Rwanda or Uganda?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 11 11
UNESCO listings among them 0 3
Cost level Mid-range Budget
Busiest month in our write-ups January January
Currency Rwandan franc (RWF) Ugandan shilling (UGX)
Plugs and voltage C, J - 230 V G - 240 V
Everyday languages Kinyarwanda, English, French English, Swahili
Driving side right hand side left hand side
Region Eastern Africa Eastern Africa
Capital Kigali Kampala
Rwanda
Soft-spoken, orderly and immaculate; courtesy and calm are the national register.
What we have written up
- Akagera National Park national park
- Gishwati-Mukura National Park forest
- Lake Kivu lake
- Nyungwe Forest National Park forest
- Rwandan Basket Weaving tradition
- Rwandan Cuisine dish
Worth knowing before you go
- Mobile money runs daily life - cash francs still help at markets
- Kigali is hilly and moto-taxis are everywhere - a passenger helmet comes with the ride
- Tipping is appreciated, not demanded - a few dollars a day for guides and drivers
Uganda
Famously friendly; greetings are unhurried rituals and strangers are welcomed like guests.
What we have written up
- Bwindi and Gorilla Trekking forest
- Kibale and Chimpanzee Trekking forest
- Kidepo Valley National Park national park
- Lake Bunyonyi lake
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park national park
- Murchison Falls waterfall
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash and mobile money rule - cards work in Kampala hotels, shillings everywhere else
- US dollar bills for visas and permits should be recent-series and unmarked - old or torn notes are refused
- Boda-boda motorbike taxis are everywhere - agree the price before hopping on
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.