East African countries including Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are jointly wooing European travelers with their newly introduced East African single visa which took effect in January.The above three countries which are part of the five-member East Africa Community (EAC) bloc exhibited their joint single tourist visa to the world during the ongoing International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany on Friday.

Heads of delegations from the three EAC nations that are part of a tripartite agreement praised the move on the visa, launched three weeks ago by Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda as a bold move that will develop regional integration and ease the movement of tourists across the region hence promoting tourism in the three countries.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East Africa Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Phyllis Kandie said whereas in the past tourists visiting the three countries had to seek separate visas in a cumbersome and costly process, all they now have to do is to acquire one visa at 100 U.S. dollars and visit the three states as many times as they wished for a period of three months.
This new process will harmonize immigration procedures, help curb cross- border insecurity, enable tourists have a one-stop border checkpoint and generally open the region for more travellers,” she said in a statement received in Nairobi on Saturday.

The lack of a regional common visa has been a major drawback towards marketing East Africa and enhancing tourism development as a single tourist destination.

Foreign tour operators have complained of the hardships in the previous immigration procedures at border entry points for those who wish to cover various circuits in East Africa.

In particular, the requirement for tourists to disembark from Kenya tour vehicles to board the Tanzanian vehicles while crossing into Tanzania has been a major point of complain by the international and local tour operators.

Kenya allows tour vehicles from the East Africa Community (EAC) to operate in the country. Industry watchers say the common visa will ease travel arrangements for those intending to tour East African attractions.

Previously, foreign tourists visiting EAC countries are required to stamp their passports in each EAC country visited. The EAC is also in the final stages of implementing a single visa for the five member states.
The single tourist visa resulted from a joint initiative and decision made by the Heads of State of the respective countries.
Before the establishment of the single entry visa for Kenya was 50 dollars, for Uganda was 50 dollars and Rwanda was 30 dollars.

Tourism arrivals and revenue on the upswing in Rwanda

Figures released by the Rwanda Development Board,  Tourism and Conservation Department confirm the continued trend of sectoral growth in tourism, as arrival numbers in 2013 rose by 6 percent to 1,137,000 visitors while earnings in the sector rose by 4 percent to now US$293.6 million.

This makes tourism once again the leading economic sector ahead of agricultural produces, with indications that 2014 will also show a growth again.

Rwanda is presently participating in the world’s largest tourism fair, ITB in Berlin, Germany, where the country shares a stand with neighbors Uganda and Kenya. As one of the key aspects of this year’s promotion came the launch yesterday evening of the long awaited common tourist visa for Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.

Lower than usual sales forecasts though for gorilla trekking permits have brought to the forefront some concerns if, like in neighboring Uganda, Rwanda too should introduce a low season rate, which in Uganda now stands at US$350 for foreign nonresident visitors to the prized gorillas while in comparison, Uganda now charges US$700 during the high season for a gorilla permit while Rwanda charges US$750 year round.

The Volcanoes National Park comprises of 5 volcanoes, 23 lakes and a number of rivers that make up a portion of the source of River Nile. It lies 75 miles south of the equator, 880 miles as the crow flies west of the Indian Ocean and 1250 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of 26338 kilometers squared on land bordered by Uganda to the north, Burundi to the south, Democratic republic of Congo to the west and Tanzania to the East.

The park is located in Musanze province; which happens to be one of the biggest cities and  lively for everyone and is a base point for Gorilla visits cradle against a beautiful background of Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura volcanoes.

In the north province of the country lies the Virunga Mountains on the border of Rwanda, DRC and Uganda. These comprise of six volcanoes and are a habitat for most gorillas.

The volcanoes national park was first demarcated in 1925 and is bounded by Bisoke, Karisimbi, and Mikeno to protect the gorillas against poachers.  The Volcanoes was the very first park to be created in Africa.

There are a number of activities to be enjoyed while in Rwanda and range from gorilla safari trips, birding, to visiting caves, Cultural and Community Tourism, cycling, hiking, fishing among others. In a much broader sense, the attractions are as follows;

The volcanoes that are extinct except for Nyiragongo and Nyiramugira attract many visitors for hiking safaris in Rwanda. Karisimbi happens to be the highest of all volcanoes at 4507 meters, Sabinyo the oldest at 3643m, Mount Bisoke that has a crater lake called Ngezi, Mikeno, Muhabura and Mgahinga.

