Rwanda is a very small, landlocked country found in Central Africa with approximately 26,340 sq. km. during your Rwanda tours, you will find five prominent volcanoes and 23 lakes, and quite a few rivers. A massive phase of the country has an altitude of between 1,500 and 2,500 meters above sea level.

In prehistoric instances, one-third of Rwanda used to be covered with woodland rain forest. Today the only large tract of forest left in Rwanda is Nyungwe in the southwestern part of the country; it covers almost 1000 square kilometers. Some areas of forest run-up to the Volcanoes National Park in the northeast, but most of the natural vegetation here is bamboo woodland and open moorland.

Rwanda’s highlands in large parts of the country are now dominated by the terraced agriculture that gives the Rwandan geographical region its beautiful and exceptional views. The eastern part of Rwanda has totally special vegetation, the standard African bush, a combination of Savannah and grassland dominated with acacia trees.

Average temperatures are between 24 – 27 degrees with the Coolest months from August – September.

Official languages; Kinyarwanda, French, English & Kiswahili.
Local Currency; Rwanda Franc Approximately 580 Rwandan Franc = 1US Dollar (as at January 2020)

All foreign nationalities require entry visas when entering into Uganda. Simply put, no visa, there’s no way you can tour Uganda. But, not to worry, when planning a safari to Uganda, Visas can be purchased on arrival at the airport for USD 50 or can be issued by a representative of Ugandan High Commissions in countries where you are coming from.

Planning to visit Uganda and you are an East African national? You will be issued with a 6 months local visa (renewable) at the border with no fee.
All other nationalities will be required to purchase visas at minimal costs and the price depends on the nationality, up to USD60 for a single entry.

IMPORTANT: The visa certification/permission MUST BE processed in advance of your arrival irrespective of whether or not you fly or drive to Rwanda/Uganda – through their closest Rwandan High Commission.

All visitors to Rwanda (both by road and air) who are no longer eligible for the free ninety days entry into Rwanda or qualified to get their visa upon arrival are required to make an “entry facility application” on the Rwandan immigration Authority’s internet site – www.migration.gov.rw – below the Menu “Public service” click on “entry facility” and on the form, you will fill in the basic important details like name, passport number, arrival date and port of arrival – and submit it over the internet.

It is really important for travelers planning to visit Rwanda to follow this and do it as quickly as possible to allow enough time for the visa application to be approved. It’s appropriate for Rwanda visitors to print out a copy of their submission so that they avoid inconveniences when they arrive in Rwanda.

Upon re-entry into Uganda, e.g. from Rwanda via road, a transit visa for USD15 may be conceivable, depending on your itinerary and the safari destination you are heading to, and for how long you plan to take. Many times, a full new single entry visa at USD50 will be charged.

It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your passport is valid for a minimum of six months and has various clear pages for visas before departure. If you are visiting Uganda on a British Passport new policies require that your passport is valid for 12 months for entry into Uganda.

Yellow Fever vaccination is required. For anyone touring the East African safari destinations of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, or Rwanda, you must have yellow fever vaccination. This should be acquired no later than 10 days before your gorilla safari departure.

If you have records of liver problems (hepatitis, etc) you should consult your doctor first before departing for your gorilla safari tour.

Typhoid can also be requested from the authorities when crossing into Rwanda, even though it is uncommon for it to be requested. This can be completed by way of your local group or through a journey clinic.

Tetanus is also recommended, as is Cholera, but is not compulsory.
Hepatitis vaccination is at the discretion of the traveler.

Malaria tablets are necessary and can be purchased from your neighborhood pharmacy or anywhere during your tour to Uganda. Get in touch with your pharmacist/doctor if you need a better prescription.

It is also a good idea to carry along some insect repellent (mosquitoes repellent) with you to spray on yourself in the evenings and early morning.

Mountain gorillas and Chimpanzees are pretty prone to human diseases like flu and colds. If you are embarking on an Uganda gorilla/chimp trekking, then you need to be free of any visibly contagious.

For a trouble-free gorilla encounter, it should be noted that sick persons are not allowed to visit gorillas in Uganda. Should you have a cold, flu, or related sickness, you are not allowed to embark on a Uganda gorilla trek.

Incase of any emergency, do inform your safari guide as soon as possible, and he will seek advice regarding possible way(s) to deal with the situation.

Whenever on Uganda tracking gorillas or chimpanzees, you are advised to strictly follow the tracking guidelines to avoid conflict with the Gorilla tracking authorities.

While touring Uganda/Rwanda, you will likely be on roughroads and they are in fair condition in comparison to African standards. There may additionally be some VERY LONG days in the vehicle, but the interesting and various scenery encountered during your safari makes this another exciting experience!

