Rwanda Post Covid Travel rules

Rwanda Post Covid Travel rules: Had you booked yourself a Rwanda safari or were you looking at travelling to Rwanda post COVID? Rwanda is a leading tour destination in Africa especially for people looking for a top notch safari. The biggest numbers of travellers that come to visit Rwanda or intend to come for a Rwanda tour are looking to experience the mountain gorilla trekking.

Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is one of three countries that are a home to the only few remaining mountain gorillas. Rwanda is blessed with 4 national parks that are the hubs of tourism in the country and that is Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe forest national park, Akagera national park and the Gishwati Mukura national park, a small and newly established national park. All these national parks have their highlight like the Volcanoes national park’s biggest highlight is the mountain gorillas, the Nyungwe forest national park is the chimpanzees, the Akagera national park is the Big 5 wildlife and the Gishwati Mukura national park’s biggest attraction is the biodiversity of the park.

Covid-19 had led to the closure of these national parks and the Kigali international airport halting all tourism and travel in the country. This however changed after the government of Rwanda saw it necessary to resume the travel into the country and the tours in the different national parks. This decision was a well thought out one with a few changes to ensure the spread and contraction of the deadly corona virus is minimized.

Tours in Rwanda are now abit more precautioned with strong standard operating procedures put in place. All travellers headed to the Kigali International airport with an intention of spending days in the country will be expected to take a PCR test or have taken a test in the past 72 hours before departure from the country that is 3 days at most. This test result should be negative and should be uploaded after completing the passenger locator form. This form can be found on this website www.rbc.gov.rw

On arrival, another test will be done after screening you and sanitizing you and your belongings just to verify the negative test results credibility. The test is taken at the airport by the skilled front line workers. You will thereafter be welcomed and picked up by one of the staff in the cars designated to transfer travellers to the hotel where you are to stage as you await for the results.

The biggest change with the tours of Rwanda is the mandatory 24 hour quarantine. This comes as a precaution to be certain of the status of the traveller. This 24 hour quarantine gives travellers some time to wait for their second PCR test results.

There are 17 designated hotels for this quarantine and these include the Kigali Marriot Hotel, Radisson blue hotel, Kigali Serena hotel, Hotel Des Milles Colline, Grand Legacy hotel, Lemigo Hotel, Gorillas golf hotel, Park Inn by Radisson, Ubumwe Grande hotel, Karisimbi hotel, Hotel Villa Portofino, Dove hotel, the Nest Kigali, Quiet Haven hotel, Great season hotel, the Mirror hotel and the Greenwhich hotel. All these hotels are ready and well equipped to host you at a very considerate rate. The rates offered by these hotels are subsidized and are on a full board basis negotiated by the Rwanda government. This full board basis means three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner which is not refundable if you opt to miss one of the meals. Should you be interested in spending more nights at that hotel, you are free to choose to at an extra cost. Check out the info note for arrivals in Rwanda for more information regarding the 24 hour designated transit hotels.

The Covid-19 test taken in Rwanda will cost you 50 USD per test and also a 10 USD extra charge for the medical fee for the medics at the hotel. The test results when ready will be availed to you on either email or on phone.

All travellers are advised against use of cash and opt to go electronic for payments of any services offered at a charge. The hotels have point of sale machines to help you with your electronic payments.

If the test results come back and are negative, you will be checked out and your driver guide from the safari company can now welcome you, exchange pleasantries, brief you and head out to start your safari as planned. If the test results come back positive, you will be transferred to a medical facility for special health care at your own cost that is why it is advisable to have personal travel insurance for such worst case scenarios.

Your deposit for the tour will however still be valid up to when you are ready to take on the tour.

Travellers will also be expected to continue following the SOP’s sent out to every country by WHO to wear masks at all times, maintain social distance and wash hands as often as possible. While on your gorilla trek or chimpanzee trek, you will be expected to wear a mask at all times and the viewing distance of the mountain gorillas is now at a 7 meters distance.

These preventive measures, announce by the Ministry of Health Rwanda, have been ongoing since the reopening of tourism in Rwanda in August 2020 and they have proved to be an effective way of limiting the spread and contraction of COVID-19.

Rwanda looks forward to hosting you!