RWANDA RE-OPENS FOR TOURISM.
Rwanda Re-opens for Tourism :In a public statement released by Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the government organization announced that effective 17th June 2020; all its national parks would re-open for tourism.
In the statement released by the RDB, the organizational also stated it had reduced the price of gorilla trekking permits from US$1500 to US$ 200 for all Rwandans and US$ 500 foreigners with residence in Rwanda effective this June until December 2020. However, international tourists will continue to pay $1500 for Rwanda gorilla trekking permits.
The organization also announced that all international travel for charter flights to and from Rwanda would resume with effect from 17th June 2020. All the above mentioned changes have been made in a bid to boost domestic tourism in the country, as a way of controlling the spread of the highly infectious COVID-19 virus from imported cases.
In addition to this, all domestic tourists visiting Nyungwe and Volcanoes National Parks will be required to test negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to their visit to the respective tourist attractions. The government has set up a private test center at Petit Stade, also known as Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali. Other test centers outside Kigali city will be communicated as demand grows.
Rwanda has emerged from her tragic past and has since established herself as one of the top tourist destinations on the African Continent. The country is a popular destination for gorilla trekking safaris alongside her neighbors Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. All gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda are conducted in Volcanoes national park, located in the northeastern part of the country in Ruhengeri district.
Other national parks in Rwanda that are open for tourism include; Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park and finally the recently opened Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
What activities can you do during your visit to Rwanda?
There are plenty of exciting activities that tourists visiting Rwanda can take part in, and these include;
Gorilla Trekking:
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done in Volcanoes national park. The park has about 12 groups of habituated mountain gorillas, which can be tracked by tourists in groups consisting of a maximum of eight members per group.
Gorilla trekking tours in Volcanoes national park start at 7am every morning, with actual gorilla trekking beginning at exactly 8am. Trekking mountain gorillas in Volcanoes can take about four to eight hours or more depending on the location of the gorillas. Once a group of gorillas has been located, trekkers are given only an hour to spend with the gorillas.
Chimpanzee Trekking:
Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is best conducted in Nyungwe National Park. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park is conducted in groups of a maximum of six members each and takes about four to six hours, with an hour to spend with the chimpanzees once they have been located.
Game Drives:
Game drives in Rwanda are conducted in Akagera National Park which is Rwanda’s only safe haven for savannah wildlife animals. Game drives in Akagera can take between two to three hours of amazing wildlife viewing. Visitors on a game drive in Akagera have a chance to see the highly sought after Big Five animals that include; lions, leopards, rhinos, savannah elephants, and buffaloes. Other wildlife animals that you can sight in the park include; antelopes, impala, topi, crocodiles, Sitatunga, waterbucks, reedbucks, zebras, giraffes and so many more. The park offers visitors both day and night guided game drives, and the best thing about this is that you can do both during your visit to the park.
Boat Cruise:
Boat cruises in Rwanda are conducted on in Akagera national park and on Lake Kivu. The boat cruises take about two hours and offer visitors splendid views of wildlife and birdlife.
Other activities that you can do on your visit to Rwanda include; Sport fishing, guided nature walks, hiking, golden monkey tracking, mountaineering, community cultural tours, Dian Fossey hike, Visit Musanze caves, bird watching and so much more.
Visitors planning to visit Rwanda during the pandemic should make sure to first check the health status in the country in regards to the rate of infection and number of deaths as a result of COVID-19.
In addition to the above, visitors should pack a lot of sanitizer and always wear a mask when on the road and in public places. Visitors can get in touch with our experienced travel consultants at Explore Rwanda Tours for more information regarding your travel to Rwanda.