Your safari vehicles are typically used to transfer between destinations and National park game drives and other relaxing activities at the hotels and inside the National Parks.

Due to space barriers in the planes, luggage must be saved to a minimum. Also to avoid inconveniences during gorilla tracking, we only recommend you carry the most important items.

We advise a barrel or smooth bag (15 kg maximum) for your essential gear, plus a digital camera bag or smaller ‘day pack ‘ for the interior of the vehicle. Samsonite / difficult luggage/suitcases, etc. are not appropriate as it makes packing very difficult.

Charters bags allowance – If you are traveling on a mild aircraft within Uganda, then the baggage restriction is based on other customers and bags weights and varies from plane to airplane and routing however normally only up to 10kg per person in soft baggage and this is strictly due to for safety reasons.

On a Gorilla safari trip to Uganda/Rwanda you can explore through out the year. It will also be vital to take some heavy wears for rain as it can rain anytime.

We recommend light wears and sneakers for the hike to see the gorillas in Uganda.
During your safari in Uganda, depending on the safari activities, destination, and weather, the kind of clothes you wear may vary.

Women are recommended to cover knees and shoulders when in a rural village or market however, it should be noted that none of the lodges/hotels insist on any formal kind of dress – ties, jackets and so forth – so the norm would be casual.

Jungle attires like hiking boots, no white colors, e.g. greens, khaki, and comparable neutral clothes are recommended. During daytime on safari, typically shorts or lightweight trousers, t-shirts, hats, sunblock, and many others are encouraged as it is usually pretty warm (25-35 degrees C average).

As you enjoy your gorilla tour in Uganda, avoid wearing blue shades in areas that place you highly attracted to tsetse flies, as they are often attracted to these colors.

We recommend you take something warm like a tracksuit, fleece, or sweater for the mountainous areas i.e. Bwindi or Virungas. It is at a higher altitude and will therefore be colder in the evenings. – a rain jacket/anorak is also advised as it rains, commonly in the rain forest areas, even in the drier months.

Long trousers and long-sleeved shirts are also advised for typical night-time use to assist in the prevention of mosquito bites and also as it’s normally cooler than at some stage in the day.

For a ready-made or custom-made gorilla safaris to Uganda, please do contact us for a full list of your gorilla tracking packing list.

There is no charge for personal filming of gorillas and other scenes with non-public video cameras, like digital, phones, and so forth in Uganda or Rwanda.
Professional photographers, filmmakers, or media personalities are advised to seek advice at the time of booking and all necessary photographing and filming costs shall be broken down.

Since most safari lodges in Uganda operate on solar power, During your gorilla safari in Uganda, you are strongly advised to make perfect use of your camera power and charge whenever you have the chance to. This will ensure you have a memorable Gorilla trek.

Gorilla filming tips;

• Do not shoot photos of any authority’s buildings, police, or military posts.
• Ask permission before photographing local people.
• For gorilla photography, a 35 – 70 mm zoom or 50 mm fixed is typically sufficient.
• Take speedy film if using a movie (200-400 ASA plus), as you are now not allowed to use a flash.
• Please take a look at your digital camera before to make sure you comprehend how to turn it off manually.
• Game & bird photography obviously longer lens would be encouraged 80-300mm ideally.
• Do not spend all your time with the gorillas trying for the classic photograph, look around you, and observe and enjoy these gentle animals.

During your gorilla safari in Uganda, it is possible to have your laundry done at a small extra cost. Mostly it is achieved through hand and dried naturally outside. There are a few safari lodges with machine laundry.

Please check the system upon arrival at each lodge to ensure you are not caught short with wet washing – especially in high rainfall areas like Bwindi.

Electricity spec Uganda: 240 volts British Standard, generally through 3 pin square plugs.

Rwanda: 240 volts but using the 2 pin European style plugs.

Some lodges and camps have power only at certain times of the day, and some charging facilities are public. You will need your charger.

In gorilla safari lodges/ camps using solar electricity, the amount of power available for charging often depends on how sunny the weather has been and how busy the lodge is with charging equipment, so whilst they will always try to assist, continuous charging cannot be guaranteed at all times to be available.

Use of specialized electronics, hairdryers, curling tongs, shavers, and other electrical equipment is possible at hotels in towns and lodges with large generator power back-up systems but generally not possible at solar-powered lodges – please check your Gorilla tracking Uganda detailed itinerary to ensure you are aware of where you can utilize these items and advise your agent in advance if special arrangements need to be made like for breathing machines.

The safari vehicles you will use throughout your Gorilla tracking tour may also have invertor systems for charging items but this facility is not guaranteed.

