Pearl of Africa, the land of a thousand hills, and our favorite pastime is to take visitors to the places in Rwanda and Uganda that are dear to our heart. like Winston Churchill said when he visited Uganda, we concentrate on Uganda the Pearl of Africa that we have experienced know and love, at Kisoro tours Uganda we know Rwanda and Uganda and we do not need a GPS Device and also we do not need a google map for direction because we have it imprinted inside all our team.

Tourists travel tips for Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safari, in both countries gorilla tracking permits booking or chimpanzee tracking permits must be booked in advance to avoid disappointment, it is easier to get gorilla permit if you book through a local tour operator like us Kisoro tours Uganda ltd, in Uganda gorilla permit costs $600 per person while in Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500 per person, in case you need more information please contact us for any information or advice in planning your gorilla tracking safari holiday in Uganda or Rwanda.

Yes, all travelers going to Uganda or Rwanda, must present a Yellow Fever vaccination certification on the arrival at the airport, we also advice you if possible, to get vaccinations for DTP, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B.

Yes, there is still a risk of Malaria throughout Uganda and Rwanda so we recommended that before starting your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda please take Malaria medications which can also be accessed locally, while in Africa you have to remember to sleep under the mosquito net.

Both Uganda and Rwanda are some of the safest countries in Africa with low crime rates if compared with other countries.  I must say that Uganda and Rwanda are safe you can travel at the time of the day, but as you all know when you are walking in cities like Kigali or Kampala please use your common sense and take of your belongings like money, cameras, etc. all tourism destinations and national parks in Uganda and Rwanda are very safe but also advisable to flow the guidelines of your guide/driver throughout your safari and when in the national parks ranger/guides guidelines mostly trekking gorillas, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, and many other activities simply because these guys know all those areas better than you.

Are there National park entrance fees in Uganda and Rwanda?

Yes, there are park entrance fees for different national parks in both Uganda and Rwanda, tourists and visitors who are planning a safari in Africa normally book their tours through local tour operators who will design an itinerary/program which includes park entrance fees.

Uganda and Rwanda have good roads going to tourism destination and to most national parks but should take a NOTE that during the rainy season some inside the national parks and other roads going driving through different villages can be bad conditions but your guide/driver will always other alternative roads. We also must say that there are many more new roads being worked on. in case you want more information about tourists to travel tips for Uganda and Rwanda gorilla safari, please contact us our tour consultants are at your disposal.