The Dian Fossey Tomb trail. Some years back Rwanda had a researcher named Dian Fossey who committed her life to saving the gorillas. Her tomb is an hour and 45 minutes hike on steep slopes where birds, orchards and a few gorillas may be seen.

Lake Ngezi on Mount Bisoke Hike. The hike to this lake requires about 4 hours since it is steep from the departure point to reach the summit. The walk around the lake is also usually suggested and in total one would have to use about 7 hours. The lake is small, shallow and the easiest hike in the park.

The Karisimbi volcano hike.

The Karisimbi name means “White shell” which refers to the white capped summit which is often seen. Karisimbi is the highest mountain of Africa and needs about a 2 day’s hike making it a little tiring. The hike will at times take about 6 hours before reaching the top.

Lakes Burera and Ruhondo. These are usually birding stop centers and they could also offer boat cruises to the islands of Ruhondo and Burera. While on some of these cruises one would enjoy the breath taking landscape get to see the wetland habitat for birds as well.

Trekking of the golden Monkey. Besides the gorillas, there are other primates that attract tourists like the rare Golden Monkey through the forests and offers a life time thrill to the visitors.

Gorilla Tracking is the major activity in the volcanoes national park, and the park comprises of 10 gorilla groups that are habituated and are ready to be viewed by visitors. Discussed below are the different gorilla families in Volcanoes NP.

Gorilla families in the park.

The Sabinyo group led by Guhonda, the biggest silver back that weighs about 220 kilograms. This group can be got to within a two hour walk.

The Amahoro. There is a steep section of the mountain as one climbs to find these inhabitants led by Ubumbwe.

Umubano. Like the name goes live together led by Charles the silver back that took part of the Amahoro group to make his own group  after a rise to the same level of ranks. They have however lived peacefully since then.

Susa group .The name originates from the Susa river that has its origin from the Virunga Mountains. It is believed to be the largest group and was researched about by Dian Fossey. This group has the oldest gorilla that was born in 1976.

Hirwa group. The group’s name means “Lucky one” and is an emerging group of members from the other groups making it the newest of groups.

Agashya. This group is led by Agashya upon challenging Nyakarima the former group leader and usually this group can be found via the forested saddle between Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga.

Kwitonda group. This includes 3 silver backs and established itself on the slopes of Mount Muhabura.

Community and cultural based tourism activities among which include the following;

Ethno botany tour with traditional healers. This is a casual tour where one could come across herbs that may treat ailments, run in to a local pharmacy to see the injured individuals and the follow up on their recovery process.

Knigi-ibyiwacu cultural Village. This comes along with some exciting events such as riding a wooden bicycle; grinding millet and sorghum, shooting arrows with the batwa people, dances from the Intore people learn more about the banana and sorghum which are the staple food in Rwanda.

Markets in Musanze. At this point one gets to interact with the Rwandese women on how to prepare food in banana leaves and enquire about some village walks.

Brick making Tour. One can visit the fields and watch how local bricks are made with clay, wrapped in banana leaves and left to dry for 2 days. One’s hands inevitably get dirty more so in trying to put up a community house.

Lakes Karago and Lake Nyarakigugu.

Karago lies between Rubavu and Musanze districts while Nyarakigugu offers a splendid spot for fishing and birding.

Kwita Izina.

This is a function where a new born child in every family is given a name and for three decades the rangers have been giving names to gorillas. It has become an exciting part of Rwanda’s tourism and conservation calendar as a way of celebrating the efforts towards protecting the rare gorilla.

The Rugezi swamp. This happens to be a habitat to several sought after birds like the Grauer’s swamp warbler. The swamp has now turned out to be an important birding area in Rwanda.

Buhanga Eco Park. This is a section of the forest that offers nature walks, picnics and camping facilities. The forest is dominated by beautiful dragon trees and a habitat to a number of lovely birds.

