Katuna Border Reopens 2022
Katuna Border Reopens 2022 – Nyungwe Forest National Park
Katuna Border Reopens 2022: Rwanda has declared that its land crossings with Uganda, notably the Gatuna-Katuna border, would reopen on January 31, three years after it was closed. Visitors can now combine chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest national park with gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Uganda.
The decision arrives a week after President Paul Kagame met with Uganda’s Commander of Land Forces (UPDF) and Special Advisor to President Museveni in Kigali to discuss “Rwanda’s concerns and practical initiatives required to rebuild the relationship between Rwanda and Uganda.”
The reopening of the Rwanda-Uganda border at Katuna was highly welcomed by both Rwandans and Ugandans including traders, students, and individuals with family members on either side of the borders.
The Katuna/Gatuna border makes travel easier for tourists visiting Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The reopening of the Katuna border comes at a time when more travellers are looking to book more gorilla safaris in either Uganda or Rwanda.
The Katuna border is situated in Katuna town, which is located in the Kabale province of southwest Uganda. The Katuna border is the dividing line between Uganda and Rwanda. The Katuna border serves as the entry and departure point for Rwandan exports and imports.
The Rwanda-Uganda border at Katuna is always open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure seamless border operations. Katuna is a border town on the Mombasa-Kigali High Way, roughly 500 kilometers from Kampala, Uganda.
The border town of Gatuna/Katuna was once part of Belgian Rwanda and served as a significant exit route for political refugees who came to live in Uganda. In 1996, the British delineated the Uganda-Rwanda boundary, and based on an agreement between the two countries, the Belgian and British, Katuna was put in Uganda and became the country’s last section.
Katuna is a fascinating town in that its population are of mixed ethnicities, with Rwandese origins, Congolese roots, and some with Burundian ancestry. In Uganda, there is also a small number of individuals from other countries, such as Europeans and tribes. The Bakiga are the largest tribe in Katuna, with three main clans: Abungura, Abasigi, and Abagyesera. This does exist, and the building of the immigration post and police station is in the region where all tribes are represented. Katuna town has a population of around 1300 people who live and work in Katuna border town.
The border town has a unique physical setting in that it contains steep and rocky mountains that make house construction difficult and expensive. The border town features excellent areas utilized for cereal cultivation and dairy animal husbandry. Katuna is still growing and will soon be one of the busiest border towns on the Uganda-Kenya border, alongside Malaba and Busia.
The border town, like any other border town, serves as a center for several enterprises in that traders from the East African area utilize this route to connect to Rwanda since it is a popular escape from Mombasa to Rwanda.
This keeps it busy all the time, with travelers from both countries using it to get to their destinations. At the border, there is a market known as the global market, which unites people all over the globe through dealing in various products.
People from the East African area, such as Kenyans, Rwandans, Ugandans, Tanzanians, and Congolese, trade items at this market. Money changers who deal in currencies such as the US dollar can perform money exchange operations at the Katuna border.
Ugandan nationals and citizens of a few other countries do not require a Visa to cross the border into Rwanda, but rather papers such as the Tourism Visa and national identity cards.
The immigration inspectors always inquire for your address, contact information, and the nature of your business in Rwanda. After passing through immigration, you will be given a stamp that allows you to continue your travel to Rwanda.
In conclusion: The Katuna border can be accessed by tourists who wish to do gorilla trekking in Uganda from Kigali. Visitors can also combine a chimpanzee tour in Nyungwe forest national park and a wildlife safari in Akagera national park.