WHICH CURRENCY SHOULD I CARRY

US Dollars’ currency is the preferred option to bring when traveling to Uganda/Rwanda.
Once in Uganda/Rwanda, we advise guests to change some dollars into local currency for use as spending money on the road like for drinks, etc. Gorilla tracking Uganda advises that you keep small notes (USD 1, 5, 10, 50) as well as USD 100 bills – make sure you only carry dollar bills newer than 2009. Please ensure that all USD bills are in good condition, i.e. without rips, tears, and any mark.

Note that whilst more convenient in terms of changing currency and not having to carry around huge amounts of local money, there is normally a surcharge on the smaller notes when changing them. Keep your slips, you can change surplus local money back to cash if you have proof of purchase when leaving the country.

Unfortunately, during your safari, you can not use traveler’s cheques to change as they are often VERY difficult to cash, even in large towns and especially over weekends and after hours. Throughout the rest of the country, changing TC’s is almost impossible. Ask Gorilla Tracking Uganda for details.

There are only a few banks in Kampala (to our knowledge) that are authorized to give cash advances on credit cards. Visa cards are generally fine BUT Mastercard is NOT guaranteed and will only be cashed IF they clear certain internal security checks. There is a limit on amounts that may be drawn, and only during banking hours.

Exchange rates will be poor, and they may also charge extra service fees.

Payment for services by credit card can only be done by VISA card or MASTERCARD in some places. Only large hotels generally accept this means of payment and they will also levy a fee of at least 5% on top of any bills. So, the long and short is to keep your credit card for EMERGENCIES ONLY. Gorilla Tracking Uganda accepts payment with Credit Cards.

ATM Machines – they are often not working although there are now some in Entebbe, Kampala, and also some in larger upcountry towns. They pay LOCAL MONEY only and the client needs an international use PIN code to draw money and it can only be done with certain cards. Maximum Ush5 million per day (about USD1200 equivalent) but also depends on the client’s bank setup and maybe less. Contact Friendly Gorilla Tracking Uganda for more details.

Please also be aware that the traffic in & out of Kampala is terrible and so going to the bank can take up to one hour just standing in traffic in the city.

You will generally be expected to purchase your drinks on safari. Most camps/lodges have a reasonable selection of wines and spirits – with the more upmarket ones generally offering more choice. Beer, cool drinks (sodas), bottled water, local gin, etc. are readily available everywhere. Prices vary depending upon where purchased.
Please be aware that you should only drink bottled water, not from the taps for health safety reasons. Bottled water is available for purchase everywhere en route and some lodges also supply limited courtesy bottles in the rooms.

Please bring your supply of water purifying tablets, or your water bottle if you prefer. Contact Gorilla tracking Uganda

It is a strong recommendation that you are covered by some type of medical insurance. Should
you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us. The minimum cover should be
$50 000 for medical and related expenses.

AIRPORT DUTY FREE SHOPPING

The Entebbe airport has a reasonable duty free section – with an array of curios, t-shirts and books, maps, etc – for last-minute shopping. Certain of the more up-market lodges also have curio shops. There is also a limited choice at the curio markets around the country and in Kampala. Speak to your guide for advice if you are looking for something in particular.

Duty free allowance is 2 bottles of wine/spirit, and 200 cigarettes.

Your non-public protection and well-being is our prime concern. Please take care of all your private possessions at all times – do not tempt petty theft, pickpockets, and many others with showing large quantities of money, specifically when close to markets or in the center of Kampala / Entebbe / Kigali. Valuables, especially cash, travelers’ cheques, and deposit playing cards ought to be kept on your individual at all times.

A “moon bag” or “body belt” is a beneficial object for storing cash and other valuable small items. When leaving the car in towns, please make sure all the windows are shut and that you take your valuables and cameras with you for protected keeping.

When at hotels, we advise you both to hold your cash and valuables with you or utilize the secure preserving facilities furnished at quite several establishments.

Please additionally be positive to check your room and ensure you have the entirety packed before moving on to a new place.

Depending on the category or style of your safari, your lodging may range from luxurious to moderate or budget. There are many one-of-a-kind types of accommodation in Uganda/Rwanda ranging from large hotels to smaller more intimate accommodations and tented camps.

Do get in touch for a personalized itinerary with details of each vicinity you will be staying on your safari.
Should you stay in the extra modest local hotels/guest houses during your Uganda tour, you will have the use of showers and toilets; hot water cannot usually be guaranteed. The hotels/guest houses themselves are very primary and normally clean, the staff is pleasant and helpful.

Uganda safari lodges are relaxing and less noisy, in particular on weekends but the neighborhood is pleasant and tolerant. Food is usually decent, hearty African fare, every so often there are European/Western devices available.