Caving tourism. These are caves that are as a result of volcanic activity especially the Cenozoic rocks. The caves are 52 in number in the Northern Province and some include;

The Musanze cave that is 2km long and the most often visited cave with 31 entrances.

The Busasamana cave that is 1km long and connects to several other caves like Kazenze, Mudende and Busasamana sectors.

Mugongo cave that is great for caving and can easily be found close to Mr. Carr’s property with some camping amenities.

Related Tours

3 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour

Book a 3 Days Uganda gorilla trekking tour to Bwindi Impenetrable forest park home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas. The forest is the first center for Uganda gorilla safaris having over 15 gorilla families habituated for trekking. Bwindi is also home to 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species.Read More

3 Days Murchison Falls Np Tour

3 Days Murchison falls wildlife tour to for fantastic game viewing in search for African lion, herds of Elephant, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Antelopes, etc, and boat cruise to the bottom of the falls to see Hippos & huge crocodiles.Read More

3 Days Tour to Semuliki National park

Join a 3 Days Uganda tour to Semuliki valley national park fo game viewing, bird watching and visiting the hot springs. The park is one of Uganda’s least visited parks which give travelers with an off beaten kind of experience. Expect to see many birds and wildlife less exploited. Read More

7 Days Uganda Safari

Join a 7 Days Uganda Safari for game viewing and boat cruising at Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest and Mountain gorilla watching in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park. You will also trek golden monkeys in Mgahinga gorilla national park as well as visiting various conservation projects in Bwindi and Mgahinga gorilla national parks. Read More

3 Days Rwanda Double Gorilla Trek

The 3 Days double gorilla trek in Rwanda offers travelers exceptional gorilla encounters in Volcanoes national park. The two involve trekking gorilla two times rewarding travelers with extended time with the gentle giants in the jungle. The tour starts and ends in Kigali Rwanda. Read More

Starting on Tuesday, Rwanda began commemorations marking 20 years since the tragic genocide, with a flame of remembrance due to make a nationwide tour ahead of the anniversary of the horrendous events of 1994.The country was to light a flame at the main genocide memorial in Kigali by Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, before embarking on a tour of the formerly affected towns and villages in the central African country, ahead of the declared period of official mourning that begins on 7 April, officials said.

“The flame will be carried by young people,” Freddy Mutanguha, country director for Aegis Trust, one of the companies helping to prepare the lighting ceremony. The flame will conducted for 3 months from place to place by vehicle and then paraded on foot through each town and village

An estimated 800,000 people, essentially from the Tutsi minority, perished in the genocide, carried out by Hutu extremist militias and troops in the three months from April to June 1994.

Most of the masterminds of the genocide have been tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda set up in Arusha, Tanzania, with the backing of the United Nations.

A further two million ordinary Rwandans were tried in grassroots courts known as “gacaca” for their alleged role in the killings, with some 65 percent of the accused found guilty.

A further aim of the gacaca courts was to get local communities to overcome years of silence and to discuss what had actually happened in their villages during the unfortunate mass slaughter.

Beginning this month, genocide memorial activities will start from both the grassroots and national levels, leading up to 7 April when the national mourning period will begin, on the date the slaughter began two decades ago.

Important milestone

During the week of 7^th April the official mourning period begins each year. National television shows footage of the genocide, Rwandans wear purple, which is the declared color of mourning, and survivors wash and re-bury bones that had been consigned to shallow graves.
Candlelight vigils are held and films about the 100 days of killing are shown.

Activities for the 20th anniversary will include discussions on Rwanda’s national identity and on the progress the country has made since the genocide, which destroyed its social and economic fabric.

According to the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG), the 20th commemoration will feature countrywide events aimed at cementing memories of the genocide, fostering reconciliation and reflecting on the progress made afterwards.

Planned events include a conference in early April attended by leading academics on the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide and the renovation of genocide memorials dotted across the country.

Rwanda has taken huge strides forward since the end of the genocide, which was stopped by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), then a rebel movement and now the ruling party. Its leadership has been championed for its economic reform agenda and clampdown on corruption.
The regimes’s detractors, however, accuse the RPF of President Paul Kagame of clamping down on dissent and committing numerous human rights abuses.

