Month: March 2022

Rwanda – Uganda borders fully reopen on March 7

The government of Rwanda has announced the full reopening of the land borders between Uganda and Rwanda effective on 7th of March 2022. This is perhaps so far, the best of news of 2022 for the people of both countries. For about two years the government of Rwanda closed the land borders to all travelers including tourists and local people, with the reason of controlling the spread of covid 19.

Uganda and Rwanda highly depend on each other for trade, tourism, and agriculture among others. Also, the people of the two countries are closely related with many families shared across the borders. The closure of the border therefore brought economic hardship to many people in both Uganda and Rwanda, as well as causing a lot of anxiety among the people who could not see their families for the last two or so years.

Uganda – Rwanda tours and safaris resume

Many African tour itineraries combine Uganda and Rwanda as the two destinations complement each other well in terms of a variety of experiences and activities one can have, including gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, hiking and birding among others. Also, because it is so easy to travel between the countries. The popular attractions are located near the borders.

Many tourists start their tours in Rwanda and go on to visit Uganda as the primary destination of their itinerary, and vice versa. For example, many tourists start their gorilla trekking trips in Uganda from Rwanda because it is a shorter driver. Read this guide about starting Uganda gorilla tours from Kigali Rwanda.

The most popular combo is the gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda. Many tourists who want to track the gorillas two times combine Uganda and Rwanda, that is, tracking the gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park where they experience the awe-inspiring Virunga mountains, and another gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where they experience a true African jungle!

Below are some of our tours and safaris combining Uganda and Rwanda via the land borders!

3 days Gorilla tour in Uganda starting from Kigali, Rwanda

4 days Rwanda golden monkeys and Uganda gorillas

5 days Rwanda chimpanzees and Uganda gorillas

10 days Uganda and Rwanda primates adventure

18 days Rwanda and Uganda birding tour

10 interesting facts about mountain gorillas

The (mountain) gorilla is an iconic ape that often is portrayed in “King Kong” movies as a savagely and fierce beast. On the contrary, the mountain gorilla is a gentle and shy primate yet big and so powerful. Tourists have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see up close these gentle giants in their natural environment through gorilla trekking in Uganda and gorilla trekking in Rwanda tour activities.

Below are 10 interesting facts about the mountain gorillas that you did not know

  1. Mountain Gorillas are called so because…you guessed it…because they live in mountains at altitudes of 8000 to 13000 feet. Their thick fur keeps them warm.
  2. Mountain Gorillas are found in only 3 countries: Uganda, Rwanda the Democratic Republic of Congo which share an area called the Virunga massif, a mountainous zone home to the mountain gorillas. Yes, you may have seen a gorilla in the zoo but that is a lowland gorilla and not a mountain gorilla. Mountain Gorillas do not survive for long outside their environment.
  3. Mountain Gorillas and other gorilla species share 98% DNA with humans. This makes the gorillas susceptible to human diseases. Hopefully they do not catch covid 19!
  4. The Mountain Gorilla is the most powerful of the great apes. The strength of one adult male gorilla is said to be equivalent to 5 – 8 adult human males
  5. Mountain Gorillas are largely herbivores eating vegetation and fruit. However they have been observed to eat snails
  6. Mountain Gorillas eat their dead babies. When a baby gorilla dies, the gorillas will know it is dead when it starts to decompose after which they will devour the remains. It is said the reason for this bizarre cannibal behavior is so that other animals do NOT eat the remains which would entice them to go after gorilla babies. The mountain gorillas however do not eat remains of the adult gorillas.
  7. Mountain Gorillas live in small family units of about 10 to 20 individuals. This is in contrast to chimpanzees that live as a big community comprising of smaller units just like humans.
  8. A mountain gorilla family is led by a dominant male. The dominant male is in most cases a silverback which is an adult male that has developed a silver wash on the back. The silverback protects the family and directs the movement and activities of the group.
  9. Gorillas make new nests every day to sleep. Gorillas make new “beds” each day in the new place where they will have ended the day.
  10. Mountain Gorillas have unique nose prints the way humans have unique finger prints. This is also the way park rangers are able to identify each individual gorilla.