🇷🇼Rwanda

The visa, which is genuinely simple

The Rwanda Development Board states it in one sentence: citizens of all countries are allowed to get a visa upon arrival without prior application.

• African Union, Commonwealth and Francophonie member countries: 30 days, free. That covers most of Europe's Francophone countries, the whole Commonwealth including the UK, Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia and Singapore, and all of Africa.
• East African Community citizens get a pass free of charge for a six month stay.
• Ninety days free for Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Mauritius, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Singapore.
• Everyone else pays, and the fee is capped: no more than USD 50 for single entry, USD 70 for multiple.
• You can apply online first if you prefer, and pay online or on arrival. There is no affiliated agent authorised to apply on your behalf, whatever a search result tells you.

The passport

• Valid at least 6 months after the day you arrive, with at least one blank page for stamps.

Yellow fever

• A certificate is required if you are arriving from a country on the transmission risk list, which includes much of central and west Africa. A long transit through one can count.

The plastic bag

• Rwanda bans single-use plastic bags and confiscates them on arrival. This is not a fine or a warning; the bag is taken at the airport.
• Repack before you fly. Duty free bags, packing bags, bin liners inside a suitcase - all of it.
• The airport-security resealable liquids bag is the usual exception, but do not build a plan around exceptions.

The East Africa Tourist Visa

• USD 100 covers Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda for 90 days with multiple entries. Worth it if you are crossing more than one border; otherwise the free 30 days is better.

Malaria

• Malaria is a risk throughout Rwanda, and antimalarial medication is recommended for most travellers.
• Start the conversation about six weeks before you fly, because some regimes begin before departure.
• Symptoms up to a year after you get home still mean malaria until a doctor says otherwise. Tell them where you have been.

Other mosquito-borne illness

• Dengue occurs sporadically and chikungunya is present. Both bite in the daytime.
• Bite avoidance covers all three at once: repellent, covered arms at dawn and dusk, a net or screens at night.

Medical care

• Public medical facilities in Kigali are adequate for routine procedures.
• Access to health care is limited outside Kigali, which matters if your trip is mostly in the parks.
• Insurance must cover medical evacuation, because a serious case leaves the country.
• Check whether it covers motorbike taxis, which is the single most likely way to need it.

Yellow fever and hygiene

• A yellow fever certificate is required from listed risk countries.
• Typhoid is present at low risk, through food and water.

Kigali

• The airport is about 10 km from the centre, so almost anywhere in the city is a short ride.
• Kiyovu, Nyarutarama and Kacyiru hold most of the hotels and guesthouses; the city centre proper is offices.
• Kigali is spread over steep hills. A place that looks close on a map may be a climb, which is why the motos exist.

Two dates that close things

• Umuganda, the last Saturday of every month. Community work, 07:00 to 11:00, and most services close. Traffic is restricted. Plan no transfers or excursions in that window.
• Kigali car-free mornings, the first and third Sunday, 07:00 to 10:00. Main roads close to vehicles.

One week a year

• Genocide Memorial Day is 7 April, and it opens an official week of national mourning. Music and celebration are curtailed, many businesses close or shorten hours, and the tone of the country changes. Travelling then is possible and asks for some sensitivity.

At night

• Kigali is safe by regional standards and walking at night is still the risk, particularly alone. Arrange transport rather than walking back.

The networks

• MTN Rwanda and Airtel Rwanda are the two operators. Both cover Kigali and the main roads well.
• Coverage is good by regional standards, which is a deliberate national policy rather than an accident.

The prices

• MTN publishes bundles from RWF 500 for 800 MB up to RWF 10,000 for 30 GB. In the middle, RWF 3,000 buys around 4.3 GB and RWF 7,000 around 11 GB.
• Validity differs by bundle, so read which tab you are on before buying; the same price buys different amounts on the daily, weekly and monthly tabs.
• At RWF 10,000 for 30 GB you are paying roughly seven dollars for a month of data, which makes roaming hard to justify.

Buying one

• Bring your passport. SIM registration is mandatory and is done against an identity document.
• Buy from an operator shop rather than a street vendor, so the registration is done properly and in your name.

Mobile money

• Rwanda runs on mobile money, and MTN MoMo is close to universal. It generally needs a local number and a local registration, so it is more useful on a long stay than a short one.

Power

• 230 V, 50 Hz, sockets type C, E, F and G. The British three-pin and the European round two-pin both appear, sometimes in the same building.
• Bring a universal adapter rather than guessing.

Language

• Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili are all official.
• English is the language of education and business since the 2008 switch, so younger people and anyone in tourism speak it well.
• French is still widely understood by anyone over about forty.
• "Muraho" is hello and "murakoze" is thank you.

The plastic bag ban

• It has been in force since 2008 and it is enforced at the border. Rwanda's cleanliness is not an accident and visitors are expected to participate.
• Bring a fabric bag for shopping.

Rhythm

• Umuganda, the last Saturday of the month, 07:00 to 11:00. Most services close.
• Kigali goes car-free on the first and third Sunday morning.
• Time is UTC+2 with no daylight saving.

The rule that catches people out

• Most shops will not accept or exchange US dollars printed before 2006. Check the date on every note before you leave home; older bills are refused outright rather than discounted.
• This applies to exchange bureaux as well as shops. A pre-2006 hundred is a hundred dollars you cannot spend.

Cash first

• Rwanda is a cash-based economy. Electronic payments and online banking are growing but cash is still what most transactions use.
• Cards work at most hotels and lodges, and most businesses, restaurants and shops in Kigali. Outside Kigali, assume cash.

ATMs

• ATMs are available in the large cities.
• Some will not accept foreign bank cards. The workaround is a counter withdrawal inside the bank, using your passport as identification, which does work.
• Take out more than you think you need before leaving Kigali for a park or a lake.

The currency

• The Rwandan franc (RWF). Park fees and upmarket lodges are often quoted in US dollars and payable in either.

Crime

• Burglary, theft, bag-snatching and mugging happen in Kigali, at relatively low levels overall.
• Walking at night raises the risk noticeably. Arrange transport in advance, lock car doors, carry little cash and leave nothing visible in a vehicle.

Photography

• Photographing government buildings is prohibited. So is photographing anywhere a sign says not to.
• This is enforced. Rwanda is not a country where a shrug settles it.

Drones

• Recreational and commercial drone flying is strictly regulated. You need permission from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority before flying.
• Without it, expect a fine and confiscation, and flying in a restricted area risks imprisonment.

Drugs

• Cannabis and other illegal drugs bring long jail sentences and heavy fines, and airport scanning covers transit baggage as well as arriving bags.

Volcanoes and the border

• Nyiragongo, near Goma across the DRC border, is one of the world's most active volcanoes and can affect north-western Rwanda.
• Check current advice for the DRC border area before travelling there. The situation changes.

The numbers

Notes

• 112 covers both police and ambulance, which is the number to remember.
• 111 is fire, and it is the odd one out. Do not assume 112 will route a fire call.
• Outside Kigali, the nearest real hospital may be hours away. Know where your lodge would send you before you need to ask.