Most of the hotels in Murchison falls national Park for example Para safari lodge and Pakuba Safari lodge plus those in Pakwach among others have been fully booked. This will automatically raise the government revenue earnings.
Officials in the tourism sector said that accommodations in and around the viewing area are fully booked in advance mainly by the foreign visitors who are eagerly waiting to witness the historical Solar eclipse event.
They added that the situation is not only unique to accommodations in Murchison falls and those in Pakwach region, but also hotels in other destinations are likely to experience the same as days go on since most of the tourists will wish to visit other attractions within the country before or after the viewing the eclipse.

Begumisa Wilber the manager of Africa Adventure Safaris said that the situation has come as a result of the local and foreign tourists flooding in the northern region of Uganda with an interest of getting a glimpse of the Solar Eclipse.

“Over 3000 local tourists have booked in advance and will be transferring to Pakwach and the surrounding areas which are said to have the best view to watch the eclipse. To my surprise, Pakuba and Para safari lodge are fully booked to an extent that we cannot make reservations of all our clients at one hotel” Begumisa said.  He added that his company has made over 100 bookings for foreign visitors just on a single event of the hybrid solar eclipse.

“Apart from witnessing the eclipse, our clients are to tour Uganda for over 13 days visiting destinations such as Bwindi impenetrable, Queen Elizabeth national parks among others” he said.

Stella Rugunda, a staff at Stebar Safaris said that her Tour Company will be organizing eclipse safaris to about 80 foreign tourists which are from different countries such as Japan, USA, Australia, France among others who are expected to arrive 1^st while others on 2^nd of November.
Those arriving on 1^st are expected to spend a night in Kampala and then transfer to the northern region the following day while those arriving on 2^nd November will directly transfer to the north upon their arrival in order to catch up with the once in a lifetime event on Sunday 3^rd November.
There are expected to spend more 10 days touring other scenic places in the pearl of Africa-Uganda hence generating more revenue to the country.

Rugunda said that this event is of an advantage to the local tourism industry. “They will also go for gorilla trekking in Bwindi plus visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park among other destinations” She added.

A group of 40 astronomers from Germany, tourists and “eclipse hunters” have already booked their tours to Uganda to witness the eclipse. At Owiny Primary school, Pakwach in Nebbi district has been selected as the best viewing place of Eclipse along other towns in the area such as Soroti, Gulu, Masindi, Arua among others. Of all solar eclipses, about 28% are total, 32% are annular, 5% hybrids and 35% are partial.

Solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between the sun and the earth thus creating a spectacular temporary shadow on the earth’s surface. The alignment created can lead into a total, annular, partial or hybrid solar eclipse.

The province is Rwanda’s tourism focal point and some say, the source of the wild adventures. With the long line of adventure activities on offer, there is enough evidence to support Musanze’s claim to adventure fame. When spotlight is put on the adventure in Musanze, many will immediately think of the mountain gorillas and this would be right.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is probably Musanze’s oldest and widely advertised tourism product and also the most embraced safari activity. It dates back since time immemorial.

There are several tourists’ activities that have been created in the area; but the gorilla experience is very much alive, thanks to the conservation efforts that have helped to protect the endangered primates.

Owing to the need to diversify tourism products and make them a worthwhile adventure, tourism operators are thinking harder on how best to utilize the new other unique features left behind by nature. It is this effort to offer tourists a variety that has given rise to the Musanze caves, an experience where tourists tour decades -old 2 km cave. It has two parts with nine and six rooms respectively. For those more inclined to tradition, cave touring might appeal to you.

Since mid September this year when the official visits started 44 tourists from a number of countries have visited the area with many more expected to increase in the coming months. The tourists included young and old people alike, mostly foreigners screaming their lungs out in excitement as they toured the inside of the cave. Many of them found it such an enjoyable activity and would surely recommend other tourists to go for it while in Rwanda.

