Here are the COVID-19 Travel Guidelines For Uganda and Rwanda that are meant to guide you in properly planning for your safari in Uganda. Feel free to contact us at any time should you need any more clarification on the same.
TRAVEL INFORMATION TO AND FROM UGANDA
ARRIVING PASSENGERS TO UGANDA
All international arrivals will be required to meet the following guidelines on arrival at Entebbe International Airport.
- According to the most recent government guidance, the Government of Uganda has issued a directive that all arriving passengers at Entebbe International Airport will be subjected to COVID-19 testing, regardless of country of origin or vaccination status. (This requirement is in addition to the negative COVID-19 test required less than 72 hours prior to departure.) The only exemptions are for children six years old and below and airline crew with evidence of full COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Arriving passengers will pay USD 30 or the equivalent in Uganda shillings for the COVID-19 PCR test. The payment will be done online.
- After testing upon arrival, travelers are free to proceed to their destinations to await their test results.
- So the Possession of an authentic Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificate of COVID-19 from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin issued within 72 hours before boarding the aircraft in-bound to Uganda.
- Airlines shall not board any passenger coming to Uganda without a negative COVID-19 PCR test shall be denied entry and the airline shall be obliged to take back the passenger.
- A passenger who exhibits signs and symptoms of an infectious disease shall be transported in an ambulance to an isolation centre (Entebbe Referral Hospital) for a COVID-19 test. The result shall be returned within 24-48 hours as the passengers remains in an isolation centre.
- In case a foreign national tests COVID-19 positive and wishes to be repatriated for treatment in another facility outside Uganda, this shall be done at their cost following COVID-19 medical evacuation protocols.
- Passengers shall be subjected to temperature screening on entry to the arrival hall.
- All passengers will be screened for any other signs for infectious diseases by the port health team.
- Passengers shall scan finger prints under instruction of the immigration officer, but will be required to hand sanitize before and after.
- Delivery of test results may be via email, text message (i.e., a PDF sent via WhatsApp), or physical copy. Make sure to confirm a delivery method that suits your needs before selecting a company/lab to conduct the test, and to take your passport with you to the testing – for results to be properly linked in the electronic system used by the airport. It is recommended to bring a printed copy of your test results showing the name and contact information of the accredited lab used with you to the airport.
- Tourists who have had covid-19 a few weeks before arrival should inform the Ministry of Health upon arrival because the chances of them testing positive are high. So that in case the results turn out positive, they can be tested again or even allowed to travel.
- Tourists shouldn’t leave the Hotels before receiving their test results. In case they are supposed to start their activities and the results are not yet received, they should contact our airport office for help before leaving the hotels.
- Once tourists test positive, they have to be quarantined for 7 days at any hotel in Kampala or Entebbe
RECOMMENDATIONS TO SPEED UP THE ARRIVAL PROCESS IN ENTEBBE AIRPORT
Pre-register for Covid-19 test online
https://arrivals.healthdesk.go.ug/home/
Covid test pre-payment online
https://covidpay.postbank.co.ug/
Uganda Visa Application Online
https://visas.immigration.go.ug/
DEPARTING PASSENGERS FROM UGANDA
All passengers will be required to meet the following guidelines prior to the departure
- Present authentic and valid COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificate issued with 72 hours before travel
- Always wear a face mask appropriately within the terminal.
- Passengers and airport users will be subjected to temperature screening on the entry to the airport and departure hall.
- Only passengers and airport users with official business in the terminal will be allowed access to the airport
- Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 4 hours before scheduled flight.
- Airport users are encouraged to sanitize after touching surfaces or documents.
- Once tourists test positive, they have to be quarantined for 7 days at any hotel in Kampala or Entebbe.
RWANDA COVID-19 ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE INFORMATION
ENTRY / ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS TO RWANDA
- All clients to Rwanda must present a negative PCR COVID-19 test certificate valid within 72 hours upon arrival at Kigali International Airport or before their initial flight to Rwanda. We encourage visitors to carry their printed copy of their negative test results on their flight to Rwanda.
- Another COVID-19 test will be taken upon your arrival to Rwanda after presenting a negative PCR COVID-19 test certificate.
- Clients will pay the expense of their COVID-19 test
- Travelers will be quarantined upon arrival on the designated transit hotels as they wait for their COVID-19 results within 24 hours. Contact for designated hotel details and bookings
- Before travel to Rwanda, passengers must fill out a Passenger Locator Form (https://travel.rbc.gov.rw/travel/ ). To fill out this form, passengers must be able to provide passport information, travel details, negative PCR COVID-19 test results, and a booking confirmation at one of the designated hotels for 24-hour quarantine upon arrival.
- All passengers will access their covid-19 test results on this link below https://his.hmis.moh.gov.rw/results/ . So you will be provided a unique ID which will act as a code and your phone number to Log in the system.
- Please note that all tourists will be exempted from the current 3 days quarantine on arrival to Rwanda by applying and requesting permission through Rwanda Development Board (RDB) rather they will do the daily rapid antigen tests which cost US$ 5. For those who are not tourists have to quarantine for 3 days before proceeding with their plans.
DURING YOUR RWANDA SAFARIS
All measures announced by the ministry of health must be followed at all times as follows
- Frequent hand-washing and sanitizing
- Proper wearing of face masks in public,
- Maintaining safe social distance from others (at least one meter apart).
- Regular temperature screening of all guests at different visitor attractions and hotels
- Visitors are required to use cashless transaction methods at all times while on safari
- Cleaning and disinfecting tourist vehicles and boats will regularly do before and after use. Keeping vehicle occupancy at 50% for effective physical distancing.
EXIT / DEPARTURE REQUIREMENTS FROM RWANDA
- Travelers departing from Rwanda must test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before departure, and are encouraged to book and pay for their tests at least two days prior to departure
- Clients will pay the expense of their COVID-19 test
- Clients will be guided by our office staff to take the departure test in designated tourists’ destinations like Musanze, Nyagatare, Nyamasheke, Rwamagana and Rubavu.
- Tests are also done in Kigali especially at Amahoro Stadium “Petit Stade” in Remera and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre Gikondo Branch
GUIDELINES FOR VISITORS WHO TEST POSITIVE DURING THE ARRIVAL AND DEPRATURE PCR TEST
Following consultation with RBC, this serves to inform that for tourists who have been exempted from the 3-day quarantine and who test positive, below arrangement will be offered going forward:
- The control test for the tourist can be conducted on Day 5 from the day he/she tested positive, at own cost.
- If he/she is negative, he/she will be released and proceed with his/her program.
- If he/she is still positive another test will be conducted on Day 7 and Day 10, at own cost.
- All tour operators and hotels applying for exemption must always and timely inform RDB of positive cases (by attaching the tourist covid-19 positive certificate) and the isolation place. This will allow smooth coordination as a list of tourist positive cases must be compiled and submitted by RDB on daily basis.
- We thank you once again for usual cooperation as we navigate through these challenging times.