Combine Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla Trekking With Two Permits and One Route

To combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking, you buy two gorilla permits, one from each country's park authority, for two different dates, and you cross the border by road at Katuna or Cyanika. It works well, and many travellers trek gorillas in both countries on a single trip of 5 to 10 days. The real decisions are whether a second trek is worth the extra permit, which country to start in, and where to leave a rest day. This guide settles all three.

Written by Paramount Gorilla Expeditions Team East Africa. Facts last checked 11 October 2026.

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Can you combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking in one trip?

Yes. Each country sells its own permits through its own system, and the two systems do not affect each other. A Rwandan permit does not use up a Ugandan one, and neither country asks where else you have trekked. Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking in one trip is therefore a matter of arranging dates, not of getting special permission.

What links the two halves is you: one passport, one visa plan, one overland crossing and a calendar that fits two sets of permit dates. A Uganda Rwanda gorilla safari combined in this way also uses the region's geography well. Kigali is close to the Rwandan gorilla forest, and the southern Ugandan sectors sit across a short border crossing, so a well-planned loop wastes little road. Border mechanics, opening hours and documents are in our Uganda Rwanda border crossing guide, and this page only uses the results.

The order our planners work in

1. Fix the permit dates first. Permits are the scarcest item, so flights and lodges bend around them.
2. Choose sectors that sit on the same road. Some Ugandan sectors link neatly to Rwanda and some add hours.
3. Leave a night, or a day, between the treks. A trek can last from under an hour to 6 to 8 hours, and a crossing takes time on top.
4. Decide the direction. It changes your airports, your fitness curve and your last day.

If you are still deciding between the two countries, start with our Uganda vs Rwanda comparison and return here once you have decided to do both.

Is it worth it to trek gorillas in both countries?

It depends on what you want, and a second trek is not automatically better. A gorilla family gives you the same core experience in either country: a briefing, a walk to find the group, then about an hour at close range. A second trek does not lengthen that hour. It gives you a different forest, family and trail, and a second chance if one day is short on action or you are tired.

Reasons to trek gorillas in both countries

• Two different forests. Rwanda's trek climbs through high forest at roughly 2,500 to 3,000 m. Bwindi in Uganda is steep, dense forest with several sectors, each with its own families.
• A different style of day. Operators often describe Rwanda's treks as moderate and more predictable, and Uganda's as more strenuous and less predictable. Both can run from under an hour to 6 to 8 hours.
• Two sets of encounters. Families differ in size, character and age mix, so the two hours will not look alike.
• Efficient travel. A second country adds a short road transfer, not another long-haul flight.

Reasons to choose one trek only

• The permit. The second permit is a fixed USD 800 or USD 1,500 per person before any transfers or extra nights.
• Fitness and pace. Two hard hikes in a few days is demanding for some travellers, and a porter helps either way.
• Time. With only 4 or 5 days, one planned trek and a rested guest beat two rushed ones.

Our view is simple. With at least 7 days and room for the second permit fee, gorilla trekking in two countries is rewarding, because the forests feel different. With less time, choose one country and keep a buffer day.

Two gorilla permits: prices, rules and booking in both countries

You pay for each permit separately, in the system of the country where you trek. The table shows what the official pages say.

Fees may change without notice. Uganda refund terms differ between operators, so we quote no percentages beyond the UWA tariff.

What combining costs in permits

When you combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking, the permit arithmetic is the part most guides skip. These are permit fees only, per person, at the published rates, with no transfers, lodges or entrance fees.

Operators report a lower Uganda rate of USD 600 for April, May and November 2026 only, not reschedulable. We found no confirmed low-season months for 2027.

Adding Uganda to a Rwanda trek costs USD 800 per person in permits, and adding Rwanda to a Uganda trek costs USD 1,500. If you want two treks and permit cost matters, a second trek in Uganda is the lower-cost choice, and one in each country is the variety choice.

Booking both permits

Each permit is for one person, one trek, one date, and booking early matters more than any other step. Peak dates sell out months ahead, so read how and when to book gorilla permits before you choose dates.

Volcanoes and Bwindi: what changes when you do both

Only the differences that affect planning matter here. The Rwandan trek starts at Kinigi, near Musanze, about 2 to 3 hours by road from Kigali. The briefing is at about 7:00, groups hold up to eight, and the forest sits at roughly 2,500 to 3,000 m, so dress for cool, damp conditions. Our Volcanoes National Park guide covers the park itself.

Bwindi in Uganda is one forest with several sectors, and your sector decides your border, your road and your transfer time. For gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda together, that is the planning detail most guides skip.

