Rwanda + Uganda Gorilla Trekking: Permits, Bases and a Points Plan for 7-9 Days (2026 guide)

At a glance

• Headline for 2026: The U.S. State Department rates Rwanda Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) and Uganda Level 4 (Do Not Travel), both issued June 4, 2026, with an Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
• Rwanda permit: US$1,500 per person per day; 96 permits a day in total; minimum age 15.
• Uganda permit: US$800 in the UWA tariff titled July 2024 – June 2026. That period has ended, so a newer tariff may apply: confirm with UWA.
• Bases: Kigali (KGL) for Volcanoes National Park; Entebbe (EBB) and Kampala for Bwindi.
• Trip shape: 7-9 days. The Rwanda-only version is simplest: two nights Kigali, three to four near Kinigi, one flex day.
• Entry: Rwanda issues a 30-day visa on arrival for US$50 single-entry or US$70 multiple-entry; Uganda requires an eVisa applied for in advance. Both want 6 months of passport validity and a blank page.
• Book: Permits first, flights second, hotels third. Volcanoes permits can be sold out for months; ask the issuer for current availability.
• Most common mistake: Buying flights before holding a permit for the exact date.

When to go

Gorilla treks run all year. The drier months are generally easier on the trails and the rainy months are muddier but quieter; check the Rwanda Development Board or UWA for current seasonal notes, as we did not fetch a climate page. Schedules, trail conditions and lodge status change, so check with your operator two weeks out.

Where to stay by area

• Kigali (Kimihurura / city center): Your arrival base and the only place with international chains. The Kigali Marriott Hotel is listed on Marriott's own site at KN 3 Avenue, Nyarugenge. For Radisson and Hilton, check the chain's map.
• Musanze / Kinigi (Rwanda): Closest to Volcanoes National Park headquarters, where the briefing is typically at 7am (confirm on visitrwanda.com). Mostly independent lodges; check the chain's map for any points hotel.
• Entebbe / Kampala (Uganda): Entebbe is minutes from the airport; Kampala is busier. Bwindi sits a long road or a short domestic flight beyond; confirm both with your operator.

Rough cost of the trip, three ways

Fill the blanks with live numbers from the official page named on each line.

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Cash: Permit (US$1,500 Rwanda, ; confirm on visitrwanda.com) + international flights $
  (airline site) + Kigali nights
  x $
  (hotel site) + Musanze lodge
  x $
  ground transfers $
  (operator quote) + visa US$50 + travel medical/evacuation insurance $

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Points-heavy: Permit still cash (it cannot be paid with points). Flights in miles
  miles + taxes $
  (program search tool). Hotels in points where a chain exists in Kigali

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Hybrid: Flights on points, lodges and ground transport in cash, permit in cash. Compare the cash price of the flight with the miles needed: if a cent-per-mile value is above your own floor of

Entry rules

• Rwanda: Passport valid at least 6 months beyond arrival and one blank page; 30-day visa on arrival US$50 single / US$70 multiple; bring U.S. dollars as backup if cards fail at land borders. Yellow-fever certificate if arriving from a country with yellow fever.
• Uganda: Passport rules the same; visa required, apply in advance at visas.immigration.go.ug. No vaccination listed as required by the State Department page, though yellow fever is present in the country.
• U.S. return: Anyone in Uganda within 21 days must enter the U.S. through designated airports for enhanced screening; travelers who were in the DRC cannot board commercial flights to the U.S.

How to use this free guide

Read the advisory lines first, because they decide whether the Uganda half of the trip is realistic this year. Then pick your shape. The Rwanda-only trip is a clean seven days: arrive, one Kigali day, a drive to Musanze, a trek, a spare day, back to Kigali, fly home. It also keeps you inside the country with the lower advisory level, and it keeps the permit as the only item with a hard sell-out risk.

The paid guide adds a day-by-day plan with clock times, base cards, a booking order, a points playbook that names which program fits which airline, a cost sheet you fill in with live prices, and printable day pages. Nothing in either version tells you to buy a permit before you have read the live advisory, and nothing replaces a licensed operator's confirmation of your date.

What to settle before you spend anything

• Your travel dates, and whether they leave a spare day before your flight home.
• Whether you are fit enough for a hike of anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours or more at altitude; groups are assigned by fitness.
• Whether every traveler in your party is at least 15.
• Your evacuation insurance, since the State Department says medical care is paid for upfront and recommends medical evacuation cover.

Three free things

1. Kigali dawn walk on Kimihurura's tree-lined streets. Free, flat, and the best way to shake off jet lag; early morning is the cool, quiet window. Daylight only.
2. Sunset over Kigali's hills from a public rise. Free; any ridge on the city's western side gives a long view of the layered hills. Weather permitting.
3. Volcanoes in the distance from the Musanze road. The Virunga cones show up on a clear morning from the road north from Kigali; ask your driver to pause at a safe pull-off. Clouds often hide them by mid-morning.

This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.