The cost of visiting the Musanze caves is 50 U. S. dollars for foreign tourists, 40 dollars for those resident in Rwanda while Rwandan nationals pay 4,000 Rwandan francs for adult and 2,000 francs for students. The excitement about this new attraction is remarkable as tour operators anticipate to get more tourists as the caves are unique for Rwanda. Musanze residents are expected to benefit from the caves through jobs as guards, cleaners as well as tour guides.

The Musanze cave is said to be the newest tourism product in Rwanda with plans to turn several other caves into tourism sites in the future so as to diversify the adventure.

According to Rica Rwigamba, the head of Rwanda Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, the target is to increase tourism products; and caves are part of the adventures on offer during a Rwanda safari.

History of the creation of Musanze Caves

According to legends, the Musanze caves were created by King Ruganzu who reigned from Burundi. Ruganzu is said to have been called to replace his father King Ndahiro Cyamatare but Burundians were not happy with his reign and wanted to attack the king.

But apparently Ruganzu was given a stick by his aunt and asked to lay it down or hit ground with it so as to get an underground escape. It is therefore believed according to folk stories that Ruganzu created the renown caves in that way.

However, according to geography Musanze cave is said to have been a result of volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. An old man who gave his name only as Kanyamihigo 83, told Xinhua that from his childhood people used the caves in various activities such as for prayers and meeting place.

The caves are home to large number of bat colonies and host some incredible variety of plants, shrubs and trees at the entrance.

Even after the caves, there is still plenty of adventure to be experienced in this northern part of Rwanda; including the Buhanga Eco-park which was a place for coronation of Rwandan former kings, the twin lakes namely Burera and Ruhondo in Burera district and Virunga lodge also in Burera district which was built in a traditional way.

Uganda is gifted with 10 National Parks and over 15 game reserves, all of these national parks are blessed with a variety of wildlife some of which are rare to the rest of other national parks in the East and Central Africa. A visit to one of these Uganda’s national parks is regarded as the most breathtaking moment one should not love to miss. Let us have a wonderful watch out of the Kidepo National Park which is located in the far Northeastern corner of Uganda along the borders with Sudan and Kenya and it was established in 1954 it covers an area of about 1,442sqkm and takes just about 12 hours drive or more up to the park in a good weather condition from Kampala. It is gifted with a number of wildlife ranging from animal species to bird species. it’s known for its peaceful zebras whose patterns are amazingly not similar from one to another. From the corner of your eye the sight of the Africa’s biggest land mammal will attract your attention as he symbiotically move on with a number of birds on his back grazing with out bending his head low like other animals do. You will also see elephants grazing in big number, buffaloes, lions, warthogs, Rothschild giraffe, bat eared foxes, waterbuck. Amazing bird species will include common Ostrich who is ever out of time to attend to his guest as though you are the reason for his unable to fly. Your eyes will also enable you hear the music made by the bird calls and their wonderful colors will make your day worth remembering. Other bird species may include; Vultures, Varreaux’s Eagle owl, spotted eagle-owl, African swallow, long tailed and standard- winged nightjar and bat eared foxes to mention but a few.

The rocky hills that have stood for centuries, the whistling of the wind is breathtaking all these make the park more magnificent. The day will draw to its close with the beautiful rays that paint horizon that will leave you with remarkable photographic memory of a lifetime.

Our main reason for our previous vacation was to go and take a visit to the mountain gorillas, well known as one of the critically endangered primates on this planet earth.
From our travel agent at Africa Adventure Safaris we learned that the gorilla tracking is easier in Rwanda than that in Uganda.

Really l cannot compare it with a Uganda tracking, but the trip we made to trek the gorillas in volcanoes national park was certainly at the top most level in contrast to other treks in other countries.

This adventurous trip begun as we reported at the headquarters of volcanoes national park. At this point, we were briefed about the dos and don’ts while with the gorillas and also hand in our gorilla permits and finally the ranger guides assigned gorilla groups to us. Lucky enough, we were nominated to the Agashya group, the second largest group in this park.

We transferred to our starting point, hired porters and that is the best thing we ever did. He provided us with walking sticks and assistance through all the rough patches in the hike within the park and that’s why they are highly recommended to all trekkers by the ranger guides. Within a few minutes on our Hike, we found a family of mountain gorillas, but unfortunately it wasn’t our designated family.

