What Visa Covers Kenya and Rwanda: $100 for 90 Days

If you’re pairing a Kenya safari with Rwanda gorilla trekking, you only need one visa for both. What visa covers Kenya and Rwanda is the East Africa Tourist Visa, a joint visa that also includes Uganda. It costs $100, allows multiple entries, and stays valid for 90 days from your first arrival. Here’s what it actually covers, what it skips, and how the order you apply in shapes your route from the Masai Mara to Volcanoes National Park.

What Visa Covers Kenya and Rwanda (and Uganda Too)

The East Africa Tourist Visa is a single joint visa covering Kenya and Rwanda, plus Uganda, for tourism only. It costs $100, allows multiple entries across all three countries, and is valid for 90 days from first entry. It does not cover Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, or the DRC.

It covers tourism entry into Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and nowhere else.
One $100 fee replaces three separate single-country applications.
It’s multiple entry, so you can cross borders more than once during your trip without reapplying.
It runs for 90 days from the date you first enter, not from the date you apply.

Cost and Validity: How Much and How Long

The East Africa Tourist Visa costs a flat $100 regardless of nationality, applied for online through the eTA or e-visa portal of whichever country you enter first. That single fee replaces three separate single-country visas, which would otherwise run roughly $50 each for Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Flat $100 fee for every eligible nationality.
90 days of validity starting from your first entry, so book your flights before you apply if you want to maximize the window.
It pays off quickly once you’re visiting two or more of the three countries, since separate visas add up.
It generally cannot be extended or renewed from inside East Africa. If your trip runs longer than 90 days, plan to exit the region and reapply, or sort a single-country extension before your current visa expires.

Which Countries Are Included and Excluded

Included: Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. This is the full scope of the Kenya-Rwanda-Uganda visa arrangement.
Excluded: Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
If your itinerary adds the Serengeti or Zanzibar onto a Kenya-Rwanda trip, you’ll need a completely separate Tanzania visa.
Confirm the current country list before you apply, since regional visa programs do shift over time.

That’s what visa covers Kenya and Rwanda in practical terms: three countries, one price, one online application.

Which Country Should You Apply Through First?

You apply through the country you plan to enter first, and that choice locks your route. A Kenya-first application starts with Kenya’s eTA system. A Rwanda-first application starts on Irembo. Entering through a different country than the one that issued your visa can get you denied at the border. Sequence your safari-then-gorilla-trek itinerary before applying.

Flying into Nairobi first? Apply through Kenya’s eTA portal.
Flying into Kigali first? Apply through Rwanda’s Irembo portal.
Match your visa’s issuing country to your actual point of entry, since border officials do check this.
A Kenya-first entry usually means starting in the Masai Mara or Amboseli before moving on to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking. A Rwanda-first entry reverses that order. If you’re building this route as a solo traveler, our notes on planning a Kenya safari as a solo traveler cover the logistics of doing it without a group.
There’s no visa-on-arrival option for the joint program, so get your approval before you fly.

Required Documents, Including the Yellow Fever Certificate

You need a passport valid six months or more, a passport photo, proof of accommodation, and a return flight. You’ll also need proof of funds and a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Both Kenya and Rwanda require the certificate on arrival from or transiting through at-risk countries. Missing it is the most common reason travelers get delayed at the border.

Passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates.
A recent passport photo, usually uploaded digitally during the application.
Proof of accommodation and a return or onward flight.
Proof of sufficient funds for your stay.
A yellow fever vaccination certificate. Carry the physical card, since some border posts still ask for paper over digital records. See our full rundown of East Africa’s yellow fever requirements for which routes trigger it.
Children need their own visa too. There’s no family exemption, so each child’s passport gets a separate application.

Kenya’s ETA vs. the Joint East Africa Visa

Kenya’s own eTA system is the country’s standard travel authorization, required for anyone visiting Kenya on its own. When you apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa through Kenya’s portal, you’re selecting the joint option inside that same system rather than filing two unrelated forms.

Visiting only Kenya? Apply for the standalone ETA, it’s a simpler, single-country process.
Visiting Kenya plus Rwanda or Uganda? Select the joint East Africa Tourist Visa option instead, so you’re not paying for separate approvals.
Both applications run through similar online portals, so double check which option you picked before you pay.
If you’re unsure which route your itinerary needs, our Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda safari itinerary breakdown lays out how the countries typically connect on a single trip.

What the Visa Does Not Cover on Your Safari Itinerary

The joint visa covers Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda only. It does not extend to Tanzania, so a Serengeti or Zanzibar add-on needs its own visa. It also does not cover gorilla trekking permits, Masai Mara conservancy fees, or national park entry fees. Those are booked and paid separately from the visa itself.

Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda. These are budgeted and secured on their own, and our guide to budgeting for a Rwanda gorilla permit walks through what to expect.
Masai Mara conservancy fees and Kenya’s national park entry fees, both separate from anything the visa covers. Our Kenya safari cost breakdown covers those.
Any Tanzania leg of the trip, which needs its own visa entirely.
Accommodation, whether that’s a budget tented camp or a private camp. If cost is a deciding factor, start by comparing private camp costs across East Africa.

Your Next Step

Decide which country you’re flying into first, Kenya or Rwanda, then apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa through that country’s own portal well before you travel. Once the visa is sorted, the real planning work is locking in your route, especially if you’re pairing a Masai Mara safari with gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. Compare safari operators like FindMySafari, Valley Safaris, and Trunktrails Safaris to see how they package that combination and what it costs on top of the visa itself.