Which Bwindi sector pairs with which crossing

Kigali to Katuna is about 2 hours, Kigali to Cyanika about 2 to 3 hours via Musanze, and Kigali to Bwindi about 4 to 6 hours depending on sector. All times are approximate.

Compare that with the road from Entebbe or Kampala, which is 8 to 10 hours to Bwindi, or about 1 hour 15 minutes by light aircraft to Kisoro or Kihihi (confirm the schedule and the soft-bag limit of about 15 kg with your operator). A Kigali gateway therefore suits Volcanoes and Bwindi together: the road is the short way in, and the plane the short way out. Our Bwindi sector guide explains how to choose a sector and family.

Rwanda has about 96 permits a day, on a count of 12 families of 8 (reported; family numbers change), while operators count about 19 habituated groups open to visitors in Uganda, so Uganda has more families to choose from overall.

Rwanda first or Uganda first: how to choose the direction

Both directions work, and no official rule favours either. Operators disagree, so here is how our planners decide. We start from the permit dates, then the airports, then the sector, and only then personal preference.

Rwanda first, then Uganda

Land in Kigali, drive to Musanze and trek on the second morning. Cross the next day, trek at Rushaga or Nkuringo (or Mgahinga, subject to permit availability), then fly Kisoro to Entebbe for your departure. You get a shorter first transfer, a moderate first trek and a light-aircraft link out of the forest. The cost is that the steeper trek, by many accounts, comes last.

Uganda first, then Rwanda

Land in Entebbe, fly to Kisoro or Kihihi, trek, then drive to Rwanda, trek in the Volcanoes and leave from Kigali. One traveller report prefers this order, because the trip ends in Rwanda's easier setting. That is one opinion, and it suits you if you are fit and want the harder day first.

How to decide when you combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking

Our planning judgement, built on the road and flight times above (approximate; confirm schedules for your dates).

RwandAir flies Entebbe to Kigali in about 1 hour 5 minutes. Uganda Airlines has announced a daily service from 18 November 2026, but it was not operating on 11 October 2026, so do not plan around it yet. To place these treks inside a longer journey, read gorillas first or last on safari.

Consecutive trekking days and the rest day to protect

Two treks on consecutive days are possible with two permits, one per person per day. Each family is visited once a day, and operators routinely book two consecutive trekking days. We found no official statement on the practice, so treat it as operator custom, and ask which families you will meet. Some guides prefer different families on the two days, and others the same one.

The harder question is the crossing between countries, and our advice is firm: do not trek and cross on the same day.

• The trek length is unknown until the day. It runs from under an hour to 6 to 8 hours.
• The border takes time. Allow 30 to 60 minutes, and more in a queue. One trip report cleared both sides in about 30 minutes in the morning.
• Lateness is costly in Rwanda. RDB gives no refund for late arrival, a delayed flight or your own cancellation.
• Uganda also charges for changes. The UWA tariff fines late rescheduling by 25%, and low-season permits reported for 2026 cannot be moved.

Three patterns that protect a permit

To combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking safely, we plan one of three patterns. First, trek in one country, sleep there, cross the next morning, rest and trek the day after. Second, two back-to-back consecutive trekking days inside one country, then the crossing on the third day. Third, a night in the middle with no trek on the transfer day. If you are fit and want three treks, three permits across five days is possible on paper but leaves no slack, so we would stretch to 9 days first.

Mgahinga golden monkeys and other add-ons worth a day

With one day more than the minimum, add a primate walk rather than another gorilla trek. The best-known extra on this route is the Mgahinga golden monkeys. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a small Ugandan park near Kisoro and the Cyanika crossing, so it fits the southern road. The UWA tariff lists golden monkey tracking at USD 60 for foreign non-residents, excluding the entrance fee. Rwanda also offers golden monkey tracking, and one aggregator reports about USD 100 (confirm with RDB).

Mgahinga sells gorilla permits too, and its short transfer from the border can suit a tight plan, though you should check permit availability for your date. Our Mgahinga guide explains what the park offers.

Other add-ons for gorilla trekking in two countries

• The Dian Fossey hike in Rwanda. We could not verify its current price, so ask when you book.
• Chimpanzees in Uganda. UWA's minimum age is 12, three years below gorillas, which helps a family. Read our Kibale chimpanzee guide if you are heading north.
• A rest night at Lake Bunyonyi or in Kisoro. A quiet night on the Ugandan side helps recovery between treks.

Sample plans to combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking

These outlines show a Uganda Rwanda gorilla safari combined into 5, 7 and 9 days. They are planning outlines, not fixed itineraries. Competitor combined trips run from 4 to 12 days, and 5 to 6 days gives one trek per country. Our counts are a planning judgement built on the road and flight times above, and we confirm every transfer in your quote. Day 1 is the arrival day.