We entered the forest and started off the hike in search of the mountain gorillas. This took us a while of about one and half hours to reach the area where the gorillas were.

We and our ranger guides left the porters behind with our luggage and we took a short climb to an open and bushy area which made us closer and nearer to these gentle apes plus giving s us a good view of these gentle giants.

This gorilla family had some really juvenile gorillas, the youngest being less than one year old. And we got a chance of seeing them all, some playing while others giving much care to the young ones. This was really great!

Usually, trekkers are advised to stay 5 meters away from these animals, but in our case, the stubborn ones came closer to us which gave us an opportunity of really seeing what a gorilla is. Our ranger guides had to prevent the gorillas from mixing up with our group who had com to trek. We really were that close.

After about half an hour or so, the silver back checked in. We moved through the area to get really near to him and to my estimation think the closest was almost 4 meters and surprisingly he never bothered hiding but he instead kept around.
The guide and other trackers, we were all really great because we managed to move in the area and trying to get dramatic views for the whole Agashya family. The guides really were a great help to us during our time with these critically endangered animals, we were able to move safely around the whole family and to get us to the best spots to capture memorable photographs of mountain gorillas.

As soon as the elapse of one hour, we were told to ascend back to the park headquarters and leave the family carry out its activities.

To my conclusion, it was one of the most incredible hours in my whole life, probably even the most exciting one. The climb was not too hard, but it surely did give you the feeling you were visiting mountain gorillas.

If you ever want to visit these most beautiful creatures next to human beings. I highly recommend that you do the trek in Rwanda as it is the perfect place to visit.

There are 1000 criticisms on how great the Gorilla trek is, so you don’t need me to reiterate that. Many tourists say that they treasured the time they spent with the Gorillas. What I hope I can give advice on the physical fitness required when going Gorilla trekking.

Couples in 30’s used to get involved in the fitness industry back home, I was very surprised to see how many unfit, out of shape people sign up for this. No regard given to the fact that you will be hiking at a certain altitude, up hill, often with adverse conditions, such as muddy trekking trails among others. One time during trekking, a group of trekkers consisted of there 3 ladies who experienced issues and had to be carried up the mountain by porters. On my side, here is an advice though it may come off as harsh more so to those who don’t possess the minimum fitness level to hike up to the Gorillas, they should not expect Rwandan porters to carry them up the mountain on a stretcher just because you spent $1500 on a permit!

In this case, the 3 ladies had requested an easy and close group, but since the Gorillas are wild animals and unpredictable due to their movement in their natural environment, this group had moved an hour or two more deep into the forest.

Even me as a tour consultant, when I signed up for the gorilla trek, I made a plan so that I would be able to complete the trek. I didn’t know if we would hike for 1 hour or 7 because I had some advice from a friend who had once trekked gorillas. So what I wanted is to be prepared.

So if you are not willing to do some basic hiking, cardio training, gym workouts 4-6 months before the trek then is not only not safe, but also the tracking will not be enjoyable for you.

Most of the clients who come for gorilla trekking and become successful, some say that they practice hiking while others live an active lifestyle back home and they find no difficult in this memorable experience. They added and said they make it slow, and finally make it to the Gorillas.

In the 10 years I have worked in the tourism industry I have seen many people encounter health problems when they are out of shape and try to do too much such as heart issues, low blood sugar, and too much exertion. What will happen to you if you have a serious issue mid trek? Help isn’t so close – read more on the gorilla trekking guideline.

So, if you plan on doing a gorilla trek, plan when it’s not too late on getting in shape. Walk, hike, jog, attend fitness classes, hire a trainer….do anything, but do rather than relaxing and expecting to gain fitness on the trekking day. You know you will be hiking for at least one hour with your heart rate at 65-85% of your max, so train for this in advance at home. Trust me because it will make your trek incredible, more enjoyable, and it won’t kill you to get our closest relatives- the Gorillas!

