ca_vol

Hello,

This is my first post on this website. I usually frequent another site but when I discovered that the Rwanda and Uganda forums were not very active, someone suggested Fodor's. I am glad they did as I have already discovered some really great information.

I have a question about safety in Uganda. My husband and I are American citizens who were about to purchase a trip to Uganda and Rwanda. Our trip would be to go gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in the appropriate national parks near the Rwandan border, along with a possible safari, too, in QE Park. We would fly in and out of Uganda.

I noticed, however, the problems with violent crimes on the US Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for Uganda. Rwanda, on the other hand, seems relatively safe. The part that concerned me was how tourists had sometimes been targeted and killed in Uganda, even in the national parks and nice lodges.

On the other hand, I also read that the Ugandan government has taken serious steps in the past few years to protect tourists. My questions are: Is it now safer for tourists to visit, especially Americans? Also, is it safer to travel on the roads between the airport and parks during the day with a car and hired driver?

We recently returned from a wonderful trip to South Africa, of which we almost canceled after reading the US Consular Information Sheet for that country. We soon discovered that the safari lodges in the private game reserves near Kruger National Park and the tourist areas of cities such as Cape Town were very safe for tourists. We felt very safe and secure while there, unlike the "horror" described on their Consular Information Sheet. I want to know if the Consular Information sheet for Uganda is just a series of isolated incidents or a serious concern for the everyday tourist.

We do not want to be falsely alarmed but don't want to be foolish, either. There is a difference.


Below is the link to which I am referring:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1051.html


Here are some excerpts that concern me the most:

"...and in the southwest near the border with Rwanda. Insurgent groups have at times specifically targeted U.S. citizens. They have engaged in murder, armed attacks, kidnapping, and the placement of land mines. Isolated, incidents occur with little or no warning."

and this, but not as much as the quote above:

"On June 27, 2007, two American citizens were robbed and held at gunpoint when the vehicle transporting them to Entebbe Airport was stopped by a group of armed men."

And last but not least:

"The 2007 raid on Butogota is in a district transited by tourists traveling to Bwindi, a popular gorilla trekking destination."

Thanks for any positive, or negative, personal experiences you can provide.

atravelynn

Go with a reputable operator and you'll be fine. That is what I have done on 3 Uganda visits and 1 Rwanda visit over the past years. I am in the process of planning about 2 weeks in Rwanda for 2009.

Many reputable companies visit these places and do not want their clients to be encountering all sorts of problems. A&K, Natural Habitat, Mountain Sobek, Wilderness Travel, etc.

The incident where foreign tourists were targeted and killed in Uganda was in 1999. Very tragic. Since then, more of a military presence has been in place. I've been back to Uganda twice since that event, in 2002 and 2004. The reason my next trip is to Rwanda and not Uganda has nothing to do with safety. There are things I want to see in Rwanda, plus the gorilla viewing is slightly better in my opinion.

You itinerary will give you a wonderful trip! I have visited the places you mention with no problems and so have many others.

I would avoid driving at night, even airport transfers, if you are concerned.

ca_vol

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. When you say tour company, do you mean we have to take a tour on a bus with strangers or do you mean just to book everything for us?

Also, what do you think of Churchill Safaris?

Thanks so much and any other replies are encouraged!

atravelynn

I do not know personally of Churchill, but have heard of them. I did not see a Uganda-Rwanda combo in their offerings on the website. Maybe I missed it.

If you visit the Rwanda gorillas first, you can go gorilla tracking (or golden monkey tracking) in the morning in Volcanoes National Park and end up in Bwindi in Uganda by evening, before dark. It doesn't work the other way around because it can often take longer to track in Uganda.

If you find Churchill listed in some of the guidebooks such as Fodors, Bradt, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Frommers, etc. and you talk with some satisfied references, then they will likely be fine.

Whatever company you choose will most likely not have many people on a bus. The typical mode of transport, unless you choose public transportation, is a van, Jeep, Land Cruiser, or similar.

About 50 miles from where I live, a young girl was recently shot in a vehicle while driving home from work with friends in a rural area. No motive, no suspect, she remains hospitalized. A bit closer to where I live, there are fatal drive bys frequently. Your risk is probably higher if you visited me and spent time driving around the nearest big city than going to Uganda.

atravelynn

You may have seen a variety of posts on gorillas, including these.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35121593

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35114746

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35092056

ca_vol

Thank you for your help. Someone on Trip Advisor suggested Churchill Safaris. I was just going to have them make an itinerary for us (not an already-made, set tour).

We want to take an afternoon trip after the Rwandan trek to Kigali to visit the genocide museum. This is what we are thinking:

First-Fly into Entebee, Uganda.

Next-Drive over the border to Ruhengire, Rwanda to the Volcans National Parc. Gorilla trek one day. We will ask to go to Dian Fossey's memoriam area during our trek. Also, we will take an afternoon day trip to the genocide museum about an hour away in the capital city of Kigali.

Then-Recross into Uganda and visit Buhoma. This is in Bwindi National Park where the Ugandan gorillas are. This way, we trek two days, one in Rwanda and one in Uganda. Each country has different species of gorillas and doing this also gives us a 100% chance of seeing them. Safari.

Next-Drive to Mweya in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Then-Kibale National Park to go chimpanzee trekking.

Finally-Return to Entebbe to fly home.

Cheweyhead

Just a note:
We did two Gorilla treks in Rwanda. But were told we needed another day to visit Diane Fossey's Grave/Homesite. Not sure if this was because we had long treks or....actually needed another day.

