Do Rwanda Tour Operators Buy Uganda Gorilla Permits?  Yes, it is increasingly noticed that the Rwanda tour operators are now increasing booking Bwindi and Mgahinga gorilla permits due to several factors. It is important to note that Rwanda decided to increase the price of its gorilla trekking permits from USD750 to USD1500 per person per trek and this somehow didn’t come to good terms with Rwanda tour operators.

As Rwanda increased the price of gorilla trekking permits, Uganda decides to have its gorilla permit at USD700 per trek but decided to do away with the gorilla discounts that it used to offer during the wet season known as the rainy season. And therefore is one of the major reasons why most of the Rwanda tour operators have increasingly booked the gorilla trekking permit for Uganda because of the large number of tourists arriving at Kigali and are interested in doing gorilla trekking in Uganda.

Why do Rwanda tour operators buy Uganda gorilla permits?

One of the main reasons why the Rwanda tour operators are buying Uganda gorilla permits is because the Uganda gorilla permits are affordable.  These days tourists are looking for affordable gorilla trekking safaris and considering Rwanda’s high price of gorillas at USD1500 then individual tourists find it affordable to enjoy the 3 days of gorilla trekking including transport and accommodation at USD700 instead of going for Rwanda gorilla permits that go for as much as USD1500. Thus most of the Rwanda gorilla trekking tour operators are finding it easy and cheap to do gorilla tracking in Uganda as compared to Rwanda itself. Because of this, most of the Rwanda Tour operators are rushing to Uganda to bug the Uganda gorilla trekking permits.

The other prominent reason as to why Rwanda tour agents are buying Uganda gorilla permits is that Rwanda’s Kigali international airport is advantageous as compared to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport. For example, a visitor will have to travel for a long distance if he or she is interested in trekking gorillas in Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks in Uganda.

The distance from Entebbe international airport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is about 8 to 10 hours but for visitors landing in Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport, It is only 4-5 hours from Kigali to access Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga National Park through Katuna and Cyanika boarders. For visitors interested in tracking gorillas in the southern part of Bwindi, they should use the Cyanika border and the Katuna border is best for those who have booked trek gorillas in the Eastern side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The process of Rwanda tour agents buying the Uganda gorilla permits has been made possible by the East African Tourist Visa which allows tourists to move freely across East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. This implies that tourists can use visit Uganda and Rwanda as well as Kenya with a single Visa. Contact Africa Adventure Vacations for more information about this.