Outlines are our planning judgement, not a published schedule. Transfers are approximate and depend on sector and traffic.

How the days are spent

The shape never changes: gateway, first trek, a night, the crossing, second trek, onward flight. What stretches a plan is the number of Ugandan sectors and rest days you keep. Build the plan back from the permit dates and let the border follow, because a plan that starts from lodges breaks at the first permit that is unavailable. Our guide to when to book a gorilla trekking permit explains lead times.

If you want Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking in one trip as part of a longer journey, our 12 day Uganda Rwanda Tanzania safari shows how both gorilla countries fit a wider route.

Visas, fitness and health alerts for gorilla trekking in two countries

One visa or two

The regional tourist visa (EATV) covers Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda only, so one visa can cover this route. It costs USD 100, lasts 90 days, allows multiple entries within the three countries and is for tourism only. Apply online through the country you enter first, and enter the area through that country. It cannot be extended after expiry or after you leave the area, and it does not cover Tanzania. Passports need at least 6 months of validity, and we advise at least two blank pages.

If you visit only Uganda and Rwanda, compare the USD 100 regional visa with the fees for two single-entry visas on the official portals. The detail is in our East Africa tourist visa guide, and dated entry rules are in the multi-country safari guide.

Fitness

Choose your trek level in either country, and tell your operator plainly how fit you are, so guides can match you to a family. A porter is recommended in both. Our gorilla trekking fitness guide covers preparation.

Health and entry alerts, checked 11 October 2026

Alerts change faster than a guide can, so we state only what sources said on 11 October 2026. The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is centred on DR Congo, where WHO reported 8,728 confirmed cases to 6 October. Uganda declared its own outbreak over in late August 2026. Kenya confirmed a first imported case on 6 October. The CDC table of 7 October listed no cases in Rwanda or Tanzania. WHO advises against travel restrictions, but governments set their own advice and some pages lag.

Rwanda's public notice of 25 May 2026 said foreign nationals who had been in DR Congo within 30 days would be refused entry, and it may have changed. Read the live pages before you book: WHO outbreak news, the CDC situation summary, UK FCDO health pages for Uganda and Rwanda, and RDB's public notice. Uganda posted on 2 October 2026 that a yellow fever certificate is no longer mandatory for entry, while Rwanda's May 2026 note lists Kenya and Uganda among the countries it asks a certificate from, so carry yours if you have it (see our yellow fever certificate guide). See our vaccinations guide.

Who this suits, and the errors to avoid when you combine Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking

This trip suits travellers with at least 7 days who accept a road transfer and a border, couples and friends who want two different forests, photographers who want a second chance at light and family behaviour, and returning visitors who have done one country. It suits less well travellers with 4 days or fewer, anyone who dislikes long vehicle days, and anyone who would rather spend the permit money on a longer stay with one family.

What most guides get wrong

• Crossing before the permits are confirmed. Hold both permits before you buy flights that cannot be changed.
• Trekking and crossing on the same day. The trek length is unknown, and Rwanda gives no refund for late arrival.
• Choosing a sector without checking the road. Northern and southern Bwindi sit on different borders and add different hours.
• Forgetting vehicle paperwork. Operators say a cross-border vehicle needs a COMESA Yellow Card, an owner's letter, the logbook and a licence. Your operator confirms whether the vehicle crosses or you change vehicle at the border.
• Carrying one currency. The Rwandan franc and Ugandan shilling are not interchangeable, so keep small amounts of both.
• Repeating old border stories. Rwanda closed the Gatuna border in February 2019, partly reopened it on 31 January 2022 and was reported fully open on 7 March 2022. We found no 2025 or 2026 closure in searches on 11 October 2026, but absence of news proves nothing, so confirm before you travel.
• Using stale permit prices. Many pages still quote USD 700 for Uganda, and some quote USD 1,000 for 2027. Use the published tariff and confirm.

Our team confirms permit dates, sector, road timings and the crossing with you before anything is paid. For costs across the rest of a journey, see our East Africa safari cost guide.

Next steps: plan Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking in one trip

Send us your dates, your group size and how much walking you want for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, and we will check permit availability in both countries before suggesting a route. We handle the permits, the crossing and the transfers as one plan.

Doing both gorilla countries adds a second permit, and the fixed fees do not shrink with group size. See how the permits sit among the other entry costs in our four country safari cost guide.

For gorillas inside a longer journey, see our 14 day four country safari and the 18 day four country safari, both with two gorilla countries. For every route and entry rule, start at the multi-country safari guide.