A typical first trip here runs about $475 to $650 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Isombe, cassava leaves cooked with eggplant and dried fish
- Brochettes, grilled meat skewers, the most popular street food
- Ubugali, stiff cassava or maize porridge served with vegetables
- Agatogo, mashed plantains with meat sauce
- Rwanda's specialty coffee is among the finest in Africa
- Mountain gorilla trekking, Volcanoes National Park offers the world's best experience
- Kwita Izina (gorilla naming ceremony, June), one of Africa's most moving events
- Umuganda (last Saturday of each month), national community service day
- Rwanda's remarkable post-genocide reconciliation is a model for the world
Kinyarwanda, English, and French are all official. English is widely spoken following the 1994 transition.
Rwanda is often called "the land of a thousand hills" and is one of Africa's most organized and clean countries. It's remarkably safe.
- Plastic bags are completely banned in Rwanda, do not bring them
- Approach the genocide history with profound sensitivity and respect
- Gorilla trekking permits are expensive but essential, book months ahead
- Tipping 10% is appreciated; cash in Rwandan francs or USD
Latest for Rwanda
Updates for Rwanda will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.