Where To Travel Uganda Or Rwanda
Choosing between Uganda and Rwanda for a vacation can be challenging as both destinations have unique attractions worth exploring. To better plan your holiday, we bring you a complete guide sighting various factors as follows;
Destinations
Rwanda is compact with only 4 national parks available for tourists to explore different wildlife species. These include 3 primate parks-Gishwati-Mukura National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, and Volcanoes National Park; then one savanna park –Akagera National Park. In Uganda, visitors have plenty of options to choose from for primate and big game encounters. 10 National Parks all exist in Uganda offering exceptional experiences to nature lovers. They include Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kibale National Park, Semuliki, Kidepo, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Elgon National Park and Rwenzori Mountain NP.
Gorilla safari destinations
With mountain gorilla safaris currently being on the bucket list among most visitors on African holidays, choosing between Uganda and Rwanda isn’t an easy task. But here is what many do not know. First, Uganda has 2 places for visitors to encounter mountain gorillas and over half of the remaining 1063 individuals of these endangered species survive here. That is in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga, thus presenting more opportunities to guests to meet their great ape unlike in Rwanda where the option is limited to only Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla families
Visiting Uganda for gorilla trekking allows you to visit different gorilla families out of the 21 fully habituated groups distributed across the 5 regions –Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Buhoma. In Rwanda, trekker’s choice of gorilla families revolve around the 12 habituated gorilla groups and your adventure starts from Kinigi.
Gorilla permits
Whether you plan to visit Rwanda or Uganda to see gorillas, a valid gorilla permit is essential. Obtaining a permit for you to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda requires USD 800 for foreign non-residents, foreign residents USD 700 and East African citizens/Ugandans inclusive pay shs. 250,000 per person. For those who want to spend more time with the great apes, you can opt to go for gorilla habituation in Bwindi at USD1500(you spend 4 hours with the gorillas). Traveling to Rwanda for gorilla tours means you need USD 1500 to have your permit secured.
Accessibility
Both gorilla trekking destinations and other tourist sites in Uganda and Rwanda are all accessible. But the difference is that in Rwanda, you can drive from the heart of Kigali city for about 2-3 hours to Volcanoes National Park, and in Uganda, expect long hours of navigating from Kampala to Bwindi or Mgahinga that is about 8-9 hours. The beauty of the road trip in Uganda to see mountain gorillas is that, you have plenty to see en-route including photography at the Equator, visiting other parks depending on the route but most importantly, Lake Mburo National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The highest concentration of chimpanzees and other primates
Uganda and Rwanda are all most famous for their exhilarating primate experiences. In East Africa, the highest concentration of primates dwell in Uganda, with an estimated population of about 5050 chimpanzees all surviving in different habitats. These can be spotted in the wild, especially in all 5 locations including Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest, Kyambura Gorge and Semuliki NP.
Birding opportunities
Beyond the big five and primates, Uganda boasts of its huge concentration of bird species, accounting for about 1090 species. This translates to about 10% of the bird species in the world which exist in various habitats like woodland, savanna, forest, wetlands, and rivers and lakes. Rwanda on the other hand protects over 700 species of birds and the birding excursions are limited to the 4 parks and other sites.
Game drive opportunities
A visit to Uganda for game drives is of great advantage as you have several options to choose from. The savanna wildlife safari destinations worth considering for game viewing in Uganda include Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Murchison Falls NP, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth NP. In Rwanda, visitors have only one option which is Akagera National Park but interestingly, this protects all the Big Five game members.
Cultural encounters
Every destination has its unique cultures and traditions. In Uganda, there are over 57 tribes each with its distinct cultures, practices, norms and traditions unlike in Rwanda with less variation.
In summary, consider visiting Rwanda and Uganda on a combined safari package to experience unique things from both destinations. This can enable you make better comparisons between the 2 great African safari destinations.