What you should know about Kigali: The Kigali-Uganda Mountain gorilla trekking safari is one of the commonest or most done safaris between the two East African countries for many reasons.
Among the many is the short proximity between Kigali and Bwindi National Park Uganda’s gorilla habitat which is home to more than half of the mountain gorilla’s gorilla population in the world.
So, trekkers are always enthusiastic to visit this habitat to see gorillas in large numbers: and the short distance between the park and Kigali makes it even more possible compared to the whole 9–10-hour distance from Uganda’s capital Kampala to Bwindi.
Also, for primate lovers this safari allows them to visit Uganda gorillas and Rwanda gorillas on the same trip. Because Bwindi National Park may be close to Kigali but it’s even closer to Volcanoes National Park the mountain gorilla park in Rwanda. Primate lovers will always trek the gorillas in both habitats.
Also going through Kigali allows you to get some time to tour Kigali City and some of Rwanda’s iconic stops before you get to Uganda for your mountain gorilla trek.
The mountain gorilla trekking safari from Rwanda to Uganda usually takes 2 – 3 days, sometimes more depending on where you go after the trekking.
So, what should I know about this safari?
The safari will most definitely start in Rwanda Kigali so when you are booking flights or a way to connect for the safari plan to be in Rwanda Kigali.
If you want you can use your time in Kigali to enjoy Rwanda. This safari will start with a tour of Rwanda. On this tour you will visit the Akagera National Park, Nyungwe Forest Park, volcanoes National Park and Kigali City especially the genocide memorials.
Usually, you will first experience Rwanda before you cross to Uganda but you can cross to Uganda and then return to Rwanda
Kigali to the Ugandan Border is about 1 and a half or 2 hours. From the border to the gorilla, the park is about 2 to 2 and a half hours. So, you will spend roughly 4 to 5 hours on the road.
The day you travel to the Ugandan park is not the day you trek so always plan for overnight accommodation.
Like at all mountain gorilla parks, trekking starts in the morning. So even at the Ugandan parks, you will be up early and by 7 am be at the briefing center where you will meet your group and be guided about the different things on the trekking experience.
Uganda has two mountain gorilla habitats: which is Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
If you are at Bwindi National Park, you will trek one of the many trails in the park because the park is big and has four gorilla sectors.
What you should know about the Kigali: Depending on your preference you may trek the easier sector which is Buhoma or you may get one of Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija which are quite hard to trek. Either way, you will enjoy yourself.
If you go to Mgahinga National Park, you will trek with one mountain gorilla family. So, you will use one trekking trail.
In Bwindi national park you may spend between 6 to 8 hours trekking.
In Mgahinga, you may spend between 5 to 6 hours of trekking.
The trekking experience is done in one day and you can either stay in Uganda at the park to explore other activities or head back to Rwanda.
In Bwindi, other activities include but are not limited to mountain biking, bird watching, nature walks, and community visits among others.
In Mgahinga National Park other activities include mountain hiking, bird watching, nature walks, community visits, and lake Bunyonyi visit.
This is basically what you should know about the Kigali Uganda trekking safari but there’s much more to know than what’s covered here, so consult your tour operator for more details.
