Photo: GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock

Uganda Is Reopening to Tourists, as Long as They Stay 32 Feet Away From the Gorillas

Uganda Wildlife News
by Eben Diskin Oct 9, 2020

Uganda is now welcoming international visitors, meaning you can once again take advantage of the country’s beautiful national parks. You just need to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of landing in the country and undergo health screenings on arrival, including temperature checks. Anyone showing symptoms will be taken to an isolation center at a local hospital by ambulance to take a test.

Masks must be worn at all times in the airport and while traveling through any of the country’s 10 national parks, like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park. Visitors to national parks will be required to bring at least two N95, surgical, or double-layer cloth masks with filters, and temperature checks will also be in place at park entrances.

When visiting the parks, visitors who participate in chimpanzee and gorilla tracking have to stay 32 feet away from the primates and six and a half feet away from other visitors. Uganda is home to more than half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas, and the animals must be protected from any possible threat to their well-being.

Tourism Uganda advises outbound travelers to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure to allow enough time for health screenings. Those leaving Uganda are required to provide the negative result of a COVID-19 PCR test taken 72 before boarding.

Discover Matador