Border Crossing in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo for Gorilla trekking
If you are planning to do a safari in more than one African country, you have to prepare to cross borders at some point. This experience can be hectic especially if you are not familiar with immigration policies in the different countries. Uganda, Rwanda and Congo are still developing countries. The structures in place and technology used may not allow for efficiency in the handling of border crossings. In the case of Congo, insecurity makes border crossings more complicated and time consuming. This is not to suggest that crossing the borders in these countries is not a nice experience. It is just that the systems and ways of doing things might not be the most efficient on a given day. Let’s discuss more about how things are arranged in the different border crossings in the three three countries.
Congo Rwanda Border crossing – Border opening times at Goma
The Goma border post
The Goma border crossing is used by tourists who are going to hike Mount Nyiragongo or do gorilla trekking in Virunga and Kahuzi Biega National Park. This border post is also a key trade route connecting the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda. The Goma border post is found between the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the city of Goma and the town of Gisenyi in Rwanda.
Tourists planning to visit the game parks in Congo need to plan to acquire the Congo VISA in advance and share with their tour operator details about their trip. Getting the Congo Visa is more complicated for tourists than that of Rwanda and Uganda. A tour operator can help with processing the Congo VISA so that things are done first. For the VISA to be processed, the Tourist needs to send his/her passport details and dates of travel. The Tour Operator can then coordinate with the Congolese authorities and the park to have the documents processed as soon as possible. It is important to note that apart from the VISA, tourists need to show their yellow fever vaccination card. Once you have all the documents and the VISA approved, crossing the border is straight forward. Do not forget to travel with your yellow vaccination certificate. The border authorities will not allow you to cross if you don’t have the card. There are limited places where you can take the shot in countries outside Africa. You need to identify one in advance so that you book an appointment early enough. Without these documents, the Congolese Authorities will not allow you to Cross the border from Rwanda.
If you planning to take a chartered flight from Kigali in Rwanda or Kampala in Uganda, you can process the VISA on your own online or ask your tour operator to do it on your behalf. If you are deciding to apply for the Congo VISA on your own, you may be asked for more documents like your flight schedules, accommodation and safari related bookings. The Congo VISA is got by downloading the VISA application forms from the Congo Embassy website. If you find difficulty locating the forms, you can send an email to the specific Congolese Embassy. The Congo VISA costs $105.
Note: Tourism Visas for Congo can only be processed with the help of a Tour Operator. The Visa must be endorsed by the national park you plan to Visit in coordination with the Tour Company.
Getting to the Goma border crossing
If you are already in Rwanda, you need to hire a public bus or taxi from Kigali to Gisenyi. Gisenyi is the nearest town to the Congo Border post. Most tourists are picked by their Tour operator from a hotel in Kigali or at the airport.
Note: The Goma border post closes at 10:00pm.
Cyangugu border
Apart from the Goma border crossing, there is another entry point to Rwanda in the South-western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Cyangugu border lies at the southern part of the Lake Kivu. Cyangugu is the main town of the district of Rusizi. The Cyangugu border crossing is not as busy as the Goma border post and is used by tourists who have come for relaxation on the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu before heading for more activities in Congo. Crossing this border requires crossing a bridge on River Rusizi.
Rwanda Uganda border crossings
Many tourists plan their trip to land in Kigali then drive to the Uganda Rwanda border by road. Although crossing the border between Uganda and Rwanda is much easier than the Congo border crossing, one still needs to have all the relevant paper work. A Visa and passport will be asked for international travelers. There are two main border posts between Uganda and Rwanda – The Cyanika border in the southern part of Bwindi (Kisoro District) or via Katuna Border in the northern part of Bwindi (Kabale district).
Cyanika border post – Cyanika border hours
Though it is less busy than the Gatuna Border post, The Cyanika border crossing takes in more tourists and individual travelers than Gatuna border post. This is because it connects 2 major tourism hubs linking Rwanda and Uganda. This border crossing is located in Kisoro district on the Uganda side and Burera District on the Rwanda. Kisoro is where Bwindi Impenetrable forest is found. Those who are booked for gorilla trekking in Bwindi will find the Cyanika border post most reliable. It is closer to the Rushaga sector which is the most visited sector in Bwindi national park. Kisoro is also very close to Mgahinga National Park which is 
famous for 3 beautiful volcanoes, the mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking. Burera town in Rwanda is a tourism hotspot like Kisoro and has the twin lakes (Burera and Ruhondo). The town is close to the Volcanoes National Park which is famous for gorilla trekking, the Musanze caves and hiking mountains like Karisimbi. Crossing this border is relatively easy as long as you have all the required documents. It is important to get hold of East African Tourist VISA if you are a tourist. If not, you will have to acquire a VISA for either Uganda or Rwanda to be issued at the border office. The East African VISA makes everything look so simple and straight forward. Apart from the Visa you may be requested for your address or the contact information of the person you are visiting in either Uganda or Rwanda. When all documents and information has been verified, you will get a stamp on your passport and proceed to the other side of the border. The Rwanda side of the border has stricter policies and you might be required to hand in your bags to be checked.
Note: It is important to note that the Cyanika border opens at 6:00am Uganda time and 5:00 Rwanda time. Cyanika is therefore not open for 24 hours like the Katuna border.
Gatuna or Katuna Border Post
Known as Gatuna in Rwanda and Katuna in Uganda, the border post is the entrance point for travelers and goods crossing from Uganda to Rwanda and vice versa. Most of the goods heading to Rwanda from Kenya pass through the Gatuna border. It has greater tour and commercial traffic than the Cyanika border crossing. On the Uganda side, the border post is found in Kabale (A district in the South Western part of Uganda). On the Rwanda side, the border is found in the district of Gichumbi.
Commercial vehicles dominate the Katuna border post. It is the busiest border post between Uganda and Rwanda. This border is opened for 24 hours. Although it was designed for commercial purposes, it is in Kabale which is one of Uganda’s tourism hubs. To cross this border post, citizens from Uganda, Rwanda 
and some other East African countries do not need a VISA except for a National Identity Card. International travelers can acquire the VISA from the border post or use the new East African Tourist Visa. Apart from the VISA and passport, the people in immigration will ask for contact details, address and purpose of visiting the countries. If everything is clear, your passport will be stamped to allow you proceed with your journey. Crossing the borders is by foot. You may need to change money from one of the many money exchange agents on both sides of the border.
Kigali to Bwindi Drive – Distance between Bwindi and Kigali
The recent increase in the price of gorilla permits has forced many tourist to opt for Uganda as the place to track mountain gorillas. The cost of a gorilla permit is $1500 in Rwanda while in Uganda, it is $800. Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done in Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi National Park has more mountain gorillas than any other country. Unfortunately, the distance from Entebbe or Kampala in Uganda is very long. It takes between 9 to 10 hours to reach Bwindi forest from Entebbe. Tourists find the distance from Kigali to Bwindi shorter at only 4 hours at most.
It is important to note that there are many reasons why Tourists prefer Uganda to Rwanda as a safari destination. Uganda has more variety of tourism activities compared to Rwanda. Uganda has ten national parks and over 13 reserves. Some of the unique tourist activities in Uganda are the gorilla habituation experience, hiking more volcanoes, the Batwa cultural experience, more game drives, whitewater rafting, golden monkey tracking, chimpanzee tracking and launch cruises. Uganda in has more hotels and lodges but those in Rwanda are in general thought to be of a higher quality.