The critically endangered primates called Gorillas are the most sacredly kept species all over the world. It is entirely well known within Africa that it’s a must to find both mountain gorillas and then the lowland gorillas. The gorilla safari from Uganda in its one and only Bwindi impenetrable national park and even Rwanda in volcanoes national park, still stands as one of the outstanding experiences to have a gorilla safari within Africa.

Mountain Gorilla trekking Safari in Uganda are very adventurous since it is on the list of few destinations in the world where the most desired to see endangered Mountain Gorillas are found in a rich diversified atmosphere. Trekking the gorillas from Uganda is only done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and sometimes in Mgahinga National Park. The forest of Bwindi inhabits about 10 Gorilla groups and a variety of other wildlife species which include birds, Albertan endemic Golden monkeys, elephants, baboons, warthogs among others.

Along the southwestern border of Uganda is the Virunga Volcanoes National Park that joins Rwanda to Uganda as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Virunga volcanoes is the best destination to find Rwanda’s leading tourist attraction prominently visited over the Kwita Izina-the baby gorilla naming festival that is always performed once every year. The latest poaching of Uganda gorillas had caused a greater reduction in the number of mountain gorillas besides it is absolutely exhilarating to find that these closest and gentle relatives of man within their natural habitat.

Always a permit is one of the must document to be possessed in order to trek gorillas. In Uganda, a permit costs USD 500, part of which is used as conservations initiatives of these vulnerable primates through community sensitization. To boost gorilla tours as well as tourism in Uganda, these permit fees are worth cheaper to an affordable $ 300. It’s always advisable and very crucial to make a booking for the permit in advance for example around 3 months prior to your safari to Uganda from our tour consultants since access to the parks will be by these gorilla permits.

Usually, a group of eight people are allowed to visit each gorilla group which is headed by one giant elder male gorilla called the silver back. Gorilla families in Bwindi include Mubare, Habinyinja, Nkuringo or Rushegura, Bitukula, among others. More than often, tracking gorillas may last for about 3 to 8 hours depending on their movement in their natural environment, and when you meet them, a chance of staying with them for a maximum of one hour is given while maintaining a 5 meter distance from these endangered apes making it the best experience of Uganda as well as, East Africa. It is vital for you to pack a good camera to help pick gorilla memories together with interesting details over the trekking trail.

You can boost your Uganda safari together with a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you can spot a variety of wildlife at its best including; lions, Buffaloes, Elephants, Uganda Kobs, warthogs, water bucks, different bird species best sighted along the Kazinga channel that joins lake George to lake Edward, or just travel to Murchison Falls National Park for the great mighty river Nile and sights of Murchison falls as the Nile waters are forced through a narrow gorge .You may also hike Rwenzori Mountains and be among the people to  subjugate its glaciated peaks

The previous Rwanda tourism industry organized a gorilla naming ceremony which proved the tourism body’s unique in the approach to tourism promotion. Many of the tourists were quoted saying the caravan tour enabled them to feel the country’s natural beauty in not only gorilla experience but also in other wildlife activities.

The tourists and a number of journalists were able to observe new tourism sites. During the weekend, 12 baby gorillas were named in Kinigi, Musanze district. We thank the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) for organizing a successful ceremony.

On the other hand, there is still need to put up strategies for sustainable tourism development since the government identified tourism as a way to poverty eradication.

It will extremely be better for the government to encourage the development of sustainable tourism that is socially and culturally acceptable, environmentally friendly and economically viable.

The gorilla naming ceremony is relevant and in tandem with Rwanda’s traditional culture. The government should put emphasis on ensuring the country’s visibility as a strong tourism destination and enhance Rwanda tours in the country

RDB should also improve its efforts of diversifying the country’s tourism products more than the gorilla experience to include larger market segments and longer visitor stays.

The move to take tourists to other tourism sites was therefore timely. RDB deserves all the support it can make to achieve its goals. This calls for all service providers to rise to the occasion and support this effort for individual and national benefit.

However, there is need to enhance the skills base of the personnel in the tourism industry. The personnel can achieve little if they are unable to give quality and professional services.

All in all, we should be mindful of the fact that development of the country’s tourism products should be based on the principle of sustainability -there should be a balance between development and environmental protection. To read more on safari packages in Rwanda, please click this link