Wingi

ca_vol,

We are booked to do a similar trip this coming Christmas.

-Fly into Kigali
-Parc National des Volcans (Rwanda) for gorilla trekking
-Bwindi (Uganda) for gorilla trekking
-QE Park (Myweya)
-Kibale for chimp trekking
-Ngamba Island chimp sanctuary
-Fly out of Entebbe

We are flying Kenya Airways from London via Nairobi. If you flew into Kigali it would make the start of your trip more logical. You could visit the genocide museum on your first day before travelling to PNV.

ca_vol

Thanks for all the help, everyone! And you all think Uganda is safe for us?

ca_vol

Hey Wingi,

Which tour company did you use? Is it a custom made tour? Also, which country do you live?

atravelynn

<b>First-Fly into Entebee, Uganda.

Next-Drive over the border to Ruhengire, Rwanda to the Volcans National Parc. Gorilla trek one day. We will ask to go to Dian Fossey's memoriam area during our trek. Also, we will take an afternoon day trip to the genocide museum about an hour away in the capital city of Kigali.</b>

You are driving from Entebbe all the way to Volcans National Parc in Rwanda? (PNV) The drive just to Bwindi from Entebbe is all day. You can opt to fly to Bwindi from Entebbe. Get a time frame on this!

From PNV to the Never Again Memorial in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda is at least 2 hours. You'd need a day to go, see it, and return to PNV.

I do not believe you can do a gorilla visit and and a Fossey grave visit in one day. It is because the Fossey grave takes a day to get to it.


<b>Then-Recross into Uganda and visit Buhoma. This is in Bwindi National Park where the Ugandan gorillas are. This way, we trek two days, one in Rwanda and one in Uganda. Each country has different species of gorillas and doing this also gives us a 100% chance of seeing them. Safari.</b>

I would be wary of any company that guarantees anything in nature as 100%. Two visits does pretty much guarantee you'll see the gorillas, but it is not a zoo and only zoos can give you 100%.

<b>Next-Drive to Mweya in Queen Elizabeth National Park. </b>

This is about 5 hours. How many days in QE and what activities? You should do a Kazinga Channel launch.

<b>Then-Kibale National Park to go chimpanzee trekking. </b>

How many days here?

<b>Finally-Return to Entebbe to fly home.</b>

It is an all day drive back to Entebbe from Kibale.

The places you visit look good. Unless you are given more specifics on timing and number of days, it appears you cannot do some of these things in the time allotted.

Wingi

ca_vol,

Our trip is custom made - I worked out a rough itinerary and e-mailed it to 4 companies. 2 didn't reply and, from the other 2, I picked the company we are using because they sorted out the gorilla permits for our dates before doing anything else. They realised that no permits would mean no trip!

I am English, living in UK and the company we are using is based in UK - World Primate Safaris.

Patty

I'm not sure that it's even possible to drive from Entebbe to PNV in one day. It's also more than an hour from PNV to Kigali. You're much better off flying into Kigali, visiting the memorial, then head to PNV for your trek, and cross into Uganda for the rest of your itinerary. And some correct me if I'm wrong but I thought PNV and Bwindi had the <i>same</i> mountain gorilla species.

ca_vol

I thought they were different species!

atravelynn

Gorilla beringei beringei is the mountain gorilla. I thought those in Rwanda are hairier than in Uganda, but the same species.

Here is what Wikopedia says
&quot;...proposed...subspecies of Gorilla beringei, which has not yet received a trinomen, is the Bwindi population of the Mountain Gorilla, sometimes called the Bwindi Gorilla.&quot;

It's a gorilla species in process, apparently.

ca_vol

Thanks for everything again.

Also, for others who might have the same questions about safety in Uganda as I did, below is the response from the US Embassy in Uganda who just wrote me back. My husband and I have decided to go:

&quot;Generally speaking, travel to an area that borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo implies an inherent risk due to the instability in the Congo. Incursions are very rare, but some have occurred in past years and have resulted in fatalities. The Government of Uganda has taken considerable steps to increase security in the national parks. There is a military detachment posted at Bwindi, which is where American citizens and other foreign tourists were killed in 1999. Since then hundreds of foreign tourists have visited Bwindi with no incidents, however each visitor should be cognizant that areas of Bwindi are only a few kilometers away from the Congolese border. The northern sector of Queen Elizabeth Park is visited by hundreds of foreign tourists, and a large lake separates Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo there so the geography in that specific area significantly reduces the likelihood of any border incursion. You should avoid any nighttime travel, which I believe most of the tour companies discourage anyway. Again generally speaking, most tour operators own or lease vehicles that are better maintained and hire drivers that are properly licensed in order to help ensure the safety of their clients. Public transport in Uganda should be avoided.&quot;

Lucia78

The State Dept is obligated to report on those incidents and I think overstates everything.

There is no travel advisory against Uganda and U.S. government personnel are allowed to bring their families with them, so it is a safe location. Just keep your wits about you as you would in NYC or DC, etc.

I was in Uganda in August and felt very safe.

ca_vol

Thank you for the reassurance. I also read that the US Department of State's Consular Information Sheets are the most conservative out there. I do think that this is a trip where we need to get trip insurance though, due to instability in the Congo.

Lucia78

I don't think instability in DRC will affect your trip to Uganda. Regardless though, you should get trip and health insurance. Use insuremytrip.com as it compares rates for a number of providers. I get medevac when I go anywhere in the developing world anyway, just so I have my choice of hospitals if a real problem happened.

ca_vol

Thanks, Lucia. The instability I referred to meant the fighting that can spill over the border, that's all.