Rwanda
Rwanda is known as Le Pays des Mille Collines (Land of a Thousand Hills). It is a beautiful and safe country to visit. From budget options to high-end luxury stays, you can have it all here. We visited Rwanda in July 2022 and I’m so happy to say that in March 2025, we moved to Kigali! My guide for Rwanda will continue to grow as we spend the next three years here.
There is so much to do in Rwanda, from spending a weekend in Kigali and visiting the Volcanoes National Park for the gorillas and Golden monkeys, to Lake Kivu boat rides and coffee plantation visits.
Rwanda is relatively small. You could spend a week in Kigali with several day trips around the country or visit a new town every night. Tourism is a massive part of Rwanda’s economy, and there are well-versed tour guides and operators for almost anything you want to do. That said, it’s also easy to do things yourself using motos and buses.
The Ultimate 10-Day Rwanda Itinerary
Getting to Rwanda
Visa
Check this list to see if your nationality doesn’t need a visa. All other countries can get a visa on arrival. A single-entry tourist visa costs USD 70. It is best to bring dollars as a backup but there is a card machine that works to collect your payment. Have your Rwandan address and phone number of the lodge/Airbnb host handy to tell the officer.
Kigali Airport Logistics
Getting a SIM card
WOW. I have never waited in line so long for a sim card although it taakes around 20 minutes for a person to get registered in the MTN system. This is the only mobile network operator offering sim cards at the airport. Although it’s a wait to get a card if there are many people ahead of you, data is very cheap so it may be worth it for your trip to keep connected. I got a sim card for RWF 5,000 with 7 GB of data. A 16 GB package was only RWF 7,000.
Transportation
There are official taxis waiting to take you to your accommodation. You will likely pay RWF 25,000.
ATMs and Cash
There are two ATMs at Kigali airport, located after you exit towards the car park. However, both were not working when we arrived. Instead, we exchanged dollars for local currency at an amazing rate at the money transfer place right next to MTN. You won’t get a receipt though. You can also use the official ForEex which is located to the right as you exit the airport hall into the crowd of meet and greeters.
The biggest banknote in Rwanda is RWF 5,000. You’ll be carrying around a lot of bank notes. Most activities and restaurants accepted cash, “momo pay,” and some accept card. I suggest taking out USD 400 in one go for all your food and transport, and then budgeting how much you need to take out for your activities.
ATMs are easy to find in towns and cities but not once you head out into the villages (or even 5km away from a city).
Transportation in Rwanda
Most of the larger cities and towns have good roads and are easy to get to with public transportation.
Buses
We used RITCO for all our city bus transfers when we were tourists. These buses were bigger and usually more comfortable than the minibusses. Call it luck, but we arrived within 10 minutes of a bus transfer each time we traveled and so never had to wait long. Ask around for which bus is leaving the soonest; several bus operators will come to encourage you to use their service. Cash only here.
Getting Around in Cities
Within cities and towns, motos are the best way to get around. Ladies, wear a flowy dress or pants. It’s not as easy to find a taxi on the side of the street as it is to find a moto. It’s “required” you wear a scarf over your head before putting on the moto helmet (which totally makes sense) but I didn’t have anything and went without. Wilhelm wore a cap under the helmet.
Taxis in Kigali
There are two apps you can use to determine prices or call a taxi (or moto): Yego and VM Move. Both apps are rustic versions of Uber, and you need to be able to make and receive calls. The apps will pair you with a driver. However, you need to be able to tell your driver where you are… so hand the phone over to a local or explain your street number and surroundings.
I found Yego more difficult to use becuase drivers didn’t often speak English (besides “left” and “right”) and I couldn’t explain where I was. Yego drivers can’t access your exact location. However, Yego is cheaper than VM Move. You must pay with cash or the momo app. Drivers don’t usually have change.
With VW Move, drivers have modern VW cars that usually have seatbelts. The rides are more expensive, but drivers usually speak English, and you can pay via credit card. Sometimes the systems don’t work, and the drivers have to call the VW Move office and send you a payment link, but this is useful. Don’t exit the car and assume payment is complete (like in an Uber). Wait until the driver confirms payment. You can also give cash or do momo pay. Drivers are usually able to use Google Maps to get to your exact location. You need a local number becuase drivers will call you at least 1 or 2 times to figure out where you are.
Car Rental
Renting a car is easy in Rwanda. You’ll need a small SUV to get to some of the rustic hotels, as there are occasionally dirt roads involved. As I mentioned, the country is full of mountains and hills, and the highways have strict speed limits and rules to prevent accidents. Roads are usually 1 way in either direction.
Unlike in other countries where the speed “limit” means you can go over 5km or more… In Rwanda, “limit” means “limit!” and you will get a ticket for going 1km over. There are dozens upon dozens of speed traffic cameras in Kigali and on the highways. If you’re unsure of what the speed limit is, don’t go more than 40km in a city and don’t go more than 60km on a highway. There are sections of highway where you can go 80km, but it’s usually short.
I could swear I wasn’t going over the speed limit, but I’ve gotten speeding tickets in Rwanda. It is most likely that I didn’t slow down fast enough between an 80km and 60km speed change (and there are usually cameras there).
Another tip: do not pass trucks on a solid line! I got a ticket for that becuase I followed two cars ahead of me that did the same thing. Somehow, 5 minutes later, all three of our cars were stopped and ticketed. I don’t even know how they saw us.
It is very common to get tickets. Each is usually 25,000 RWF and goes directly to the car’s license plate. If you’re renting a car, the company will check the fines and let you know how much to pay.
Drinking and Driving
Drinking and driving is 100% not tolerated in Rwanda and carries a mandatory 5 days in jail. You can’t have a single beer. There are police breathalizer checks in the evenings. Don’t do it.
When to visit Rwanda
You’ll find the best weather from June through August and mid-December through mid-March. It barely rains and the weather hovers around 22° C. If you’re set on seeing the baby gorilla, visit during September. April through May can be rainy but that may mean you can more easily obtain a permit to visit the gorillas.
